AOA: artificial oocyte activation; AOD: oocyte activation deficiency; Ca: Calcium; CAMKII: Ca/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II; CICR: calcium-induced calcium-release; DAG: diacylglycerol; GM-CSF: granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor; ICSI: intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection; InsPR: inositol-trisphosphate receptor; IP: inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate; IVF: in vitro fertilization; MAP: mitogen-activated protein; MII: metaphase II; NADP: nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate; NO: nitric oxide; PAWP: post-acrosomal WW-binding domain protein; PIP: phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate; PLC: phospholipase C; PLCζ: phospholipase C-zeta; SOAFs: spermatozoon-released oocyte-activating factors; Sr: strontium; TFF: total fertilization failure.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women of childbearing age. The criteria required for the diagnosis identify various phenotypes, with different reproductive, metabolic, and cardiovascular (CV) risk characteristics. Emerging evidence links adipocyte-secreted hormones as candidates in the pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction in PCOS, independently of additional risk factors. The aim of this review was to collect, analyze, and qualitatively resynthesize evidence on biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction (visfatin, vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF], matrix metalloproteinase 9 [MMP-9]) in women with PCOS. Women with PCOS exhibit (a) increased plasma visfatin concentrations compared with controls with a similar body mass index; (b) increased VEGF production along with chronic, mild inflammation; and (c) increased MMP-9 concentrations, which might be related to either excessive CV risk or abnormalities of ovarian extracellular matrix remodeling, multiple cyst formation, follicular atresia, and chronic anovulation. As PCOS has been associated with CV risk, early identification of endothelial dysfunction is clinically relevant.

No abstract

Our findings support the notion that the presence of innate immune SNPs, such as functional polymorphisms of TLRs along with MBL deficiency, might exert a protective effect on the COPD phenotype, similar with other immune-mediated disorders.

έγκριση διδακτορικής διατριβής από το τμήμα Νοσηλευτικής του Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών δε σημαίνει και αποδοχή των γνωμών του συγγραφέα''. (Σχετικές οι διατάξεις του άρθρου 50 του νόμου 1268/82 σε συνδυασμό με τις διατάξεις του οργανισμού του πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών,άρθρο 202 παρ.2 του νόμου 5343). Η παρούσα Διδακτορική Διατριβή έγινε ομόφωνα δεκτή από το τμήμα Νοσηλευτικής του Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών στη Συνεδρίαση της 12 ης Δεκεμβρίου 2006 με βαθμό ''ΑΡΙΣΤΑ''.

MicroView was made to make the connection between medicine and mobile technology reality, in order to achieve that we transform the widely used mobile devices (smartphones, tablets) into diagnostic tools. MicroView is a medical application that focuses on the diagnosis of diseases whose causes or results can be detected in biological fluids such as CSF, urine and blood. The diagnosis is achieved by innovative image processing algorithms that detect the presence and the number of the white blood cells in the biological sample. The app has been tested in 37 urine and 23 CSF samples. The accuracy of the app was 92%. In conclusion the app offers a quicker, easier and friendlier diagnosis to young scientists but also experienced professionals can be benefit from it, since all images are in electronic form and can provide a way of result confirmation.

MicroView was made to make the connection between medicine and mobile technology reality, in order to achieve that we transform the widely used mobile devices (smartphones, tablets) into diagnostic tools. MicroView is a medical application that focuses on the diagnosis of diseases whose causes or results can be detected in biological fluids such as CSF, urine and blood. The diagnosis is achieved by innovative image processing algorithms that detect the presence and the number of the white blood cells in the biological sample. The app has been tested in 37 urine and 23 CSF samples. The accuracy of the app was 92%. In conclusion the app offers a quicker, easier and friendlier diagnosis to young scientists but also experienced professionals can be benefit from it, since all images are in electronic form and can provide a way of result confirmation.

International literature reveals the deficit of nurses' knowledge on the defibrillator and the need to implement continuing education training courses relative to clinical issues.The purpose of this study was the evaluation of Greek registered nurses' knowledge on the safe use of the defibrillator before and after a 2-h workshop. Anonymous self-administered validated questionnaire consisted of two parts was used to collect the data, after the written consent of the participants. The sample consisted of 65 participants (12 men and 53 women) and the output data were analyzed with SPSS v. 19.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). The quantitative variables are expressed as mean values (SD) or as median values (interquartile range = IQR) while the qualitative variables are expressed as absolute and relative frequencies. For the comparison of the proportions of the correct answers before and after the intervention, McNemar tests were used. A knowledge score was computed for every participant from all correct answers and converted to a scale from 0 to 100 (where 0 = none correct answer and 100 = all answers were correct). Paired Student's t-tests were used for the comparison of the knowledge score before and after the intervention. All reported p values are two-tailed and the statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. The mean knowledge score increased significantly from 66.7% to 91.3% after the intervention. The study showed that the implementation of educational programs contributes positively to update registered nurses' knowledge on clinical issues, which cannot be replenished only through undergraduate education and experience.