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Background: To investigate intention rates to get vaccinated against COVID-19 among healthcare personnel (HCP) in Greece. Methods: Cross-sectional survey. Results: The response rate was 14.5%. Of 1521 HCP with a known profession, 607 (39.9%) were nursing personnel, 480 (31.6%) physicians, 171 (11.2%) paramedical personnel, 72 (4.7%) supportive personnel, and 191 (12.6%) administrative personnel. Overall, 803 of 1571 HCP (51.1%) stated their intention to get vaccinated while 768 (48.9%) stated their intention to decline vaccination. Most HCP (71.3%) who reported intent to get vaccinated noted contributing to the control of the pandemic and protecting their families and themselves as their reasons, while the most common reason for reporting intent to decline vaccination was inadequate information about the vaccines (74.9%), followed by concerns about vaccine safety (36.2%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the probability of intending to get vaccinated increased with male gender, being a physician, history of complete vaccination against hepatitis B, history of vaccination against pandemic A (H1N1) in 2009–2010, belief that COVID-19 vaccination should be mandatory for HCP, and increased confidence in vaccines in general during the COVID-19 pandemic. The following factors were associated with a lower intention to get vaccinated: no vaccination against influenza the past season, no intention to get vaccinated against influenza in 2020–2021, and no intention to recommend COVID-19 vaccination to high-risk patients. Conclusion: There is an urgent need to built safety perception towards COVID-19 vaccines and raise vaccine uptake rates by HCP, and thus to protect the healthcare workforce and the healthcare services. © 2021 Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control

Background/Aims: The onset of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Greece has not been systematically studied. We sought to provide data on the onset of MS in Greece with detailed information regarding initial symptoms, and to confirm the prognostic significance of demographic and clinical factors at onset. Methods: We studied 1,034 consecutive patients with MS and independently assessed 265 patients 'seen at onset'. We used the MS severity score and survival analysis (time to reach an Expanded Disability Status Scale score of 4.0) to evaluate the prognostic significance of factors at onset. Results: Female-to-male ratio was 1.9:1 and mean age at onset was 30.7 ± 9.9 years. MS was primary progressive in 9.6%. Initial symptoms were optic neuritis in 20.1%, brainstem dysfunction in 14.7%, dysfunction of long tracts in 49.3%, cerebral dysfunction in 1% and a combination of symptoms in 14.9%. In 'seen at onset' patients, detailed data on initial symptoms are presented. Female gender, earlier age at onset, 'bout onset' and onset with optic neuritis were associated with less severe disease and longer time to disability. Conclusion: The onset of MS in Greece is similar to Western populations. Initial symptoms are within the expected spectrum. Prognostic significance of factors at onset is as previously identified. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG.

Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNS) are immune-mediated complications of cancer, characterised by relentless progression. The mainstay of PNS treatment is the achievement of tumour remission,1 while immunotherapy provides only little additional benefit.2 3 However, in historical series, immunotherapy was initiated over 6 months after neurological onset and, at that stage, neuronal loss is already extensive and irreversible. Among available immunotherapies, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) has been used in single cases4 and in one retrospective series,3 showing some efficacy when administered timely.4 Based on these findings, we designed a prospective study to assess the efficacy and safety of early IVIg treatment in patients with PNS. ### Study design This prospective, multicentre, non-comparative, phase II clinical study was performed by the ‘Centre de Reference Francais des Syndromes Neurologiques Paraneoplasiques’. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02343211). ### Participants Inclusion criteria were: (1) diagnosis of ‘definite’ PNS5; (2) anti-Hu, anti-Yo, or anti-CV2/CRMP5 antibodies in the serum and/or in the cerebrospinal fluid; (3) neurological symptom onset within 6 months; (4) modified Rankin Score (mRS) 2 or 3; (5) neurological deterioration over the last 3 weeks. Exclusion criteria were: (1) other concomitant immunotherapy; (2) absolute contraindications to IVIg (hypersensitivity to IVIg, selective IgA deficiency); (3) thrombophilia; (4) renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance