Prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in a group of patients, a control group, and healthcare workers of Thrace area in Greece, by the use of two distinct methods.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to assess the clinical performance of different automated immunoassays available in Europe to detect anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies; an ELISA assay and a CLIA. The second goal was to estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among healthcare workers in Evros area during the first pandemic wave of COVID-19. METHODS: The study included serum samples from 101 patients with confirmed COVID-19 by RT-PCR and 208 negative patients. Furthermore, it included 1036 healthcare workers (HWs) of the Evros Region, Northern Greece. The measurement of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was performed using the Abbott SARS-CoV-2 IgG and anti-SARS-CoV-2 ELISA IgG assay (Epitope Diagnostics, USA). RESULTS: Of 101 confirmed COVID-19 patients, 82 were hospitalized and 19 were outpatients. Hospitalized patients had higher IgG levels in comparison to outpatients (6.46±2.2 vs. 3.52±1.52, p<0.001). Of 208 non-COVID-19 patients only 1 was positive in both ELISA and CLIA assay. SARS-CoV-2-IgG antibodies were detected in 6 HWs out of 1036 (0.58%) with mean S/CO-value of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG 3.12±1.3 (confidence interval 0.95), which was lower than in COVID-19 patients (3.12 vs. 5.9; p=0.016). The clinical evaluation of two immunoassays showed remarkably high true positivity rates in the confirmed COVID-19 patients. Sensitivities obtained with CLIA and ELISA methods were 99.02% vs. 97.09% and specificities 99.52% vs 99.05% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We found an acceptable accordance between CLIA and ELISA assays in the confirmed COVID-19 patients. In all subjects included in this study in the past medical history, the information that was obtained included details about the presence of autoimmune diseases.

The prevalence of HCV RNA positivity in anti-HCV antibodies-negative hemodialysis patients in Thrace Region. Multicentral study.

INTRODUCTION: HCV infection in patients under hemodialysis for end stage chronic kidney disease (ESCKD) may exist despite the absence of anti-HCV antibodies. Molecular methods are widely accepted as "gold standard" techniques for the detection of viral RNA. However, the molecular methods are more expensive in comparison to conventional methods and their replacement is not cost-effective. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of HCV RNA positivity in anti-HCV negative hemodialysis patients and evaluate new diagnostic methods for the detection and the monitoring of hepatitis C in ESCKD patients. METHODS: The study was performed in four hospitals of Thrace region of Greece and 233 patients with no history of hepatitis C were enrolled. Measurement of anti-HCV antibodies and HCV core antigen was performed by microparticle chemiluminescence immunoassay. Molecular detection of viral RNA was performed by the real-time RT PCR. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 64.9 ± 23.3 years. HCV-Ag was positive in 2/233 patients (0.86%). Nevertheless, viral RNA was negative in those patients. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study showed that the incidence of HCV-RNA in patients with negative anti-HCV Abs, in hemodialysis patients in Thrace region of Greece was negligible (0/233).

Multi-Channel Fetal ECG Denoising With Deep Convolutional Neural Networks.

Non-invasive fetal electrocardiography represents a valuable alternative continuous fetal monitoring method that has recently received considerable attention in assessing fetal health. However, the non-invasive fetal electrocardiogram (ECG) is typically severely contaminated by a considerable amount of various noise sources, rendering fetal ECG denoising a very challenging task. This work employs a deep learning approach for removing the residual noise from multi-channel fetal ECG after the maternal ECG has been suppressed. We propose a deep convolutional encoder-decoder network with symmetric skip-layer connections, learning end-to-end mappings from noise-corrupted fetal ECG signals to clean ones. Experiments on simulated data show an average signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) improvement of 9.5 dB for fetal ECG signals with input SNR ranging between -20 and 20 dB. The method is additionally evaluated on a large set of real signals, demonstrating that it can provide significant quality improvement of the noisy fetal ECG signals. We further show that employment of multi-channel signal information by the network provides superior and more reliable performance as opposed to its single-channel network counterpart. The presented method is able to preserve beat-to-beat morphological variations and does not require any prior information on the power spectra of the noise or the pulse location.

