Gerasimos P. Sykiotis, Panagiotis A. Konstantinopoulos, Athanasios G. Papavassiliou
The biomedical sciences are currently in transition between the bloom of fundamental knowledge and the fruition of specialized clinical application.1 Following the success of the Human Genome Project, the roadmap is now in place for the description of physiology and illness in molecular terms…
Polyzois Makras, Georgios Toloumis, Dimitrios Papadogias, Gregory A. Kaltsas, Michael Besser
Cushing’s syndrome (CS) is a physically and psychologically disabling disease associated with high morbidity resulting from inappropriate elevation of circulating free cortisol levels. The main features of CS are disturbance of the normal circadian rhythm of cortisol secretion, impairment of the normal feedback of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis …
Stelios Fountoulakis, Agathocles Tsatsoulis
Blood pressure (BP) is the outcome of the interaction of intravascular volume, cardiac output and peripheral resistance. Hypertension is defined as BP exceeding 139/89 mmHg, whereas “pre-hypertension” refers to systolic BP of 120 to 139 mmHg or a diastolic BP of 80 to 89 mmHg. Traditionally, hypertension has been subdivided into two forms: essential or primary and secondary…
Petya Kamenova
BACKGROUND: Amelioration of insulin resistance could improve both glycaemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Alpha-lipoic acid has been shown to improve insulin action after parenteral administration. OBJECTIVE: the aim of the study was to assess the effect of oral administration of alpha-lipoic acid on insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes…
Sofia K. Leka, Sofia Kitsiou-Tzeli, Ariadni Kalpini-Mavrou, Emmanuel Kanavakis
Since its discovery in 1997, knowledge about the SHOX gene (Short stature HOmeoboX-containing gene) has rapidly advanced. Although originally described as causing idiopathic short stature, SHOX mutations are also responsible for growth retardation in Lιri-Weill dyschondrosteosis, Langer mesomelic dysplasia and Turner syndrome…
Maria Bougoulia, Athanassios Triantos, George Koliakos
OBJECT IVE: T he aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of adipose tissue related hormones, cytokines, and antioxidative substances in obese women before and after intervention with diet alone or with diet plus an inhibitor of gastrointestinental lipase-orlistat…
Menelaos L. Batrinos
Over the past two decades a plethora of publications and clinical practice data have established that subclinical thyroid dysfunction is a common condition occurring much more frequently than the overt expression of thyroid disease. Subclinical hypothyroidism is considered to be the most common of these entities…
Stavros Gourgiotis, Panagiotis Moustafellos, Charalabos Stratopoulos, Vasilis Vougas, Spiros Drakopoulos, Evangelos Hadjiyannakis
OBJECTIVE: renal hyperparathyroidism (rH) is one of the most serious complications in long-term hemodialysis patients. the purpose of this retrospective study was the evaluation of the surgical indications, parathyroid histology, and the results of total parathyroidectomy with autotransplantation (Ptx+At) in patients with rH…
Krystallenia Alexandraki, Athanasios D. Protogerou, Theodoros G. Papaioannou, Christina Piperi, George Mastorakos, John Lekakis, Dimitrios Panidis, Evanthia Diamanti-Kandarakis
OBJECTIVE: During the last decade cardiovascular risk factors and endothelial dysfunction have been shown to be present early in life in women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). The aim of the present study was a global assessment of abnormalities in the arterial bed of young women with PCOS by non-invasive, reproducible methods…
Caliope Alevizaki, Michael Molfetas, Alexandros Samartzis, Barbara Vlassopoulou, Charalambos Vassilopoulos, Phoedi Rondogianni, Sofia Kottou, Valsamis Hadjiconstantinou, Maria Alevizaki
BACKGROUND: Iodine 131 ablation following total thyroidectomy is considered an indispensable element of successful treatment of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (Dtc). because of the essential role of the kidneys in iodine clearance, 131I therapy of Dtc in patients with end stage renal disease, particularly those maintained on haemodialysis …