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Biomedical subjects

A Economou

Publications and source records attributed to A Economou.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Lunar phases and seizure occurrence: just an ancient legend?

The authors retrospectively reviewed all neurologic records of an emergency unit from 1999 to 2003 to identify a potential association between lunar phases and seizure occurrence. Overall 859 patients admitted for seizure occurrence were divided into the four quarters of the synodic month according to moon phases. A significant clustering of seizures around the full moon period was observed, supporting the ancient belief of periodic increased seizure frequency during full-moon days.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

A retrospective study of 32 borderline ovarian tumours: the experience of a non-specialized centre.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the clinical features and treatment of patients with borderline ovarian tumors. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of the charts of 32 patients with borderline ovarian tumours that underwent surgery at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Tzaneio General Hospital of Piraeus, over a 14-year period (1/1990-12/2003). RESULTS: Of the patients 62.5% were pre- or peri-menopausal. Mean age was 41.6 years. Five patients (15.63%) had undergone pelvic surgery (caesarean section not included) for unrelated reasons prior to the diagnosis of borderline tumour. Mean follow-up was 71.37 months and all patients showed up for their scheduled appointment during the first trimester of 2004. Pain was the presenting symptom in 37.5% (12/32) of patients. Twenty patients were diagnosed either by ultrasound (12.5%, 4/32) or during unrelated surgeries (50%, 16/32) and reported no relevant symptoms at the time of diagnosis. Treatment was conservative, comprised of either cystectomy (3/32), unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (13/32), and unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with myomectomy (1/32). Abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed in 15 patients for unrelated conditions (uterine pathology). Mucinous borderline tumours were identified in 11 patients (34.38%), serous borderline tumours in 17 patients (53.12%), and nonserous-mucinous borderline tumours in four patients (12.5%). Omentectomy was performed in two cases, biopsy of the controlateral ovary was performed in five cases and peritoneal washing in eight cases. Restaging surgery was performed at the Metaxa Anticancer Piraeus Hospital in 11 patients (34.38%). One patient who did not undergo a restaging operation had a recurrence of the disease. CONCLUSION: Suboptimal staging remains a major problem during the initial operation in non-specialized centres in gynaecologic malignancies.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2005

Cervix cancer screening among Greek and immigrant women: the experience of a Greek District Hospital.

PURPOSE: To explore whether there are differences in Papanicolaou (Pap) smear screening between native and immigrant women that attended our outpatient clinic. METHODS: In this retrospective study, from January 2002 until December 2003 we examined age, nationality, marital status, economic status (self-reported family income per year) and previous Pap test screening frequency; 3,316 women were included in the study. RESULTS: The average age was 41.95 years. The majority of the women who had had a Pap test (58.4%) were Greeks and 41.6% immigrants. Regarding marital status a percentage of 61.2% were married, 13.7% were single and 24.9% were divorced. Regarding economic status 71.0% of the women had a low-income, 25.1% a middle-income and 3.8% a high-income. Of the women 24.99% had never had a Pap test in their lives. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: The possibility of having easy access to a clinic and to routine health care has a critical influence on the cancer screening habits of immigrant women. Opportunistic Pap smear screening as part of a pregnancy or family-planning checkup in local clinics is an acceptable strategy for poor immigrant women.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Delivery and immigration: the experience of a Greek Hospital.

INTRODUCTION: In this retrospective study we investigate the differences regarding the mode of delivery between Greek and immigrant women. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We collected data from the Birth Registry of the hospital delivery room for the period from March 1, 2000 to February 29, 2004. We assigned the women into two groups according to their nationality: Greeks and immigrants. We studied the following parameters: age, nationality, parity of women, mode of delivery instrumental delivery (ID), vaginal birth (VD), cesarean section (CS), the indications of CS, and gender and weight of the newborn; 3,071 women met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: The average immigrant's age was 2.9 years lower than in the Greek group; 35.2% of the women were Greeks and 64.7% were immigrants. A significant difference was found in the percentage of multipara and the indications for CS--especially prolonged labor (significantly higher in the immigrants), and preeclampsia (significantly higher in the Greeks). There were no significant differences between the two groups referring to the rate of CS, ID or VD, the gender of the newborn, and the birth weight. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: We did not find any significant differences between the two groups regarding the rate of caesarean delivery. In exploring health-related differences between population groups, it is important to determine how race/ethnicity contributes to these differences. A statistically significant association between race or ethnicity and an undesirable health outcome does not by itself establish causality. Health outcomes usually have multiple causes that can be either direct or indirect and are often interrelated and interactive. Race/ethnicity and social class influence health through complex pathways.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Sex-induced cystitis--patient burden and other epidemiological features.

