Haemoglobinopathies are the most common hereditary disorders in Greece. Although there is a successful national prevention program, established 35 years ago, there is lack of an official registry and collection of epidemiological data for haemoglobinopathies. This paper reports the results of the first National Registry for Haemoglobinopathies in Greece (NRHG), recently organized by the Greek Society of Haematology. NRHG records all patients affected by thalassaemia major (TM), thalassaemia intermedia (TI), "H" Haemoglobinopathy (HH) and sickle cell disease (SCD). Moreover, data about the annual rate of new affected births along with deaths, between 2000 and 2010, are reported. A total of 4,506 patients are registered all over the country while the number of affected newborns was significantly decreased during the last 3 years. Main causes for still having affected births are: (1) lack of medical care due to financial reasons or low educational level; (2) unawareness of time limitations for prenatal diagnosis (PD); due either to obstetricians' malpractice or to delayed demand of medical care of couples at risk; and (3) religious, social or bioethical reasons. Cardiac and liver disorders consist main causes for deaths while life expectancy of patients lengthened after 2005 (p < 0.01). The NRHG of patients affected by haemoglobinopathies in Greece provides useful data about the haemoglobinopathies in the Greek population and confirms the efficacy of the National Thalassaemia Prevention Program on impressively decreasing the incidence of TM and sickle cell syndromes.
During his investigations in the southern cemetery of Demetrias (Fig. 1), A.S. Arvanitopoulos excavated between 1912-1915 a number of deep pits that were found scattered among graves of various periods, reportedly near the remains of a medieval building (Fig. 2). According to him, the pits were located very near the 5 th Stelai-tower and a gate of the fortification wall, by the road to Alykes (Fig. 3). 1 Most of the pits were small in size and contained clay figurines. A larger pit discovered at considerable depth contained stone inscribed altars, marble statuettes, stone inscribed stelai and a life-size marble head, 2 while another pit, found very close to the modern ground surface, contained clay figurines, clay altars with elaborate decoration, pots, lamps, small votives, heads belonging to marble statuettes and parts of a large scale clay bust or statue. 3 2 Based on the numerous objects of votive character in the pits, Arvanitopoulos ascribed the finds to a sanctuary of Pasikrata, named in the inscriptions, whom he identified with Aphrodite because of a few statuettes depicting the goddess, and Artemis En(n)odia and proposed that it was in use from the 3 rd century BC to the late 2 nd-3 rd century AD. 4 N. Papachatzis was the first to discuss the sanctuary in depth, in an influential article published in the journal Thessalika of 1958, which established Pasikrata as a funerary deity. He identified Pasikrata with "Aphrodite of the Dead" because he considered the location of the sanctuary, in the vicinity of graves, as indicative of the nature of the venerated deity. His interpretation was widely accepted and led to the characterization of numerous periurban sanctuaries in the region and elsewhere as funerary.
News on Thessalian museums The Archaeological Museum of Karditsa The Archaeological Museum of Karditsa (Fig. 111), in the centre of the modern town, was opened to the public on 18 May 2010. The building, completed in 2001, contains the main exhibition rooms, a fully equipped conservation department (Fig. 112), a library, a room for educational programmes, two secure storerooms, a guestroom and ancilliary areas. The permanent exhibition displays finds from western Thessaly dating from the Palaeolithic period to Late Antiquity in chronological sequence, while at the same time focusing on major themes that characterize each era/culture. 111. The Archaeological Museum of Karditsa. © Ministry of Culture and Tourism: 34 th EPCA (L. Hatziangelakis). 112. The Archaeological Museum of Karditsa: conservation rooms. © Ministry of Culture and Tourism: 34 th EPCA (L. Hatziangelakis). 113. The Archaeological Museum of Karditsa: Palaeolithic spearhead from Lake Plastiras. © Ministry of Culture and Tourism: 34 th EPCA (L. Hatziangelakis). 114. The Archaeological Museum of Karditsa: display/reconstruction of a Neolithic Magoula. © Ministry of Culture and Tourism: 34 th EPCA (L. Hatziangelakis).
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