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PubMed2000

Does paternal uncertainty explain discriminative grandparental solicitude? A cross-cultural study in Greece and Germany.

Recent research on kin investment as a reproductive strategy is based on the idea that differences in grandparental caregiving directly reflect degrees of differential grandpaternal versus grandmaternal certainty. In a cross-cultural study in Greece and Germany, 544 subjects (318 Greeks, 208 Germans, 18 of other origins) were asked for an assessment of their grandparents' (GPs') caregiving. In Germany and urban Greece (modern Western societies), the maternal GPs were rated as more intensive caregivers than the paternal GPs, but this was not the case in rural Greece, where paternal GPs provided more care. However, in all groups, grandmothers were more caring than grandfathers. Thus, contrary to previous theory and research, these two effects must be clearly distinguished, and may be explained by (1) more intense female caregiving in humans (as in other viviparous mammals) and (2) a socially engendered favoring of maternal relatives in Western industrial societies as opposed to the favoring of paternal GPs seen in the patrilateral culture of rural Greece.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1997

The changing status of forensic medicine in Greece.

The practice of forensic medicine in Greece is similar to that in other European countries. That is Greece follows the continental model of sudden death investigations, whose norms govern the exercise of forensic medicine through Greek criminal procedure law. In Greece, a university and Government system of forensic medicine exist and occasionally work side-by-side. University departments are strategically placed in all districts of the country. State forensic medicine services are located in Athens, Piraeus and Crete and function in parallel with the local University departments of forensic medicine. Forensic examinations on the living are also exclusively performed by the University and State Legal Medicine services. The cases are simply divided according to the countries of these areas. A recent regulation by the Supreme Court eliminated the overlapping of jurisdictions emphasizing the role of the University departments, and finally establishing a new University-oriented medico-legal system throughout Greece.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Incidence and risk factors of fall injuries among infants: a study in Greece.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence of fall injuries among infants in Greece, overall and by type of nursery equipment. DESIGN: Review of data from a large injury database. SETTING: The Emergency Department Injury Surveillance System in Greece. PATIENTS: A total of 2672 injured infants. INTERVENTIONS: Specially trained health visitors performed in-person interviews with the children's guardians, using a precoded questionnaire. The results of an independent survey of 777 mothers of noninjured children younger than 2 years attending the same emergency departments were used to allow quantification of the role of specific nursery equipment in the causation of infant fall injuries. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Annual rate of injury by falling in infants, overall and by cause. RESULTS: About 4400 infant fall injuries occur annually in Greece, corresponding to an annual incidence rate of 44 injuries per 1000 infants. The incidence of falls increases with increasing infant age. A high percentage of severe injuries was detected, most of them concussions (14.3%) and fractures (9.4%). Approximately 10% of infants with fall-related injuries required hospitalization. More than 36% of fall injuries involved nursery equipment. Infant walker use was associated with a higher incidence of falls (about 9 per 1000 infant-years), and these falls occasionally involved stairs and caused serious injuries. Infant bouncers, strollers, and changing tables were all associated with a similar incidence of falls (about 4 per 1000 infant-years). CONCLUSIONS: Falls are a common cause of serious infant injuries, and nursery equipment is frequently involved in the injury-causing event.

Accident Prevention↗

PubMed2001

Characterization and geographic distribution of the low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene mutations in northwestern Greece.

Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is a clinical syndrome characterised by elevated serum total cholesterol levels due to an increase in low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, by tendon xanthomata and clinical manifestations of ischaemic heart disease in early life. Typically, it results from mutations in the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene. So far, over 600 mutations have been reported for the LDLR gene and account for FH. The nature of LDLR gene mutations is different in various ethnicities and has also regional distribution within each ethnicity. Eleven mutations have already been described in the Greek population. This report describes seven LDLR gene mutations accounting for FH in Northwestern Greece (81T>G, 517T>C, 858C>A, 1285G>A, 1352T>C, 1646G>A and 1775G>A) and their geographic distribution. We have recently described one of these mutations (1352T>C) as a novel point mutation in a Greek family originating from Northwestern Greece. Furthermore, two previously identified mutations (81T>C, 1775G>A) were also detected in the Greek FH patients for the first time. The 1775G>A mutation was responsible for all the homozygous patients in our area, indicating a founder effect. These data will favor the development of tailed information and screening programs in Northwestern Greece for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in FH patients.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Retrospective study on poliomyelitis cases in northern Greece.

