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Biomedical subjects

E Papadopoulos

Publications and source records attributed to E Papadopoulos.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Efficacy of moxidectin against sarcoptic mange and effects on milk yield of ewes and growth of lambs.

Forty-eight dairy ewes and 45 lambs naturally infested with sarcoptic mange, were divided into three equal groups and treated with moxidectin 1% inj. sol. at a dose rate of 0.2 mg moxidectin kg(-1) bodyweight once or twice ten days apart. During the study, the skin lesions were scored and the number of mites recovered in facial skin scrapings from the animals were recorded. Moxidectin was found to be effective against ovine sarcoptic mange, when given twice; the percentage reduction of mites was 100% (p < 0.0001) and the skin lesions disappeared completely (p = 0.0001). In sheep treated once only, the percentage reduction of mites varied from 75% to 92%. Treated ewes produced up to 22.4% more milk than the infested ones (p = 0.0001). Treated lambs had up to 15% greater final weight and up to 23.7% more growth than infested controls (p = 0.0001). It is concluded that two injections of moxidectin 1% inj. sol. at a dose rate of 0.2 mg kg(-1) bodyweight, given ten days apart, were effective against ovine sarcoptic mange. Furthermore, it is considered that sarcoptic mange adversely affects the production of the infested animals.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

High-dose carmustine, thiotepa and etoposide followed by autologous bone marrow rescue for the treatment of high risk central nervous system tumors.

Forty-two patients (29 newly diagnosed) with high grade gliomas (n = 37), medulloblastoma (n = 2) or non-biopsied tumors (n = 3) with supratentorial (n = 24), brain stem (n = 11), posterior fossa (n = 5) or spinal (n = 2) location were eligible for this study with adequate organ function and no bone marrow tumor infiltration. Median patient age was 12.2 years (range, 0.7-46.8). A total of 600 mg/m2 BCNU, 900 mg/m2 thiotepa and 1500 or 750 mg/m2 etoposide (VP-16) was administered followed by autologous bone marrow reinfusion (ABMR). Twenty-one newly diagnosed patients received local irradiation (RT) post ABMR. Nine early deaths were observed (21%), as well as one secondary graft failure. Half of the patients aged 18 years or older experienced toxic deaths, whereas only 15% of patients younger than 18 years experienced toxic death (P = 0.05). Of 25 evaluable newly diagnosed patients, 20% achieved complete remission (CR) and 4% partial remission (PR), while 28% remained in continuing complete remission (CCR) and 44% remained with stable disease prior to RT. Of eight evaluable patients with recurrent disease, one achieved CR and two PR, while one remained in CCR and four with stable disease for 1 to 110.2 months. Overall survival was 36%, 24% and 17% at 1, 2 and 3 years following ABMR, with three newly diagnosed patients and one patient treated for recurrent disease being alive, without disease progression 64.4, 67.0, 86.3 and 110.2 months after ABMR, respectively. The combination of high-dose BCNU/ thiotepa/VP-16 has substantial toxicity but definite activity for high risk CNS tumors. Similar protocols with lower toxicity merit further evaluation in both newly diagnosed and recurrent CNS tumors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

High dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell rescue in adults with malignant primary brain tumors.

