ABSTRACT
During the period of 2012-2018, a series of reforms took place in the Greek health care system. These reforms focused on both the health expenditure and the efficiency and quality of health services provided. In this qualitative study, we examined whether these improvements were visible to health service users based on their personal experiences with the health care system, using thematic content analysis to evaluate the research data. The results indicated that the reforms did not meet the original objectives in several fields such as primary health care, health expenditure streamlining, health service affordability, and confidence in the health care system and professionals. Further interventions are required to improve the status of the Greek health care system.
ABSTRACT
Pheromones are water-soluble chemicals that elicit neuroendocrine and physiological changes, while they also provide information about gender within individuals of the same species. VN1R1 is the only functional pheromone receptor in humans. We have undertaken a large mutation screening approach in 425 adult individuals from the Hellenic population to investigate whether the allelic differences, namely alleles 1a and 1b present in the human VN1R1 gene, are gender specific. Here we show that both VN1R1 1a and 1b alleles are found in chromosomes of both male and female subjects at frequency of 26.35% and 73.65%, respectively. Given the fact that those allelic differences potentially cause minor changes in the protein conformation and its transmembrane domains, as simulated by the TMHMM software, our data suggest that the allelic differences in the human VN1R1 gene are unlikely to be associated with gender and hence to contribute to distinct gender-specific behavior.
