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PubMedDate not supplied

BRCA1 germline mutations in Cypriot breast cancer patients from 26 families with family history.

Germline mutations in the BRCA1 gene are causative for a variable number of hereditary breast/ovarian cancers. The data presented in this study are based on genetic analysis of the BRCA1 gene in 49 DNA samples from breast cancer patients with a positive family history. A combination of manual direct DNA sequencing and SSCP analysis was used to screen the entire coding region of BRCA1. Overall 13 variants were detected which included 5 missense mutations, 3 polymorphisms and 5 intronic changes. Further genetic analysis of the 13 variants was carried out using 50 control DNA samples. Our results showed that 12 out of the 13 variants detected in the DNA of the patients group, were also present in the control group. It appears that the Greek Cypriot families studied so far have an unexpectebly low frequency of deleterious mutations in the BRCA1 gene. This is the first report on BRCA1 mutation analysis in Cyprus.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Immunogenetic factors in thalassemia and hepatitis B infection. A multicentre study.

Geographical variations in the prevalence of hepatitis B infection were found in association with an increased opportunity of exposure to this virus in patients with homozygous beta-thalassemia in Cyprus, Greece, Sardinia and the United Kingdom. No association was found between the Gm phenotype of the individuals investigated and susceptibility to hepatitis B virus using HBsAg as a marker, or the ability to make antibody to it. Variation in the distribution of Gm haplotypes does not appear to be a feasible explanation for variation in anti-HBs and HBsAg frequencies in a series of highly transfused populations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Country watch: Middle East.

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), the ecumenical organization for most Christian churches in the region, has had a program on drug abuse since 1982. The Council's Unit of Education and Renewal holds meetings and workshops at the parish level, many focusing on drugs. Out of this work, a focus on AIDS also developed. In October 1992, a MECC-sponsored consultation was held in Cyprus, largely to discuss the link between drugs and HIV/AIDS. The conclusion was that Arab society needed to tackle the problem of AIDS before it was too late, particularly by addressing the underlying moral issues and strengthening family discipline to safeguard youth. Recommendations were made for further research into drug addiction and HIV/AIDS, more sensitive legislation to deal with these problems, greater cooperation, and greater objectivity in evaluating existing programs. Since the consultation, efforts have continued to strengthen the capacity of local health authorities to cope. Societies in the Middle East do not usually discuss openly topics defined as delicate or shameful. So, to initiate open discourse about drugs and HIV is, in itself, a significant achievement. The lead taken by MECC has had a liberating effect on parishes, which also now initiate programs on these sensitive topics.

Asia↗
PubMed2005

The MTHFR 677TT and 677CT/1298AC genotypes in Cypriot patients may be predisposing to hypertensive nephrosclerosis and chronic renal failure.

AIM: The homozygous 677TT mutation of the MTHFR gene has been linked to deep vein thrombosis and to arterial atherosclerotic events of the coronary, carotid and peripheral arteries. Its putative association with renal arteriosclerosis and chronic renal failure (CRF) in the presence of hypertensive nephrosclerosis is yet to be investigated. METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-one Greek-Cypriot patients with CRF from one single renal unit in Cyprus were divided into 6 diagnostic categories: 49 due to chronic glomerulonephritis (22.2%), 43 due to diabetes mellitus (19.4%), 26 due to autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (11.8%), 30 due to essential hypertension leading to nephrosclerosis (13.6%), including 4 patients with primary malignant hypertension, 32 with other rarer causes of CRF (14.5%) and 41 of uncertain etiology (18.5%). These 221 CRF patients had their MTHFR C677T and A1298C genotypes analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction and agarose gel electrophoresis after restriction enzyme digestion. The frequency of the homozygous states 677TT and 1298CC and the double heterozygous 677CT/1298AC were compared to those of 210 unrelated normal local controls. RESULTS: A statistically significant increase in the frequency of the 677TT genotype compared to controls was only found in the hypertensive nephrosclerosis CRF sub-group of patients. The prevalence rate of the 677TT genotype was 46.7% (controls 17.6%, P=0.0007). Combined together the homozygous 677TT and the double heterozygous 677CT/1298AC genotypes were found in 86.7% of the hypertensive nephrosclerotic CRF patients, compared to 46.6% in normal controls (P=0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The findings support the hypothesis that Caucasian patients with essential hypertension, homozygous for 677TT or doubly heterozygous for 677CT/1298AC genotypes, are predisposed to develop hypertensive nephrosclerosis and CRF.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Molecular basis of hemoglobin-H disease in the Mediterranean population.