Here we report the results of a retrospective study on the epidemiological characteristics and genetic relationships of the virus isolates responsible for the last poliomyelitis cases in Greece. The last wild poliomyelitis case in Greece was detected in 1996, and the last vaccine-related strain was isolated in 1998. The whole of Europe, including Greece, is now considered to be polio-free.

Greece↗

PubMed1994

Case report: role of hepatitis E virus in the etiology of community-acquired non-A, non-B hepatitis in Greece.

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in a population of Greek adults with community-acquired (sporadic) non-A, non-B hepatitis found to be seronegative for antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV). All patients admitted to the Liver Unit of Western Attica General Hospital and diagnosed as having acute community-acquired non-A, non-B hepatitis between February, 1986, and May, 1990, were enrolled in follow up studies (n = 66). Nineteen patients with HCV infection and 11 patients with acute non-A, non-B, non-C hepatitis that progressed to chronicity were excluded. Convalescent sera were tested for antibody to HEV (anti-HEV) by a fluorescent antibody blocking assay in 33 of 36 eligible patients. One of the 33 (3%) patients was found to be positive for anti-HEV. Anti-HEV testing of all 20 available serum specimens from this patient showed evidence of anti-HEV seroconversion at the fourth week after the onset of hepatitis. The patient had not travelled abroad or within Greece or had not had apparent contact with people from foreign countries for the previous 3 months. These data show that HEV infection is not a major cause of community-acquired non-A, non-B hepatitis in Greece. However, the reported case of HEV hepatitis suggests that HEV may retain a low endemicity in Greece. More extensive seroprevalence studies are needed for an accurate estimation of the extent of HEV infection in the southeastern European countries.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Childhood leukemia and rural population movements: Greece, Italy, and other countries.

Mortality from childhood leukemia was examined particularly in rural countries in relation to any major rural-urban migration. Significant increases have been found in other situations of rural population mixing as predicted by the infection hypothesis. The 1950s and 1960s were of most interest since it preceded the decline in mortality brought about by effective chemotherapy in many countries. The 33 countries covered were all those in the World Health Organization's mortality database. No sensitive measure of rural-urban migration is available for international comparisons. However, it seems noteworthy that Greece and Italy, the two countries with the most striking levels of rural migration in the 1950s and 1960s, also had unusually high mortality rates from childhood leukemia. Greece was most affected proportionally by these population movements and from 1958 to 1972 had the highest recorded mortality from this cause in the world. The problems of international comparisons of mortality data dictate caution in drawing conclusions. However, against a background of other work on population mixing, and in the light of certain considerations, we suggest that the marked rural population mixing in Greece and Italy may have contributed to their high mortality rates from childhood leukemia in the 1950s and 1960s.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1987

Clinical and epidemiological aspects of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Greece.

Twenty-three cases of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome were serologically diagnosed in rural populations of Greece between 1982 and 1985. The clinical picture of the disease was severe, (3 deaths recorded among 23 cases) and more closely resembled Korean hemorrhagic fever than nephropathia epidemica. Examination of patients' sera by indirect immunofluorescence (IFA) assays and plaque reduction neutralization (PRNT) tests using Hantaan 76-118, Puumala, and Seoul (Urban rat-associated Hantaan-like) viruses, suggested that the virus existing in Greece is either prototype Hantaan virus or a distinct virus which is closely related to Hantaan. Small mammal survey results suggest that Apodemus flavicollis may be the host of this virus. Serosurvey results of 2,653 blood samples taken from apparently healthy residents (farmers, shepherds, and woodcutters) from 22 of 54 counties in Greece, showed the percentage of seropositives to be 4%, with a range from 0 to 14%. Fifteen of 22 counties were characterized as endemic areas of the virus due to the presence of seropositive individuals. In 6 of the 15 endemic areas, overt human disease was serologically diagnosed.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Determinants of stillbirth mortality in Greece.

