Age-related differentiations of Th1/Th2 cytokines in newborn infants.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate age-related differentiation of immune response in newborns by measuring serum concentrations of interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) during the perinatal period. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Fifty-seven healthy term neonates, their mothers and 25 healthy adults (controls) age-matched to the mothers were included in the study. Cytokine concentrations were measured in the umbilical cord (UC), and in first-day (1N) and fifth-day (5N) neonatal samples, compared with those in maternal serum (MS) and control serum samples. RESULTS: Serum IL-2 concentrations in the UC were markedly elevated compared with those in MS and controls (p < 0.0001), decreasing significantly thereafter up to 5N (p < 0.001). IL-4 serum concentrations did not differ significantly between the UC, 1N and 5N samples; they were, however, markedly elevated compared with those in MS (p < 0.001, p < 0.0007 and p < 0.0001, respectively) and controls (p < 0.05, p < 0.01 and p < 0.006, respectively). IFN-gamma serum concentrations were significantly lower in the UC compared with those in controls (p < 0.04), increasing significantly up to 5N (p < 0.03). Both IFN-gamma/IL-2 and IFN-gamma/IL-4 ratios increased significantly in 5N, compared with those in the UC (p < 0.001 and p < 0.03). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate a differential cytokine balance at birth with enhanced expression of IL-2 and IL-4 against IFN-gamma. However, a regularization of immune response seems to proceed quickly during the early neonatal life

Cytokine soluble receptors in perinatal and early neonatal life.

BACKGROUND: In contrast to cellular receptors, soluble receptors do not enhance the cellular activation because they do not have transmembranic and cytoplasmic parts, acting thereby as endogenous regulatory mechanisms against systemic functions of cytokines. AIM: To measure serum concentrations of the soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL2R), soluble interleukin-4 receptor (sIL4R), soluble interleukin-6 receptor (sIL6R), and soluble tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptor I and soluble tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptor II, during the perinatal and early neonatal period, in order to evaluate their role in activation of immune response in labor and the first days postpartum. METHODS: Soluble receptor serum concentrations were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, in 45 healthy, full-termed neonates during the first and fifth days after birth, in 25 of their mothers (MS), in 25 samples of umbilical cords (UC) and in 25 healthy adult donors age-matched with the mothers (controls). RESULTS: Soluble receptor serum concentrations showed considerable changes during labor and early neonatal life, being significantly higher both in MS (except sIL6R) and in neonatal sample UC, first and fifth days after birth, compared with controls (p<0.0001). Neonatal serum sIL2R and sIL6R increased significantly from birth to the fifth day, while the remaining receptors showed a rapid increase in the first day (p<0.0001), declining significantly thereafter (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the elevated concentrations of all studied soluble cytokine receptors reflect the activation of immune response, and represent also regulatory protective mechanisms for mother and fetus-neonate against the systemic function of cytokines during labor and early neonatal life

The organisation of an educational program for specialists in clinical chemistry by the Greek Society of Clinical Chemistry-Clinical Biochemistry

In Greece, there is no officially organized training in clinical chemistry for scientists. The Greek Society of Clinical Chemistry-Clinical Biochemistry decided to organize an intensive educational prog-ram of 18 seminars on clinical chemistry content as it is described in the EC4 Syllabus. The duration of each seminar was about 6 hours and consisted of 6 to 9 lectures. At the end of each seminar there was a voluntary written examination, comprised of 24 multiple choice questions. Suc-cessful completion of the Educational program was leading to a Certificate of Competence. Two cycles of the 18 seminars were performed: 1st cycle from October 2003 to December 2005 and 2nd cycle from March 2005 to October 2007. One hundred eighty nine colleagues was the mean at-tendance per seminar for the seminars of the 1st cycle and 38 colleagues for the seminars of the 2nd cycle. The mean participation to the examination for each seminar was almost 80% for the 1st cycle and 68% for the 2nd cycle. More than 80% of the participants performed Good or Very good in the examination in both cycles. It is estimated that more than 40% of the scientists who practice Clinical Chemistry in Greece, partici-pated to this educational activity. This program is now provided as an e-learning application, and it is open for all scientists who want to follow the discipline of clinical chemistry

The organisation of an educational program for specialists in clinical chemistry by the Greek Society of Clinical Chemistry-Clinical Biochemistry

