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Kempkes RWM, Nikolaou C, Nabhan M, Saidu NEB. IUIS 2023: yEFIS workshop on career development and code-switching. Eur J Immunol 2024:e2451155. [PMID: 38676471 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202451155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Rosalie W M Kempkes
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Atherosclerosis & Ischemic Syndromes, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Inflammatory Diseases, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Christos Nikolaou
- Institute for Medical Immunology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Myriam Nabhan
- Precision Oncology Ireland, Systems Biology Ireland, University College Dublin, Belfield, Republic of Ireland
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Stamou M, Nikolaou C, Chοiras S. Telerehabilitation in Physiotherapy Science: A Scoping Review. Cureus 2024; 16:e54396. [PMID: 38505440 PMCID: PMC10948957 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.54396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The advancement of computer science technologies and telemedical devices has led to an increase in the use of telerehabilitation (TR) as a therapeutic intervention. In our days, TR interventions can be considered as alternative solutions to face-to-face therapy. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate whether TR can be effective in physiotherapy. This can be adjudicated by investigating the use of the TR applications, their cost effect, and the level of effectiveness each one of them can provide. Randomized controlled trials that were published between 2003 and 2023 in the English language and used TR as the intervention were collected from online databases (MEDLINE, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), and Cochrane) to be reviewed. Twenty of them met the criteria and were included in the study. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were categorized by the body system investigated. Out of the 20 studies that met the inclusive criteria, five are related to the musculoskeletal system, six are related to the nervous system, two are related to proprioception and balance, one is related to the respiratory system, one is related to the cardiovascular system, two are related to pelvic floor control, and three are related to autoimmune disorders. Studies have shown that implementing TR has resulted in significant improvements in terms of functionality, muscle strength, endurance, and self-improvement. Proprioception, autoimmune diseases, and cardiovascular health have shown the most improvement. The most commonly used tools for implementing TR are gamified virtual reality (VR) and digital apps. However, there are some disadvantages, such as the lack of personal contact and the cost involved. We found that TR has the potential to positively impact various health disorders, making it a suitable form of therapy for people who can't receive in-person treatment. Nonetheless, it cannot replace traditional physiotherapy, nor does it hold the same value as it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalini Stamou
- Physiotherapy Department, University of West Attica, Athens, GRC
| | | | - Savvas Chοiras
- Physiotherapy Department, University of West Attica, Athens, GRC
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Kaliampou S, Nikolaou V, Niforou A, Kotsiopoulou I, Gerochristou M, Papanikolaou A, Kanellis G, Papadavid E, Tsimpidakis A, Pouliou E, Economaki E, Panou E, Nikolaou C, Stratigos AJ, Naska A, Marinos L. Epidemiological trends in cutaneous lymphomas in Greece. Eur J Dermatol 2023; 33:664-673. [PMID: 38465548 DOI: 10.1684/ejd.2023.4617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Primary cutaneous lymphomas (PCLs) are a heterogenous group of non-Hodgkin lymphomas arising in the skin from T- or B-lymphocytes, for which there is limited epidemiological data available. To describe the disease characteristics and estimate annual incidence rates (IRs) and temporal trends of PCLs and their subtypes in Attica, Greece. A retrospective analysis of all PCL patients, diagnosed in Attica's main haemopathology referral centre from 2009 to 2021, was conducted. In total, 1,189 patients were included; 725 males and 464 females (males__females=1.56). The median age at diagnosis was 62 years. The annual IR was 2.2 new cases per 100,000 individuals. Most patients (n=979, 82.3%) were diagnosed with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) with a crude IR of 1.8 new cases per 100,000 person-years. Mycosis fungoides (MF) was the most common subtype (n=817, 68.7%), followed by lymphomatoid papulosis (LyP) (n=59, 5.0%). The crude IR for MF was 1.5 new cases per 100,000 person-years. Cutaneous B-cell lymphomas (CBCLs) accounted for 17.6% (n=210) of all PCLs (IR: 0.4 new cases per 100,000 person-years). PCL, CTCL and MF incidence rates increased from 2009 to 2019, followed by a decrease in 2020-2021. The incidence rate of CBCL increased steadily during the study period. The annual IRs of PCL in Greece were higher than those reported in other studies from Europe, America and Asia. The increase in IRs from 2009 to 2019 may reflect physicians' improved diagnostic efficiency. The COVID-19 pandemic may be the reason for the decline in PCL, CTCL and MF diagnoses from 2020 to 2021.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stella Kaliampou
- 1st Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Cutaneous Lymphoma Clinic, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Andreas Sygros" Hospital of Venereal and Skin Diseases, Athens, Greece
| | - Vasiliki Nikolaou
- 1st Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Cutaneous Lymphoma Clinic, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Andreas Sygros" Hospital of Venereal and Skin Diseases, Athens, Greece
| | - Aikaterini Niforou
- 1st Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Cutaneous Lymphoma Clinic, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Andreas Sygros" Hospital of Venereal and Skin Diseases, Athens, Greece, Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Ioanna Kotsiopoulou
- 1st Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Cutaneous Lymphoma Clinic, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Andreas Sygros" Hospital of Venereal and Skin Diseases, Athens, Greece
| | - Maria Gerochristou
- 1st Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Cutaneous Lymphoma Clinic, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Andreas Sygros" Hospital of Venereal and Skin Diseases, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Georgios Kanellis
- Hematopathology Department, "Evangelismos" General Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Evangelia Papadavid
- 2nd Department of Dermatology and Venereology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Attikon" University General Hospital, Athens, Greece, ERNBloodNet centre for cutaneous lymphomas
| | - Antonios Tsimpidakis
- 1st Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Cutaneous Lymphoma Clinic, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Andreas Sygros" Hospital of Venereal and Skin Diseases, Athens, Greece
| | - Evdoxia Pouliou
- Hematopathology Department, "Evangelismos" General Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Elisavet Economaki
- Hematopathology Department, "Evangelismos" General Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Evdoxia Panou
- 1st Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Cutaneous Lymphoma Clinic, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Andreas Sygros" Hospital of Venereal and Skin Diseases, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Alexander J Stratigos
- 1st Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Cutaneous Lymphoma Clinic, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Andreas Sygros" Hospital of Venereal and Skin Diseases, Athens, Greece
| | - Androniki Naska
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Leonidas Marinos
- Hematopathology Department, "Evangelismos" General Hospital, Athens, Greece
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Panou E, Stavridi F, Nikolaou C, Stratigos A, Nikolaou V. Dupilumab for the treatment of immune checkpoint blockers' induced pruritus. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2023; 37:e1475-e1476. [PMID: 37471503 DOI: 10.1111/jdv.19369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Evdoxia Panou
- 1st Dermatology Department, 'Andreas Syngros' Hospital for Skin Diseases, National & Kapodestrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Flora Stavridi
- 4th Oncology Department, Hygeia Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Alexander Stratigos
- 1st Dermatology Department, 'Andreas Syngros' Hospital for Skin Diseases, National & Kapodestrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Vasiliki Nikolaou
- 1st Dermatology Department, 'Andreas Syngros' Hospital for Skin Diseases, National & Kapodestrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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Loizidou K, Skouroumouni G, Savvidou G, Constantinidou A, Nikolaou C, Pitris C. Prediction of Near-Term Breast Cancer Occurrence using Subtraction of Temporally Sequential Digital Mammograms. Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc 2023; 2023:1-7. [PMID: 38083675 DOI: 10.1109/embc40787.2023.10340866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer remains one of the leading cancers for women worldwide. Fortunately, with the introduction of mammography, the mortality rate has significantly decreased. However, earlier breast cancer prediction could effectively increase the survival rates, improve patient outcomes, and avoid unnecessary biopsies. For that purpose, prediction of breast cancer, using subtraction of temporally sequential digital mammograms and machine learning, is proposed. A new dataset was collected with 192 images from 32 patients (three screening rounds, with two views of each breast). This dataset included precise annotation of each individual malignant mass, present in the most recent mammogram, with the two priors being radiologically evaluated as normal. The most recent mammogram was considered as the "future" screening round and provided the location of the mass as the ground truth for the training. The two previous mammograms, the "current" and the "prior", were processed and a new, difference image was formed for the prediction. Ninety-six features were extracted and five feature selection algorithms were combined to identify the most important features. Ten classifiers were tested in leave-one-patient-out and k-fold-patient cross-validation (k = 4 and 8). Ensemble Voting achieved the highest performance in the prediction of the development of breast mass in the next screening round, with 85.7% sensitivity, 83.7% specificity, 83.7% accuracy and 0.85 AUC. The proposed methodology could lead to a new mammography-based model that could predict the short-term risk for developing a malignancy, thus providing an earlier diagnosis.