A population-based case-control study of the determinants of stillbirths was conducted in Greece from 1989 to 1991. All reported stillbirths after 28 weeks of pregnancy (N = 2,006) during the three year study period comprised the case group. The control group derived from random sampling of 10% of all livebirths in Greece, during the same period (N = 30,705). The data were analysed by modelling through multiple logistic regression. The adjusted relative risk of stillbirth was significantly higher for males compared to females. A statistically significant monotonic increase in relative risk was observed with shorter gestational age, low maternal education, and older maternal age. Birthweight and parity showed a statistically significant U-shaped association with stillbirth risk, with a higher risk being observed among both low and high birthweight deliveries, as well as among primiparous or multiparous (4+) mothers. Positive associations of stillbirth with multiple births, out-of-wedlock marriage and non-Greek-orthodox maternal religion were noted in crude analyses, but these associations almost disappeared in logistic regression model. Maternal urban or rural residence showed no relation to risk. Overall, the prospective risk of stillbirth after the 24th week of gestation in Greece has been estimated to be higher than that in Japan (a more developed country) with more than 40% of stillbirths occurring after the 36th week of pregnancy.

Birth Weight↗

PubMed2006

Genotyping of human Campylobacter jejuni isolates in Greece by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

BACKGROUND: Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) typing has been recognized by several groups as a relatively simple and quick method for genotyping of Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni). The present study was carried out to determine the genetic variations among clinical isolates of C. jejuni from Greece and to establish a database, which could be used for future epidemiological and clinical studies. METHODS: A total of 93 C. jejuni clinical isolates of known flagellin subunit A (flaA) genotype, serotype, and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern, were collected from a general hospital in the Attica region of Greece, between the years 2000 and 2003. The PFGE profiles of SmaI DNA digests of each strain were compared using a bin analysis based on 44 molecular size intervals. RESULTS: Forty-three different PFGE types, designated as C. jejuni (C. j.) 1 Greece (GR) to C. j. 43 GR, were identified. There was no statistically significant association of PFGE type with flaA genotype, serotype, or antimicrobial susceptibility pattern. However, PFGE typing did show a remarkable discriminatory ability within the non-serotypable group. CONCLUSION: Evaluating our results, we observed that (i) there was no statistically significant clonality of a certain PFGE type among the strains examined, and (ii) the discriminatory ability of PFGE typing was much better than that of the other typing methods. This is the first report of the use of bin patterns to compare the PFGE genotypes identified.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Hip fracture epidemiology in Greece during 1977-1992.

Hip fracture, the most dramatic complication of osteoporosis, constitutes a serious health problem of the elderly, with great socioeconomic consequences. Hip fracture epidemiology has been studied by many investigators. Until now, reported studies in Greece include either data from only one region, or they do not include all the epidemiological parameters concerning hip fractures. We studied hip fractures that occurred in Greece in 1992 and compared the findings with those of previous years (1977, 1982, 1987), in order to identify age and sex incidence and increase rate during 1977-1992. There has been an average annual increase of 7.6%, thus total hip fractures in Greece increased from 5,100 in 1977 (54.75 fractures/100,000 inhabitants) to 10,953 in 1992 (107.30 fractures/100,000 inhabitants). In 1992, 70% of the patients were women. During the 1977-1992 period, age-adjusted incidence for people aged over 50 increased in both sexes (from 173.54 fractures/100,000 inhabitants in 1977 to 314.07 fractures/100,000 inhabitants in 1992, an increase of age-adjusted incidence of 80. 97%). Approximately 50% of the patients in 1992 were aged 80 and over, whereas in 1977 there were only 22.49% patients of the same age. The increase in hip fracture numbers is greater than expected due to population aging, suggesting the existence of other factors influencing this increase. The most affected age group is 80 and over.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Antimicrobial resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates in Athens, Greece.

In order to determine the current antibiotic susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae strains in Greece, the present study was performed on 282 clinical isolates collected from patients at the Sotiria Chest Hospital of Athens, Greece, during the years 1997-2003. Susceptibility testing revealed that 52 (18.4%) isolates were not susceptible to penicillin, with 13.1% demonstrating intermediate and 5.3% high-level resistance. One of the penicillin-non-susceptible isolates was also resistant to cefotaxime. Comparison with results of a previous study conducted at the same hospital during the period 1992-1993 showed that penicillin resistance had increased by 4.5%. The results of this study indicate the antimicrobial susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae continues to change in Greece and continuous surveillance remains important for guiding empirical antibiotic therapy.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMed1976

Epidemiologic study of the modes of spread of viral hepatitis in Greece.

