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Efstratios Maltezos

Publications and source records attributed to Efstratios Maltezos.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Individual cases of autochthonous malaria in Evros Province, northern Greece: entomological aspects.

Prompted by four autochthonous cases of malaria in 1994 and 1995 in Evros Province, northern Greece, we conducted an entomological study between 1997 and 1999 in Nipsa and Chandras, rural locations where two of the four cases had occurred, and in Feres where two additional autochthonous malaria cases had been diagnosed in 1998. In Nipsa and Chandras, we identified 29 Anopheles breeding sites and characterized them by physicochemical parameters. Larvae were collected both at these sites and in a brackish water breeding site near Feres in the Evros River delta. Adults were caught in sheds at all three locations. Morphology was used to classify larvae and adults as A. superpictusor as species belonging to the A. claviger or A. maculipennis species complexes. The latter were further identified by PCR as being A. maculipennis s.s., A. melanoon and A. sacharovi. Of the A. maculipennis complex larvae collected inland, approximately 94% were A. maculipennis s.s. and 6% A. melanoon, whereas all larvae collected in the coastal region were A. sacharovi. In contrast, the A. maculipennis adults were A. maculipennis s.s. and A. melanoon (both 47%), and A. sacharovi (6%). In the coastal region, no A. maculipennis s.s. adults were caught. The ratio of A. melanoon adults collected to A. sacharovi was about 3:1. As shown by a bloodmeal ELISA, only 5 of 266 fed females (1.9%) had ingested human blood, whereas 232 (87%) had fed on goats. Of the mosquitoes containing human blood, two were A. melanoon, one A. sacharovi and one A. maculipennis s.s. One human blood specimen could no longer be assigned to a particular mosquito.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Individual cases of autochthonous malaria in Evros Province, northern Greece: serological aspects.

From 1994 to 1995 four presumably autochthonous malaria cases were diagnosed by blood smear microscopy in Evros Province, northern Greece. Alarmed by these unexpected infections a serological survey was performed from 1997 to 1999 in ten rural villages, including those where the malaria cases had occurred. Among the 1,102 blood samples examined, nine turned out to contain specific antibodies against plasmodial parasites as detected by indirect fluorescent antibody test, including two of the former patients. The remaining seven samples were taken from healthy individuals with no history of recent infection or of having travelled to endemic areas. A further 21 sera showed borderline reactivity with Plasmodium falciparum antigen. Although no retrospective examination of the blood specimens could be performed to confirm the serological results by direct parasite detection, we can conclude that at least the seropositive persons have actually undergone infection with malaria parasites but developed no or only mild clinical symptoms which went unnoticed. It is becoming obvious that even in European countries where climatic and vector conditions are favourable for the development of the parasite there is a potential risk of incidental malaria transmission by indigenous Anopheles mosquitoes.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Down-regulation of intestinal-type alkaline phosphatase in the tumor vasculature and stroma provides a strong basis for explaining amifostine selectivity.

Strong clinical and experimental evidence indicates that amifostine confers cytoprotection in normal, but not in tumor, tissues. However, the mechanism of such selective action is poorly understood. Intestinal-type alkaline phosphatase (IAP) is a major isoenzyme involved in the hydrolysis of amifostine (WR-2721) to its active thiol form WR-I065. Could differences in IAP expression between normal and malignant tissues account for amifostine's selectivity? Paraffin-embedded material from normal breast, lung, colon, and head and neck tissues, together with their malignant counterparts, were retrieved and stained immunohistochemically for human IAP (antibody 7324, Abcam, Cambridge, UK) and endothelial cell CD31 antigen. Normal tissues (epithelium, fibroblasts, and vessels) consistently displayed strong nuclear and cytoplasmic IAP reactivity. The vascular density (number of positive vessels per x 200 optical field), whether assessed in anti-IAP or anti-CD31 stained sections, was very similar, indicating a strong IAP content for the entire normal vasculature. Therefore, amifostine hydrolysis is ensured in normal tissues and may occur at both vascular and interstitial levels. By contrast, 60% of the tumors analyzed showed a loss of IAP expression in both epithelial cells and stroma, and only 10% to 15% of them demonstrated nuclear/cytoplasmic reactivity, which was confined to the epithelial cells. Similarly, the percentage of tumor vessels exhibiting some IAP reactivity was very low (6% to 17%). This dramatic loss of IAP expression from tumor stroma/vasculature may form a strong basis for explaining amifostine selectivity. In contrast, the abundance of IAP expression in normal tissues, stromal and vascular, ensures an intense hydrolysis of WR-2721 and rapid intracellular accumulation of WR-1065.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Unexpected toxicity after low-dose docetaxel treatment of a cancer patient with clinically latent HCV-positive hepatic cirrhosis.

We report a case with unexpected toxicity after low-dose docetaxel chemotherapy. The patient had a history of clinically latent HCV-positive hepatic cirrhosis when she presented with inoperable pulmonary adenocarcinoma. She was recruited in a protocol combining standard radiotherapy (RT) with docetaxel (30 mg/m2 week). On day 7, after the 1st docetaxel infusion, grade III neutropenia (980 neutrophils), grade II platelet toxicity (90,000/ml) and lymphopenia (486/ml) had developed. Chemotherapy and RT were interrupted and the neutrophil counts were partially restored (1400/ml), while the platelet counts were back to normal (140,000/ml) and the lymphocyte counts were further reduced (320/ml), on day 15. Bilateral leg oedema and hair loss appreared. On day 21, there was a full restoration of neutrophil counts (1890/ml), while there was persistent lymphocytopenia (300/ml). Alopecia grade III was now evident. Dysphagia grade II complicated with fungal oropharyngeal infection appeared on day 24 (24 Gy of RT). One more dose of docetaxel of 30 mg/m2 was given on day 36 Grade II neutropenia (1050/ml) and grade III platelet toxicity (48,000/ml) were observed 14 days after the second docetaxel dose, while dysphagia grade II appeared once again. After a one-week delay, RT was continued to a total dose of 54 Gy. Liver function tests remained unchanged throughout the treatment. Post-RT CT-scan of the chest and upper abdomen showed complete response of the lung lesion. We suggest that, when docetaxel is chosen to treat cancer patients with HCV-positive hepatic cirrhosis, a starting dose schedule reduced by at least 50% should be considered before escalating to the standard dose.

Adenocarcinoma↗