Epidemiology of superficial mycoses in Northern Greece: a 4-year study.

BACKGROUND: Superficial mycoses are defined as the fungal infections of skin, hair or nails that are caused by dermatophytes, yeasts and non-dermatophytic moulds. Dermatophytes are the most frequently isolated fungi from specimens of patients with superficial mycoses. OBJECTIVE: Studying the possible alteration of the epidemiology of superficial mycoses in Northern Greece during the last two to three decades. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data concerning the superficial mycoses from patients coming mainly from the region of Macedonia, Northern Greece, between January 2010 and January 2014 were recorded and analysed. They included specimens from 438 patients (146 M/292 F), within an age range of 2-85 years old. 503 samples were collected from skin (81, 16.1%), hair (18, 3.6%) and nails (fingernails 84, 16.7%, toenails 320, 63.6%) lesions. RESULTS: Of a total of 222 positive cultures, 50 were considered as yielding clinically non-significant isolates (saprophytes). Among the rest (172), dermatophytes were the most prevalent isolates (102, 59.3%), followed by yeasts (51, 29.7%) and non-dermatophytic moulds (19, 11%). Trichophyton rubrum (55, 53.9%), Trichophyton mentagrophytes (18, 17.6%) and Microsporum canis (23, 22.5%) were the most common isolates among dermatophytes (total = 102). Candida parapsilosis (26, 51%), and Candida albicans (10, 19.6%) among yeasts (total = 51) whereas Fusarium (6, 31.6%) and Acremonium species (3, 15.8%) among the non-dermatophytic moulds (total=19). CONCLUSION: Compared to previous studies from Northern Greece, the epidemiology of superficial mycoses in the specific geographic region seems not to have been altered the last two to three decades.

HIV-1 co-receptor CCR5 and CCR2 mutations among Greeks.

The frequency of CCR5 and CCR2 alleles in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive and HIV-negative populations of Northern Greece was investigated. The frequency of the CCR5Delta32 allele among the HIV-negative subjects was 0.052, while it was approximately two-fold lower among the seropositives, suggesting that the heterozygous genotype confers a partial resistance to the HIV infection. No significant difference in CCR2 allele frequency between the two groups was observed.

Effect of combination of deoxypyridoxine with known anti-proliferative or immunosuppressive agents on lymphocyte serine hydroxymethyltransferase.

Measurements of serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) in resting lymphocyte cultures showed that the level of activity of this enzyme is very low. Under the influence of mitogenic stimuli serine hydroxymethyltransferase activity is induced 5-20-fold. Addition in the cultures of 4-deoxypyridoxine (dB6), a potent antagonist of vitamin B6 coenzymes, concurrently with the mitogen, inhibits the induction of SHMT. Separate addition in the cultures of four anti-proliferative (AP) and immunosuppressive (IMS) agents, namely actinomycin, cytarabine, asparaginase and cyclosporine, led to the following observations. (1) The AP and IMS agents produce a decrease in the mitogen-induced activity of SHMT. The higher the concentration of the AP/IMS compound, the greater the decrease of enzymatic activity. (2) When a AP/IMS agent is combined with dB6 its effect on SHMT is considerably greater. (3) Ineffective concentrations of AP/IMS agents become effective when combined with dB6. (4) The observed changes in SHMT activity are not, as one would expect, the same in the case of all four drugs. (5) The combination makes it possible to use much smaller doses of these agents with much better results, at least as far as the decrease of enzymic activity is concerned. This is very promising for clinical use of AP agents in cancer chemotherapy and IMS agents in transplantation especially of the heart and lungs, because combining these compounds with dB6 will make possible to use smaller doses over a longer period of time with greater effectiveness.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effect of pyridoxine deficiency on immunological phenomena.

Measurements of serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) in resting lymphocyte cultures showed that the level of activity of this enzyme was very low. Under the influence of mitogenic stimuli serine hydroxymethyl-transferase activity was induced 5-20-fold. Addition in the cultures of 4-deoxypyridoxine, a potent antagonist of vitamin B6 coenzymes, concurrently with the mitogen, inhibits the induction of serine hydroxymethyltransferase. Thus deoxypyridoxine exerts its effects not only at the level of the enzyme itself by antagonizing the coenzyme but also at the level of its biosynthesis. Synchronous addition of vitamin B6 with deoxypyridoxine effectively reverses the inhibitory effects. The T helper cells of the lymphocyte culture are very sensitive to deoxypyridoxine action in contrast to T suppressor cells. The effect of phytohaemagglutinin or concanavalin A on the production of interleukin-1b, interleukin-2 and interleukin-2 receptors is profoundly affected by deoxypyridoxine. These results give a deeper insight of the mechanisms by which pyridoxine deficiency causes significant reduction of humoral and cellular immune responses to antigenic stimuli. On the basis of the data of this report a detailed illustration of the events that follow the T cell activation is presented. From this investigation the enzyme serine hydroxymethyltransferase emerges as a key element in the processes of immune responses and cell proliferation. Based on this finding we advance the following two propositions for possible future medical application: (i) combination of deoxypyridoxine with immunosuppressive drugs in case of immunosuppressive therapy or organ transplantation. (ii) the enzyme presents an excellent target for chemotherapy and therefore development of special agents directed against its apoprotein may prove to be a very valuable medical tool.