GH administration modulates beneficially circulating cytokine network and soluble adhesion molecules in patients with DCM, whilst enhancing contractile reserve and diminishing LV volumes. These GH-induced anti-inflammatory effects may be associated with the improvement in LV contractile performance and exercise capacity as well as with the reverse of LV remodelling of patients with DCM.

A dense network of 3.5 kHz and Uniboom seismic profiles revealed the geological evolution of the Ierissos-Alexandroupolis Shelf area of the northern Aegean during the latest sea-level rise. Near the end of the Pleistocene, ca. 14,000 yr B.P., the sea was at about − 120 m, and almost 5300 km2 of shelf was exposed to subaerial erosion. Two permanet lakes existed in the Ierissos and Kavalla Gulfs, as well as a number of ephemeral lakes scattered throughout the rest of the area. Kavalla Gulf was drained by the Nestos River which joined the Strymon River at the outer Strymonikos Plateau. On the flat Samothraki Plateau were dune fields, marshes, and a number of minor seasonal rivers, while the Evros River flowed east of the plateau. By ca. 13,000 yr B.P. the sea had risen to − 70 m and covered 30% of the previously exposed shelf. The lakes at Ierissos and Strymonikos Gulfs were shallower and the sea approached to within about 5 km of them. Kavalla Gulf and the adjacent eastern Strymonikos Plateau lay 10 m above sea level, while the sea intruded along river mouths at the Samothraki Plateau. During this transgression of the sea river-bed gravels and sands were covered by silts and clays. At the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, ca. 10,500 yr B.P., the sea lay at about − 50 m and in areas of steep slope the coast was close to its present position. At Kavalla Gulf, the sea advanced along the paleochannel of the Nestos River, and the island of Samothraki was separated from the mainland. By ca. 7500 yr B.P. the sea was only 15 m below its present level and the northeastern Aegean shelf assumed nearly its present morphology. The Nestos River changed course to the east and Thassos Island was separated from the mainland. Coarse sediment formed wedges nearshore, whereas fine-grained sediments were distributed widely by current action. In many areas, relict sediments are present.

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ABSTRACT. This paper presents the preliminary results of investigation on the general geology and placer deposits in nearshore and offshore areas of Eastern Macedonia and Thraki. The research, carried out from 1981 to 1984, included surface sampling, coring and bathymetric and seismic profiling. The examined shelf area is covered by sands, silts and clays with finer sediments occuring to the west, and coarser to the east. Most of the coarse grained sediments are palimpsest or relict. The microscopic examination showed that the principal types of heavy minerals are amphiboles, pyroxenes, garnet, olivine, magnetite and pyrite. The heavy mineral content in the 2 to 3 phi fraction ranges from less than 5% to more than 20%. High concentrations of heavy minerals occur in nearshore and the outer shelf areas, but, on the basis of the data at hand, no significant placer deposits are expected to occur in area investigated.

In this study the combined use of field mapping and measurements, remote sensing data analysis and GIS techniques for the geological mapping of KEA Island at a 1/50.000 scale, is presented. The geological formations, geotectonic units and the tectonic structure were recognized in situ and mapped. Interpretation of high resolution satellite images (Quickbird) and medium resolution satellite images (Landsat 7 ETM and ASTER) has been carried out in order to detect the linear or not structures of the study area. The in situ mapping was enhanced with data from the digital processing of the satellite data. Marine geology data such as bathymetric data and seismic profiles were also taken into account. All the analogical and digital data were imported in a geodata base specially designed for geological data. After the necessary topological control and corrections the data were unified and processed in order to create the final layout at 1/50.000 scale.

Background In contrast with the setting of acute myocardial infarction, there are limited data regarding the impact of diabetes mellitus on clinical outcomes in contemporary cohorts of patients with chronic coronary syndromes. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and prognostic impact of diabetes according to geographical regions and ethnicity. Methods and results CLARIFY is an observational registry of patients with chronic coronary syndromes, enrolled across 45 countries in Europe, Asia, America, Middle East, Australia, and Africa in 2009–2010, and followed up yearly for 5 years. Chronic coronary syndromes were defined by ≥1 of the following criteria: prior myocardial infarction, evidence of coronary stenosis >50%, proven symptomatic myocardial ischaemia, or prior revascularization procedure. Among 32 694 patients, 9502 (29%) had diabetes, with a regional prevalence ranging from below 20% in Northern Europe to ∼60% in the Gulf countries. In a multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards model, diabetes was associated with increased risks for the primary outcome (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke) with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.28 (95% confidence interval 1.18, 1.39) and for all secondary outcomes (all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, and coronary revascularization). Differences on outcomes according to geography and ethnicity were modest. Conclusion In patients with chronic coronary syndromes, diabetes is independently associated with mortality and cardiovascular events, including heart failure, which is not accounted by demographics, prior medical history, left ventricular ejection fraction, or use of secondary prevention medication. This is observed across multiple geographic regions and ethnicities, despite marked disparities in the prevalence of diabetes. ClinicalTrials identifier ISRCTN43070564

Introduction Buc~kgir)und arztl hyiothrsis: In vitro studies have shown thui atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) causes relaxation of preconstricted blood vessel strips and inhibits the contraction of isolated vessels in response to norepinephrine and angiotensin 11. The present study examined the egects of exogenous ANP on the coronary collateral blood flow during angioplasty. Mrthorls: We studied 15 patients undergoing elective balloon angioplasty during the second and third balloon inflations. A Doppler flow guidewire was advanced distal to the lesion and used for the estimation of coronary blood flow velocity. After the second balloon inflation. 25 ng/kg/min of ANP were administered intracoronarily for 8 min. Electrocardiogram, pressure, and tlow velocity were recorded immediately before each balloon deflation. Fourteen other patients served as controls and received normal saline infusion. Rcsirlts: Velocity time integral increased from 65 f 40 to 79 f 46 mm (~~0. 0 5) during the third balloon inflation, whereas ST deviation decreased from I .3 f 0.9 to 0.7 f 1 .O niV (p < 0.05). These variables did not change in the control group during the two tested balloon inflations. Conrhrsion: Exogenous ANP augments coronary collateral blood tlow and ameliorates myocardial ischemia during angioplasty.