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Purpose/Aim: To employ corneal confocal microscopy to assess differences in the extent of corneal nerve fiber alterations between diabetic patients classed according to retinopathy status and nondiabetic patients. Materials and Methods: Two hundred seventy-eight corneas of 139 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 94 corneas of 47 age-matched control participants were scanned using corneal confocal microscopy. Images of the subbasal nerve plexus were collected and analyzed for nerve fiber density (NFD), nerve branch density (NBD), nerve fiber length (NFL), and nerve fiber tortuosity (NFT). Diabetic patients were categorized into three groups according to the classification of diabetic retinopathy (DR) proposed in the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study, based on indirect fundoscopy, fundus photography, and fluorescein angiography findings. A separate classification into four groups according to the severity of peripheral diabetic neuropathy (DN) was also used, based on the results of clinical and electrodiagnostic examinations. Results: Average NFD, NBD, and NFL differed significantly according to DR status and were found to be lower, whereas NFT was found to be higher in diabetic patients than control participants. A positive correlation between diabetic corneal neuropathy and peripheral DN was also found. Conclusions: Nerve fiber alterations of the subbasal nerve plexus of diabetic corneas appear to progress in parallel with DR and peripheral DN. Corneal confocal microscopy could possibly represent a promising adjuvant technique for the early diagnosis and assessment of human DN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our objectives were to study the value of different proteins in the serum and ascitic fluid and assess their potential in discriminating between malignant and nonmalignant ascites in a model that could be developed to aid clinical diagnosis. In all, 57 different measurements (30 in serum and 27 in ascitic fluid) including erythrocyte sedimentation rate, number of white blood cells, cytokines, interleukin-1a (IL-1a), IL-1b, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM), complement factors C3 and C4, acute-phase proteins such as alpha1-acid glycoprotein, alpha2-macroglobulin, alpha1-antitrypsin, haptoglobin, C-reactive protein, ferritin, ceruloplasmin and transferin, were performed in 61 patients with ascites (25 with malignant exudates, 13 with nonmalignant exudates, and 23 with transudates). Patients with sepsis were excluded. Correlation tests and one-way ANOVAs were used for comparisons between different groups. Discriminant analyses were used to assess the significance of each parameter in the differentiation process. Correct classification of 100% of cases required the use of all 57 ascitic fluid measurements in the model, which was not considered practical in clinical diagnosis. Discriminant analysis showed that five ascitic fluid measurements-total protein, LDH, TNF-alpha, C4, and haptoglobin-were sufficient for a model to correctly classify 89% of cases. Cross-validation showed that 70% of unknown cases were correctly classified using this model. In conclusion, we have shown that five easily taken protein measurements in the ascitic fluid can differentiate to a large extent between cases with ascites and have proposed a relatively simple statistical model with these parameters that could be developed to be extremely useful in the clinical setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: So far the prevalence of viral hepatitis infection in hospitalized patients has not been extensively studied. Therefore we conducted the present five-year observational study to evaluate the prevalence of HBV and HCV infection in high-risk hospitalized patients of Crete, the largest Greek island, Due to the homogeneous population, epidemiological studies can be accurately done.Methods: The study was carried out in two out of four District General Hospitals, and in the University Hospital of the island. Markers for HBV and HCV were studied and statistically evaluated according to age, sex and geographical area, in a well-defined hospitalized population.Results: The total prevalence of HBsAg and anti-HCV in the three prefectures during the five-year study is 2.66% and 4.75% respectively. Overall the relative risks were higher in males than females for each hepatitis marker (p < 0.001). Higher prevalence of HBcAb was found in the 41-60 years age group for both sexes (males 36.17%, females 27.38%). Peak HBsAg prevalence was found in the age group of 21-40 and 41-60 years for males (5.4%) and females (3.09%) respectively. Anti-HCV prevalence increases with age reaching the highest prevalence in the age group of 41-60 years for males (7.19%) and in the 61-90 years age group for females (7.16%). For both sexes significant differences between the three locations were identified. For HBsAg a higher prevalence in Heraklion (3.96%) compared to Chania (2.30%, males: p < 0.0001, females: p < 0.05) and Rethymnon (1.45%, males: p < 0.01, females: p < 0.0001) was detected. For HCV a significantly higher prevalence in Heraklion (6.54%) compared to Chania (2.39%, males: p < 0.001, females: p < 0.001) but not in Rethymnon (5.15%, NS). A lower prevalence rate of HBcAb in Heraklion compared to Chania (20.07% versus 23.05%, males: p < 0.001, females: p < 0.001) was found.Conclusions: These results were possibly overestimated, but nevertheless reflect the situation of the general population within the island as shown by our previous publications in other study groups. Moreover they contribute to the mapping of viral hepatitis prevalence in a geographical area of Southern Europe and may be helpful in planning public health interventional strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]