Recording and evaluation of perinatal and infant age's death causes

Στην παρούσα μελέτη καταγράφηκαν και αναλύθηκαν οι δείκτες περιγεννητικής, νεογνικής και βρεφικής θνησιμότητας, η διαχρονική τάση τους, καθώς επίσης και η κατανομή των αιτιών θανάτων για το χρονικό διάστημα της έρευνας 1990-2000 στην περιοχή της Ηπείρου. Στατιστικά καταγράφηκε σημαντική πτώση όλων των δεικτών θνησιμότητας και πιο συγκεκριμένα: - Η περιγεννητική θνησιμότητα παρουσίασε πτωτική τάση του δείκτη σε όλο το υπό έρευνα χρονικό διάστημα, και διαμορφώθηκε τελικά σε ποσοστό 7,5‰. Όσον αφορά την κατανομή των αιτιών θανάτου, προεξάρχουσα θέση κατείχε η κατηγορία των θνησιγενών ή γεννημένων ζώντων, με στοιχεία ασφυξίας πριν ή κατά τον τοκετό. Πρέπει όμως να επισημανθεί μια πτωτική τάση, αφού παρουσίασε μια μείωση του αριθμού θανάτων με τα συγκεκριμένα αίτια περίπου στο 50% διαχρονικά. Η νεογνική θνησιμότητα κατέγραψε διαχρονική πτώση του δείκτη και διαμορφώθηκε σε ποσοστό 3,77‰. Στην κατανομή των αιτιών την πρώτη θέση κατείχαν οι θάνατοι νεογνών από παθολογικά ευρήματα που συνδέονται με την προωρότητα. Τα στοιχεία αυτά είναι συγκρίσιμα με ανάλογες μελέτες που αναφέρονται στη διεθνή βιβλιογραφία. Η βρεφική θνησιμότητα κατέδειξε πτώση του δείκτη κατ’ έτος και στους τέσσερεις νομούς της Ηπείρου και διαμορφώθηκε τελικά σε ποσοστό 5,62‰. Όσον αφορά τις αιτίες θνησιμότητας της βρεφικής ηλικίας αξίζει ν’ αναφερθούν τα εξής: • Η χαμηλή επίπτωση του ποσοστού των θανάτων, από κακώσεις και δηλητηριάσεις. • Η χαμηλή επίπτωση του ποσοστού των θανάτων από το ΣΑΒΘ. Αναμφισβήτητα το χαμηλό ποσοστό της θνητότητας από το συγκεκριμένο σύνδρομο, δημιουργεί ερωτηματικά και αμφισβητήσεις, ως προς την πιστοποίηση τέτοιων θανάτων. Αναφέρεται ότι σε πολλά αναπτυγμένα κράτη το ΣΑΒΘ αποτελεί μία από τις κυριότερες αιτίες θανάτου της βρεφικής ηλικίας

Glycoprotein CD44 expression in benign, premalignant and malignant epithelial lesions of the larynx: An immunohistochemical study including correlation with Rb, p53, Ki-67 and PCNA

CD44 is an integral membrane glycoprotein that has diverse functions in cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions. It has been suggested that it may be a determinant of metastatic and invasive behavior in carcinomas. The immunohistochemical expression of CD44 was examined in a series of 34 squamous cell carcinomas, 13 in situ carcinomas, 35 cases with various degrees of epithelial dysplasia, 10 papillomas and 17 cases of keratosis. We used the monoclonal mouse antihuman phagocytic glycoprotein-1 CD44 (clone DF 1485), on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue. CD44 expression was correlated with the expression of Rb and p53 proteins, with the proliferative indices Ki-67 and PCNA as well as with conventional clinicopathological data. The mean value of CD44 expression was 78.84 in squamous cell carcinomas, 78.04 in in situ carcinomas, 54.93 in dysplasia, 26.8 in papillomas and 24.97 in keratosis. There was no significant difference of CD44 expression between in situ and invasive carcinomas. However, a strong difference of reaction between carcinomas and the other cases was observed. CD44 expression was statistically higher in dysplastic lesions than the cases of keratosis (p<0.0001) and papillomas (p=0.01). In the group of invasive carcinomas, CD44 expression was statistically correlated with pRb (p=0.011), while in preinvasive lesions it was correlated with PCNA (p=0.016). The relationship with the degree of dysplasia or grade of carcinoma and p53 protein expression was insignificant.These observations suggest that CD44 expression may be involved in the multiple mechanism of the development and progression of laryngeal lesions and may help to predict the risk of transformation of the benign or precancerous lesions to cancer

