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Biomedical subjects

G Arapakis

Publications and source records attributed to G Arapakis.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1986

Low dominance and high intropunitiveness in ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome.

Two experimental groups of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) were compared for hostile personality characteristics and dysthymic states with physically ill patients. Both experimental groups were found to be less dominant, more intropunitive, more anxious and more depressed than the control group. IBS patients, however, were more dominant and less intropunitive than UC patients. Low dominance has been associated with psychosomatic illnesses, and high intropunitiveness with neurotic formation. Both UC and IBS patients have been found to be severely neurotic, a fact reflecting the concurrence of the psychosomatic and neurotic defences in these diseases. More IBS patients had premorbid psychiatric symptoms in comparison with controls and UC patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Cytogenetic study in multiple myeloma.

Ten patients with multiple myeloma (MM) were studied cytogenetically, using the G-banding technique. It was found that five patients had a normal karyotype, whereas five patients exhibited various chromosomal abnormalities. The presence of marker chromosomes was a consistent finding. Among those, the 14q+ marker chromosome was present in three cases, partial or complete trisomy for 1q was detected in four cases, and chromosome #6 was involved in two cases. In one case the 14q+ marker chromosome was determined to result from a translocation between chromosomes #11 and #14. In one patient with Bence Jones kappa multiple myeloma, there was a translocation between chromosomes #2 and #8.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Bowel preparation and the risk of explosion during colonoscopic polypectomy.

Concentration of oxygen, methane, and hydrogen were measured in intracolonic gas samples aspirated through the colonoscope at the time of colonoscopy from 46 patients. Of the above patients 20 prepared either with mannitol (n = 10) or with castor oil (n = 10) had the instrument passed to the caecum without air insufflation or suction. After mannitol, mean intracolonic hydrogen concentration (4.07%) was significantly higher (p less than 0.001) than after castor oil (0.51%). Mean oxygen and methane concentrations were approximately similar. Potentially explosive concentrations of hydrogen (greater than 4.1%) and or methane (greater than 5%) were present in 6/10 patients given mannitol and 2/10 patients given castor oil. Nevertheless only one patient from each group had coexisting oxygen concentrations of more than 5% producing thus a combustile mixture. Routine colonoscopy (using air insufflation and suction) was performed in 26 patients prepared with mannitol. Mean intracolonic hydrogen and methane was 0.63% and 0.88% respectively. The highest recorded concentration of hydrogen was 2.6%, and of methane 2.1%, while all patients had oxygen concentrations of more than 5%. It is suggested, therefore, that routine insufflation and suction before colonoscopic electrosurgical polypectomy should result in safe levels of these gases. The remote possibility of pockets of undiluted gas in explosive concentration, however, indicates the use of an inert gas such as carbon dioxide if mannitol preparation is used before electrosurgery.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Screening for thalassaemia and/or iron deficiency: evaluation of some discrimination functions.

The number concentration of erythrocytes in blood (RBC) and the discrimination functions MCV/RBC, (MCV)2 X MCH, DF = (MCV/fl) - (RBC/10(12).1(-1] - (8.1 X Hb mmol.1(-1] - 3.4 have been advocated as useful methods in screening programmes for thalassaemia. In the present work we attempted to estimate the value of each of these methods in screening programmes for thalassaemia and/or iron deficiency and in differentiating between these two conditions. One hundred and twenty-six subjects suffering either from iron deficiency anaemia or heterozygous beta, delta beta, 'silent' beta and alpha 1 thalassaemia were classified by using these methods. Forty healthy subjects served as controls. The RBC was greater than 5.5 X 10(12)1(-1) in 80% of the cases, the three discrimination functions were 'positive' in 91%, 94% and 92% respectively. MCV/RBC and (MCV)2 X MCH separated successfully the subjects with microcytic anaemia (heterozygous thalassaemia and iron deficiency) from normal controls. On the other hand the DF turned out to be more satisfactory than RBC in discriminating heterozygous thalassaemia from iron deficiency anaemia. Thus in population screening for thalassaemia either MCV/RBC or (MCV)2 X MCH ought to be used first and then the DF.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Plasma alpha-lipoprotein pattern and LCAT activity in acute viral hepatitis in children.

The alpha-lipoprotein (a-Lp) electrophoretic pattern on agarose gel was studied serially in 65 children with acute viral hepatitis. In seven cases the high-density lipoprotein fractions (HDL) were also separated by ultracentrifugation and studied in relation to lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase activity (LCAT) during the acute phase and recovery. The a-Lp band was initially absent on electrophoresis in 36 cases and never appeared in 3 of the children who died. In those who survived a-Lp reappeared with clinical improvement even before a definite increase in S-ASAT and bilirubin was evident. In the seven children in whom it was measured LCAT activity ranged during the acute phase from 17.4 to 57 nmol h-1 ml-1. In patients with initially 'normal' LCAT activity (group I, no. = 3) HDL was normal both in amount and composition. In patients with 'low' LCAT (group II, no. = 4) HDL was reduced and of abnormal composition. In both groups the a-Lp band was absent or considerably reduced on electrophoresis. In the latter group LCAT activity increased significantly on recovery, as did the amount of HDL which became normal in composition. These results suggest that in acute viral hepatitis in children changes in composition and concentration of HDL depend on the degree of hepatic functional disturbance, as judged by plasma LCAT activity. Nevertheless, it appears that HDL electrophoretic behaviour may be abnormal during the early stage of the disease while plasma LCAT activity is not significantly affected.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1983

Correlation of haematological, electron microscopic and cytogenetic findings in 20 patients with preleukaemia.