Although sexual intercourse has been established as an important risk factor for uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) in women, the exact the rate of recurrent UTI due to sexual intercourse and its patient burden is unknown. According to our findings, sex-induced cystitis (SIC) accounts for almost 4% of lower urinary tract infections and for 60% of the recurrent cases. Is most frequent between 23 to 27 years and affect mainly women from low and median socioeconomic groups. Behavioral risk factors of SIC include frequency of sexual intercourse and the use of condoms, while the absence of a stable sexual companion does not add further risk. No seasonal variation has been observed in reinfections suspected of SIC. According to information obtained from our questionnaire each episode of this type of UTI in young women was shown to be associated with three to six days of symptoms and one to three days of restricted activity. E. coli was by far the most common pathogen accounting for 95% of primary UTI and 84% of recurrent SIC.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Efficacy of prophylaxis in women with sex induced cystitis.

UNLABELLED: Sexual intercourse has been established as one of the most important risk factors for both isolated and recurrent uncomplicated infections of the urinary tract. Prophylactic therapy requires only a small dose of an antimicrobial agent, which is generally given at bedtime for 6 to 12 months. An alternative method is to give an antimicrobial agent for six months post-intercourse. It is still unknown which of the two methods is most effective. A total of 123 women with suspected sexually induced recurrent cystitis (mean age 28 years, range 15 to 65) and a history of recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI) (the last one within the last six months) were subjected to prophylactic therapy for six months. Half of them were treated with low-dose trimethoprim-cotrimoxazole (TMP-SMX) and cefaclor given orally post-intercourse (spontaneous usage), while the other half were treated with low-dose TMP-SMX and cefaclor given at bedtime. The response to the prophylactic therapy was classified as continued cure in 106 cases (86.17%), failure in 13 cases (10.56%), and unknown in four cases (3.25%). TMP-SMX administered in continuous nightly prophylaxis showed similar efficacy and tolerability as cefaclor post-intercourse. OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of prophylaxis in women with recurrent sex induced cystitis and compare the post-intercourse versus the conventional bedtime given long-term, low-dose use of prophylactic antimicrobials.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Direct determination of phosphate in urine by sequential-injection analysis with single on-line dilution-calibration method and photometric detection.

In this work we report a sequential-injection (SI) analysis method for the direct determination of phosphate in urine with on-line dilution and photometric detection. The developed SI manifold incorporated an additional dilution coil (DC) connected to one of the ports of the selection valve. On-line dilution was performed by aspirating a zone of sample with volume V(S) from the sample line into the holding coil (HC), transferring volume V(T) of that zone into the DC, and, finally, aspirating a portion of V(T) with volume V(A) back into the HC. This dilution introduces an additional dispersion of the initial sample zone represented by the effective dispersion coefficient D(eff) which can be tailored to the desired value by appropriate selection of the volumes V(S), V(T), and V(A). Actual detection of phosphates was performed by the molybdenum blue method with detection at 690 nm. By employing an on-line dilution step with a D(eff)= 100, the calibration curve for phosphate was linear in the range 0.05 x 10(-2) to 3 x 10(-2) mol L(-1) which covers the actual phosphate concentration in urine samples. The regression coefficient was r2 = 0.996, the relative standard deviation was sr = 3.9% at the 1 x 10(-2) mol L(-1) level (n = 10), and the injection frequency was 30 injections h(-1). The method was applied to urine samples with recoveries > 97%.

Chemistry Techniques, Analytical↗
PubMed2004

Effects of nitrogen deposition on nitrogen cycling in an Aleppo pine stand in Athens, Greece.

