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Even mild strokes may affect the patients' everyday life by impairing cognitive and emotional functions. Our aim was to study predictors of such impairments one year after first-ever mild stroke. We included cognitively healthy patients ≤ 70 years with acute mild stroke. Vascular risk factors, sociodemographic factors and stroke classifications were recorded. At one-year post-stroke, different domains related to cognitive and emotional function were assessed with validated instruments. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of cognitive and emotional outcome. Of 117 patient assessed at follow-up, only 21 patients (18%) scored within the reference range on all cognitive and emotional assessments. Younger age, multiple infarcts, and being outside working life at stroke onset were independent predictors of cognitive impairments (psychomotor speed, attention, executive and visuospatial function, memory). Female gender and a higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at discharge were significantly associated with emotional impairments (anxiety, depressive symptoms, fatigue, apathy, emotional lability) after one year, but these associations were only seen in the unadjusted models. In conclusion, patients in working age may profit from a follow-up during the post-stroke period, with extra focus on cognitive and emotional functions.

The 2010 HNS Convention covers any damage caused by the carriage by sea of hazardous and noxious substances in the territory or territorial sea of a State Party to the Convention. The costs of preventive actions, i.e. measures to avoid or minimize damage, are also covered wherever taken. The HNSC includes preventive measures as any reasonable measures taken by any person after an incident has occurred to prevent or minimize damage, i.e.actions such as clean-up or removal of HNS from a wreck if the HNS present a hazard or pollution risk. It seems that after the CLC (1992), much environmental legislation has lost the concept of pro-activeness / prevention of an environmental hazard and are more focused on compensation and reactiveness. This approach is not consistent with the purpose of environmental legislation and the examination of the basic principles of HNSC in parallel with distinctive environmental hazards, proves this theory of reactive strategy.

ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗΣτόχος: Να εκτιμηθεί η ποιότητα και η συμβολή της χρήσης ενός νέου τύπου παρτογράμματος στην παρακολούθηση και διευθέτηση του τοκετού.Υλικό και Μέθοδοι: Συγκρίναμε την αποτελεσματικότητα χρησιμοποιώντας δύο τύπους παρτογράμματος. Το πρώτο ήταν το κλασσικό παρτόγραμμα της ΠΟΥ (ομάδα Α) και το δεύτερο, ένας νέος τύπος, στον οποίο υπολογίζεται και καταγράφεται το αλγεβρικό άθροισμα της διαστολής του τραχήλου της μήτρας και του ύψους της προβάλλουσας μοίρας (κάθοδος κεφαλής) (ομάδα Β).Αποτελέσματα: Διαπιστώθηκε ότι υπήρχε μια στατιστικά σημαντική μείωση του χρόνου μεταξύ της έναρξης της ενεργού φάσης του τοκετού και του χρόνου γέννησης (dt1 + dt2 + dt3) (p

Objectives To explore factors from the acute phase, and after three and 12 months, associated with level of self-reported physical activity 12 months after a minor ischemic stroke with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score ≤ 3 in persons 70 years or younger. Materials and method In this longitudinal cohort study patients were recruited consecutively from two stroke units. Activity level were measured with three sets of questions addressing the average number of frequency (times exercising each week), the average intensity, and duration (the average time), and a sum score was constructed. The association between physical activity 12 months after stroke and sociodemographic factors, NIHSS, body mass index, balance, and neuropsychiatric symptoms were explored using multiple linear regression. Results This study included 101 patients, with mean age (SD) 55.5 (11.4) years, NIHSS median (Q1, Q3) 0.0 (0.0, 1.0), and 20 % were female. Multiple linear regression analyses showed sick leave status at stroke onset, balance at three and 12 months, and anxiety, depression, apathy, and fatigue at 12 months to be factors associated with physical activity at 12 months after stroke. Conclusion We found that pre-stroke sick leave, post-stroke balance, and neuropsychiatric symptoms were associated with the level of physical activity one year after minor stroke. This might be of importance when giving information about physical activity and deciding about post-stroke follow-up.