Eating during the Hemodialysis Session: A Practice Improving Nutritional Status or a Risk Factor for Intradialytic Hypotension and Reduced Dialysis Adequacy?

Historically, eating during the hemodialysis treatment has been associated with increased risk for adverse intradialytic symptoms and events, risks that have resulted in the implementation of restrictive in-center nutrition policies. Recent studies, however, have recorded a shift in clinical practice with a higher proportion of physicians following the view that administration of intradialytic meals and supplements represents a simple and effective approach to enhance caloric intake and improve nutritional status among patients on hemodialysis. This shift towards less restrictive in-center nutrition practices is mainly supported by evidence from observational studies associating intradialytic nutritional supplementation with improvements in protein-energy wasting, inflammatory state, and health-related quality of life. In sharp contrast, earlier and recent interventional studies have documented that feeding during the hemodialysis treatment provokes a rapid postprandial decline in blood pressure and raises the incidence of symptomatic intradialytic hypotension. Furthermore, other studies have shown that postprandial redistribution in intravascular volume and enhanced blood supply to the gastrointestinal circulation may interfere with the adequacy of the delivered hemodialysis. Those who defend the position that intradialytic nutritional support is beneficial do not dispute the physiology of postprandial hemodynamic response, but they argue against its clinical significance. In this article, we provide an overview of studies that explored the effect of eating during the hemodialysis treatment on intradialytic hemodynamic stability and adequacy of the delivered hemodialysis. We reason that these risks have important clinical implications that are not counteracted by anticipated benefits of this strategy on caloric intake and nutritional status.

End-to-end trained encoder-decoder convolutional neural network for fetal electrocardiogram signal denoising.

OBJECTIVE: Non-invasive fetal electrocardiography has the potential to provide vital information for evaluating the health status of the fetus. However, the low signal-to-noise ratio of the fetal electrocardiogram (ECG) impedes the applicability of the method in clinical practice. Quality improvement of the fetal ECG is of great importance for providing accurate information to enable support in medical decision-making. In this paper we propose the use of artificial intelligence for the task of one-channel fetal ECG enhancement as a post-processing step after maternal ECG suppression. APPROACH: We propose a deep fully convolutional encoder-decoder framework, learning end-to-end mappings from noise-contaminated fetal ECGs to clean ones. Symmetric skip-layer connections are used between corresponding convolutional and transposed convolutional layers to help recover the signal details. MAIN RESULTS: Experiments on synthetic data show an average improvement of 7.5 dB in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for input SNRs in the range of -15 to 15 dB. Application of the method with real signals and subsequent ECG interval analysis demonstrates a root mean square error of 9.9 and 14 ms for the PR and QT intervals, respectively, when compared with simultaneous scalp measurements. The proposed network can achieve substantial noise removal on both synthetic and real data. In cases of highly noise-contaminated signals some morphological features might be unreliably reconstructed. SIGNIFICANCE: The presented method has the advantage of preserving individual variations in pulse shape and beat-to-beat intervals. Moreover, no prior knowledge on the power spectra of the noise or the pulse locations is required.

The Effect of a Psychomotor Education Program on the Static Balance of Children With Intellectual Disability.

Children with intellectual disability (ID) demonstrate lower balance ability which results in substantial delays in motor growth and limits their function level. Psychomotor education comprises a holistic movement approach, with the aim to improve all aspects of each child personality. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a psychomotor education program on static balance of school-aged children with ID. Twenty children with ID who were 8-12 years old participated in the study. They were assigned to 2 groups, 1 experiment and 1 control. The experiment group attended a 16-week psychomotor education program at a frequency of 2 lessons per week, for 45 minutes. All the children who participated in the above measurements had (a) recording of anthropometric characteristics, (b) assessment of motor developmental index, and (c) measurement of static balance. The static balance ability was measured by means of an electronic pressure platform. Each child was requested to keep a quiet stance posture under 4 different conditions: double-leg stance with eyes opened or closed while they observed a visual or visual-auditory target. Participants of the intervention group reduced the values of static balance variables for all the positions. In conclusion, findings of this study clearly indicate that psychomotor education program has an important contribution to make for the most benefit of children with ID in terms of static balance.