High levels of nitrogen deposition measured in throughfall fluxes in 2002, reaching 38 kg ha(-1) year(-1), affected the biogeochemical cycle of N in an Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) stand situated in Athens, the capital of Greece. The N fluxes in bulk deposition were far lower than those in throughfall indicating high levels of dry deposition in the city of Athens. The amounts of N in litterfall and those stored in the forest floor and mineral soil were not high, while the mean residence time of N in the forest floor, derived from fluxes equations, decreased considerably due to the high levels of N fluxes in throughfall deposition. Nitrogen concentration in needle tissues was high and this resulted in a high ratio of N/Zn. Zinc availability was low due to the alkaline nature of soil in the study area. Fast N cycling may affect the living status of Aleppo pine, which is an oligotrophic plant species capable of occupying poor soil sites. Nitrogen eutrophication may adversely affect forests grown on calcareous soils by developing nutrition imbalances between N and micronutrients, the solubility of which depends on soil pH values.

Environmental Monitoring↗
PubMed2004

Synchronous colorectal cancer.

Synchronous carcinomas of the colon and rectum are of considerable clinical significance because of their frequency, the number of extra tumours missed and the difficulty of preoperative diagnosis. A retrospective evaluation of 283 patients with primary colorectal adenocarcinomas was performed. There were 6 patients with 12 synchronous adenocarcinomas (2.12%). Colonoscopy and double-contrast barium enema revealed the synchronous cancer in 66.6% of the cases. In two cases the second cancer was found intraoperatively. In one patient an urgent laparotomy was performed because of acute abdomen caused by perforation of the ascending colon. Typical colectomies, depending upon the segment of the location of the lesion, were performed. Second cancers had a significantly more favourable stage than index colorectal adenocarcinomas. The index and the secondary cancers of synchronous colorectal adenocarcinomas showed a better histologic grade (well differentiated type) than the single cancers. Full clinical and radiological investigation is essential, before any operation is undertaken for colorectal cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2004

Application of radionics on primary and metastatic tumours of the liver.

The aim of our study is to present our initial experience on the use of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) on hepatic tumours. Four patients with tumours of the liver were submitted to RFA. The first patient underwent an emergency left lobectomy due to rupture of a tumour of the left hepatic lobe. A synchronous tumour was detected on the right lobe. He has been submitted to four sessions of RFA. The second patient was submitted to transverse colon resection (adenocarcinoma) and a year later three metastatic tumours were detected. Two sessions of RFA have been applied in this case. The third patient, with adenocarcinoma of the sigmoid and one metastatic lesion on the right hepatic lobe, and the fourth patient with breast cancer and metastatic lesion of the liver, underwent one session of RFA each. The use of RFA on metastatic or primary tumours of the liver enriches the possibilities of therapeutic treatment.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Mass screening for colorectal cancer: compliance in Almopea Region.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality in Europe and the United States. Planning for a CRC screening began in co-operation with local authorities (Pella Prefecture sponsored test kits). Our aims were to develop a screening programme for colorectal cancer using the faecal occult blood test (FOBT) in Almopea province, and to investigate the compliance of local farmers population. Cancer statistics data from Almopea have been analysed and they showed higher colorectal cancer incidence compared to the rest of Greece. We designed a one-time FOBT screening programme on the Surgery Department computer Network, in which we listed 8963 subjects, over 50 years of age. From them, 4189 underwent 3 days FOBT, and the rest were our control group. The method of successive visits to each community by the medical team and educational meeting was chosen. For allocation and gathering of tests, teams of volunteers have been organised. In case of positive FOBT (176 subjects), total colonoscopy was performed. Seventeen (17) polypoids (in 15 patients) and 20 cases of diverticulosis were detected. The compliance of FOBT group was 49% (from 4189). Colonoscopy accepted 89% from 176 patients with positive test. We concluded that our study shows poor compliance of screening population. There is a need for co-operation of medical services, local authorities, media and volunteers support organising.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2004

Stage of disease at time of attendance of patients with colorectal cancer at the Department of Surgery of the General Hospital of Edessa.

It is acceptable that the stage of disease at time of attendance of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) is the defining factor for patients' survival rate. From 1986 until 1998, 417 patients were treated in the Department of Surgery of the General Hospital of Edessa with CRC. For diagnosis, established endoscopic procedures were followed. CT, USG, MRI and histology were performed for staging. 85.4% of the patients had stage II, III and IV TNM/UICC tumour at the time of attendance.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Treatment of complicated colorectal cancer. Evaluation of the outcome.