Background Two-thirds of patients with stroke experience only mild impairments in the acute phase, and the proportion of patients Objective The objective of this study was to explore balance and gait in the acute phase and after 3 and 12 months in patients ≤70 years with minor ischemic stroke (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≤3). This study also explored factors predicting impaired balance after 12 months. Design This study was designed as an explorative longitudinal cohort study. Methods Patients were recruited consecutively from 2 stroke units. Balance and gait were assessed with the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest), Timed Up and Go, and preferred gait speed. Predictors for impaired balance were explored using logistic regression. Results This study included 101 patients. Mean (SD) age was 55.5 (11.4) years, 20% were female, and mean (SD) National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 0.6 (0.9) points. The Mini-BESTest, gait speed, and Timed Up and Go improved significantly from the acute phase to 3 months, and gait speed also improved from 3 to 12 months. At 12 months, 26% had balance impairments and 33% walked slower than 1.0 m/s. Poor balance in the acute phase (odds ratio = 0.92, 95% confidence interval = 0.85–0.95) was the only predictor of balance impairments (Mini-BESTest score ≤22) at 12 months poststroke. Limitations Limitations include lack of information about pre-stroke balance and gait impairment and poststroke exercise. Few women limited the generalizability. Conclusion This study observed improvements in both balance and gait during the follow-up; still, about one-third had balance or gait impairments at 12 months poststroke. Balance in the acute phase predicted impaired balance at 12 months.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the contribution of a new type of partogram, used in labor monitoring, in caesarean section rates. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included term singleton uncomplicated pregnancies divided into two groups. Two types of partogram were used in labor monitoring. In the first group, the classical WHO partogram (A) was used. In the second group, a new type of partogram, in which cervical dilatation and the position of descending head (B) (one line) were estimated and reported, was used. The labor duration and caesarean section rates were calculated and compared in the two groups. RESULTS: A statistically significant decrease in labor duration (from the initiation of the active phase of labor to the delivery time) (dt1+dt2+dt3) (p

Monasticism is a way of life that officially appeared in the 4th century CE, when many faithful people devoted to God lived a "rigorous" life. However, the cruel persecutions of the Roman emperors in the middle of the 3rd and early 4th centuries CE. was the main reason for developing and shaping a life of solitude. The father of monasticism was Saint Anthony and other important figures in the history of monasticism were Saint Pachomios and Saint Basil the Great. Monasticism from its birth to its final form has gone through several phases, with the most important being the devotional or hermitage existence form i.e. the Lavra's solitary system, the communal system and the peculiar unique system. A life of solitude as a devotional choice began in Egypt and developed in many other places, inter alia, Palestine, Syria, Constantinople and Mount Athos. Through the organization of a communal but solitary life, one’s longevity was acquired under certain conditions and a special festive ceremony was attended by the monk in which there was a triple promise of virginity, chastity and obedience. The twenty-four hours of a monk’s life were, and still are, divided into three eight hour periods (prayer, rest and work). Another characteristic that we find since the first years of the existence of monasticism is the notion of charity. Finally, it is worth mentioning that in many monasteries there were scriptorial centers where there was dedication to copying the Holy Scriptures and the classics of antiquity, thus saving much of our patristic texts and classical heritage for posterity. Also artistic works such as Byzantine paintings, iconography, poetry, sculpture and music were cultivated and flourished in many monasteries such as those at Mount Athos in Greece, and Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai, Egypt.

The primary objective of SIRENE is to simulate the response to neutrino events of any type of high energy neutrino telescope. Additionally, it implements different geometries for a neutrino detector and different configurations and characteristics of photo-multiplier tubes (PMTs) inside the optical modules of the detector through a library of C++ classes. This could be considered a massive statistical analysis of photo-electrons. Aim of this work is the development of a multithreaded version of the SIRENE detector simulation software for high energy neutrinos. This approach allows utilization of multiple CPU cores leading to a potentially significant decrease in the required execution time compared to the sequential code. We are making use of the OpenMP framework for the production of multithreaded code running on the CPU. Finally, we analyze the feasibility of a GPU-accelerated implementation.

Intraoperative injuries of the bladder and the attendant vesicouterine and vesicovaginal fistulas formation are reported as rare events, but the rapid increase in the number of caesarean sections has contributed to the emergence of these complications. Early recognition of these complications makes them much easier to deal with, while simple measures intraoperatively can ensure that these complications will not escape attention. We present our rare case of uroperitoneum after cesarean section, the way of diagnosis and treatment, and due to this incident we review in detail the existing literature on the topic.