Neuromuscular differences between boys with and without intellectual disability during squat jump.

The purpose of this study was to identify the differences in vertical squat jump (SJ) between volunteers with and without intellectual disability (ID). Thirteen boys with ID (average intelligence quotient, estimated by Wisk III test: 55.6 ± 11.2) and 13 peers without disabilities performed maximal SJ on a force platform. Kinematic data were captured using a six-camera 3D motion analysis system and electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded using surface electrodes. Unpaired T-test determined the statistical difference between the two groups. The obtained results indicated that the group with ID, jumped lower, developed lower vertical ground reaction forces, knee power output, knee angular velocity, and take-off velocity, and showed longer propulsion duration, decreased mean to maximum agonist EMG activity and higher antagonist/agonist activity ratio. The deficit in the SJ observed in individuals with ID was attributed to a deficit in the examined mechanical and neuromuscular parameters, and especially to the agonist and antagonist co-contraction.

Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in professional symphony orchestra musicians in Greece: a pilot study concerning age, gender, and instrument-specific results.

This study was designed to investigate the frequency of musculoskeletal disorders among musicians in a professional-level symphony orchestra in Greece. The sample consisted of 147 musicians (97 men, 50 women) of the Athens and Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra. The mean age of the musicians was 38.97 years (range 24 to 67, SD 9.68), while the years of experience in the orchestra ranged from 1 to 35 (mean 14.2, SD 8.47). The data were collected with the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire, which records the frequency of musculoskeletal disorders. Our results showed a very high percentage (81.6%) of the musicians had suffered at least once, during their professional career, some kind of musculoskeletal disorder that was associated with pain or discomfort and was directly related to their profession. More than two-thirds of the musicians had also suffered a problem in the hand and neck areas during the last 12 months. Musculoskeletal disorders appeared to be related to gender, age, kind of instrument played, and duration of rehearsing/performing, along with previous experience. In summary, there is a high frequency of injury among professional-level musicians in Greece reported in our study, highlighting the obvious need to develop prevention programs.

Incidence of exercise-induced asthma in adolescent athletes under different training and environmental conditions.

The aim of this study was to establish if there were differences in the incidence of exercise-induced bronchospasm between athletes in different sports, which take place under different environmental conditions such as open places, closed courses, and swimming pools with similar exercise intensity (football, basketball, water polo) using the free running test. The study included 90 adolescents (3 groups of 30) aged 14-18 years recruited from academies in northern Greece. All the participants were initially subjected to (a) a clinical examination and cardiorespiratory assessment by a physician and (b) free running test of a 6-minute duration and measurement with a microspirometer of the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1). Only the participants who had measured a decrease in FEV1 ≥ 10% were reevaluated with the microspirometer during a training session. The examination of all the participants during the free running test showed that 22 athletes, that is, 9, 8, and 5 of football, basketball, and water polo athletes, respectively, demonstrated an FEV1 ≥ 10 drop. Reevaluation of the 22 participants during training showed that 5 out 9 (55%) football athletes, 4 out of 8 basketball athletes (50%), and none of the 5 athletes of the water polo team displayed a drop of FEV1 ≥ 10%. Despite the absence of any significant statistical differences between the 3 groups, the analysis of variances did show a trend of a lower incidence of EIA in the water polo athletes. It was found that a football or basketball game can induce EIA in young athletes but to a lesser degree than the free running test can induce. The water polo can be a safer sport even for participants with a medical history of asthma or allergies.

Gross motor ability of native Greek, Roma, and Roma immigrant school-age children in Greece.

The purpose of this study was to estimate and compare gross motor ability of children aged 7 to 10 years, all from Roma minority families (Romas, Roma immigrants) and families of indigenous Greeks. The sample consisted of 180 hildren (60 natives, 60 Romas, 60 Roma immigrants) studying in Greek public primary schools. The Test of Gross Motor Development scores showed that the group of indigenous Greek children had significantly higher performance in terms of locomotion skills, handling skills, and general motor ability compared to the groups of Roma and Roma immigrant children. No statistically significant differences were observed between the two other groups. These findings might be attributed to less participation of minority children in organized physical activities in and outside school, as well as to the reduced parental encouragement for attending related activities.