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Sabat R, Šimaitė D, Gudjonsson JE, Brembach TC, Witte K, Krause T, Kokolakis G, Bartnik E, Nikolaou C, Rill N, Coulibaly B, Levin C, Herrmann M, Salinas G, Leeuw T, Volk HD, Ghoreschi K, Wolk K. Neutrophilic granulocyte-derived B-cell activating factor supports B cells in skin lesions in hidradenitis suppurativa. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2023; 151:1015-1026. [PMID: 36481267 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2022.10.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by painful inflamed nodules, abscesses, and pus-draining tunnels appearing in axillary, inguinal, and perianal skin areas. HS lesions contain various types of immigrated immune cells. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to characterize mediators that support lesional B/plasma cell persistence in HS. METHODS Skin samples from several cohorts of HS patients and control cohorts were assessed by mRNA sequencing, quantitative PCR on reverse-transcribed RNA, flow cytometry, and immunohistofluorescence. Blood plasma and cultured skin biopsy samples, keratinocytes, dermal fibroblasts, neutrophilic granulocytes (neutrophils), monocytes, and B cells were analyzed. Complex systems biology approaches were used to evaluate bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing data. RESULTS Proportions of B/plasma cells, neutrophils, CD8+ T cells, and M0 and M1 macrophages were elevated in HS lesions compared to skin of healthy and perilesional intertriginous areas. There was an association between B/plasma cells, neutrophils, and B-cell activating factor (BAFF, aka TNFSF13B). BAFF was abundant in HS lesions, particularly in nodules and abscesses. Among the cell types present in HS lesions, myeloid cells were the main BAFF producers. Mechanistically, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in the presence of bacterial products was the major stimulus for neutrophils' BAFF secretion. Lesional upregulation of BAFF receptors was attributed to B cells (TNFRSF13C/BAFFR and TNFRSF13B/TACI) and plasma cells (TNFRSF17/BCMA). Characterization of the lesional BAFF pathway revealed molecules involved in migration/adhesion (eg, CXCR4, CD37, CD53, SELL), proliferation/survival (eg, BST2), activation (eg, KLF2, PRKCB), and reactive oxygen species production (eg, NCF1, CYBC1) of B/plasma cells. CONCLUSION Neutrophil-derived BAFF supports B/plasma cell persistence and function in HS lesions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Sabat
- Psoriasis Research and Treatment Centre, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Interdisciplinary Group Molecular Immunopathology, Dermatology/Medical Immunology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Deimantė Šimaitė
- Data and Data Sciences, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Johann Eli Gudjonsson
- Department of Dermatology, University of Michigan, and Taubman Medical Research Institute, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Mich
| | - Theresa-Charlotte Brembach
- Psoriasis Research and Treatment Centre, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Interdisciplinary Group Molecular Immunopathology, Dermatology/Medical Immunology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Department of Food Chemistry, Institute of Nutritional Science, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Katrin Witte
- Psoriasis Research and Treatment Centre, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Interdisciplinary Group Molecular Immunopathology, Dermatology/Medical Immunology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Inflammation and Regeneration of the Skin, BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Torben Krause
- Psoriasis Research and Treatment Centre, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Georgios Kokolakis
- Psoriasis Research and Treatment Centre, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eckart Bartnik
- Immunology & Inflammation Research TA, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Christos Nikolaou
- Psoriasis Research and Treatment Centre, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Interdisciplinary Group Molecular Immunopathology, Dermatology/Medical Immunology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Natascha Rill
- Psoriasis Research and Treatment Centre, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Interdisciplinary Group Molecular Immunopathology, Dermatology/Medical Immunology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Béma Coulibaly
- Molecular Histopathology & Bio-Imaging, R&D, Sanofi-Aventis, Vitry-sur-Seine, France
| | - Clément Levin
- Molecular Histopathology & Bio-Imaging, R&D, Sanofi-Aventis, Vitry-sur-Seine, France
| | - Matthias Herrmann
- Immunology & Inflammation Research TA, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Gabriela Salinas
- NGS-Integrative Genomics Core Unit, Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Leeuw
- Immunology & Inflammation Research TA, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Hans-Dieter Volk
- BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kamran Ghoreschi
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kerstin Wolk
- Psoriasis Research and Treatment Centre, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Interdisciplinary Group Molecular Immunopathology, Dermatology/Medical Immunology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Inflammation and Regeneration of the Skin, BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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Loizidou K, Skouroumouni G, Nikolaou C, Pitris C. Automatic Breast Mass Segmentation and Classification Using Subtraction of Temporally Sequential Digital Mammograms. IEEE J Transl Eng Health Med 2022; 10:1801111. [PMID: 36519002 PMCID: PMC9744267 DOI: 10.1109/jtehm.2022.3219891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Cancer remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally, with 1 in 5 of all new cancers arising in the breast. The introduction of mammography for the radiological diagnosis of breast abnormalities, significantly decreased their mortality rates. Accurate detection and classification of breast masses in mammograms is especially challenging for various reasons, including low contrast and the normal variations of breast tissue density. Various Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) systems are being developed to assist radiologists with the accurate classification of breast abnormalities. METHODS In this study, subtraction of temporally sequential digital mammograms and machine learning are proposed for the automatic segmentation and classification of masses. The performance of the algorithm was evaluated on a dataset created especially for the purposes of this study, with 320 images from 80 patients (two time points and two views of each breast) with precisely annotated mass locations by two radiologists. RESULTS Ninety-six features were extracted and ten classifiers were tested in a leave-one-patient-out and k-fold cross-validation process. Using Neural Networks, the detection of masses was 99.9% accurate. The classification accuracy of the masses as benign or suspicious increased from 92.6%, using the state-of-the-art temporal analysis, to 98%, using the proposed methodology. The improvement was statistically significant (p-value < 0.05). CONCLUSION These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the subtraction of temporally consecutive mammograms for the diagnosis of breast masses. Clinical and Translational Impact Statement: The proposed algorithm has the potential to substantially contribute to the development of automated breast cancer Computer-Aided Diagnosis systems with significant impact on patient prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kosmia Loizidou
- KIOS Research and Innovation Center of ExcellenceDepartment of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of Cyprus 2109 Nicosia Cyprus
| | | | | | - Costas Pitris
- KIOS Research and Innovation Center of ExcellenceDepartment of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of Cyprus 2109 Nicosia Cyprus
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Panou E, Nikolaou C, Payagala S, Bakkour W, Shaw H, Perrett C, French P, Ratynska M, Brock C, Rayment M, Bunker CB. HIV-related Merkel cell carcinoma: A report of three cases from the UK. Int J STD AIDS 2022; 33:1084-1086. [DOI: 10.1177/09564624221123872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) of the skin is a rare, aggressive and often fatal neuroendocrine skin cancer. The incidence of MCC has significantly increased in the last decades. Factors that have been associated with the development of MCC include infection with Merkel Cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), ultraviolet exposure, hematologic malignancies and immunosuppression.We present three cases of patients living with HIV who were diagnosed with MCC. HIV cases associated with MCC have been rarely reported and to our knowledge, not yet before in the UK.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evdoxia Panou
- Departments of Dermatology, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Christos Nikolaou
- Department of Oncology, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Sashini Payagala
- Department of GUM/HIV and Oncology, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Waseem Bakkour
- Departments of Dermatology, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Heather Shaw
- Oncology and Histopathology, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Conal Perrett
- Departments of Dermatology, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Patrick French
- Department of GUM/HIV, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | | | - Cathryn Brock
- Department of GUM/HIV and Oncology, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Michael Rayment
- Department of GUM/HIV and Oncology, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - CB Bunker
- Departments of Dermatology, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
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Loizidou K, Skouroumouni G, Savvidou G, Constantinidou A, Nikolaou C, Pitris C. Identification and Classification of Benign and Malignant Masses based on Subtraction of Temporally Sequential Digital Mammograms. Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc 2022; 2022:1667-1670. [PMID: 36085665 DOI: 10.1109/embc48229.2022.9871593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths and the second highest cause of death, in general, among women worldwide. Fortunately, over the last few decades, with the introduction of mammography, the mortality rate of breast cancer has significantly decreased. However, accurate classification of breast masses in mammograms is especially challenging. Various Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) systems are being developed to assist radiologists with the accurate classification of breast abnormalities. In this study, classification of benign and malignant masses, based on the subtraction of temporally sequential digital mammograms and machine learning, is proposed. The performance of the algorithm was evaluated on a dataset created for the purposes of this study. In total, 196 images from 49 patients, with precisely annotated mass locations and biopsy confirmed malignant cases, were included. Ninety-six features were extracted and five feature selection algorithms were employed to identify the most important features. Ten classifiers were tested using leave-one-patient-out and 7-fold cross-validation. Neural Networks, achieved the highest classification performance with 90.85% accuracy and 0.91 AUC, an improvement compared to the state-of-the-art. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the subtraction of temporally consecutive mammograms for the classification of breast masses as benign or malignant.
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Frountzas M, Karampetsou N, Nikolaou C, Schizas D, Tsapralis D, Avgerinos D, Toutouzas K. Combined heart and liver transplantation: an updated systematic review. Ann R Coll Surg Engl 2022; 104:88-94. [PMID: 34482766 PMCID: PMC10335029 DOI: 10.1308/rcsann.2021.0103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Combined heart and liver transplantation (CHLT) is one of the most complex procedures of surgery that has been implemented in the last 35 years. The aim of our meta-analysis was to investigate the safety and efficacy of CHLT. MATERIALS The meta-analysis was designed according to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) and AMSTAR (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews) recommendations. A literature search was conducted up to April 2020 using the MEDLINE,® SCOPUS,® ClinicalTrials.gov, Embase™, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Google Scholar™ databases. RESULTS Our meta-analysis included 16 studies with 860 patients. The mortality rate following CHLT was 14.1%. One and five-year survival rates were 85.3% and 71.4% while the heart and liver rejection rates were 6.1% and 9.1% respectively. The hospital stay was 25.8 days and the intensive care unit stay was 9.9 days. Pooled values were also calculated for cardiopulmonary bypass duration, units of transfused red blood cells and fresh frozen plasma, postoperative infection rate, mechanical ventilation rate and follow-up duration. CONCLUSIONS Despite its complexity, CHLT is a safe and effective procedure for the management of lethal diseases that lead to progressive heart and/or liver failure. Nevertheless, there must be strict adherence to the indications for surgery, and future studies should compare CHLT with isolated cardiac and hepatic transplantations.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Frountzas
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
| | - N Karampetsou
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
| | - C Nikolaou
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
| | - D Schizas
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
| | | | | | - K Toutouzas
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
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Oikonomou P, Nikolaou C, Chrisafis I, Romanidis K, Tsalikidis C, Pitiakoudis M. Avoiding appendectomy with an ultrasound probe. Ann R Coll Surg Engl 2021; 104:e81-e83. [PMID: 34812683 DOI: 10.1308/rcsann.2021.0122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute appendicitis is common in patients with right lower quadrant pain and affects all gender and age groups. Because clinical diagnosis of patients with right lower quadrant pain remains a challenge to emergency physicians and surgeons, imaging is of major importance. Ultrasound has well-established direct and indirect signs for diagnosing acute appendicitis and revealing the presence of an appendicolith. Appendectomy, which can be either open or laparoscopic, constitutes the basic treatment. However, the need for an appendectomy is debatable, particularly in high-risk patients. We report the case of a 42-year-old woman with no relevant medical history who was sent to the emergency department by her family physician with right lower quadrant pain of 18 hours' duration. Using ultrasound, the emergency physicians identified, inside the appendix, a 0.6cm appendiceal faecolith, migration of which was eventuated by manipulation of the ultrasound probe. The patient was then successfully treated non-operatively without any antibiotic prescription. Despite its rarity, migration of an appendiceal faecolith is possible. When migration of an appendicolith is perhaps actualised spontaneously or by ultrasound probe manipulation, the likelihood of an appendectomy decreases dramatically. This hypothesis provides patients who present an appendiceal faecolith with an alternative treatment approach that will lead to the avoidance of surgery, minimise morbidity and reduce hospitalisation costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Oikonomou
- Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - C Nikolaou
- Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - I Chrisafis
- University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - K Romanidis
- Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - C Tsalikidis
- Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - M Pitiakoudis
- Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
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Loizidou K, Skouroumouni G, Pitris C, Nikolaou C. Digital subtraction of temporally sequential mammograms for improved detection and classification of microcalcifications. Eur Radiol Exp 2021; 5:40. [PMID: 34519867 PMCID: PMC8440760 DOI: 10.1186/s41747-021-00238-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Our aim was to demonstrate that automated detection and classification of breast microcalcifications, according to Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) categorisation, can be improved with the subtraction of sequential mammograms as opposed to using the most recent image only. Methods One hundred pairs of mammograms were retrospectively collected from two temporally sequential rounds. Fifty percent of the images included no (BI-RADS 1) or benign (BI-RADS 2) microcalcifications. The remaining exhibited suspicious findings (BI-RADS 4-5) in the recent image. Mammograms cannot be directly subtracted, due to tissue changes over time and breast deformation during mammography. To overcome this challenge, optimised preprocessing, image registration, and postprocessing procedures were developed. Machine learning techniques were employed to eliminate false positives (normal tissue misclassified as microcalcifications) and to classify the true microcalcifications as BI-RADS benign or suspicious. Ninety-six features were extracted and nine classifiers were evaluated with and without temporal subtraction. The performance was assessed by measuring sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under the curve (AUC) at receiver operator characteristics analysis. Results Using temporal subtraction, the contrast ratio improved ~ 57 times compared to the most recent mammograms, enhancing the detection of the radiologic changes. Classifying as BI-RADS benign versus suspicious microcalcifications, resulted in 90.3% accuracy and 0.87 AUC, compared to 82.7% and 0.81 using just the most recent mammogram (p = 0.003). Conclusion Compared to using the most recent mammogram alone, temporal subtraction is more effective in the microcalcifications detection and classification and may play a role in automated diagnosis systems. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41747-021-00238-w.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kosmia Loizidou
- KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Cyprus, 1 Panepistimiou Avenue, Aglantzia, 2109, Nicosia, Cyprus.