High dose chemotherapy (HDCT) with autologous (bone marrow or peripheral blood) stem cell rescue (ASCR) has had success in the treatment of some malignant pediatric brain tumors. We report a series of adults enrolled in one of three HDCT and ASCR protocols for malignant primary brain tumors. Overall toxic mortality was 18%; chemotherapy regimen, tumor type, and prior treatment did not predict transplant-related mortality. Patients over the age of 30 had a higher rate of toxic mortality. Patients with recurrent medulloblastoma had a significant improvement in long-term survival (median: 34 months) as compared with historical reports; two patients with glioblastoma survive beyond four years without progression, but overall, a significant improvement in long-term survival could not be demonstrated for malignant gliomas.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Melatonin levels in women with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Fibromyalgia (FM) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are stress associated disorders mainly affecting women. FM is characterized primarily by widespread musculoskeletal pain, and CFS by profound debilitating fatigue, but there is considerable overlap of clinical symptoms between these 2 syndromes. Neuroendocrine abnormalities have been noted in both FM and CFS and desynchronization of circadian systems has been postulated in their etiology. The pineal hormone melatonin is involved in synchronizing circadian systems and the use of exogenous melatonin has become widespread in patients with FM and CFS. METHODS: We examined the characteristics and relationship of melatonin and cortisol levels in premenopausal women with FM (n = 9) or CFS (n = 8), compared to age and menstrual cycle phase matched controls. Blood was collected from an indwelling intravenous catheter every 10 min over 24 h, and plasma melatonin and cortisol were determined by radioimmunoassay at 60 and 10 min intervals, respectively. RESULTS: Night time (23:00-06:50) plasma melatonin levels were significantly higher in FM patients compared to controls (p<0.05), but there was no significant difference in melatonin levels between CFS patients and controls. No differences in the timing of cortisol and melatonin secretory patterns and no internal desynchronization of the 2 rhythms were found in either patient group, compared to controls. CONCLUSION: Raised plasma melatonin concentrations have been documented in several other conditions that are associated with dysregulation of neuroendocrine axes. Increased melatonin levels may represent a marker of increased susceptibility to stress induced hypothalamic disruptions. These data indicate that there is no rationale for melatonin replacement therapy in patients with FM and CFS.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

The relationship between temporomandibular disorders and stress-associated syndromes.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the comorbidity of temporomandibular disorders and other stress-associated conditions in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. STUDY DESIGN: Of 92 patients who fulfilled the criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia (or both), 39 (42%) reported a prior diagnosis of temporomandibular disorder. Further questionnaires were sent to the members of this group, and 30 patients responded. RESULTS: Of the original 92 patients, of whom 42% reported temporomandibular disorders, 46% had histories of irritable bowel syndrome, 42% of premenstrual syndrome, and 19% of interstitial cystitis. Of the patients with temporomandibular disorders, the great majority reported an onset of generalized symptoms before the onset of facial pain. Despite this, 75% had been treated exclusively for temporomandibular disorders, usually with bite splints. CONCLUSIONS: Patients appearing for treatment with chronic facial pain show a high comorbidity with other stress-associated syndromes. The clinical overlap between these conditions may reflect a shared underlying pathophysiologic basis involving dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal stress hormone axis in predisposed individuals. A multidisciplinary clinical approach to temporomandibular disorders would improve diagnosis and treatment outcomes for this group of patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Follicular mucinosis associated with scarring alopecia, oligoclonal T-cell receptor V beta expansion, and Staphylococcus aureus: when does follicular mucinosis become mycosis fungoides?

A diagnosis of alopecia mucinosa, occurring as a single scalp lesion, was made in a 40-year-old white woman who had a history of trauma. Follicular mucinosis, Staphylococcus aureus, and oligoclonal expansion of the T-cell receptor V beta chain genes 6 and 7 were present in the skin. Epidermotropic T-cell skin diseases with oligoclonal T-cell proliferations may be the result of HLA- and cytokine-determined reaction patterns to persistent antigens.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Biology and adoptive cell therapy of Epstein-Barr virus-associated lymphoproliferative disorders in recipients of marrow allografts.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is an ubiquitous herpesvirus which is carried as a latent infection of B lymphocytes and salivary gland epithelial cells in over 90% of normal adults. Latently infected EBV-transformed B cells circulate at low frequency in the blood for the life of the host. These transformed B cells stimulate a heterogeneous and complex host cell response, ultimately leading to the development and maintenance of high frequencies of HLA-restricted T cells specific for the EBV-encoded nuclear antigens EBNA2-EBNA6 and the latency membrane proteins LMP-1 and LMP-2. Responses to latent EBV-encoded proteins are hierarchical with responses to certain epitopes predominating, dependent upon the HLA genotype of the host. Profound suppression of T-cell immunity may permit the emergence of polyclonal, oligoclonal or monoclonal EBV antigen-expressing lymphoproliferative disorders or malignant B-cell lymphomas expressing these latent EBV antigens. Adoptive transfer of small numbers of peripheral blood mononuclear cells or HLA-partially matched T cells from in vitro expanded EBV-specific T-cell lines derived from a seropositive marrow donor has induced durable regressions of bulky, widely metastatic monoclonal EBV lymphomas in a high proportion of cases. This review describes the current state of knowledge and hypothesis regarding the biology and immunology of EBV infection in the normal host, the features of donor, host and virus which contribute to the development of EBV-associated lymphoproliferative diseases and the mechanisms whereby they are controlled by adoptive transfer of immune T cells.