We studied the possible correlation of VH morbidity or HBsAg carrier rate with the prevalence of malaria and enteric among the 50 geographical regions of Greece. Malaria was considered as an index of mosquito density and enteric as an index of the local hygienic conditions. Morbidity data on the studied reportable diseases for the period 1954-73 and the HBsAg carrier rate (4-7%) among 17,991 recruits of the Greek Air Force, coming from all the geographical regions of Greece, were used. The statistical analysis of our data showed that VH morbidity (which is mainly hepatitis A) is significantly correlated with enteric morbidity, while HBsAg carrier rate with malaria. Our data support the significance of the role of mosquitoes in the spread of HB at least under the prevailing conditions in Greece.

Greece↗

PubMed1995

Incidence and other epidemiological characteristics of sudden cardiac death in northwest Greece.

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) has not been investigated separately in Greece. The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiological characteristics of people dying suddenly out of hospital in an area of Greece. In 1990, a population based study was started to detect the cases of people dying suddenly out of hospital (< 1 h after onset of acute symptoms or < 6 h after being seen alive) in a closed population in Northwest Greece (Ioannina area: 160,000 inhabitants). During a 3.5 year period, 283 potential cases aged 30-70 years were identified by monitoring the mortality in the emergency rooms of the two hospitals of the area, the coroner's office and the death certificates from the Government Department of Statistics. The diagnosis of SCD was established in 223 (183 men, 40 women; mean ages 59 and 61 years respectively) after visiting and interviewing the relatives and/or the family doctors within 12 days (range 1-28) after the death. SCD in the study accounts for 50% of all cardiovascular deaths and is the most common cause of death after neoplasia. The most common place of death was home (151 cases, 68%), and in 174 cases (78%) deaths occurred while the patients were relaxing or during routine activities. Prodromal symptoms were reported in 57 cases (26%). The time of day of death showed a circadian variation, with a peak in the late morning from 9:00 to 12:00. Ninety four (42%) had a prior history of heart disease. One hundred and ninety one cases (86%) occurred in the subgroup of age 50-70 years.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Serological and virological profile of chronic HBV infected women at reproductive age in Greece. A two-year single center study.

OBJECTIVE: Seroprevalence of HBsAg in 26,746 women at reproductive age in Greece and evaluation of HBeAg/anti-HBe serological status as well as serum HBV-DNA levels in a subgroup of HBsAg(+) women at labor. STUDY DESIGN: Serological markers were detected using enzyme immunoassays. Serum HBV-DNA was calculated using a sensitive quantitative PCR assay, with a lower limit of quantification of 200 copies/ml. RESULTS: Overall, 1.53% of women were HBsAg(+) and the majority of them (64.96%) were Albanian. Among Albanian women the mean prevalence of HBsAg was 4.9%, 5.57% among Asian women, and 1.29% among women from Eastern European countries. The prevalence of HBsAg among African (0.29%) and Greek women (0.57%) was very low and significantly lower in comparison with the mean value of the studied population. Only 2.67% of HBsAg(+) women were HBeAg(+). Of a subgroup of women in labor with available serum samples 28.6% had undetectable levels of viremia (<200 copies/ml) and 15.9% had extremely low levels of viral replication (<400 copies/ml). Only 12.7% of pregnant women evaluated at labor exhibited extremely high serum HBV-DNA levels (>10,000,000 copies/ml) whereas 42.8% of them exhibited HBV-DNA levels between 1500 and 40,000 copies/ml. CONCLUSIONS: The overall prevalence of HBsAg is relatively low among women at reproductive age in Greece but is higher among specific ethnic populations (Asian, Albanian). The HBeAg(-)/antiHBe(+) serological status is a finding observed in the vast majority of HBsAg(+) women of our study population, and a significant percentage of them (approximately 44.5%) exhibit extremely low or even undetectable levels of viral replication at labor, suggesting possibly that only a proportion of HBsAg(+) women in Greece exhibit an extremely high risk of vertical transmission of the infection.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Generics market in Greece: the pharmaceutical industry's beliefs.