The effect of a traditional dance training program on the physical fitness of adults with hearing loss.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a traditional dance training program on aerobic capacity and muscle strength of adults with hearing loss. Twenty-three adults with hearing loss were separated into 2 groups. Thirteen subjects (6 men, 7 women, mean age, 25.7 +/- 3.9 years) constituted the intervention group, whereas 10 subjects (5 men, 5 women, mean age, 26.4 +/- 5.9 years) formed the control group. Pretraining and posttraining treadmill tests were performed to determine heart rate (HR peak), peak minute ventilation (VE peak), peak oxygen consumption (VO2 peak, absolute and relative), and time to exhaustion (min). Peak torque of hamstring and quadriceps muscles at angular velocities of 60 degrees /s, 180 degrees /s, and 300 degrees /s was also measured. The intervention group followed a 12-week traditional dance training program, whereas the control group received no training during this period. Repeated measures of multiple analyses of variance were used to test mean differences between the values of both groups. A paired t-test was used to compare the values within each group prior and after program participation. A significance level of 0.05 was used for all tests. Following the 12-week training program, significant improvements in peak physiological parameters were seen for the intervention group for peak minute ventilation, peak oxygen consumption (both absolute and relative), time to exhaustion, and peak torque values between the 2 measurements (initial and final). No significant improvements in peak physiological parameters and peak torque were noticed in the control group. In conclusion, adults with hearing loss can improve their physical fitness levels with the application of a systematic and well-designed traditional dance training program.

The effect of basketball training on the muscle strength of adults with mental retardation.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of basketball training on the muscle strength of adults with mental retardation (MR). Twenty-four adults with and without MR were separated into 3 groups. Eight adults (mean age 25.4 years) with normal IQ constituted the control group (NIQ). Eight adults (mean age 26.5 years) with MR and all participating in a 4-year systematic basketball exercise program constituted the trained group (MR-T), and 8 adults (mean age 25.3 years) with MR exercised occasionally for recreational reasons formed the MR-R group. Parameters measured were isometric and isokinetic concentric and eccentric muscle strength. All subjects performed a leg strength test on a Cybex Norm isokinetic dynamometer. Analysis of variance was used to examine mean differences between the values of the 3 groups. A significance level of 0.05 was used for all tests. The NIQ group showed a statistically significant difference in all measured values compared to the MR groups. The MR-T group presented higher absolute and relative torque scores for both knee extensors and flexors than the MR-R group, whereas the MR-R group presented statistically higher antagonistic activity for both knee extensors and flexors than the MR-T group. In addition, both MR groups presented statistically higher antagonistic activity for both knee extensors and flexors compared to the NIQ group. Data support participation on a systematic and well-designed basketball training program to improve muscle strength levels of adults with MR. Participation in basketball without necessarily focusing on developing specific fitness components may be an effective training strategy for the promotion of strength of adults with MR.

The effect of a rhythmic gymnastics program on the dynamic balance ability of individuals with intellectual disability.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a rhythmic gymnastics program on the dynamic balance ability of a group of adults with intellectual disability (ID). The sample consisted of 18 adults with ID. The control group consisted of 8 adults and an intervention group of 10. The subjects were assigned to each group according to their desire to participate or not in the intervention program. Both groups were comparable in terms of age, weight, height, IQ, and socioeconomic background. The intervention group received a 12-week rhythmic gymnastics program at a frequency of 3 lessons per week, of 45 minutes. The methods of data collection included pre/post-test measurements of the dynamic balance for all subjects of both groups. The dynamic balance ability was measured by means of a balance deck (Lafayette) and was determined by the number of seconds the subject could remain standing on the platform of the stabilometer in durations of 30-, 45-, and 60-second intervals. As the results indicated, the intervention group showed a statistically significant improvement (p < 0.05) in terms of dynamic balance ability in each interval after the application of the rhythmic gymnastics program when compared with the control group. It is concluded that adults with ID can improve their balance ability with the application of a well-designed rhythmic gymnastics program.