| | - Galateia Skouroumouni
- Nicosia General Hospital, 215 Nicosia-Limassol Old Road, Strovolos, 2029, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Costas Pitris
- KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Cyprus, 1 Panepistimiou Avenue, Aglantzia, 2109, Nicosia, Cyprus
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Nikolaou C, Muehle K, Schlickeiser S, Japp AS, Matzmohr N, Kunkel D, Frentsch M, Thiel A. Correction to: High-dimensional single cell mass cytometry analysis of the murine hematopoietic system reveals signatures induced by ageing and physiological pathogen challenges. Immun Ageing 2021; 18:22. [PMID: 33971897 PMCID: PMC8108326 DOI: 10.1186/s12979-021-00235-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christos Nikolaou
- Regenerative Immunology and Aging, BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. .,Institute for Medical Immunology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. .,Berlin-Brandenburg School for Regenerative Therapies (BSRT), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Kerstin Muehle
- Regenerative Immunology and Aging, BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephan Schlickeiser
- Institute for Medical Immunology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Flow & Mass Cytometry Core Facility, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | - Alberto Sada Japp
- Regenerative Immunology and Aging, BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nadine Matzmohr
- Regenerative Immunology and Aging, BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Desiree Kunkel
- Flow & Mass Cytometry Core Facility, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | - Marco Frentsch
- Regenerative Immunology and Aging, BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Thiel
- Regenerative Immunology and Aging, BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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14
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Nikolaou C, Muehle K, Schlickeiser S, Japp AS, Matzmohr N, Kunkel D, Frentsch M, Thiel A. High-dimensional single cell mass cytometry analysis of the murine hematopoietic system reveals signatures induced by ageing and physiological pathogen challenges. Immun Ageing 2021; 18:20. [PMID: 33879187 PMCID: PMC8056611 DOI: 10.1186/s12979-021-00230-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immune ageing is a result of repetitive microbial challenges along with cell intrinsic or systemic changes occurring during ageing. Mice under 'specific-pathogen-free' (SPF) conditions are frequently used to assess immune ageing in long-term experiments. However, physiological pathogenic challenges are reduced in SPF mice. The question arises to what extent murine experiments performed under SPF conditions are suited to analyze immune ageing in mice and serve as models for human immune ageing. Our previous comparisons of same aged mice with different microbial exposures, unambiguously identified distinct clusters of immune cells characteristic for numerous previous pathogen encounters in particular in pet shop mice. RESULTS We here performed single cell mass cytometry assessing splenic as secondary and bone marrow as primary lymphoid organ-derived leukocytes isolated from young versus aged SPF mice in order to delineate alterations of the murine hematopoietic system induced during ageing. We then compared immune clusters from young and aged SPF mice to pet shop mice in order to delineate alterations of the murine hematopoietic system induced by physiological pathogenic challenges and those caused by cell intrinsic or systemic changes during ageing. Notably, distinct immune signatures were similarly altered in both pet shop and aged SPF mice in comparison to young SPF mice, including increased frequencies of memory T lymphocytes, effector-cytokine producing T cells, plasma cells and mature NK cells. However, elevated frequencies of CD4+ T cells, total NK cells, granulocytes, pDCs, cDCs and decreased frequencies of naïve B cells were specifically identified only in pet shop mice. In aged SPF mice specifically the frequencies of splenic IgM+ plasma cells, CD8+ T cells and CD4+ CD25+ Treg were increased as compared to pet shop mice and young mice. CONCLUSIONS Our study dissects firstly how ageing impacts both innate and adaptive immune cells in primary and secondary lymphoid organs. Secondly, it partly distinguishes murine intrinsic immune ageing alterations from those induced by physiological pathogen challenges highlighting the importance of designing mouse models for their use in preclinical research including vaccines and immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christos Nikolaou
- Regenerative Immunology and Aging, BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. .,Institute for Medical Immunology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. .,Berlin-Brandenburg School for Regenerative Therapies (BSRT), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Kerstin Muehle
- Regenerative Immunology and Aging, BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephan Schlickeiser
- Institute for Medical Immunology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Flow & Mass Cytometry Core Facility, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | - Alberto Sada Japp
- Regenerative Immunology and Aging, BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nadine Matzmohr
- Regenerative Immunology and Aging, BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Desiree Kunkel
- Flow & Mass Cytometry Core Facility, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | - Marco Frentsch
- Regenerative Immunology and Aging, BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Thiel
- Regenerative Immunology and Aging, BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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15
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Spiliotaki M, Kallergi G, Nikolaou C, Xenidis N, Politaki E, Apostolaki S, Georgoulia N, Koinis F, Tsoukalas N, Hatzidaki D, Kotsakis A, Georgoulias V. Dynamic changes of CTCs in patients with metastatic HR(+)/HER2(-) breast cancer receiving salvage treatment with everolimus/exemestane. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2021; 87:277-287. [PMID: 33515073 DOI: 10.1007/s00280-020-04227-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Detection of CTCs represents a poor prognostic factor in patients with early and metastatic breast cancer (mBC) and treatment with everolimus-exemestane (E/E) is an established effective treatment in hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative mBC patients. The effect of E/E on CTCs in mBC patients was prospectively investigated. METHODS CTCs from 50 pre-treated patients with mBC receiving E/E were analyzed using the CellSearch (CS) platform and triple immunofluorescence (IF) staining for cytokeratin, M30 and Ki67 expression to assess their proliferative and apoptotic status. RESULTS CTCs (by CS) were detected in 64% of patients before treatment and E/E administration resulted in their decreased prevalence [(n = 18; 36%, p = 0.004) and (n = 7; 19.4%, p = 0.019) post-1st and post-3rd treatment cycle, respectively] whereas it was significantly increased at disease progression (PD: 61%) compared to post-1st and post-3rd cycle (p = 0.049 and p = 0.021, respectively). Ki67-positive CTCs were detected in 60%, 60%, 17% and 50% of patients before treatment, post-1st, post-3rd cycle and at PD, respectively, while the opposite was observed for M30-positive CTCs (0% at baseline, 10% after the 1st cycle, 50% after the 3rd cycle and 0% at PD). The detection of even ≥ 1 CTC/5 ml after one cycle was associated with decreased PFS (3.3 vs 9.0 months, p = 0.025) whereas the detection of even ≥ 2 CTCs at PD was associated with decreased OS (32.4 vs 19.5 months; p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS The combination of E/E resulted in early elimination of proliferating CTCs in mBC patients and this effect was associated with a favorable clinical outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Spiliotaki
- Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Crete, Greece
| | - Galatea Kallergi
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Crete Medical School, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Christos Nikolaou
- Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Crete, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Xenidis
- Hellenic Oncology Research Group (HORG), 55 Lombardou str, 11474, Athens, Greece.,Department of Medical Oncology, Medical School, Democritus University of Thrace, Xanthi, Greece
| | - Eleni Politaki
- Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Crete, Greece
| | - Stella Apostolaki
- Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Crete, Greece
| | - Nefeli Georgoulia
- Hellenic Oncology Research Group (HORG), 55 Lombardou str, 11474, Athens, Greece
| | - Filippos Koinis
- Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Crete, Greece.,Hellenic Oncology Research Group (HORG), 55 Lombardou str, 11474, Athens, Greece.,Department of Medical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University Hospital of Larissa & Laboratory of Oncology, University of Thessaly Mezourlo, Larissa, Thessaly, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Tsoukalas
- Hellenic Oncology Research Group (HORG), 55 Lombardou str, 11474, Athens, Greece.,Medical Oncology Unit, NIMITS Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Dora Hatzidaki
- Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Crete, Greece.,Hellenic Oncology Research Group (HORG), 55 Lombardou str, 11474, Athens, Greece
| | - Athanasios Kotsakis
- Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Crete, Greece.,Hellenic Oncology Research Group (HORG), 55 Lombardou str, 11474, Athens, Greece.,Department of Medical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University Hospital of Larissa & Laboratory of Oncology, University of Thessaly Mezourlo, Larissa, Thessaly, Greece
| | - Vassilis Georgoulias
- Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Crete, Greece. .,Hellenic Oncology Research Group (HORG), 55 Lombardou str, 11474, Athens, Greece.