Bone Marrow Transplantation↗
PubMed1997

The prevalence of goat hypodermosis in Greece.

Goat hypodermosis caused by Przhevalskiana silenus is common in Greece causing quite serious losses on animal production and breeding, but no data regarding the prevalence of this parasitic disease were available within the last 17 years. Towards this end, at the slaughter house of the area of Thessaloniki, the number of affected hides due to skin penetration by P. silenus larvae was recorded and the prevalence was assessed to be 54.2%. The mean number of holes found per hide was 27.07 (ranged from 0 to 162 holes per hide). Moreover, a total of 4900 goat blood serum samples were collected from different parts of the country and tested for hypodermosis using the ELISA method. Based on the results of this test, the prevalence of the infection was found to be 49.2%, varying from place to place between 4.6 and 85.1%. The range of the infection per flock was from 0 up to 100%.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMed1997

The prevalence of bovine hypodermosis in Greece.

Hypodermosis is a common parasitic disease of great importance on cattle production and breeding worldwide. In Greece, no reliable data are available regarding the extent of this infection and therefore, as expected, no national or regional control programme is being applied. In order to cover this lack of information, a total of 4200 cattle blood sera were collected from different parts of the country and tested for hypodermosis using the ELISA method. The prevalence of the infection was found to be 37.4%, varying from place to place between 0.7 and 78.8%. The range of the infection per flock was from 0 up to 100%.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Thyroid dysfunction following bone marrow transplantation using hyperfractionated radiation.

Thyroid dysfunction has been reported following single dose and fractionated radiation in the context of bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Limited data are available regarding this complication following hyperfractionated radiation. We undertook a retrospective analysis of thyroid function in 150 patients who received BMT at our institution, and who were alive and disease-free for at least 1 year after transplant. There were 100 pediatric patients and 50 adult patients, with a median follow-up of 6.2 years for the whole group. These patients had acute (n = 91) or chronic leukemias (n = 36), severe aplastic anemia (n = 18) or immunodeficiency disorders (n = 5). The majority of the patients received radiation-based cytoreductive regimens including 129 patients who received hyperfractionated total body irradiation (TBI) to a total dose of 1375 cGy or 1500 cGy and 10 patients who received total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) to a total dose of 600 cGy. Twenty two patients of the cohort of 150 patients (14.7%) and 21 of the 139 patients (15.1%) who received hyperfractionated radiation were found to have developed hypothyroidism, 11-88 months after transplant (median 49 months). Eight patients had received 1375 cGy and 12 patients 1500 cGy TBI, while one patient was treated with 600 cGy TLI and one patient was treated with chemotherapy only (busulfan and cyclophosphamide). Three patients had primary thyroid failure with an elevated TSH and a low T4 index, while 19 patients had compensated hypothyroidism with an elevated TSH but a normal T4 index. Six of eight patients with untreated compensated hypothyroidism recovered spontaneously.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Evidence for a mounting sex pheromone in the brown ear tick Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Neuman 1901 (Acari: Ixodidae).

The presence of a mounting sex pheromone was demonstrated on the surface of fed female Rhipicephalus appeniculatus. This pheromone, which is present on the female cuticle, allows the male to recognise the female. The pheromone was removed by cleaning the female in hexane, resulting in the loss of male mating behaviour in in vitro experiments. Male mating behaviour was resumed when extract made from fed female cuticle was replaced on cleaned females. When the extract was transferred to inanimate objects typical male mating behaviour was released. Preliminary chemical analyses indicated that the active component of the extract was contained in the sterol ester fraction of the extract.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Hydatidosis of food animals in Greece: prevalence of cysts containing viable protoscoleces.

