Olympic legacy and cultural tourism: Exploring the facets of Athens' Olympic heritage

This study examines the effects of the Olympic Games on Athens’ cultural tourism and the city’s potential to leverage the Olympic legacy in synergy with its rich heritage in order to enhance its tourism product during the post-Games period. In doing so, a qualitative and interpretive approach was employed. This includes a literature review on Athens’ 2004 Olympics to identify the sport facilities and regeneration projects, which constitute the Olympic legacy and heritage. Based on that, an empirical analysis was undertaken, by collecting official documents about the 2004 Olympics, and conducting five semi-structured interviews with tourism/administrative officials. The findings indicate that the Olympiad contributed significantly to Athens’ built and human heritage, revealing the dimensions of new venues/facilities, infrastructure, transportation and aesthetic image of the city, and human capital enhancement. Hence, the Games affected to the multifaceted representation and reconstruction of the city’s identity and cultural heritage. However, the potential afforded from the post-Olympic Athens remains unrealised due to lack of strategic planning/management. The study concludes that there is a need to develop cross-leveraging synergies between the Olympic legacy and cultural tourism for the host city. Finally, a strategic planning framework for leveraging post-Games Olympic tourism is suggested in order to maximise the benefits of Olympic legacy and heritage in a host city’s tourism development

The Social Geography of ‘Going Out’: Teenagers and Community Cinema in Rural Australia

Cinemas provide isolated rural teens with important connections to wider national and global cultural landscapes. While films are now readily accessible across a range of different formats and devices, the act of going to the movies offers young people ‘something to do’ in places where there are typically few alternatives. What has been less prominent in policy and critical discourses, but is nonetheless equally significant, is the role of cinema in providing young people with a legitimate, public place to gather and interact. This chapter examines how the cultural and social spaces created by rural cinemas can be crucial to fostering the development of positive youth identities and attachment to place

Do different substitution patterns or plant origin in hydroxyethyl starches affect blood coagulation in vitro?

The effect of hydroxyethyl starches (HES) on blood coagulation is affected by their molecular weight, their molar substitution and the C2/C6 ratio. The solutions of 6% HES 130/0.4 and 6% HES 130/0.42 have similar molecular weight and molar substitution but different C2/C6 ratio and plant origin. In the present study, the comparative effect of 6% HES 130/0.4 versus 6% HES 130/0.42 on blood coagulation was investigated in vitro. Thirty milliliter of blood was obtained from 10 healthy volunteers and was diluted by 10, 30 and 50% using either 6% HES 130/0.4 or HES 130/0.42, respectively. Blood coagulation was assessed using thrombelastography measurements (clotting time, clot formation time, maximal clot firmness and alpha-angle). The assessment of platelet function was performed with whole blood aggregometry after adding thrombin-receptor-activating protein. No differences were noted between respective dilutions of the two HES. Both colloids produced significant reductions below the reference values range in clotting time at 10, 30 and 50% dilutions. The 50% dilution of both colloids resulted in significant reduction of maximal clot firmness, alpha-angle and platelet aggregation. The present study showed that the corn-derived 6% HES 130/0.4 and the potato-derived 6% HES 130/0.42 have the same effect on blood coagulation in vitro. © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Alloimmunisation during pregnancy in Greece: need for nationwide HDFN prevention programme