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16
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Frountzas M, Stergios K, Nikolaou C, Bellos I, Schizas D, Linardoutsos D, Kontzoglou K, Vaos G, Williams AB, Toutouzas K. Could FiLaC™ be effective in the treatment of anal fistulas? A systematic review of observational studies and proportional meta-analysis. Colorectal Dis 2020; 22:1874-1884. [PMID: 32445614 DOI: 10.1111/codi.15148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
AIM Fistula Laser Closure (FiLaC™) is a novel sphincter-preserving technique that is based on new technologies and shows promising results in repairing anal fistulas whilst maintaining external sphincter function. The aim of the present meta-analysis is to present the efficacy and the safety of FiLaC™ in the management of anal fistula disease. METHOD The present proportional meta-analysis was designed using the PRISMA and AMSTAR guidelines. We searched MEDLINE, Scopus, clinicaltrials.gov, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials CENTRAL and Google Scholar databases from inception until November 2019. RESULTS Overall, eight studies were included that recruited 476 patients. The pooled success rate of the technique was 63% (95% CI 50%-75%). The pooled complication rate was 8% (95% CI 1%-18%). Sixty-six per cent of patients had a transsphincteric fistula and 60% had undergone a previous surgical intervention, mainly the insertion of a seton (54%). The majority had a cryptoglandular fistula. Operation time and follow-up period were described for each study. CONCLUSION FiLaC™ seems to be an efficient therapeutic option for perianal fistula disease with an adequate level of safety that preserves quality of life. Nevertheless, randomized trials need to be designed to compare FiLaC™ with other procedures for the management of anal fistulas such as ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract, anal advancement flaps, fibrin glue, collagen paste, autologous adipose tissue, fistula plug and video-assisted anal fistula treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Frountzas
- Laboratory of Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.,First Propaedeutic Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Hippocration General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - K Stergios
- Laboratory of Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - C Nikolaou
- Laboratory of Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - I Bellos
- Laboratory of Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - D Schizas
- First Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Laikon General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - D Linardoutsos
- First Propaedeutic Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Hippocration General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - K Kontzoglou
- Laboratory of Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - G Vaos
- Department of Paediatric Surgery, School of Medicine, Attikon University General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - A B Williams
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - K Toutouzas
- First Propaedeutic Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Hippocration General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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Hu X, Kueppers ST, Kooreman NG, Gravina A, Wang D, Tediashvili G, Schlickeiser S, Frentsch M, Nikolaou C, Thiel A, Marcus S, Fuchs S, Velden J, Reichenspurner H, Volk HD, Deuse T, Schrepfer S. The H-Y Antigen in Embryonic Stem Cells Causes Rejection in Syngeneic Female Recipients. Stem Cells Dev 2020; 29:1179-1189. [PMID: 32723003 DOI: 10.1089/scd.2019.0299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Pluripotent stem cells are promising candidates for cell-based regenerative therapies. To avoid rejection of transplanted cells, several approaches are being pursued to reduce immunogenicity of the cells or modulate the recipient's immune response. These include gene editing to reduce the antigenicity of cell products, immunosuppression of the host, or using major histocompatibility complex-matched cells from cell banks. In this context, we have investigated the antigenicity of H-Y antigens, a class of minor histocompatibility antigens encoded by the Y chromosome, to assess whether the gender of the donor affects the cell's antigenicity. In a murine transplant model, we show that the H-Y antigen in undifferentiated embryonic stem cells (ESCs), as well as ESC-derived endothelial cells, provokes T- and B cell responses in female recipients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaomeng Hu
- Transplant and Stem Cell Immunobiology Lab, Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.,Cardiovascular Research Center Hamburg (CVRC) and DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Luebeck, Hamburg, Germany.,University Heart & Vascular Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Simon T Kueppers
- Transplant and Stem Cell Immunobiology Lab, Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.,Cardiovascular Research Center Hamburg (CVRC) and DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Luebeck, Hamburg, Germany.,University Heart & Vascular Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Nigel G Kooreman
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.,Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.,Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.,Department of Vascular Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Alessia Gravina
- Transplant and Stem Cell Immunobiology Lab, Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.,Cardiovascular Research Center Hamburg (CVRC) and DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Luebeck, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dong Wang
- Transplant and Stem Cell Immunobiology Lab, Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.,Cardiovascular Research Center Hamburg (CVRC) and DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Luebeck, Hamburg, Germany.,University Heart & Vascular Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Grigol Tediashvili
- Transplant and Stem Cell Immunobiology Lab, Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.,Cardiovascular Research Center Hamburg (CVRC) and DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Luebeck, Hamburg, Germany.,University Heart & Vascular Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stephan Schlickeiser
- BIH-Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité University Medicine and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany.,Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, BIH, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marco Frentsch
- BIH-Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité University Medicine and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | - Christos Nikolaou
- BIH-Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité University Medicine and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Thiel
- BIH-Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité University Medicine and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | - Sivan Marcus
- Transplant and Stem Cell Immunobiology Lab, Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Sigrid Fuchs
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Joachim Velden
- Evotec AG, Histopathology and In Vivo Pharmacology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hermann Reichenspurner
- Cardiovascular Research Center Hamburg (CVRC) and DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Luebeck, Hamburg, Germany.,University Heart & Vascular Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hans-Dieter Volk
- BIH-Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité University Medicine and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany.,Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, BIH, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tobias Deuse
- Transplant and Stem Cell Immunobiology Lab, Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Sonja Schrepfer
- Transplant and Stem Cell Immunobiology Lab, Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.,Cardiovascular Research Center Hamburg (CVRC) and DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Luebeck, Hamburg, Germany.,University Heart & Vascular Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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Nikolaou C, Black C, Ochoa JJ, Fitzpatrick N. Guidelines for the Execution of True Spherical Osteotomies Using a Modified Dome Blade Design. Vet Comp Orthop Traumatol 2019; 33:71-81. [PMID: 31785595 DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-3399526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to explore the trigonometric principles of the spherical osteotomy, establish guidelines for its application and test the guidelines on bone models using a new blade design. We propose a new rule of osteotomies incorporating the outlined geometric principles, and applicable to the use of spherical cuts in veterinary orthopaedic surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS The trigonometric principles for the execution of neutral, closing and opening spherical osteotomies were explored in silico. A modification of the existing commercially available dome blade was designed and manufactured such that it facilitated the performance of spherical osteotomy with a minimized blade radius. A pilot study was performed whereby the modified dome blade was used to create spherical osteotomy in canine radial bone models. The surfaces of the osteotomy models were laser-scanned using a three-dimensional (3D) scanner; the resultant scans were imported into and analysed using a commercial 3D analysis software. The accuracy of osteotomy execution was measured as the distance between the targeted centre of osteotomy and the actual centre of osteotomy as found on the 3D scans. RESULTS By utilizing the geometric principles of spherical osteotomy, an accurate osteotomy position was achieved. The centre of the spherical cut performed on bone models was confirmed to be within 5% tolerance of the location as planned in silico demonstrating the accurate and relevant clinical application of geometric principles. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE The trigonometric guidelines for the execution of spherical osteotomy can be applied in a pre-clinical environment with accuracy. The new guidelines combined with the proposed new rule for spherical osteotomy utilizing the new blade design are translatable into clinical application, permitting the surgeon to accurately plan osteotomy application while mitigating the significant loss of bone-to-bone contact during correction of torsional deformities inherent in the principles of dome osteotomy use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christos Nikolaou
- Department of Orthopaedics, Fitzpatrick Referrals, Surrey, United Kingdom
| | - Cameron Black
- Department of Orthopaedics, Fitzpatrick Referrals, Surrey, United Kingdom
| | - Juan J Ochoa
- Department of Orthopaedics, Fitzpatrick Referrals, Surrey, United Kingdom
| | - Noel Fitzpatrick
- Department of Orthopaedics, Fitzpatrick Referrals, Surrey, United Kingdom
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19
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Momen S, Fassihi H, Davies HR, Nikolaou C, Degasperi A, Stefanato CM, Dias JML, Dasgupta D, Craythorne E, Sarkany R, Papa S, Nik-Zainal S. Dramatic response of metastatic cutaneous angiosarcoma to an immune checkpoint inhibitor in a patient with xeroderma pigmentosum: whole-genome sequencing aids treatment decision in end-stage disease. Cold Spring Harb Mol Case Stud 2019; 5:a004408. [PMID: 31645345 PMCID: PMC6824248 DOI: 10.1101/mcs.a004408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
"Mutational signatures" are patterns of mutations that report DNA damage and subsequent repair processes that have occurred. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) can provide additional information to standard diagnostic techniques and can identify therapeutic targets. A 32-yr-old male with xeroderma pigmentosum developed metastatic angiosarcoma that was unresponsive to three lines of conventional sarcoma therapies. WGS was performed on his primary cancer revealing a hypermutated tumor, including clonal ultraviolet radiation-induced mutational patterns (Signature 7) and subclonal signatures of mutated DNA polymerase epsilon (POLE) (Signature 10). These signatures are associated with response to immune checkpoint blockade. Immunohistochemistry confirmed high PD-L1 expression in metastatic deposits. The anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody pembrolizumab was commenced off-label given the POLE mutation and high mutational load. After four cycles, there was a significant reduction in his disease with almost complete resolution of the metastatic deposits. This case highlights the importance of WGS in the analysis, interpretation, and treatment of cancers. We anticipate that as WGS becomes integral to the cancer diagnostic pathway, treatments will be stratified to the individual based on their unique genomic and/or transcriptomic profile, enhancing classical approaches of histologically driven treatment decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Momen
- Department of Medical Genetics, Addenbrooke's Treatment Centre, The Clinical School, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
- National Xeroderma Pigmentosum Service, Department of Photodermatology, St John's Institute of Dermatology, Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation Trust, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Hiva Fassihi
- National Xeroderma Pigmentosum Service, Department of Photodermatology, St John's Institute of Dermatology, Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation Trust, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Helen R Davies
- Department of Medical Genetics, Addenbrooke's Treatment Centre, The Clinical School, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
- MRC Cancer Unit, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0XZ, United Kingdom
| | - Christos Nikolaou
- Department of Medical Oncology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9RT, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Degasperi
- Department of Medical Genetics, Addenbrooke's Treatment Centre, The Clinical School, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
- MRC Cancer Unit, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0XZ, United Kingdom
| | - Catherine M Stefanato
- Department of Dermatopathology, St John's Institute of Dermatology, Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation Trust, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Joao M L Dias
- Department of Medical Genetics, Addenbrooke's Treatment Centre, The Clinical School, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
- MRC Cancer Unit, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0XZ, United Kingdom
| | - Dhruba Dasgupta
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9RT, United Kingdom
| | - Emma Craythorne
- National Xeroderma Pigmentosum Service, Department of Photodermatology, St John's Institute of Dermatology, Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation Trust, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Robert Sarkany
- National Xeroderma Pigmentosum Service, Department of Photodermatology, St John's Institute of Dermatology, Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation Trust, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Sophie Papa
- Department of Medical Oncology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9RT, United Kingdom
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Studies, King's College London, Guy's Campus, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9RT, United Kingdom
| | - Serena Nik-Zainal
- Department of Medical Genetics, Addenbrooke's Treatment Centre, The Clinical School, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
- MRC Cancer Unit, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0XZ, United Kingdom
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Patas K, Douros K, Priftis K, Ioannidis A, Nikolaou C, Chatzipanagiotou S. Isolation of Aggregatibacter aphrophilus from bronchoalveolar lavage in a paediatric patient presenting with haemoptysis. New Microbes New Infect 2019; 29:100509. [PMID: 30899518 PMCID: PMC6406053 DOI: 10.1016/j.nmni.2019.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 12/01/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
We report a rare case of non–cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis accompanied by protracted infection with Aggregatibacter aphrophilus in a 12-year-old boy with haemoptysis.