We investigated the molecular basis of hemoglobin-H disease by hybridization and restriction endonuclease mapping of the DNA in the Mediterranean populations. Of the 12 patients studied from Cyprus and Sardinia, 8 had the typical deletion defect with a single remaining alpha-globin gene. The nondeletion type of alpha-thalassemia was found in 3, and a "dysfunctional" gene in one. We conclude that the predominant cause of alpha-thalassemia in these populations is gene deletion.

Chromosome Deletion↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The role of the OR nurse.

1. Cyprus health policies and strategies emphasize the value of the individual in a caring family and community framework, with the implication that health is the responsibility of the whole country and its citizens. 2. Operating room nursing has undergone many changes in the past few years, such as the introduction of the nursing process together with the team concept. 3. Many aspects of nursing care in operating theaters have improved greatly, but we face the future with aspirations for additional improvement.

Cyprus↗
PubMed1997

Distribution and prevalence of major risk factors of noncommunicable diseases in selected countries: the WHO Inter-Health Programme.

The Inter-Health Programme was launched in 1986 by WHO, with the collaboration of a coordination centre (National Public Health Institute, Finland) to control and prevent chronic noncommunicable diseases (CNCDs) among adults. Programmes for action were organized based on the concept that most major CNCDs share common risk factors and that those that are lifestyle related are modifiable through efficient interventions using multifactorial strategies involving community participation and behaviour changes carried out at the primary health care level. Twelve countries from all WHO Regions have joined the programme. A baseline survey was undertaken in all countries with a common protocol, following the criteria and methods employed in the MONICA Project. Altogether 36815 men and women aged 35-64 years were included in the present analysis from the following Inter-Health countries: Chile, China, Cyprus, Finland, Lithuanian SSR, Malta, Mauritius, Russian SFSR, United Republic of Tanzania, and USA. In addition to individual country analysis, centralized analysis was carried out at the Finnish National Public Health Institute and the Department of Community Health, Kuopio University, Finland. Reported here are the mean values of blood pressure, body mass index, and serum total cholesterol as well as specific prevalences of smoking, hypertension, obesity, and hypercholesterolaemia.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Haplotypes and levels of fetal hemoglobin and G gamma to A gamma ratios in Mediterranean patients with thalassemia minor and major.

This study concerned the gamma chain composition of Hb F and the haplotypes of 44 patients with beta-thalassemia major or intermedia and many of their relatives. Seventeen patients came from Northern (Turkish) Cyprus, 12 from the Istanbul area, and 15 from Macedonia and Bulgaria. Analysis of the A gamma T-G gamma-A gamma I ratio was made by HPLC, while haplotyping involved seven restriction sites. Specific haplotypes were present in certain populations; haplotype I [1] is the dominant type among North Cypriot thalassemia patients. Numerous types were seen in the patients from the Balkan countries. A direct relationship between the A gamma to G gamma ratios and the haplotypes, which exists among black beta-thalassemia heterozygotes [3], was also observed among these Mediterranean patients, although such analyses were considerably complicated by extensive blood transfusion therapy. Haplotypes without the Hinc II restriction site within the psi beta gene were associated with lower G gamma values than those that had this polymorphic site. The A gamma T chain was observed in a small number of beta-thalassemia homozygotes and heterozygotes. Three thalassemia chromosomes with slightly different haplotypes and one normal chromosome with a related haplotype were associated with the gamma 75 Ile----Thr substitution. A few patients with a thalassemia intermedia were heterozygotes for beta-thalassemia with either haplotypes V or VII [1] while the "nonthalassemic" chromosome had a haplotype I, which is the most common "beta-thalassemic" haplotype among the Mediterranean population(s). Detailed analyses of this chromosome have not been completed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Effect of tagging marine turtles on nesting behaviour and reproductive success.