The viability rate of hydatid cysts was investigated in animals slaughtered in the abattoir of Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece. Two hundred sheep (100% infection rate), 106 cattle (56.6% infected), 203 pigs (9.3%) and 52 goats (15.4%) were examined. All fertile cysts contained viable protoscoleces. In sheep there was a mean of 1.1 (29.8% of total cysts) fertile cysts per animal containing 297.3 (81.3%) viable protoscoleces. The percentage of viable protoscoleces in the lungs was 82.3% and in the liver 71.2%. In cattle there was a mean of 0.1 (6.6% of total) fertile cysts per animal containing 46.4 (72.2%) viable protoscoleces. The percentage of viable protoscoleces in the lungs was 69.5 and in the liver 87. In swine there was a mean of 0.02 (9.5% of total) fertile cysts per animal containing 32.0 (76.8%) viable protoscoleces. The percentage of viable protoscoleces in the lungs was 97.1 and in the liver 68.9. In goats there was a mean of 0.1 (12.5% of total) fertile cysts per animal containing 12 (54.6%) viable protoscoleces. The percentage of viable protoscoleces in the lungs was 54.4% but no fertile cysts were found in the liver.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Glutathione depletion in chronic lymphocytic leukemia B lymphocytes.

Glutathione (GSH) content may be the major determinant of a cell's sensitivity to cytotoxic alkylating agents. In the present study, the GSH concentration was determined in lymphocytes isolated from the blood of normal subjects and patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Comparable levels were found in both types of cells. Incubation for 20 hours led to a decrease in GSH to 51% of baseline values in CLL B cells. Under the same conditions, normal B- or T-lymphocyte GSH content remained constant. GSH depletion was shown to be a characteristic of the B-CLL B lymphocyte. It was not found in the T cells of patients with B-CLL or in cells from patients with T-CLL. Chlorambucil (CLB) contributes to the decrease in GSH in B-CLL lymphocytes; after incubation with the drug, lower levels of GSH were found than in the normal B or T lymphocytes, B-CLL T cells, or T-CLL (CD4 or CD8) cells. GSH depletion of CLL B lymphocytes may be related to the greater therapeutic efficacy of CLB in B-CLL than in T-CLL.

B-Lymphocytes↗
PubMed1990

Characterization of glutathione S-transferase expression in lymphocytes from chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a disease state which frequently responds to alkylating agent chemotherapy but ultimately becomes refractory through acquired resistance mechanisms. In the present study, we have examined the expression of glutathione S-transferases (GST) in both CLL and normal control lymphocytes, as these enzymes have been implicated in mechanisms of natural and acquired resistance. Lymphocyte GST was purified from samples by high-pressure liquid affinity chromatography, and subunits were identified by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting by using polyclonal antibodies specific for individual subunits. Analysis of CLL lymphocyte GST activity using the general substrate 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene showed a statistically significant 2-fold increase in cells from chlorambucil-resistant patients over those from untreated patients and normal individuals. Furthermore, chlorambucil therapy was seen to cause a 1.3- to 1.5-fold elevation of enzyme activity in three previously drug-naive patients. Analysis of GST isozyme subunits indicated that 95% of the CLL patients examined were positive for the pi isozyme, and this appeared quantitatively to be the major isozyme present. The alpha and mu isozymes were also expressed in 63 and 53% of the patients, respectively. Examination of control lymphocytes, as well as separated B- and T-cell subpopulations, yielded similar results. The present study indicates that a high degree of interindividual variation occurs and that the pattern of CLL lymphocyte GST expression differs from that of other tumor tissues. While there were no obvious correlations between the disease state or stage and isozymes expressed, the quantitative increase in GST activity in chlorambucil-resistant CLL patients may be of relevance to the overall resistant phenotype.

Aged↗