Oxidative Stress in the Pathogenesis and Evolution of Chronic Kidney Disease: Untangling Ariadne’s Thread

Amplification of oxidative stress is present since the early stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD), holding a key position in the pathogenesis of renal failure. Induction of renal pro-oxidant enzymes with excess generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and accumulation of dityrosine-containing protein products produced during oxidative stress (advanced oxidation protein products—AOPPs) have been directly linked to podocyte damage, proteinuria, and the development of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) as well as tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Vascular oxidative stress is considered to play a critical role in CKD progression, and ROS are potential mediators of the impaired myogenic responses of afferent renal arterioles in CKD and impaired renal autoregulation. Both oxidative stress and inflammation are CKD hallmarks. Oxidative stress promotes inflammation via formation of proinflammatory oxidized lipids or AOPPs, whereas activation of nuclear factor κB transcription factor in the pro-oxidant milieu promotes the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and recruitment of proinflammatory cells. Accumulating evidence implicates oxidative stress in various clinical models of CKD, including diabetic nephropathy, IgA nephropathy, polycystic kidney disease as well as the cardiorenal syndrome. The scope of this review is to tackle the issue of oxidative stress in CKD in a holistic manner so as to provide a future framework for potential interventions

Vanadium(V) complexes with siderophore vitamin e-hydroxylamino-triazine ligands

Novel vitamin E chelate siderophore derivatives and their VV and FeIII complexes have been synthesised and the chemical and biological properties have been evaluated. In particular, the α-and δ-tocopherol derivatives with bis-methyldroxylamino triazine (α-tocTHMA) and (δ-tocDPA) as well their VV complexes, [V2VO3(α-tocTHMA)2] and [V2IVO3(δ-tocTHMA)2], have been synthesised and characterised by infrared (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and ultra violet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopies. The dimeric vanadium complexes in solution are in equilibrium with their respefrctive monomers, H2O + [V2VO2(μ-O)]4+ = 2 [VVO(OH)]2+. The two amphiphilic vanadium complexes exhibit enhanced hydrolytic stability. EPR shows that the complexes in lipophilic matrix are mild radical initiators. Evaluation of their biological activity shows that the compounds do not exhibit any significant cytotoxicity to cells

Vanadium(V) complexes with siderophore vitamin e-hydroxylamino-triazine ligands

Novel vitamin E chelate siderophore derivatives and their VV and FeIII complexes have been synthesised and the chemical and biological properties have been evaluated. In particular, the α-and δ-tocopherol derivatives with bis-methyldroxylamino triazine (α-tocTHMA) and (δ-tocDPA) as well their VV complexes, [V2VO3(α-tocTHMA)2] and [V2IVO3(δ-tocTHMA)2], have been synthesised and characterised by infrared (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and ultra violet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopies. The dimeric vanadium complexes in solution are in equilibrium with their respefrctive monomers, H2O + [V2VO2(μ-O)]4+ = 2 [VVO(OH)]2+. The two amphiphilic vanadium complexes exhibit enhanced hydrolytic stability. EPR shows that the complexes in lipophilic matrix are mild radical initiators. Evaluation of their biological activity shows that the compounds do not exhibit any significant cytotoxicity to cells