We studied green, Chelonia mydas, and loggerhead, Caretta caretta, turtles nesting on the island of Cyprus to determine the effects of flipper tagging on postovipositional behaviour and reproductive success. Tagging was undertaken immediately after oviposition (64 green turtles; 111 loggerheads). On 12 occasions, loggerheads immediately stopped covering the eggs and proceeded directly to the sea. No green turtles abandoned nesting. In all other cases, where sufficient data were collected, the duration of the two postovipositional phases of nesting behaviour (covering and camouflaging) and the speed of descent to the sea did not differ between tagged and untagged turtles. The durations of behaviours also did not differ between females not tagged, tagged once or tagged twice. There was no effect of tagging on the likelihood of hatching or on the hatching success of clutches in either species. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Population genetics of factor V Leiden in Europe.

We have analyzed 5971 control individuals originating from 26 geographically defined populations in Europe and neighboring countries for the presence of factor V Leiden, an important genetic risk factor in venous thromboembolism. The mean frequency of the mutation in the populations studied is 0.027%, with a peak value incidence of more than 12% in Cyprus; the mutation is absent in Inuits and is at low incidence in French Basques. A west to east increasing cline of allele factor V Leiden prevalence (r = 0.479, p < 0.02) was observed in Europe, together with a decreasing south to north cline (r = -0.801, p < 0.001) of these values-but in this last situation only when southwest populations are excluded from the analysis. Based on these findings, an interpretation is proposed of the history of factor V Leiden expansion in Europe during the Neolithic period, from a probable Anatolian center of origin in Turkey.

Europe↗
PubMed1994

Development of a homologous radioimmunoassay for coho salmon insulin-like growth factor-I.

A specific homologous radioimmunoassay (RIA) for measurement of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in plasma of salmonid and a few non-salmonid fish species was developed using recombinant coho salmon IGF-I (rsIGF-I) as tracer and standard, and antiserum against this peptide raised in rabbits. The minimum detection level of IGF-I was 1.5 ng/ml and linearity was obtained in a range from 1.5 to 23 ng/ml. No cross-reaction was detected in the salmon IGF-I RIA with mammalian growth factors, salmon pituitary hormones, salmon or mammalian insulin, or any peptide in rat plasma. Although salmon IGF-I has high sequence similarity to mammalian IGF-I, it did not cross-react with anti-human IGF-I serum in human RIA and serial dilutions of plasma from salmon were not parallel to the human IGF-I standards in this assay system. In contrast, dilution curves for plasma of salmonids, such as coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch), Atlantic (Salmo salar), and sockeye (O. nerka) salmon, rainbow trout (O. mykiss), some other teleost fish, such as tilapia (Oreochromis mossabmica), carp (Cyprus carpio), eel (Anguilla rostrata), Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus), and agnathan, the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), assessed in salmon IGF-I RIA were parallel to the rsIGF-I standards. Acid-ethanol extraction of plasma samples altered the molecular weight, but not the quantity, of immunoreactive IGF-I, implying that IGF-I binding proteins in salmon plasma do not affect the performance of the salmon IGF-I RIA. Gel filtration of nonacidified plasma on a Sephadex G-75 superfine column produced two immunoreactive IGF-I peaks of molecular weights of approximately > 70 k and 7 kDa, whereas acidification of plasma increased the relative amount of the 7-kDa peak (IGF-I) and the > 70-kDa peak disappeared. The recoveries of rsIGF-I added to extracted or nonextracted plasma were 97.4 and 94.9%, respectively. Inter- and intraassay coefficients of variation were 3.6 and 3.3%, respectively. Plasma IGF-I levels in coho salmon smolts were 117.4 +/- 19.1 ng/ml as compared to IGF-I levels in parr (45.3 +/- 2.5 ng/ml) or in adult fish (45.2 +/- 5.4 ng/ml) measured in the same assay. Injection of salmon growth hormone, but not prolactin or somatolactin, caused a significant and dose-dependent elevation of plasma IGF-I levels, while either fasting or injection of streptozotocin led to a significant decline in systemic IGF-I.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Psychosocial problems and adjustment of children with beta-thalassemia and their families.

This study explores the psychosocial problems experienced by families with children aged 6 to 14 years suffering from beta-thalassemia major (N = 188). The psychosocial problems and the family's adjustment to the effects of the illness were compared across a number of cultures where the disease is prevalent, namely Cyprus, Greece, and Italy. A small number of migrant children in the United Kingdom was also included in the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents who also completed the Rutter Parental Questionnaire and the Goldberg General Health Questionnaire. Teachers were asked to complete a Children's Behaviour Questionnaire designed by Rutter. In all countries the disease seemed to have a binding effect on the family, thus mobilizing adaptive mechanisms. Father's low education level and the presence of major medical complications were predictors of poor family adjustment. Differences between and within countries may well reflect differences in health policies, existing level of socio-economic development, and in the cultural patterns in coping with a chronic illness.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1994

Cancer incidence in migrants to New South Wales (Australia) from the Middle East, 1972-91.

The incidence of cancer in migrants to New South Wales (NSW) from Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey has been compared with that in the Australian-born population using data from the NSW Central Cancer Registry for 1972-91. Age-standardized incidence rates showed overall cancer incidence to be less common in migrants from each Middle Eastern country than in the Australian-born. There was a clear pattern of generally low rates for cancers of the mouth and pharynx, esophagus, colon and rectum, lung (men only), ovary, prostate and testis, and melanoma. Cancers which tended to be more common in migrants were nasopharynx, stomach (women only), liver (men only), gallbladder (chiefly in women), bladder (men only), and thyroid. Breast cancer did not show a uniform pattern among migrant groups, rates being high in the Egyptian-born but low in Lebanese-born women. The overall low incidence of cancers related to tobacco and alcohol, and to a 'high fat, low fiber' diet, emphasizes the potential role of preventable lifestyle factors in the burden of cancer in Australia.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1997

Unknown ancient Greek ophthalmological instruments and equipment.

Discoveries of some ancient medical instruments and equipment found in the Hellenic world have been published in magazines of general interest and in a rare Greek medical journal, yet none caught the attention of ophthalmologists. Among these instruments are two forms of the famous 'Kenteterion', dating from the Hellenistic period, used for the couching of cataract. These were found on the island of Milos in the last century. Two magnifying lenses of the Archaic period from the recent Cretan excavations gave us the opportunity to discuss the problem of their medical use. The two drop-bottles from the excavations on Cyprus and at Tanagra, which are also described, seem to be of medical, and possible ophthalmological, use.

Greece, Ancient↗
PubMed2005

Chloroplast DNA microsatellite analysis supports a polyphyletic origin for barley.

Five barley chloroplast DNA microsatellites (cpSSRs) were used to study genetic relationships among a set of 186 barley accessions-34 Hordeum vulgare ssp. spontaneum (HS accessions) from Morocco, Ethiopia, Cyprus, Crete, Libya, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan and Israel, 122 H. vulgare ssp. vulgare landraces (HV landraces) from Spain, Bolivia (old Spanish introductions), Morocco, Libya and Ethiopia and 20 modern European spring barleys (HV cultivars). All loci were polymorphic in the material studied, with the number of alleles per locus ranging from two to three. Fifteen multi-locus haplotypes were observed, 11 in HS accessions and seven in HV landraces and cultivars. Of the seven haplotypes found in the HV lines, three were shared with the HS accessions, and four were unique. Cluster analysis revealed two main groups, one consisting of HS accessions from Ethiopia and the HV landraces from Spain, Bolivia (old Spanish), Morocco and Ethiopia, whereas the other larger group contained all of the other accessions studied. Based on these grouping and the existence of haplotypes found in the HV landraces and cultivars but not in the HS wild barley, a polyphyletic origin is proposed for barley, with further centres of origin in Ethiopia and the Western Mediterranean.

Crops, Agricultural↗
PubMed2001

Year 2000: status of picture archiving and digital imaging in European hospitals.

The aim of this study was to compare the degrees of implementations of full and departmental Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), the usage of mini-PACS and to compare digital image equipment implementation rates in the countries of the European Union plus the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Malta, Norway, Poland and Switzerland. The degree to which Digital Image Communications in Medicine version 3.0 (DICOM 3.0) protocols are available for data exchange by different digital image equipment is surveyed, to assess underlying PACS preparedness. A questionnaire with an addressed reply envelope was posted to the heads of radiology of 1,594 hospitals in 19 countries in early 2000. Data returns were obtained from 17 countries. This indicates considerable variation in PACS implementation and preparedness between European nations. Possible reasons for this are discussed. The highest rates of PACS implementations have been in Austria, Norway and Sweden.

Cross-Cultural Comparison↗
PubMed1999

Gene polymorphism at position -308 of the tumor necrosis factor alpha promotor is not associated with disease progression in multiple sclerosis patients.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) is a pluripotent proinflammatory cytokine and is thought to play an important role in the inflammatory process of multiple sclerosis (MS). A G-->A transition in the TNFalpha promotor at position -308 (TNF2 allele) has been shown to be associated with increased TNFalpha production. This study was designed to detect wether the TNF2 allele is associated with disease progression in MS. We examined the TNFalpha -308 polymorphism with an allelic discrimination PCR to detect the G-->A transition in the genomic DNA of 283 MS patients from Germany and in 72 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and 66 with stroke from the same genetic background who served as controls. Disease severity was defined by the progression index (PI) and by progression to the important clinical landmarks of Extended Disability Status Score (EDSS) 3.5 and 6. In addition, we evaluated the TNFalpha mRNA expression in whole blood with quantitative PCR. No differences were found between the presence of the TNF2 allele in MS, ALS, or stroke patients. Among the MS patients the TNF2 allele was not associated with a certain disease course. No association was found between the accumulation of neurological deficits and progression to clinical landmarks. Although MS patients with the TNF2 allele tended to progress more rapidly from EDSS 3.5 to EDSS 6 this difference was nonsignificant (P = 0.2). Nevertheless, we observed significantly higher TNFalpha mRNA expression in blood cells of stable patients carrying the TNF2-allele in comparison to the group with the wild type (P = 0.024). To examine the effect of genetic background we examined the DNA of 60 MS patients and 20 healthy controls in a Cypriot population of Greek origin. There was a significantly lower frequency of the TNF2 allele in the Cyprus population than in Germans (P = 0.01). No significant differences were found between the frequencies of the TNF2 allele in Cypriot MS patients and controls. Although the TNF2 allele is associated with higher TNFalpha mRNA baseline levels, our data indicate that this allele appears not to contribute to MS susceptibility or severity. In addition our data demonstrate that the TNFalpha -308 polymorphism is segregated differentially in two European populations of different genetic origin.

Alleles↗
PubMed1999

Phylogenetic analysis of European encephalomyocarditis viruses: comparison of two genomic regions.

The phylogenetic relationships of encephalomyocarditis (EMC) viruses isolated from pigs and rodents in Europe were determined by comparison of nucleotide sequences from two different regions of the virus genome, the VP3/VP1 gene junction (part of the capsid-coding region) and part of the 3D polymerase-coding region. Thirty-five European EMC viruses could be divided into two genetic groups, one which contained viruses from Greece isolated between 1986 and 1997 and from Belgium in 1991 and the other which contained viruses from Italy (1986-1996), Cyprus (1994-1995), France (1995) and Belgium (1995-1996).

Animals↗