In Greece, there is no officially organized training in clinical chemistry for scientists. The Greek Society of Clinical Chemistry-Clinical Biochemistry decided to organize an intensive educational prog-ram of 18 seminars on clinical chemistry content as it is described in the EC4 Syllabus. The duration of each seminar was about 6 hours and consisted of 6 to 9 lectures. At the end of each seminar there was a voluntary written examination, comprised of 24 multiple choice questions. Suc-cessful completion of the Educational program was leading to a Certificate of Competence. Two cycles of the 18 seminars were performed: 1st cycle from October 2003 to December 2005 and 2nd cycle from March 2005 to October 2007. One hundred eighty nine colleagues was the mean at-tendance per seminar for the seminars of the 1st cycle and 38 colleagues for the seminars of the 2nd cycle. The mean participation to the examination for each seminar was almost 80% for the 1st cycle and 68% for the 2nd cycle. More than 80% of the participants performed Good or Very good in the examination in both cycles. It is estimated that more than 40% of the scientists who practice Clinical Chemistry in Greece, partici-pated to this educational activity. This program is now provided as an e-learning application, and it is open for all scientists who want to follow the discipline of clinical chemistry

The EC4 European syllabus for post-graduate training in clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine : Version 4-2012

Laboratory medicine’s practitioners across the European community include medical, scientific and pharmacy trained specialists whose contributions to health and healthcare is in the application of diagnostic tests for screening and early detection of disease, differential diagnosis, monitoring, management and treatment of patients, and their prognostic assessment. In submitting a revised common syllabus for post-graduate education and training across the 27 member states an expectation is set for harmonised, high quality, safe practice. In this regard an extended ‘Core knowledge, skills and competencies’ division embracing all laboratory medicine disciplines is described. For the first time the syllabus identifies the competencies required to meet clinical leadership demands for defining, directing and assuring the efficiency and effectiveness of laboratory services as well as expectations in translating knowledge and skills into ability to practice. In a ‘Specialist knowledge’ division, the expectations from the individual disciplines of Clinical Chemistry/Immunology, Haematology/Blood Transfusion, Microbiology/ Virology, Genetics and In Vitro Fertilisation are described. Beyond providing a common platform of knowledge, skills and competency, the syllabus supports the aims of the European Commission in providing safeguards to increasing professional mobility across European borders at a time when demand for highly qualified professionals is increasing and the labour force is declining. It continues to act as a guide for the formulation of national programmes supplemented by the needs of individual country priorities.peer-reviewe

Oncology during the COVID-19 pandemic: challenges, dilemmas and the psychosocial impact on cancer patients.

COVID-19 has caused unprecedented societal turmoil, triggering a rapid, still ongoing, transformation of healthcare provision on a global level. In this new landscape, it is highly important to acknowledge the challenges this pandemic poses on the care of the particularly vulnerable cancer patients and the subsequent psychosocial impact on them. We have outlined our clinical experience in managing patients with gastrointestinal, hematological, gynaecological, dermatological, neurological, thyroid, lung and paediatric cancers in the COVID-19 era and have reviewed the emerging literature around barriers to care of oncology patients and how this crisis affects them. Moreover, evolving treatment strategies and novel ways of addressing the needs of oncology patients in the new context of the pandemic are discussed

Συμβολή στη μελέτη του λυσοσωμικού συστήματος του πρωτόζωου Crithidia fasciculata

