Development of an advanced artificial intelligent reliability analysis tool to enhance ship operations and maintenance activities

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Όψεις της διπλωματίας του Ανδρονίκου Β΄ Παλαιολόγου (1282-1328)

Μέσω της παρούσας διπλωματικής εργασίας επιδιώκεται η παρουσίαση των σημαντικότερων πτυχών της πολυσχιδούς διπλωματικής δραστηριότητας του δεύτερου Παλαιολόγου αυτοκράτορα και η συνδυαστική μελέτη των διπλωματικών του μέσων, προκειμένου να αναδειχθούν οι επιλογές και οι στόχοι της βυζαντινής εξωτερικής πολιτικής αυτής της εποχής και σε ποιο βαθμό αυτοί υλοποιήθηκαν.The dissertation at hand seeks to examine exhaustively the most crucial aspects and means of the second Palaeologus emperor's diplomacy, in order for the byzantine foreign policy's goals of this period to be investigated, as well as to what extent they were achieved

Radiological, epidemiological and clinical patterns of pulmonary viral infections

Respiratory viruses are the most common causes of acute respiratory infections. However, identification of the underlying viral pathogen may not always be easy. Clinical presentations of respiratory viral infections usually overlap and may mimic those of diseases caused by bacteria. However, certain imaging morphologic patterns may suggest a particular viral pathogen as the cause of the infection. Although definitive diagnosis cannot be made on the basis of clinical or imaging features alone, the use of a combination of clinical and radiographic findings can substantially improve the accuracy of diagnosis. The purpose of this review is to present the clinical, epidemiological and radiological patterns of lower respiratory tract viral pathogens providing a comprehensive approach for their diagnosis and identification in hospitals and community outbreaks

Combined Invasive Peripheral Nerve Stimulation in the Management of Chronic Post-Intracranial Disorder Headache: A Case Report

The introduction of ventricular shunts dramatically changed the outcome and quality of life of hydrocephalic patients. However, shunt surgery continues to be associated with numerous adverse events. Headache is one of the most common complications after shunt operation. It is often of prolonged duration, the symptoms resemble those of migraine, and pain does not respond to medication. We propose invasive peripheral nerve stimulation as a potential solution in the treatment of patients suffering from chronic headache associated with shunted hydrocephalus. A young woman presented with daily holocephalic headache with diffuse pain exacerbated by lying down. Imaging revealed panventricular enlargement and possible aqueduct stenosis. When a ventriculoperitoneal shunt was placed, clinical symptoms resolved. Nevertheless, she gradually exacerbated after a second valve replacement due to wound infection. Imaging revealed decompressed ventricles and appropriate shunt placement. The diagnosis of chronic post-intracranial disorder headache was set. Therefore, occipital nerve stimulation was applied and, considering that the patient did not have a total response, bilateral parietal stimulation was added. Three months after the combined PNS, she experienced total remission of headache. Combined PNS eases refractory headaches much more than occipital nerve stimulation alone and could be considered as a solution for shunted hydrocephalus-associated headache

A Critical Role for Gelsolin in Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury

Mechanical ventilation, an essential life-support modality of patients with acute lung injury (ALI) or the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), exerts its detrimental effects through largely unknown mechanisms. Gelsolin (GSN), an actin-binding protein and a substrate of caspase-3, was recently shown to play a major role in bleomycin- or lipopolysaccharide-induced lung injury. To dissect a possible role of GSN in the pathogenesis of ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI), genetically modified mice lacking GSN expression and wild-type controls underwent mechanical ventilation with high tidal volumes. GSN was found up-regulated in the airways upon VILI, and its genetic ablation led to almost complete disease protection as manifested by reduced edema formation, reduced lung injury, attenuated epithelial apoptosis, diminished cytokine expression, and impaired neutrophil infiltration. GSN fragmentation was shown to be an effector mechanism in VILI-induced apoptosis, while GSN expression was shown to be necessary for efficient neutrophil infiltration, which was found to be a prerequisite for VILI induction in this model. Therefore, intracellular GSN and GSN-mediated responses were shown to be an important player in the pathogenesis of VILI