Temperature inversion characteristics in relation to synoptic circulation above Athens, Greece.

In this paper, the characteristic properties of inversions formed inside the lower boundary layer over Athens, Greece, were studied using 35-year radiosonde measurements of temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure. The analysis revealed that the inversion parameters demonstrate considerable seasonal variation. Specifically, inversions associated with weak anticyclonic conditions are more frequent during the winter and summer months, while during spring, weak lows are more probable to produce inversions. Some theoretically expected associations between synoptic circulation patterns and certain inversion parameters were also identified.

Pregnancy-related low back pain.

Pregnancy related low back pain is a common complaint among pregnant women. It can potentially have a negative impact on their quality of life. The aim of this article is to present a current review of the literature concerning this issue.By using PubMed database and low back pain, pelvic girdle pain, pregnancy as keywords, abstracts and original articles in English investigating the diagnosis treatment of back pain during pregnancy were searched and analyzedLow back pain could present as either a pelvic girdle pain between the posterior iliac crest and the gluteal fold or as a lumbar pain over and around the lumbar spine. The source of the pain should be diagnosed and differentiated early.The appropriate treatment aims to reduce the discomfort and the impact on the pregnant womans quality of life. This article reveals the most common risk factors, as well as treatment methods, which may help to alleviate the pain. Some suggestions for additional research are also discussed.

A tool for determining urban emission characteristics to be used in exposure assessment.

The exposure of citizens to elevated air pollution concentrations is one of the major factors leading to the deterioration of the quality of life and possibly to health problems in urban areas. The concentration of air pollutants depends largely on pollutant emission levels. If the statistical probability distribution function of the concentration of an air pollutant is known, it is possible to estimate how many times this concentration exceeds the air quality standards, or estimate changes in the emission levels in an area. It can be also used to estimate the long term exposure of population to certain pollutants. In this paper fifteen theoretical probability distribution functions, were used to fit the actual concentration frequency distributions of CO, NO(2), O(3,) SO(2), and Black Smoke (BS) in Athens, Greece for a 23-year period. The results showed that the theoretical distribution type best describing the distribution of the pollutants is Inverse Gaussian followed by the Extreme value distribution. The number of exceedances of air quality limits was used to validate the performance of the theoretical distributions that were best fitted to the observed ones. The temporal evolution of emission strength was estimated through the temporal evolution of the parameters of the probability distribution functions. Missing periods were accounted for by estimating the respective distribution functions through interpolation or extrapolation from the existing ones. The derived variation of emission levels consistently represents the emission reduction strategies enforced over the years, as well as the escalating growth of the passenger car fleet volume, and could be a useful tool for the design and assessment of emission control strategies.

Correction of tibial deformity in Paget's disease using the Taylor spatial frame.

A 64-year-old man presented with a severe deformity of the tibia caused by Paget's disease and osteoarthritis of the ipsilateral knee. Total knee replacement required preliminary correction of the tibial deformity. This was successfully achieved by tibial osteotomy followed by distraction osteogenesis using the Taylor spatial frame. The subsequent knee replacement was successful, with no recurrence of deformity.

Hodgkin's disease during pregnancy: a case report and review of the literature.

The simultaneous presence of cancer and pregnancy is rare but occurs, creating extreme scenarios in clinical practice. Hodgkin's disease (HD), affects primarily young adults and therefore obstetricians may confront young women with this type of lymphoma during pregnancy. We report a case of a 27-year-old woman with HD who presented during the 28th week of gestation. After counseling the couple decided to continue with the pregnancy. The patient received conservative treatment with regression of the symptoms and rapid improvement of her general condition. At 36 weeks of gestation a healthy infant was born and the patient underwent chemotherapy after delivery with complete resolution of the disease.

Ruptured heterotopic pregnancy with successful obstetrical outcome: a case report and review of the literature.

Emergency medicine has encountered in the last decades a gradual increase in cases of heterotopic pregnancy (HP) with rupture of the ectopic part. The rise of this entity is mainly due to ovulation induction performed in women undergoing assisted reproductive techniques (ART), but in natural cycles is still rare and unexpected. Diagnosis is often delayed especially in cases where no predisposing factors exist, causing life threatening situations. We report a case of a ruptured heterotopic pregnancy presenting at seven weeks of gestation that was treated with immediate laparotomy. The rest of the pregnancy course was uneventful with spontaneous vaginal delivery of a healthy infant at 39 weeks of gestation. A review of the diagnosis and management of heterotopic pregnancy is also given.

Atmospheric circulation types and daily mortality in Athens, Greece.

We investigated the short-term effects of synoptic and mesoscale atmospheric circulation types on mortality in Athens, Greece. The synoptic patterns in the lower troposphere were classified in 8 a priori defined categories. The mesoscale weather types were classified into 11 categories, using meteorologic parameters from the Athens area surface monitoring network; the daily number of deaths was available for 1987-1991. We applied generalized additive models (GAM), extending Poisson regression, using a LOESS smoother to control for the confounding effects of seasonal patterns. We adjusted for long-term trends, day of the week, ambient particle concentrations, and additional temperature effects. Both classifications, synoptic and mesoscale, explain the daily variation of mortality to a statistically significant degree. The highest daily mortality was observed on days characterized by southeasterly flow [increase 10%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 6.1-13.9% compared to the high-low pressure system), followed by zonal flow (5.8%; 95% CI, 1.8-10%). The high-low pressure system and the northwesterly flow are associated with the lowest mortality. The seasonal patterns are consistent with the annual pattern. For mesoscale categories, in the cold period the highest mortality is observed during days characterized by the easterly flow category (increase 9.4%; 95% CI, 1.0-18.5% compared to flow without the main component). In the warm period, the highest mortality occurs during the strong southerly flow category (8.5% increase; 95% CI, 2.0-15.4% compared again to flow without the main component). Adjusting for ambient particle levels leaves the estimated associations unchanged for the synoptic categories and slightly increases the effects of mesoscale categories. In conclusion, synoptic and mesoscale weather classification is a useful tool for studying the weather-health associations in a warm Mediterranean climate situation.

The anatomy of free paper sessions.

The interaction between speakers, audience, and chairmen was studied by 13 investigators during a medical meeting at which 356 free papers were given before a total audience of 2483 in 48 sessions. A protocol was used to score 21 questions relating to the presentation, 15 to the chairman of the session, and nine to the audience. Many speakers made technical faults in presentation and their use of slides. Most chairmen failed to comply with simple rules of procedure and with the expectations of speakers and audience. The interest of the audience was affected by the performance of speakers and chairman. Speakers should pay more attention to the technique of presentation, and organising committees of medical meetings should provide instructions to both speakers and chairmen.