Η εργασία αυτή αποτελεί μια προσπάθεια μελέτης του λυσοσωμικού συστήματος του πρωτόζωου Crithidia fasciculata τόσο από την άποψη του περιεχόμενου του όσο και από την άποψη της λειτουργίας του. Τα κυριότερα ευρήματα της εργασίας συνοψίζονται παρακάτω: 1. Με βάση τις παρατηρήσεις για την υδρόλυση των αντίστοιχων ρ-νιτροφαινυλο-παραγώγων, πιστοποιήθηκε στο ομογενοποίημα των κυττάρων η ύπαρξη τριών νέων υδρολυτικών ενζύμων της β-D-φρουκτοσιδάσης της β-D-γλυκουρονιδάσης και της όξινης ριβονουκλεάσης. Για πρώτη φορά επίσης βρέθηκε στο ομογενοποίημα των κυττάρων όξινη πρωτεάση ικανή να αποικοδομεί τη μετουσιομένη αιμογλοβίνη (δραστικότητα θρυψίνης). Η εύρεση των ενζύμων αυτών δίνει μια πιο ολοκληρωμένη εικόνα για τις αποικοδομητικές ικανότητες του πρωτόζωου και τις κατηγορίες ενώσεων που είναι δυνατόν να χρησιμοποιηθούν σαν τροφή απ' αυτό. 2. Διερευνήθηκαν τα επίπεδα της δραστικότητας άλλων γνωστών υδρολυτικών ενζύμων του πρωτόζωου, της α-D-γλυκοσιδάσης της β-D- γαλακτοσιδάσης και της όξινης φωσφατάσης καθώς και η εξάρτηση της δραστικότητας τους από το pH. 3. Με βάση τα διαφορετικά βέλτιστα pH που βρέθηκαν, δόθηκαν ενδείξεις για την ύπαρξη ισοένζυμων της όξινης φωσφατάσης. Συγκεκριμένα στο ομογενοποίημα των κυττάρων βρέθηκαν δύο ισοένζυμα, ένα με βέλτιστο pH 4,4 και ένα με βέλτιστο pH 6.0 ενώ στο θρεπτικό και στο ανόργανο μόνο ανάπτυξης βρέθηκε ένα ισοένζυμο με πολύ χαμηλό βέλτιστο pH (3,5). 4. Διαπιστώθηκε ο χωρισμός των υδρολυτικών ενζύμων του πρωτόζωου σε δύο βασικές κατηγορίες με βάση τη κατανομή τους στο σωματιδιακό και διαλυτό κλάσμα του ομογενοποιήματος (μετά από υπερφυγοκέντρηση). Στη πρώτη κατηγορία ανήκουν η όξινη πρωτεάση, η ριβονουκλεάση και πιθανότατα ένα από τα ισοένζυμα της όξινης φωσφατάσης όπου παρουσιάζουν το μεγαλύτερο ποσοστό της δραστικότητας τους στο σωματιδιακό κλάσμα, ενώ στη δεύτερη κατηγορία ανήκουν η α-D-γλυκοσιδάση, η β-D-φρουκτοσιδάση, και β-D-γαλακτοσιδάση όπου το μεγαλύτερο ποσοστό της δραστικότητας τους βρέθηκε στο διαλυτό κλάσμα. Το φαινόμενο της «αφάνειας» που βρέθηκε να παρουσιάζουν η όξινη πρωτεάση και η ριβονουκλεάση θεωρείται σαν μια πολύ σοβαρή βιοχημική ένδειξη για την ύπαρξη λυσοσωμάτων στο C. fasciculata. Σαν πιθανότερη θέση μέσα στο κύτταρο για τα ένζυμα της δεύτερης κατηγορίας θεωρείται το θυλάκιο του μαστίγιου. 5. Ανιχνεύτηκε τόσο στο θρεπτικό όσο και στο ανόργανο μέσο ανάπτυξης του πρωτόζωου δραστικότητα όξινης φωσφατάσης. Το βέλτιστο pH του ένζυμου βρέθηκε 3,5, τιμή που διαφέρει σημαντικά από τα βέλτιστα pH των εσωκυτταρικών ισοένζυμων γεγονός που αποτελεί σαφή ένδειξη ότι πρόκειται για πραγματικό εξωένζυμο που εκκρίνεται από το κύτταρο με κάποιο μηχανισμό. Ενδείξεις δόθηκαν ακόμα για την ύπαρξη εξωκυτταρικής δραστικότητας α-D-γλυκοσιδάσης και κύρια του ενζυμικού συστήματος αποικοδόμησης των γλυκεριναιθέρων. 6. Με βάση τα παραπάνω ευρήματα διατυπώθηκε μια υπόθεση για τη λειτουργία του λυσοσωμικού συστήματος του C. fasciculata. Η υπόθεση αυτή προτείνει αφ' ενός ένα τρόπο σχηματισμού των πολυκυστοειδών σωμάτων αφ' ετέρου την ύπαρξη πρωτογενών λυσοσωμάτων που περιέχουν διαφορετικά ένζυμα από τα πολυκυστοειδή σώματα. Σαν κύρια αποστολή τα πρωτογενή λυσοσώματα έχουν τον εφοδιασμό του θυλακίου του μαστίγιου με υδρολάσες, για τη προαποικοδόμηση των τροφών που εισέρχονται εκεί