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Frountzas M, Nikolaou C, Stergios K, Kontzoglou K, Toutouzas K, Pergialiotis V. Is the laparoscopic approach a safe choice for the management of acute appendicitis in pregnant women? A meta-analysis of observational studies. Ann R Coll Surg Engl 2019; 101:235-248. [PMID: 30855978 PMCID: PMC6432950 DOI: 10.1308/rcsann.2019.0011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Acute appendicitis is a common and serious situation during pregnancy, because of the increased risk of fetal loss and perforation in the third trimester, as well as a diagnostic difficulty. During recent years laparoscopic approach has been introduced to clinical practice with encouraging results. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to compare the surgical and obstetrical outcomes between laparoscopic and open appendectomy during pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS MEDLINE, SCOPUS, Clinicaltrials.gov, CENTRAL and Google Scholar were searched for studies reporting on postoperative outcomes between laparoscopic and open appendectomy during pregnancy. The random effects model (DerSimonian-Laird) was used to calculate pooled effect estimates when high heterogeneity was encountered, otherwise the fixed-effects (Mantel-Haenszel) model was implemented. RESULTS Twenty-one studies that enrolled 6276 pregnant women are included in the present meta-analysis. Of these women, 1963 underwent laparoscopic appendectomy and 4313 underwent an open appendectomy. Women who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy demonstrated an increase in fetal loss risk, while neonates of women that underwent open appendectomy presented decreased Apgar score at five minutes after birth. All the rest outcomes were similar between the two groups. The time that each study took place seemed to affect the comparison of birth weight and postoperative hospital stay between the two groups. CONCLUSION Laparoscopic appendectomy seems to be a relatively safe therapeutic option in pregnancy when it is indicated. Thus, it should be implemented in clinical practice, always considering the experience of the surgeon in such procedures. Nevertheless, the need of new studies to enhance this statement remains crucial.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Frountzas
- Laboratory of Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
| | - C Nikolaou
- Laboratory of Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
| | - K Stergios
- General Surgery, Watford General Hospital, Watford, UK
| | - K Kontzoglou
- Laboratory of Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
- 2nd Department of Propedeutic Surgery, Laiko General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - K Toutouzas
- 1st Department of Propedeutic Surgery, Hippokration General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - V Pergialiotis
- Laboratory of Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
- 2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Attikon University Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
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Tsoukalas N, Aravantinou E, Tsapakidis K, Giaginis C, Tolia M, Binas I, Baxevanos P, Galanopoulos M, Kiakou M, Kostakis I, Nikolaou C, Litos I, Liontos M, Tsiambas E, Gioulbasanis I, Sfiniadakis I, Karameris A, Kyrgias G, Theocharis S, Tsiatas M. Clinical significance of RCAS1 and CD3 expression in non-small cell lung cancers in immunotherapy era. Ann Oncol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdy269.174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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23
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Karabagias IK, Nikolaou C, Karabagias VK. Volatile fingerprints of common and rare honeys produced in Greece: in search of PHVMs with implementation of the honey code. Eur Food Res Technol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00217-018-3137-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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24
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Koutras C, Bitsaki M, Koutras G, Nikolaou C, Heep H. Socioeconomic impact of e-Health services in major joint replacement: A scoping review. Technol Health Care 2016; 23:809-17. [PMID: 26409523 DOI: 10.3233/thc-151036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND e-Health is a widespread healthcare practice in the medical community, supported by technology-based applications aiming to deliver health services in an efficient manner, improving the quality of life and providing a wide range of health and socio-economic benefits to patients. OBJECTIVE To investigate the use of e-Health and mobile applications for the follow-up of major joint arthroplasty patients and the socio-economic impact of e-Health services on arthroplasty patients. METHODS Studies published after 2000 in English language, enrolling patients who underwent total knee or hip replacement, applying e-Health solutions and highlighting the economic benefits obtained by patients, doctors and healthcare systems were considered for inclusion in the present study. RESULTS Five studies satisfied our inclusion criteria and were included in qualitative analysis. In this paper, the use of e-Health for the follow-up of major joint arthroplasty patients and the positive impact in terms of cost, time and hospital visits reduction by applying e-Health solutions on arthroplasty patients are reviewed in detail as reported in the included studies. CONCLUSION The majority of the included studies reported a positive impact in terms of cost, time and hospital visits reduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christos Koutras
- Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Marina Bitsaki
- Research and Innovation Department, OpenIT, Heraklion, Greece
| | | | | | - Hansjoerg Heep
- Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
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25
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Japp AS, Hoffmann K, Schlickeiser S, Glauben R, Nikolaou C, Maecker HT, Braun J, Matzmohr N, Sawitzki B, Siegmund B, Radbruch A, Volk HD, Frentsch M, Kunkel D, Thiel A. Wild immunology assessed by multidimensional mass cytometry. Cytometry A 2016; 91:85-95. [PMID: 27403624 DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.22906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2016] [Revised: 06/06/2016] [Accepted: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
A great part of our knowledge on mammalian immunology has been established in laboratory settings. The use of inbred mouse strains enabled controlled studies of immune cell and molecule functions in defined settings. These studies were usually performed in specific-pathogen free (SPF) environments providing standardized conditions. In contrast, mammalians including humans living in their natural habitat are continuously facing pathogen encounters throughout their life. The influences of environmental conditions on the signatures of the immune system and on experimental outcomes are yet not well defined. Thus, the transferability of results obtained in current experimental systems to the physiological human situation has always been a matter of debate. Studies elucidating the diversity of "wild immunology" imprintings in detail and comparing it with those of "clean" lab mice are sparse. Here, we applied multidimensional mass cytometry to dissect phenotypic and functional differences between distinct groups of laboratory and pet shop mice as a source for "wild mice". For this purpose, we developed a 31-antibody panel for murine leukocyte subsets identification and a 35-antibody panel assessing various cytokines. Established murine leukocyte populations were easily identified and diverse immune signatures indicative of numerous pathogen encounters were classified particularly in pet shop mice and to a lesser extent in quarantine and non-SPF mice as compared to SPF mice. In addition, unsupervised analysis identified distinct clusters that associated strongly with the degree of pathogenic priming, including increased frequencies of activated NK cells and antigen-experienced B- and T-cell subsets. Our study unravels the complexity of immune signatures altered under physiological pathogen challenges and highlights the importance of carefully adapting laboratory settings for immunological studies in mice, including drug and therapy testing. © 2016 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Sada Japp
- Regenerative Immunology and Aging, BCRT, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kerstin Hoffmann
- Regenerative Immunology and Aging, BCRT, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephan Schlickeiser
- BCRT Flow Cytometry Lab (BCRT-FCL), BCRT, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Institute for Medical Immunology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Rainer Glauben
- Medical Department I (Gastroenterology, Rheumatology, Infectious Diseases), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christos Nikolaou
- Regenerative Immunology and Aging, BCRT, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Holden T Maecker
- Institute for Immunity, Transplantation, and Infection, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Julian Braun
- Regenerative Immunology and Aging, BCRT, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nadine Matzmohr
- Regenerative Immunology and Aging, BCRT, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL), Berlin, Germany
| | - Birgit Sawitzki
- Transplantation Tolerance, Institute for Medical Immunology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Britta Siegmund
- Medical Department I (Gastroenterology, Rheumatology, Infectious Diseases), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Hans-Dieter Volk
- Institute for Medical Immunology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marco Frentsch
- Regenerative Immunology and Aging, BCRT, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Desiree Kunkel
- BCRT Flow Cytometry Lab (BCRT-FCL), BCRT, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Thiel
- Regenerative Immunology and Aging, BCRT, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Abstract
Mounting data of evidence that have emerged during the last twenty years, point towards the existence of an inflammatory mechanism underlying the pathophysiology of depressive disorder. These data have inspired a number of clinical studies characterized by the administration of inflammatory response altering medication in addition to conventional medication in depressive disorder patients. The drugs were either Non Steroid Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) or Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNFa) inhibitors and were selected among those that are already in use for various diseases related to the immune system. The choice of these specific immunomodulatory agents for the co-administration with conventional antidepressive medication was based on a number of laboratory data and clinical evidence. A total of seven relevant clinical trials have been conducted, all of them with promising results that have been published between 2006 and 2013. However, only four out of them were eligibly designed regarding the homogeneity of the study groups, randomization, double-blinding and placebo controlling. These three studies showed clinical advantages of the adjunctive medication as estimated by significant drops in Hamilton scores. Of interest are the findings of the most recent and largest clinical trial of the TNF-a antagonist infliximab which show that treatment with anti-inflammatory agents may be beneficial only in depressive patients with raised levels of baseline inflammatory markers. A limitation of the studies was that, since no guidelines currently exist for anti-inflammatory agents and depression, adjunctive medication could have been under or overdosed. Other limitations were the follow-up period that was rather small and the number of the participants that was also small. Recently, a lot of progress has been made in identifying therapeutic targets along metabolic pathways in the brain relevant to depression, which could be manipulated by immune mediators. In fact, tryptophan -the precursor of serotonin- metabolism appears as an important field of cross reactions between immune and neurochemical mediators and, elucidating it might contribute in new therapeutic strategies. Future clinical trials, eligibly designed, should include the use of biomarkers that reflect inflammatory status or/and metabolic activity in order to identify patients who may be uniquely responsive to immune-targeted therapies. These biomarkers could also serve to objectively monitor therapeutic responses and to determine the appropriate, for each patient, dosage of the new medicine. It is possible that relevant findings can benefit the great population of depression disorder patients that fail to achieve remission and also contribute in the personalization of the treatment of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Boufidou
- Laboratory of Biopathology, Eginition Hospital, National University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece
| | - C Nikolaou
- Laboratory of Biopathology, Eginition Hospital, National University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece
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Kentepozidis NK, Economopoulou P, Christophyllakis C, Chelis L, Polyzos A, Vardakis N, Koinis F, Nikolaou C, Georgoulias V, Kotsakis A. Salvage treatment with irinotecan/cisplatin versus pemetrexed/cisplatin in patients with non-small cell lung cancer pretreated with a non-platinum-based regimen in the first-line setting: A randomized phase II study of the Hellenic Oncology Research Group (HORG). J Clin Oncol 2015. [DOI: 10.1200/jco.2015.33.15_suppl.e19044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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Agelaki S, Mavroudis D, Spiliotaki M, Politaki E, Papadaki MA, Apostolaki S, Nikolaou C, Georgoulias V. Abstract P4-01-13: CTC enumeration and characterization has predictive and prognostic implications in patients with metastatic breast cancer treated with exemestane plus the mTOR inhibitor everolimus. Cancer Res 2015. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.sabcs14-p4-01-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Background: The utility of CTC enumeration in predicting patient (pt) outcome has been demonstrated in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) treated with chemotherapy or endocrine therapy. In this study we evaluated the clinical impact of CTC assessment in terms of both enumeration and characterization in breast cancer pts treated with exemestane plus everolimus. Patients and methods: Thirty-nine pts with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative MBC, received exemestane plus everolimus. CTC enumeration in peripheral blood (7.5 ml) was performed before treatment (n=39), post cycles 1 (n=39) and 3 (n=29), on disease re-evaluation and on relapse, whichever occurred first, using the CellSearch System. CTC characteristics were determined at the same time points by immunofluorescence (IF) analysis of PBMC cytospins (106 cells), triple stained with pancytokeratin (CK) antibody along with Ki67 and M30 as proliferation and apoptosis markers, respectively, using the Ariol System. Patients were assessed by CT scans and bone scan, every 3 months or as clinically indicated. Results: At the cut-off of ≥ 1 CTC, 25 of 39 (64%) pts had detectable CTCs at baseline, 12 (31%) of 39 post-1st and 10 (34.5%) of 29 post-3rd cycle. Ten (25.6%) pts remained CTC(+) and 12 (30.8%) CTC(-) both at baseline and post-1st cycle; 15 (38.5%) CTC(+) pts turned to CTC(-) and 2 (5%) CTC(-) turned to (+). CTC positivity after the first cycle was associated with shorter median progression-free survival (PFS) compared to CTC(-) status (3.9 vs 8 mo, p=0.031). Shorter PFS was also recorded for pts that remained CTC(+) at both time points compared to all other (p=0.02). At the cut-offs of ≥ 2 and ≥ 5 CTCs, 16 (41%) and 9 (23%) pts were CTC(+) at baseline, respectively; post-1st cycle, 7 (18%) and 4 (10%) pts were CTC(+) (at ≥ 2 and ≥ 5 CTCs, respectively). Post-3rd cycle the positivity rate was 17% for both cut-offs and these pts had significantly shorter PFS compared to CTC(-) pts (3.7 vs 8.7 months, p=0.048). Efficacy assessment revealed partial response in 3 (7.7%) pts, stable disease in 27 (69.23%) and progressive disease (PD) in 8 (20.5%); 1 pt was non-evaluable for response. Among pts determined CTC(+) post-1st cycle (cut-off ≥ 2 CTCs), 57% progressed compared to 13% of CTC(-) pts (p=0.02). In addition, at the post-3rd cycle evaluation, pts with PD had significantly higher CTC counts compared to non-progressors (mean ± SEM; 10 ± 5.78/pt vs 1.62±0.83/pt, p=0.027). By the use of IF 43%, 44% and 40% of CTC(+) pts had proliferative [Ki67(+)/M30(-)] CTCs at baseline, post -1st and -3rd cycles, respectively (cut-off ≥ 1 CTC); 67%, 50% and 50% of those pts, respectively, experienced PD. Apoptotic [Ki67(-)/M30(+)] CTCs were detected in 14%, 22% and 60% of CTC(+) pts at baseline, post -1st and -3rd cycles, respectively; none of the pts with apoptotic CTCs experienced PD. Conclusions: CTC enumeration and characterization in terms of proliferation and apoptosis during the course of treatment has significant predictive and prognostic implications in patients with MBC receiving the combination of exemestane plus everolimus.