The aim of this study was to investigate the beliefs and perspectives of the pharmaceutical industry on generic medication in Greece. Questionnaires were mailed to all 58 members of the Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies from November 2002 to February 2003. The response rate was 52%, namely 30 questionnaires were completed and returned. The questionnaire requested information on companies' involvement in generics, their opinion on generics' characteristics and on public policies affecting the demand and supply of generic medication. A descriptive analysis of the outcomes, that is percentage comparison through binomial tests and Fisher tests, was performed. According to our findings, 43% of the respondents were involved in the production and distribution of generics and the mean period of their involvement was 12 years. The majority of the respondents were in favor of their companies' involvement in generics, despite the relatively small market share of generics in Greece; 9.7% of total pharmaceutical market in 2003. Bearing in mind that in Greece the promotion of generics is not encouraged, pharmaceutical companies believe that the mandatory introduction of bioequivalence studies is an indirect promotional strategy towards generics. Additionally, the majority declared that their main competitive advantages are their safety, efficacy and effectiveness as well as their economic benefit to the society. Finally, the respondents expressed their preference for the introduction of pharmacoeconomic submissions for drugs' reimbursement by social insurance funds.

Administrative Personnel↗

PubMed2004

Adolescence and abortion in Greece: women's profile and perceptions.

PURPOSE: To investigate the individual and social profile of the adolescents seeking abortion in Greece. PROCEDURES: Questionnaires were distributed from the obstetricians practicing in the capital and two major cities in Greece to adolescent pregnant women who were seeking for abortion and collected anonymously. MAIN FINDINGS: From 150 consecutive pregnant adolescents, 38 refused to participate and from 112 who accepted to participate only 74 (66%) replied. Most of the respondents lived in a city (65%), were unmarried (73%), 62% had sex first time after the age of 15, and the educational status of their parents was rarely at higher degree (father: 20%, mother: 16%). Among them, 74% declared that they had received information on contraception (64% from friends, 47% from doctors, 36% from the media). Overall, withdrawal (49%) and male condom (28.5%) were the popular contraceptive precautions. Abortion was adolescents' decision in 65%, while the partner's influence in the case of a shared decision was as high as 73%. Most adolescents (91%) knew about the potential risks of abortion mainly by their doctor (87%) and socio-economical reasons (89%) were mostly claimed. Their parents were rarely aware about their pregnancy (28%) and decision for abortion (28%). In most cases it was the first abortion (78%) and adolescents declared that were aware about the Greek Church's opposition (89%) and the existence of an abortion law (86%). PRINCIPAL CONCLUSION: In Greece, the poor education on the issue of contraception still remains a major problem among teenagers contributing to the increased prevalence of undesired pregnancies and abortions.

Abortion, Induced↗

PubMed2003

Canine onchocercosis in Greece: report of further 20 cases and molecular characterization of the parasite and its Wolbachia endosymbiont.

Recently, sporadic cases of subconjunctival Onchocerca infection have been reported in dogs in Greece and Hungary. Herein we report further cases from Greece and the results of the molecular analysis of Onchocerca sp. removed from Greek dogs and its Wolbachia endosymbionts. Twenty dogs of various breeds, 1-11 years of age with subconjunctival onchocercosis (4 cases each in right or left eye, 12 cases in both eyes) were presented having similar manifestations. Periorbital swelling, exophthalmos, lacrimation, discharge, photophobia, conjunctival congestion, corneal edema, protrusion of the nictitating membrane, and subconjunctival granuloma or cyst formation were the most important clinical signs. After surgical excision of the periocular masses containing the worms, all animals recovered fully from onchocercosis. Based on the similarities of the clinical picture of the Greek and Hungarian cases, the similar morphology of the Greek and Hungarian isolates, and the identical sequences of the cytochrome oxidase gene of the filarial parasites and that of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene from their Wolbachia endosymbionts, the Onchocerca sp. isolated from dogs in Greece and Hungary appears to belong to the same species.

Animals↗