We conducted a phase II trial to evaluate the activity of oral letrozole in women with relapsed or recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer.Twenty-seven patients were treated with letrozole at a dose of 2.5 mg once a day. Patients with measurable or evaluable disease (n = 21) and those with only increasing CA 125 serum levels (n = 6) were eligible. Paraffin-fixed histological sections from tumor specimens resected at the initial laparotomy were assessed for the presence of estrogen, and progesterone receptors.Among the 21 patients with measurable or evaluable disease who were evaluated for response by WHO criteria, we observed one complete and two partial responses for an objective response rate of 15%. Using criteria for CA 125 response we obtained a marker response in 4 of 27 patients (15%), and the marker remained stable in 5 additional patients (18%). Letrozole treatment was generally well tolerated. No correlation was observed between tumor marker response or stabilization and either estrogen or progesterone receptor expression.The results of our study suggest that the aromatase inhibitor letrozole is an agent with some activity and limited toxicity for relapsed ovarian cancer. As we could not find any association between response and hormonal receptor expression, the underlying mechanisms of letrozole action have to be elucidated.

The prevalence of HPV and CIN in young women has increased in recent years. During a 5-year period (1996-2000), 78 sexually active young females, aged 15-20 years, were referred to the Colposcopic Unit of the 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University of Athens in the major University-appointed hospital in Greece, because of an abnormal cytology or a suspicious cervical abnormality in the presence of negative cytology. Colposcopic examinations were found to be within normal limits in 12/78 (15.4%) of cases. Cervical pathology was related in 22 cases (28.2%) to HPV infection, 23 (29.5%) cases to CIN 1, 18 (23.1%) cases to CIN II and 3 (3.8%) to CIN III. No relation between oral contraceptive use and cigarette smoking with HPV infection was found. Our findings strongly confirm the necessity of obtaining cervicovaginal smears on all sexually active gynecologic and obstetric teenage patients.

In a prospective randomised study 60 patients with gynaecological or intra-abdominal infections were given either 2g iv every 12 hours of cefotetan or a combination of netilmicin (150mg iv every 12 hours) and clindamycin (600mg iv every 8 hours). The clinical condition of nearly half the patients (26 of 60) was characterized as serious and surgical manipulation and drainage were performed in 57 of the 60 patients. The clinical response was similar in both groups with 21 of 29 patients in the cefotetan group and 29 of 33 patients in the netilmicin plus clindamycin group. Side effects were few and mild in nature with no significant differences between the two groups. This work is continuing but the results to date suggest that cefotetan monotherapy is a safe and effective alternative to a combination of netilmicin and clindamycin in the treatment of gynaecological and intra-abdominal infections.

Vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) represents a current diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. The present retrospective study is an institutional experience on the diagnosis and management of VIN.One hundred and thirteen women with VIN were reviewed and analyzed. Diagnosis was established by colposcopically directed biopsies whereas treatment was performed by either a surgical or a laser CO2 approach.The mean age of all VIN patients was 47.4 years. The most common symptom was pruritus (60.1%). The majority of the lesions were multifocal (N = 64, 56.6%) and located in the non-hairy part of the vulva (87.6%). VIN management consisted of laser CO2 treatment in 51 patients (45.1%), surgical treatment in 37 (32.7%) whereas 25 VIN, cases were managed by conventional medical treatment. The risk of disease relapse was not associated with VIN grade (p = 0.35) nor with the treatment modality used (p = 0.42). The risk of disease relapse was significantly higher for multifocal lesions (p0.001). Long-term follow-up of our patients showed that four patients (3.5%) developed an invasive vulvar carcinoma.Our study confirms other reports concerning the diagnostic and treatment difficulties of the management of VIN. Although the benefits of treatment are obvious there seems to be no guarantee that invasion will not occur.

Ovarian tumors are one of the major preoccupations in the everyday practice of gynecology. During the period January 1997 through December 2000, 54 cases of ovarian tumors in young females aged 14-20 years were diagnosed and managed laparoscopically in our institution. Twenty-two cases of mature cystic teratoma, 12 cases of endometriosis, eight cases of serous cystadenoma, five cases of mucinous cystadenoma, three cases of fibroma-thecoma, two cases of serous low-malignant tumors and one case of mucinous low-malignant tumor were found. The management of ovarian tumors during this age by laparoscopic techniques represents an efficient and safe procedure.