A combined haematological, ultrastructural and chromosomal study was made in 20 patients with preleukaemia. There was evidence of specific correlations between (a) Hb F levels and pancytopenia or profound anaemia, (b) chromosomal and electron microscopic findings and (c) thrombocytosis and ringed sideroblasts. The above findings might be of importance in identifying subgroups of preleukaemic patients with different prognosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1982

Psychological characteristics of hypertensive and ulcer patients.

Hypertensive and duodenal ulcer patients were compared with physically ill patients at admission and discharge on personality traits and states of anxiety and depression. Both the hypertensive and ulcer patients were less dominant and more anxious than the control group at admission, while depression differentiated only the hypertensive group. The hypertensive patients were more depressed and more anxious than the ulcer patients at admission. At discharge, both experimental groups remained less dominant than the control group and the hypertensives remained more anxious and more depressed than the ulcer and control groups. Low dominance was correlated with high blood pressure and high extrapunitiveness was correlated with E.C.G. abnormality in the hypertensive patients. The results are discussed with respect to the role of aggression and low dominance in these 'psychosomatic' disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Lactose malabsorption in Greek adults: correlation of small bowel transit time with the severity of lactose intolerance.

Using breath hydrogen analysis after 139 mmol (50 g) oral lactose load, we investigated the prevalence of lactose malabsorption in 200 Greek adults and examined the relationship between symptoms and small bowel transit time. One hundred and fifty subjects had increased breath hydrogen concentrations (greater than 20 ppm) after the lactose load. In these individuals peak breath hydrogen concentration was inversely related to small bowel transit time (r = 0.63, 6 = 6.854, p less than 0.001) and the severity of symptoms decreased with increasing small bowel transit time. Lactose malabsorbers with diarrhoea during the lactose tolerance test had a small bowel transit time of 51 +/- 22 minutes (x +/- SD; n = 90) which was significantly shorter than the small bowel transit time of patients with colicky pain, flatulence, and abdominal distension (74 +/- 30, n = 53; p less than 0.001) and both groups had significantly shorter small bowel transit time than that of asymptomatic malabsorbers (115 +/- 21 n:7; p less than 0.001). When the oral lactose load was reduced to 33 mmol (12 g), the small bowel transit time increased five-fold and the overall incidence of diarrhoea and/or symptoms decreased dramatically. These results indicate that the prevalence of lactase deficiency in Greece may be as high as 75% and suggest that symptom production in lactose malabsorbers is brought about by the rapid passage down the small intestine of the malabsorbed lactose.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Rapid diagnosis of anaerobic infections by gas-liquid chromatography.

It was postulated that the short chain fatty acids (SCFA) produced by anaerobic bacteria might serve as microbial markers in purulent material. Eighteen pus specimens from various sources were analysed by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC), and the SCFA detected were compared with the microorganisms isolated by conventional methods. It was found that the detection of propionic, isobutyric, butyric, or isovaleric acids by direct GLC of pus specimens is strong evidence for anaerobic infection but not specific for Bacteroides fragilis. It was also shown that the presence of succinic acid in pus specimens does not necessarily indicate infection by anaerobes. It can be concluded that direct GLC of purulent material provides a rapid and reliable presumptive method for the differentiation between anaerobic and aerobic infections.

Bacterial Infections↗
PubMed1979

Globin chain synthesis in sickle beta-thalassaemic bone marrow and reticulocytes.

Globin chain synthesis was studied in reticulocytes and bone marrow erythroid precursors in four sickle beta-thalassaemic Greek patients. Significant globin chain imbalance was found in reticulocytes (alpha/gamma + beta A + beta S = 2.20 +/- SD 0.16) and bone marrow (alpha/gamma + beta A + beta S = 1.58 +/- SD 0.11) after two hours' incubation. There was evidence of contamination of the gamma, beta A, and, to a lesser extent, of the beta S chain by non-haem proteins. The contamination was more obvious in chromatograms obtained from whole cell bone marrow samples and could partially explain the lower alpha/non-alpha ratio found in bone marrow.

Anemia, Sickle Cell↗
PubMed1977

Postoperative platelet function in patients on small subcutaneous doses of heparin.

Several platelet function tests were performed on 31 patients undergoing major operations, who recieved prophylactically small subcutaneous doses of heparin. A group of 15 similar patients without heparin served as controls. It was found that postoperatively in both groups (a) the platelet retention in glass bead column was significantly increased (p less than 0.001), (b) the platelet aggregation by ADP 1 micronM was slightly increased, (c) the collagen-induced aggregation, ADP release and the bleeding time remained unchanged and (d) the platelet counts decreased in the first 2 postoperative days and increased thereafter. There was no difference between patients on heparin and controls.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