A comparison of the outcome of 66 patients with complicated colorectal cancer (CRC) who underwent an emergency operation and 217 electively operated patients in an 11-year period was retrospectively determined. The complications presented on admission were obstruction (13.4%), perforation with peritonitis (6.36%), obstruction and perforation (1.4%) and massive bleeding (2.1%). The majority of the patients electively treated were of stages II and III (45.5% and 29%) and those urgently operated on were stages III and IV (67.7% and 14.1%) respectively. Radical resections were performed in 45 patients and palliative in 21. Only ten patients from the urgently treated are still alive and free of the disease. In conclusion, the treatment of complicated CRC carries a considerable incidence of complications, morbidity and mortality, and the overall 5-year survival rate is disappointing compared to electively treated patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Prevalence of hepatitis B and C in the maternity department of a Greek district hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To define the prevalence of infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HBC), and the modifications observed during the last 8 years, amongst parturients who gave birth in our department. DESIGN: This was a retrospective study. PATIENTS: The 5497 parturients who gave birth in our department between October 1994 and September 2002. RESULTS: On average, 3.87% (213) of the pregnant women tested positive for hepatitis B surface antigen; 2.90% amongst pregnant Greek women and 4.67% amongst pregnant immigrant women. Among all pregnant women, 0.80% (44) tested positive for antibodies against HCV; 0.16% amongst Greek women and 1.33% amongst immigrant women. CONCLUSIONS: HBV prevalence in pregnant women did not seem to be affected by the increase of immigrants in our obstetric population over the course of time. HCV prevalence in the pregnant women, however, did seem to follow the increase of immigrants in our obstetric population. Economic and security issues unfortunately deprive some neonates, born to mothers with HBV infection, from the use of hepatitis B immunoglobulin.

Female↗
PubMed2003

A study of the determination of the hypertensive drug captopril by square wave cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetry.

In this work, the determination of captopril (CPL) was studied by square wave cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetry (SWCAdSV) on a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE). CPL was adsorptively preconcentrated on the mercury surface as a sparingly soluble mercury salt under stirring of the solution and then the accumulated species was reduced by a cathodic square wave voltammetric scan. The reduction current was related to the CPL concentration in the sample. The chemical and instrumental parameters affecting the response were investigated and optimized for the CPL determination. The calibration curve was linear from 0.5 to 180 microg l(-1) of CPL (depending on the preconcentration time), the limit of detection at a S/N ratio of 3 was 0.5 microg l(-1) with 300 s of preconcentration and the relative standard deviation was 3.2% at the 20 microg l(-1) level (with 120 s of preconcentration, n=8). The method was applied to the determination of CPL in two pharmaceutical formulations with recoveries of 97.9 and 98.8%. Finally, the potential for applying the proposed method to the determination of CPL in biological media is briefly discussed.

Antihypertensive Agents↗
PubMed2003

Mercury film electrodes: developments, trends and potentialities for electroanalysis.

In this article, the field of mercury film electrodes (MFE's) as electroanalytical devices is reviewed. Special emphasis is placed on the area of new materials as substrates for the mercury coating and the mercury plating process as well as on the developments related to the electrode modification used to achieve an increase in either the selectivity and/or the sensitivity of the analysis. Other topics discussed are microelectrodes, disposable electrodes and some novel, innovative or less well explored applications of electroanalytical methods using MFE's. The future prospects, potential uses and alternatives for MFE's in electroanalysis are finally discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Effects of bulk precipitation pH and growth period on cation enrichment in precipitation beneath the canopy of a beech (Fagus moesiaca) forest stand.

The effects of bulk precipitation pH and growth period (growing and dormant) on cation enrichment beneath foliage were examined in a beech (Fagus moesiaca) forest stand during a 48-month period. The bulk precipitation pH values ranged from 4.2 to 7.2. The lowest values were observed in winter due to fossil fuel combustion in a nearby big city. The ratio of monthly ion fluxes of throughfall plus stemflow over monthly ion fluxes of bulk precipitation was chosen as an index of cation enrichment and, therefore, as the dependent variable. Bulk precipitation pH and growth period were chosen as independent factors. Precipitation interception (%) by tree canopies was also taken into account. It was found that the pH factor was significant only for H+ ion enrichment suggesting neutralization of H+ ions in the beech canopy, whereas Mg2+ and K+ enrichment were greater in the growing period, probably as a result of leaching. Crown interception was negatively significant for NH4+-N enrichment.

Acid Rain↗