Aim/ObjectivesTo access the incidence and specificity of maternal red blood cells alloimmunisation and its relevant clinical impact in Greece. BackgroundThe rate of alloimmunisation in pregnant women in Greece is unknown. Materials/MethodsWe performed a 4-year study in two tertiary hospitals in Greece. Demographics, transfusion and obstetric history were analysed. Maternal alloimmunisation was detected with indirect anti-globulin test. ResultsWe investigated 4368 pregnant women. Of which 3292 (75<bold>37</bold>%) were Greek and 1076 (24<bold>63</bold>%) were migrants. In 39 alloimmunised women, 41 alloantibodies were detected (0<bold>89</bold>%). The incidence of alloimmunisation was 0<bold>66</bold>% (22/3292) in Greeks and 1<bold>76</bold>% (17/1076) in migrants (P=0<bold>01</bold>). Anti-D was the most frequent alloantibody (0<bold>18</bold>%). Anti-D was more frequent in migrants; 5<bold>76</bold>% compared to 0<bold>56</bold>% in Greek RhD negative women (P=0<bold>002</bold>). Other antibody specificities in declining frequency rank were anti-K, anti-E, anti-Lea, anti-M, anti-c, anti-Ce, anti-Jka, anti-Jkb and anti-C. Primiparae vs para >2 and past history of blood transfusion were significantly associated with alloimmunisation during pregnancy (P=0<bold>0088</bold>, P<0<bold>0001</bold>, respectively). ConclusionsOur results depict differences in the delivery of health care between migrants and Greek women, as well as the heterogeneity in practices for the prevention of haemolytic disease of foetus and newborn in Greece and highlight the need for the implementation of nationwide guidelines

The effect of four hemostatic gene polymorphisms on the outcome of septic critically ill patients

Genetic variants of hemostatic factors leading to prothrombotic phenotypes of hypercoagulability and hypofibrinolysis might affect prognosis of septic critically ill patients. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of four hemostatic genetic variants, namely fibrinogen-β-455G/A, factor XIII (FXIII) V34L, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) 4G/5G polymorphisms and factor V Leiden (FVL) mutation on survival of critically ill patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. A prospective, observational study in an 18-bed general ICU included 73 patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. Epidemiological, laboratory data and comorbidities along with severity scores were recorded. Genotyping for fibrinogen-β-455G/A, FXIII V34L and PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism and FVL mutation was carried out in all patients. The primary outcomes were the 28-day and the 90-day survival. Age, septic shock, severity indexes, prior steroid use and arterial pH were identified as predictors of the 28-day and 90-day survival in both the univariate and the multivariate models. On the contrary, none of the examined polymorphisms was found to significantly affect either the 28-day or the 90-day survival. Our data suggest that the importance of these hemostatic polymorphisms as predictors of the prognosis of sepsis in critically ill patients is probably very small. © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

The effect of plasma homocysteine levels on clinical outcomes of patients with acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome

Background: Several reports have shown that homocysteine promotes thrombosis by disturbing the procoagulant-anticoagulant balance, whereas alterations in coagulation and fibrinolysis have been suggested as important pathogenetic and prognostic determinants of mortality in acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of plasma homocysteine levels on the outcomes of patients with ALI/ARDS. Methods: Sixty-nine consecutive ventilated patients with ALI/ARDS were studied. Blood samples were drawn within 3 days of clinical recognition of ARDS. Measurement of plasma homocysteine, vitamin B12, folate, creatinine, protein C and plasminogen-activator inhibitor-1 antigen levels, and genotyping of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene C677T and A1298C polymorphisms were carried out. The primary outcomes were 28- and 90-day mortality, whereas secondary outcomes included nonpulmonary organ failure-free days, liberation from mechanical ventilation up to day 28, and ventilator-free days during the 28 days after enrollment. Results: In the multivariable analysis, plasma homocysteine concentration adjusted for age, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T and A1298C polymorphisms, and levels of plasminogen-activator inhibitor-1 antigen, protein C, creatinine, vitamin B12, and folate was not found to affect significantly mortality at 28 and 90 days (P = 0.39 and P = 0.83, respectively), days without organ failure besides lungs (P = 0.38), the probability of being free from mechanical ventilation at day 28 (P = 0.63), and days without ventilation assistance (P = 0.73). CONCLUSION:: Our data suggest that increased plasma homocysteine levels, either alone or in synergy with other thrombophilic risk factors, do not seem to adversely affect the prognosis in patients with ALI/ARDS. © 2009 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins