Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that mainly affect the respiratory system. The severity of illness they cause ranges from a common cold to very serious and even fatal respiratory infections. Symptoms include cough, shortness of breath and high fever, whereas in some severe cases and depending on the virus strain, pneumonia, severe acute respiratory distress syndrome, renal failure and even death may occur. It is worth noting that SARS-CoV that was transmitted to humans from civet cats in China in 2002 and MERS-CoV transmitted to humans from camels in Saudi Arabia in 2012 also belong in the coronavirus family....

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that mainly affect the respiratory system. The severity of illness they cause ranges from a common cold to very serious and even fatal respiratory infections. Symptoms include cough, shortness of breath and high fever, whereas in some severe cases and depending on the virus strain, pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death may occur. It is worth noting that SARS-CoV that was transmitted to humans from civet cats in China in 2002 and MERS-CoV transmitted to humans from camels in Saudi Arabia in 2012 also belong in the coronavirus family.  ...

12th of November has been established as World Pneumonia day since 2009 aiming to increase awareness on pneumonia, one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality especially in children and the elderly.   What is Pneumonia? Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs especially affecting the alveoli that fill with pus and fluid instead of air. (alveoli are tiny air sacs that help to deliver oxygen from the air to the blood). Based on where it was acquired, pneumonia is characterized as: Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) Responsible for the highest rates of morbidity and  mortality from infection among adults in...

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the George D. Behrakis Research Lab is sharing some very important information on Breast Cancer.   Breast Cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women. It is characterized by the presence of abnormal cells in the breast that grow and divide rapidly and uncontrollably and have the ability to spread throughout the body (metastasis). Women might discover a lump or bulge in the breast during a self-breast exam. Not all lumps/bulges are cancerous, but they do all warrant a visit to the physician’s office for further examination. Today, with the implementation of primary and...

The World Health Organization has included air pollution among the top ten threats to public health in 2019.   What is Air pollution?   Air pollution can be defined as the process of various pollutants being dispersed into the air which lead to harmful effects on all living organisms and the environment.1 Pollutants include ozone, carbon dioxide and other noxious gases and particulate matter. There is a growing amount of evidence that airborne particulate matter causes several adverse health effects and leads to disease and even death.   Particulate Matter   Particulate matter is a mixture of solid and liquid particles,...

Smoking, a classified disease, is the greatest epidemic of all time. Although smoking affects the whole body, the respiratory system is the point of entry and main target for the harmful effects of the noxious toxic substances inhaled through various tobacco products. Some of the main known tobacco-induced respiratory diseases include trachea, bronchus, lung cancers and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Smoking is also known to exacerbate asthma and is a risk factor for respiratory infections.   In addition to active smoking, passive exposure to tobacco smoke is another major public health concern, having been scientifically proven to cause adverse health...

Read the Greek version of this article here. VACCINE HESITANCY Vaccine hesitancy, usually expressed by the anti-vaccination movement is not a new concept, it is as old as the first vaccine introduced in the early 1800’s. The current anti-vaccination wave was triggered by an article in the Lancet in 1999 by Andrew Wakefield that claimed autism was associated with measles vaccination. The claim has never been scientifically proven and the original article was retracted and deemed invalid for major methodological reasons and conflicts of interest by the author. The cost to society from the lapse in vaccination against measles has...

COPD was the 3rd overall cause of death, globally in 2016. –World Health Organization What is COPD? According to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) global strategy for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 2018 report, “Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common, preventable and treatable disease that is characterized by persistent respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation that is due to airway and/or alveolar abnormalities usually caused by significant exposure to noxious particles or gases.” (Global Strategy For The Diagnosis, Management, And Prevention Of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 2018 REPORT. pp.4) To...

What is Pneumonia? Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs especially affecting the alveoli that fill with pus and fluid instead of air. (alveoli are tiny air sacs that help to deliver oxygen from the air to the blood). Based on where it was acquired, pneumonia is characterized as: Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) Responsible for the highest rates of morbidity and  mortality from infection among adults in Europe.1 Largest cause of death from infection  among children worldwide.2 In the EU, CAP is responsible for 1 million hospital admissions every year1 Nosocomial pneumonia Presents 48 hours after admission, Hospital Acquired Pneumonia –HAP...

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the George D. Behrakis Research Lab is sharing some very important information on Breast Cancer. Breast Cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in Greece. It is characterized by the presence of abnormal cells in the breast that grow and divide rapidly and uncontrollably and have the ability to spread throughout the body (metastasis). Women might discover a lump or bulge in the breast during a self-breast exam. Not all lumps/bulges are cancerous, but they do all warrant a visit to the physician’s office for further examination. Today, with the implementation of...

Cancer is a generic term for a group of diseases which can affect any body organ or system characterized by rapid, uncontrollable and abnormal cell growth and division, as well as the ability to spread throughout the body (metastasis). The cancer is usually named after the organ where it started from, for example lung cancer whereas metastasis from another organ to the lungs is not lung cancer, but cancer of the organ of origin that has spread to the lungs. Lung cancer is the most common cause of death from cancers in Greece.1 Causes of Lung Cancer Tobacco smoke through...