Citation Format: Sofia Agelaki, Dimitris Mavroudis, Maria Spiliotaki, Eleni Politaki, Maria A Papadaki, Stella Apostolaki, Christos Nikolaou, Vassilis Georgoulias. CTC enumeration and characterization has predictive and prognostic implications in patients with metastatic breast cancer treated with exemestane plus the mTOR inhibitor everolimus [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-01-13.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Agelaki
- 1University Hospital of Heraklion
- 2Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete
| | - Dimitris Mavroudis
- 1University Hospital of Heraklion
- 2Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete
| | - Maria Spiliotaki
- 2Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete
| | - Eleni Politaki
- 2Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete
| | - Maria A Papadaki
- 2Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete
| | - Stella Apostolaki
- 2Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete
| | | | - Vassilis Georgoulias
- 1University Hospital of Heraklion
- 2Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete
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Karabagias IK, Vavoura MV, Nikolaou C, Badeka AV, Kontakos S, Kontominas MG. Floral authentication of Greek unifloral honeys based on the combination of phenolic compounds, physicochemical parameters and chemometrics. Food Res Int 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2014.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Agelaki S, Spiliotaki M, Nikolaou C, Politaki E, Apostolaki S, Kotsakis A, Mavroudis D, Georgoulias V. Effect of exemestane plus everolimus on CTC counts and Ki-67 expression on CTCs in patients with advanced hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. J Clin Oncol 2014. [DOI: 10.1200/jco.2014.32.15_suppl.11042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Agelaki
- Department of Medical Oncology, University General Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Maria Spiliotaki
- Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Christos Nikolaou
- Department of Medical Oncology, University General Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Eleni Politaki
- Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Stella Apostolaki
- Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Athanasios Kotsakis
- Department of Medical Oncology, University General Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Mavroudis
- Department of Medical Oncology, University General Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Vassilis Georgoulias
- Department of Medical Oncology, University General Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Greece
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Zampeli E, Raftakis I, Michelongona A, Nikolaou C, Elezoglou A, Antoniadis C, Toutouzas K, Sfikakis P. AB1250 Measurement of joint temperature by microwave radiometry as a novel and simple method for the detection of synovial inflammation: A pilot study. Ann Rheum Dis 2014. [DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2012-eular.1246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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Altman M, Bergerot C, Thibault H, Aussoleil A, Skuldadt Davidsen E, Barthelet M, Derumeaux GA, Grapsa J, Zimbarra Cabrita I, Afilalo J, Paschou S, Dawson D, Durighel G, O'regan D, Howard L, Gibbs J, Nihoyannopoulos P, Morenate Navio M, Mesa Rubio M, Ortega MD, Ruiz Ortiz M, Castillo Bernal F, Del Pino CL, Toledano F, Alvarez-Ossorio MP, Ojeda Pineda S, Lezo Cruz-Conde JSD, Jasaityte R, Claus P, Teske A, Herbots L, Verheyden B, Rademakers F, D'hooge J, Tocchetti CG, Coppola C, Rea D, Quintavalle C, Guarino L, Castaldo N, De Lorenzo C, Condorelli G, Arra C, Maurea N, Voilliot D, Huttin O, Camara Y, Djaballah W, Carillo S, Zinzius P, Sellal J, Angioi M, Juilliere Y, Selton-Suty C, Dobrowolski P, Klisiewicz A, Florczak E, Prejbisz A, Szwench E, Rybicka J, Januszewicz A, Hoffman P, Jurado Roman A, De Dios Perez S, De Nicolas JMM, Diaz Anton B, Rubio Alonso B, Martin Asenjo R, Mayordomo Gomez S, Villagraz Tecedor L, Blazquez L, De Meneses RT, Bernard A, Hernandez AI, Reynaud A, Lerclercq C, Daubert J, Donal E, Arjan Singh R, Sivarani S, Lim S, Azman W, Almeida M, Cardim N, Fonseca V, Carmelo V, Santos S, Santos T, Toste J, Kosmala W, Orda A, Karolko B, Mysiak A, Przewlocka-Kosmala M, Farsalinos K, Tsiapras D, Kyrzopoulos S, Avramidou E, Vassilopoulou D, Voudris V, Hayrapetyan H, Adamyan K, Jurado Roman A, De Dios Perez S, Rubio Alonso B, De Nicolas JMM, Diaz Anton B, Martin Asenjo R, Montero Cabezas J, Granda Nistal C, Garcia Aranda B, Sanchez Sanchez V, Sestito A, Lamendola P, Di Franco A, Lauria C, Lanza G, Kukucka M, Unbehaun A, Buz S, Mladenow A, Kuppe H, Pasic M, Habazettl H, Gemma D, Montoro Lopez N, De Celix MGR, Lopez Fernandez T, De Torres Alba F, Del Valle DI, Ramirez U, Mesa J, Moreno Yanguela M, Lopez Sendon J, Eveborn GW, Schirmer H, Lunde P, Heggelund G, Rasmussen K, Wang Z, Lasota B, Mizia-Stec K, Mizia M, Chmiel A, Adamczyk T, Chudek J, Gasior Z, Venkatesh A, Johnson J, Sahlen A, Brodin L, Winter R, Shahgaldi K, Manouras A, Valbuena S, Iniesta A, Lopez T, De Torres F, Salinas P, Garcia S, Ramirez U, Mesa J, Moreno M, Lopez-Sendon J, Lebid I, Kobets T, Kuzmenko T, Katsanos S, Yiu K, Clavel M, Nina Ajmone N, Van Der Kley F, Rodes Cabau J, Schalij M, Bax J, Pibarot P, Delgado V, Fusini L, Tamborini G, Muratori M, Gripari P, Marsan N, Cefalu' C, Ewe S, Maffessanti F, Delgado V, Pepi M, Hasselberg N, Haugaa K, Petri H, Berge K, Leren T, Bundgaard H, Edvardsen T, Ancona R, Comenale Pinto S, Caso P, Coppola M, Rapisarda O, Cavallaro C, Vecchione F, D'onofrio A, Calabro' R, Rimbas R, Mihaila S, Enescu O, Patrascu N, Dragoi R, Rimbas M, Pop C, Vinereanu D, Gustafsson S, Morner S, Gronlund C, Suhr O, Lindqvist P, Di Bella G, Zito C, Minutoli F, Madaffari A, Cusma Piccione M, Mazzeo A, Massimo R, Pasquale M, Vita G, Carerj S, Rangel I, Goncalves A, Sousa C, Correia A, Martins E, Silva-Cardoso J, Macedo F, Maciel M, Pfeiffer B, Rigopoulos A, Seggewiss H, Alvarez Fuente M, Sainz Costa T, Medrano C, Navarro M, Blazquez Gamero D, Ramos J, Mellado M, De Jose M, Munoz M, Maroto E, Gargani L, Gosciniak P, Pratali L, Agoston G, Bruni C, Guiducci S, Matucci Cerinic M, Varga A, Sicari R, Picano E, Yiu K, Zhao C, Mei M, Yeung C, Siu C, Tse H, Florescu M, Enescu O, Magda L, Mincu R, Vinereanu D, Daha I, Stanescu CM, Chirila L, Baicus C, Vlase A, Dan G, Montoro Lopez M, Florez Gomez R, Alonso Ladreda A, Itziar Soto C, Rios Blanco J, Gemma D, De Torres Alba F, Moreno Yanguela M, Lopez Sendon J, Guzman Martinez G, Lichodziejewska B, Kurnicka K, Goliszek S, Kostrubiec M, Dzikowska-Diduch O, Ciurzynski M, Labyk A, Krupa M, Palczewski P, Pruszczyk P, De Sousa CC, Rangel I, Correia A, Martins E, Vigario A, Pinho T, Silva Cardoso J, Goncalves A, Macedo F, Maciel M, Park SJ, Song JE, Lee YJ, Ha MR, Chang SA, Choi JO, Lee SC, Park S, Oh J, Van De Bruaene A, De Meester P, Buys R, Vanhees L, Delcroix M, Voigt J, Budts W, Blundo A, Buccheri S, Monte IP, Leggio S, Tamburino C, Sotaquira M, Fusini L, Maffessanti F, Pepi M, Lang R, Caiani E, Floria M, De Roy L, Xhaet O, Blommaert D, Jamart J, Gerard M, Deceuninck O, Marchandise B, Seldrum S, Schroeder E, Unsworth B, Sohaib S, Kulwant-Kaur K, Malcolme-Lawes L, Kanagaratnam P, Malik I, Ren B, Mulder H, Haak A, Van Stralen M, Szili-Torok T, Pluim J, Geleijnse M, Bosch J, Baglini R, Amaducci A, D'ancona G, Van Den Oord S, Akkus Z, Bosch J, Ten Kate G, Renaud G, Sijbrands E, De Jong N, Van Der Lugt A, Van Der Steen A, Schinkel A, Bjallmark A, Larsson M, Grishenkov D, Brodin LA, Brismar T, Paradossi G, Sveen KA, Nerdrum T, Hanssen K, Dahl-Jorgensen K, Steine K, Cimino S, Pedrizzetti G, Tonti G, Canali E, Petronilli V, Cicogna F, Arcari L, De Luca L, Iacoboni C, Agati L, Abdel Moneim SS, Eifert Rain S, Bernier M, Bhat G, Hagen M, Bott-Kitslaar D, Castello R, Wilansky S, Pellikka P, Mulvagh S, Delithanasis I, Celutkiene J, Kenny C, Monaghan M, Park W, Hong G, Son J, Lee S, Kim U, Park J, Shin D, Kim Y, Toutouzas K, Drakopoulou M, Aggeli C, Felekos I, Nikolaou C, Synetos A, Stathogiannis K, Tsiamis E, Siores E, Stefanadis C, Plicht B, Kahlert P, Grave T, Buck T, Konorza T, Gursoy M, Gokdeniz T, Astarcioglu M, Bayram Z, Cakal B, Karakoyun S, Kalcik M, Acar R, Kahveci G, Ozkan M, Maffessanti F, Tamborini G, Tsang W, Weinert L, Gripari P, Fusini L, Muratori M, Caiani E, Lang R, Pepi M, Yurdakul S, Avci B, Sahin S, Dilekci B, Aytekin S, Ancona R, Comenale Pinto S, Caso P, Arenga F, Coppola M, Rapisarda O, Calabro' R, Hascoet S, Martin R, Dulac Y, Peyre M, Benzouid C, Hadeed K, Acar P, Celutkiene J, Zakarkaite D, Skorniakov V, Zvironaite V, Grabauskiene V, Burca J, Ciparyte L, Laucevicius A, Di Salvo G, Rea A, D'aiello A, Del Gaizo F, Pergola V, D'andrea A, Caso P, Pacileo G, Calabro R, Russo M, Dedobbeleer C, Hadefi A, Naeije R, Unger P, Mornos C, Cozma D, Ionac A, Mornos A, Valcovici M, Pescariu S, Petrescu L, Hu K, Liu D, Niemann M, Herrmann S, Cikes M, Stoerk S, Knop S, Ertl G, Bijnens B, Weidemann F, De Knegt M, Biering-Sorensen T, Sogaard P, Sivertsen J, Jensen J, Mogelvang R, Dedobbeleer C, Hadefi A, Unger P, Naeije R, Lam W, Tang M, Chan K, Yang Y, Fang F, Sun J, Yu C, Lam Y, Panoulas V, Sulemane S, Bratsas A, Konstantinou K, Nihoyannopoulos P, Cimino S, Canali E, Petronilli V, Cicogna F, Arcari L, De Luca L, Francone M, Iacoboni C, Agati L, Schau T, Seifert M, Ridjab D, Schoep M, Gottwald M, Neuss M, Meyhoefer J, Zaenker M, Butter C, Tarr A, Stoebe S, Pfeiffer D, Hagendorff A, Maret E, Ahlander BM, Bjorklund PG, Engvall J, Staskiewicz G, Czekajska-Chehab E, Adamczyk P, Siek E, Przybylski P, Maciejewski R, Drop A, Jimenez Rubio C, Isasti Aizpurua G, Miralles Ibarra J, Al-Mallah M, Somg T, Alam S, Chattahi J, Zweig B, Dhanalakota K, Boedeker S, Ananthasubramaniam K, Park C, March K, Jones S, Mayet J, Tillin T, Chaturvedi N, Hughes A, Hamodraka E, Kallistratos E, Karamanou A, Tsoukas T, Mavropoulos D, Kouremenos N, Zaharopoulou I, Nikolaidis N, Kremastinos D, Manolis A, Loboz-Rudnicka M, Jaroch J, Bociaga Z, Kruszynska E, Ciecierzynska B, Dziuba M, Dudek K, Uchmanowicz I, Loboz-Grudzien K, Silva D, Magalhaes A, Jorge C, Cortez-Dias N, Carrilho-Ferreira P, Silva Marques J, Portela I, Pascoa C, Nunes Diogo A, Brito D, Roosens B, Bala G, Droogmans S, Hostens J, Somja J, Delvenne E, Schiettecatte J, Lahoutte T, Van Camp G, Cosyns B. Poster Session: Right ventricular systolic function. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging 2012. [DOI: 10.1093/ehjci/jes268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Katsiari M, Nikolaou C, Roussou Z, Triantopoulou C, Apessou D, Platsouka E, Maguina A. Community acquired quinolone-resistant Escherichia coli pyelonephritis complicated with multiple renal abscesses: a case report. Hippokratia 2012; 16:381-383. [PMID: 23935324 PMCID: PMC3738619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Acute pyelonephritis is a potentially organ-damaging and life-threatening infection. A 37-year old woman was admitted to Intensive Care Unit in septic shock and multi-organ failure due to acute pyelonephritis with systemic bacterial dissemination caused by a quinolone-resistant Escherichia coli. The patient, a previously healthy woman, reported recurrent episodes of urinary tract infection in the previous 3 years, which were treated with quinolones. Treatment course with broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents reversed her septic shock and multi-organ failure. However, pyelonephritis progressed to intrarenal and perirenal abscesses formation. The patient fully recovered after surgical removal of the infected kidney.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Katsiari
- Intensive Care Unit, Konstantopouleio General Hospital, Athens, Greece
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Rentzos M, Michalopoulou M, Nikolaou C, Rombos A, Dimitrakopoulos A. Serum levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (s-ICAM-1) and soluble endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule-1(s-ELAM-1) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1080/14660820410021311a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Fitzpatrick N, Pratola L, Yeadon R, Nikolaou C, Hamilton M, Farrell M. Total Hip Replacement after Failed Femoral Head and Neck Excision in Two Dogs and Two Cats. Vet Surg 2012; 41:136-42. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-950x.2011.00940.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Fitzpatrick N, Nikolaou C, Yeadon R, Hamilton M. String-Of-Pearls Locking Plate and Cerclage Wire Stabilization of Periprosthetic Femoral Fractures after Total Hip Replacement in Six Dogs. Vet Surg 2011; 41:180-8. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-950x.2011.00870.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Vasilopoulou K, Papathanasiou P, Michopoulos J, Boufidou F, Oulis P, Nikolaou C, Pantelis C, Velakoulis D, Lykouras L. [A volumetric study of brain structures in subtypes of depression]. Psychiatriki 2011; 22:120-131. [PMID: 21888185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study is to compare the volumes of hippocampus, amygdala and subgenual prefrontal cortex among patients with melancholic depression, patients with psychotic depression and normal controls. Thirty nine patients with a diagnosis of major depression (22 with melancholic and 17 with psychotic subtype) and 18 normal controls were included in the study. Hippocampal, amygdala, anterior and posterior subgenual cortex volumes were measured by manual tracings on magnetic resonance volumetric images and compared across the 3 groups. We identified larger amygdala volumes and smaller left anterior subgenual cortex volumes in both patient groups compared to controls. There were no differences in hippocampal, right anterior and posterior subgenual cortex volumes across the 3 groups. In conclusion, melancholic and psychotic depression were not differentiated regarding the volumes of the hippocampus, the amygdala, and anterior and posterior subgenual cortex, even though amygdala volumes and left anterior subgenual cortex volume of both patient groups were differentiated compared to controls.
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Leonardou A, Boufidou F, Zervas I, Nikolaou C, Lambrinoudaki I, Papageorgiou C, Christodoulou G, Papadimitriou G. Hormones in the immediate postpartum period as a risk factor for postnatal depression, at two months postpartum. Eur Psychiatry 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/s0924-9338(11)72301-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
IntroductionPostnatal depression is a serious disorder affecting 10–20% of postpartum women. It has a negative impact on the whole family system and on the child's development.ObjectivesIt is important to identify possible risk factors for PND, due to its frequency and severity. It has been hypothesized that the hormonal fluctuatios of the immediate postpartum period could be a risk factor for the appearance of PND.AimsThis study aimed at inquiring the possible correlation of hormonal parameters in the 1st week postpartum with the appearance of PND.Methods95 postpartum women were recruited, in the process of validating the Greek EPDS. Of them, 40 consented to give blood on the second postpartum day, so that the plasma levels of TSH, T4, T3, FSH, LH, Progesterone, Estradiol, Prolactin and Cortisol were measured. 81/95 women consented to be reassessed at 8 weeks postpartum, and 10/81 were diagnosed with depression, major or minor. Plasma levels of the hormones were correlated with the diagnosis of PND and with the EPDS.ResultsWomen who suffered from PND did not differ from the non-PND subjects in the levels of all measured hormones. There was a statistically significant negative correlation of the levels of prolactin with the EPDS on the second postpartum day (p < 0.001, correlation coefficient -0.56).ConclusionsOur study failed to show a definite correlation of the hormonal levels in the immediate postpartum period with PND. In other studies the role of hormones in the appearance of PND remains as well questionable.
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Rentzos M, Rombos A, Nikolaou C, Zoga M, Zouvelou V, Dimitrakopoulos A, Alexakis T, Tsoutsou A, Samakovli A, Michalopoulou M, Evdokimidis J. Interleukin-17 and interleukin-23 are elevated in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with ALS: a reflection of Th17 cells activation? Acta Neurol Scand 2010; 122:425-9. [PMID: 20219021 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0404.2010.01333.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is evidence that immunological factors may involved in pathogenetic mechanisms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Th17 cells are characterized by predominant production of IL-17 and are suggested to be crucial in destructive autoimmunity. Interleukin-23 (IL-23) appears to play a supporting role in the continued stimulation and survival of Th17. PATIENTS AND METHODS We measured by enzyme-like immunosorbent assay (ELISA) serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of IL-17 and IL-23 in 22 patients with ALS and 19 patients with other non-inflammatory neurological disorders (NIND) studied as a control group. IL-17 and IL-23 serum and CSF levels were also correlated with duration of the disease, the disability level and the clinical subtype of the disease onset in patients with ALS. RESULTS IL-17 and IL-23 serum levels were higher in patients with ALS as compared with patients with NIND (P = 0.015 and P = 0.002 respectively). IL-17 and IL-23 CSF levels were also increased in patients with ALS (P = 0.0006 and P = 0.000001 respectively). IL-17 and IL-23 levels were not correlated with disease duration, disability scale or clinical subtype of the disease onset in ALS patients. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that these molecules may be involved in the pathogenetic mechanisms acting as potential markers of Th17 cells activation in ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Rentzos
- Department of Neurology, Aeginition Hospital, Athens National University, School of Medicine, Athens, Greece.