The effect of interval training in children with exercise-induced asthma competing in soccer.

A lot of emphasis has been placed in screening individuals with exercise-induced bronchospasm in order to avoid persistence bronchial hyperactivity and consequent chronic silent inflammation of the respiratory tract. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of interval training on the respiratory function and endurance in children with exercise-induced asthma (EIA) participating in the sport of soccer. Twenty-nine boys ages 10-14, who developed EIA after a 6-minute free running test (decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second: FEV(1)10%), participated in the study. They were divided into 2 groups (experimental: n = 18, and control: n = 11), fulfilling the same criteria (i.e., age, body height and weight, and severity of asthma). The experimental group exercised with the interval training method for a period of 8 weeks, (3 sessions per week), whereas the control group exercised with the usual football program. Measurements were made for FEV(1) and endurance in both groups, before and after the application of training (8 weeks). Following the implementation of the training program, a significant improvement in FEV(1) and endurance was documented in the experimental group, as well as significant differences between the 2 groups. In conclusion, duration and aerobic training via the interval method seems to be beneficial to soccer players with EIA.

Effect of rhythmic gymnastics on the rhythm perception of children with deafness.

This study was designed to examine the effect of a rhythmic gymnastics program on the rhythm perception of children with deafness. Two groups--control and experiment--of 12 and 17 children, respectively, coming from the same school for the deaf participated in this study. The duration of the program for the individuals in the experiment group was 16 weeks (at a frequency of 3 lessons per week, for 40 minutes each lesson), while children of both groups adhered to their regular school schedules. Five rhythmic patterns in 3 speeds (tempi) were reproduced both by a metronome and each child's performance and were recorded on a digital disk before and after the application of the program. The rate of time deviation (in seconds) between the 2 beats represented the score for each child. The average rate of the 5 rhythmic patterns in each tempo was calculated separately, giving 3 scores (one for every tempo) for each child. Significance was set at p < or = 0.05. The data revealed significant postexercise differences in favor of the experiment group, an improvement of the experiment group in all pre-post values, as well as an improved medium tempo with relation to the control group. The findings show the effectiveness of the specific program in terms of improving rhythm ability, thus indicating its use in educating children with deafness on rhythm instead of preferring the routine of the adapted school program.

Effect of training on the muscle strength and dynamic balance ability of adults with down syndrome.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of training on the muscle strength and dynamic balance ability of adults with Down syndrome (DS). Twenty-five adults with DS were separated into 2 groups. Fifteen subjects (mean age, 24.5 years) constituted the experiment group, whereas 10 subjects (mean age, 24.7 years) were in the control group of the study. Parameters measured were peak torque, isokinetic muscle endurance, and dynamic balance ability. All subjects performed a leg strength test on a Cyber II isokinetic dynamometer. In addition, the subjects' dynamic balance ability was measured by means of a balance deck (Lafayette). The experimental group followed a 12-week training program. As the results indicated, the experimental group showed a statistically significant improvement in all measured values when compared with the control group. It is concluded that adults with DS can improve their physical and kinetic abilities with the application of a systematic and well-designed training program.

Jog-walk training in cardiorespiratory fitness of adults with Down syndrome.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of an aerobic training program on adults with Down syndrome. 25 male adults with Down syndrome (M age = 24.6 yr., [Qs = 45-60) participated in a 12-wk. exercise training study. Subjects were assigned to an experimental group (n = 15) and a control group (n = 10). Pre- and posttraining treadmill tests were performed to determine the following peak physiological parameters: heart rate (HR peak), peak minute ventilation (V(E) peak), peak oxygen consumption (VO2 peak, absolute and relative), and time to exhaustion (min.). The experimental group underwent a 12-wk. interval training program. The control group received no structured exercise training during this period. Following the 12-wk. training program, significant improvements (p < .05) in peak physiological parameters were seen for the experimental group for VO2 peak (both relative and absolute). V(E) peak, and time to exhaustion. No significant improvements in peak physiologic parameters were seen in the control group. Consistent with prior research using similar subjects, we concluded that adults with Down syndrome are able to improve their aerobic capacity when performing a systematic and well-designed aerobic training program.