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Nikolaou V, Stratigos A, Antoniou C, Kiagia M, Nikolaou C, Katsambas A, Syrigos K. Pimecrolimus cream 1% for the treatment of papulopustular eruption related to epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors: a case series and a literature review of therapeutic approaches. Dermatology 2010; 220:243-8. [PMID: 20110632 DOI: 10.1159/000277430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2009] [Accepted: 11/11/2009] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cutaneous side effects of epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFRIs) are very frequent and well known. The aim of our study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of pimecrolimus 1% cream in the treatment of papulopustular eruption caused by EGFRIs and to review the relevant literature on therapeutic approaches. METHODS Twenty cancer patients being treated with EGFRIs were included in the study. Nine of the patients showed grade 1 and 11 showed grade 2 papulopustular eruption. All patients were treated with pimecrolimus 1% cream, which was applied twice daily. Patients with grade 2 eruption also received systemic minocycline 100 mg/day. RESULTS All patients with grade 1 eruption responded to treatment, with 4/9 experiencing complete resolution of the lesions 2 weeks after the initiation of treatment. Five out of 11 patients with grade 2 eruption had more than 50% improvement in erythema and pustules, and 1 had complete resolution of the skin lesions. Two patients did not respond to treatment but were significantly improved after substitution of pimecrolimus 1% cream with metronidazole 1% cream. No side effects were recorded. CONCLUSIONS Our case series shows that pimecrolimus cream may be an effective and safe approach in the management of papulopustular eruption related to EGFRIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Nikolaou
- Department of Dermatology, A. Sygros Hospital, Athens, Greece. drviknik @ yahoo.com
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Boufidou F, Zervas I, Petropoulos G, Hasiakos D, Papadias K, Christodoulakos G, Nikolaou C, Creatsas G. P827 Postpartum depression is associated with increased CSF and plasma cytokines. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/s0020-7292(09)62317-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Rentzos M, Michalopoulou M, Nikolaou C, Rombos A, Dimitrakopoulos A. Survival of 793 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis diagnosed over a 28-year period. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009; 6:118-21. [PMID: 16036437 DOI: 10.1080/14660820410021311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Immunological disturbances have been implicated in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Adhesion molecules are markers of activated endothelial cells up-regulated by action of cytokines. To investigate the activation or inactivation of the vascular cells in ALS, serum soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (s-ICAM-1) and soluble E-selectin (s-ELAM-1) were evaluated (ELISA) in 16 patients with ALS, 30 patients with non-inflammatory neurological diseases (NINDS) and 15 healthy control subjects. Patients with ALS had no higher s-ICAM-1 levels compared with the NINDS patients and the control subjects (p<0.31 and p<0.21, respectively). s-ELAM levels were not statistically significant compared with the NINDS patients and healthy subjects (p<0.21 and p<0.24, respectively). We conclude that the low values of s-ICAM-1 and s-ELAM-1 in the serum of ALS patients do not exclude the presence of immunological abnormality in this disorder. Soluble E-selectin is a glycoprotein which is considered an exclusive marker of endothelial activation. Its low level in our study may suggest a neural rather than an endothelial s-ICAM origin in patients with ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Rentzos
- Department of Neurology, Aeginition Hospital-Athens Medical School, Greece.
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Rentzos M, Nikolaou C, Andreadou E, Paraskevas GP, Rombos A, Zoga M, Tsoutsou A, Boufidou F, Kapaki E, Vassilopoulos D. Circulating interleukin-10 and interleukin-12 in Parkinson's disease. Acta Neurol Scand 2009; 119:332-7. [PMID: 18976327 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0404.2008.01103.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Interleukin (IL)-12 is a heterodimeric cytokine produced by activated blood monocytes, macrophages and glial cells. It enhances differentiation and proliferation of T cells and increases production of proinflammatory cytokines. IL-10 is a pleiotropic cytokine produced by both lymphocytes and mononuclear phagocytes including microglia. Recent studies demonstrated the neuroprotective effect of IL-10. There is little information about the involvement of IL-12 or IL-10 in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). OBJECTIVES The objective of our study was to assess the role of IL-12 as a potential marker of immune reactions in patients with PD and to investigate whether IL-10, an immunosuppressive cytokine, may have a neuroprotective effect in the pathogenesis of PD. PATIENTS AND METHODS We measured using immunoassay serum IL-12 and IL-10 levels in 41 patients with PD in comparison with serum levels in 19 healthy subjects (controls) age and sex matched. IL-12 and IL-10 levels were tested for correlation with sex, age, disease duration, Hoehn and Yahr stage and the UPDRS III score. RESULTS The PD group presented with significantly increased IL-10 levels when compared with the control group (P = 0.02). The increase observed was not affected by the treatment status. A strong and significant correlation between IL-10 and IL-12 levels was observed in patients with PD (R(S) = 0.7, P < 0.000001). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that IL-10 may be involved in the pathogenetic mechanisms of PD. The elevation of IL-10 and the significant correlation between IL-10 and IL-12, a proinflammatory cytokine, may suggest that immunological disturbances and neuroprotective mechanisms are involved in patients with PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Rentzos
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Athens National University, Athens, Greece.
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Katsiari M, Apostolakou E, Nikolaou C, Pagouni E, Tsimpoukas F, Mainas E, Kounougeri E, Laskou M, Maguina A. Ventilator-associated pneumonia in a Greek ICU: prevalence and etiology. Crit Care 2009. [PMCID: PMC4084183 DOI: 10.1186/cc7461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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Poulopoulou C, Davaki P, Sgouropoulos P, Tsaltas E, Nikolaou C, Orfanioutou F, Vassilopoulos D. Reduced RAGE mRNA in mononuclear blood cells of patients with probable Alzheimer disease. Neurology 2008; 70:1571-3. [PMID: 18427074 DOI: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000297196.34007.8a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- C Poulopoulou
- Laboratory of Experimental Neurophysiology, Neurology Department, Medical School of Athens, Eginition Hospital, 72-74 Vas. Sophias Avenue, Athens, Greece.
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Rentzos M, Nikolaou C, Andreadou E, Paraskevas GP, Rombos A, Zoga M, Tsoutsou A, Boufidou F, Kapaki E, Vassilopoulos D. Circulating interleukin-15 and RANTES chemokine in Parkinson's disease. Acta Neurol Scand 2007; 116:374-9. [PMID: 17986095 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0404.2007.00894.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Interleukin-15 promotes T-cell proliferation, induction of cytolytic effector cells including natural killer (NK) and cytotoxic cells and stimulates B-cell to proliferate and secrete immunoglobulins. RANTES is a C-C beta chemokine with strong chemoattractant activity for T lymphocytes and monocytes. OBJECTIVES The objective of our study was to find out whether IL-15 and RANTES are involved in the possible inflammatory reactions of PD. PATIENTS AND METHODS We measured by immunoassay serum IL-15 and RANTES levels in 41 patients with PD in comparison with serum levels in 19 healthy subjects age and sex-matched. IL-15 and RANTES levels were correlated with sex, age, disease duration. H-Y stage and the UPDRS III score in all the studied groups and were also correlated with treatment status in PD patients. RESULTS The PD group presented with significantly increased RANTES levels as compared to the control group (P = 0.0009). No difference was observed as regards IL-15 levels. A strong and significant correlation between RANTES levels and UPDRS III score was observed in PD patients (R(s) = 0.42, P = 0.007). Untreated patients had significantly higher RANTES levels as compared to the controls. CONCLUSIONS Our findings may suggest a recruitment of activated monocytes, macrophages and T lymphocytes to sites of inflammation in the central nervous system of PD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Rentzos
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Athens National University, Aeginition Hospital, 72-74 Vas Sophias Avenue, Athens, Greece.
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Triantafyllou NI, Kararizou E, Angelopoulos E, Tsounis S, Boufidou F, Evangelopoulos ME, Nikolaou C, Vassilopoulos D. The Influence of Levodopa and the COMT Inhibitor on Serum Vitamin B12 and Folate Levels in Parkinson’s Disease Patients. Eur Neurol 2007; 58:96-9. [PMID: 17565222 DOI: 10.1159/000103644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2006] [Accepted: 02/02/2007] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Serum folate and vitamin B12 levels were measured in 67 consecutive Parkinson's disease patients treated either with levodopa + dopa decarboxylase inhibitor (DDC-i) plus catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitors (COMT-i) or only with levodopa + DDC-i. The data were compared to 67 age-matched controls. Our findings show that levodopa-treated Parkinson's disease patients have low folate (p < 0.0007) and vitamin B12 levels (p < 0.0003). They also demonstrate that the addition of a COMT-i to levodopa + DDC-i treatment causes lower serum vitamin B12 (p < 0.03) and folate levels (p < 0.005) than levodopa + DDC-i treatment alone. We suggest supplementary treatment with vitamin B12 and folic acid in these situations.
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Nikolaou C, Vassiliou V, Pangali M, Christopoulos C, Pomoni M, Kardamakis D. 18 Cost of drug treatment for patients during radiotherapy: Implications for an elderly population. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2006. [DOI: 10.1016/s1040-8428(13)70089-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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Rentzos M, Zoga M, Paraskevas GP, Kapaki E, Rombos A, Nikolaou C, Tsoutsou A, Vassilopoulos D. IL-15 is elevated in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2006; 19:114-7. [PMID: 16690997 DOI: 10.1177/0891988706286226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Interleukin-15 is a novel proinflammatory cytokine. It is produced by activated blood monocytes, macrophages, and glial cells. The objective of our study was to assess the role of interleukin-15 as a marker of increased proinflammatory activity in patients with Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia. We measured cerebrospinal fluid interleukin-15 levels in 17 patients with Alzheimer's disease and 7 patients with frontotemporal dementia in comparison with 17 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and 15 patients with Parkinson's disease. Patients with Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia had significantly higher cerebrospinal fluid interleukin-15 levels compared with patients with noninflammatory neurological diseases (P < .05 and P < .01, respectively). In Alzheimer's disease, a significant positive correlation was noted between interleukin-15 levels and age of onset (R = .48, P = .05). Our findings suggest that interleukin-15 may be implicated in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Rentzos
- Department of Neurology, Aeginition Hospital-Athens Medical School.
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Rentzos M, Cambouri C, Rombos A, Nikolaou C, Anagnostouli M, Tsoutsou A, Dimitrakopoulos A, Triantafyllou N, Vassilopoulos D. IL-15 is elevated in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with multiple sclerosis. J Neurol Sci 2005; 241:25-9. [PMID: 16316662 DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2005.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2005] [Revised: 08/26/2005] [Accepted: 10/05/2005] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is a novel proinflammatory cytokine having similar biological activities to IL-2 which is implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. It is produced by activated blood monocytes, macrophages and glial cells. There is little information about the involvement of IL-15 in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS). The objective of our study was to measure IL-15 serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels in MS patients and to correlate serum and CSF IL-15 concentrations with clinical parameters of the disease. CSF IL-15/Serum IL-15 ratio (c/s IL-15 ratio) was introduced to assess the origin of elevated IL-15 levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS We measured serum and CSF IL-15 levels in 52 patients with MS and 36 age and gender matched patients with inflammatory (IND) and non-inflammatory neurological diseases (NIND) studied as control groups. IL-15 levels were correlated with clinical parameters as duration, disability, MRI activity and clinical subtypes of the disease. RESULTS MS patients were found to have significantly higher serum IL-15 levels compared with IND (p=0.00016) and NIND patients (p=0.00045). Elevated levels of IL-15 were also found in CSF samples from MS patients compared with patients with IND (p=0.00034) and NIND (p=0.0003). Among MS subgroups there were no statistically different IL-15 serum and CSF concentrations. No significant correlation of serum and CSF IL-15 concentrations with MRI activity, disability assessed by EDSS score and duration of the disease were also found. C/S IL-15 ratio was found lower in MS patients compared with IND (p=0.01) and not significantly different compared with NIND patients (p=0.14) suggesting that systemic activation might be the source of high CSF IL-15 levels in MS patients. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest a possible role of IL-15 in the immunopathogenetic mechanisms of MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Rentzos
- Department of Neurology, Aeginition Hospital-Athens Medical School, 72-74 Vas.So phias Av, Greece.
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