Beliefs and practices of Greek doctors in relation to patients' adherence to antihypertensive medication.

Although it has been proven that decreasing the arterial blood pressure decreases cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, <25% of hypertensive patients receiving antihypertensive treatment achieve target values, which are mainly attributed to failure of the patients to comply to treatment. Ensuring patient compliance to antihypertensive treatment, to prevent the development of hypertension-associated complications, has proven to be challenging in several countries. The aim of the present study was to investigate the knowledge, perceptions and practices applied by doctors treating hypertensive patients regarding patient compliance to the prescribed treatment. We also aimed to assess the possible barriers physicians face to using reinforcement methods and currently available guidelines. A total of 202 doctors from the Serres and Drama prefectures of Greece participated in this study. The data collection comprised a quantitative method questionnaire and the data were processed using Stata 8.0 statistical software. The results demonstrated that 84.7% of the participating doctors do not use the current guidelines for compliance, whereas only 10.1% have consultations lasting >15 min when discussing the medication with their patients. In addition, the majority (84.7%) of the doctors do not practice peer mentoring and consider the most effective interventions to be providing information and discussing the medication with their patients. In conclusion, the level of patient compliance to antihypertensive medication is unsatisfactory and the main reason is considered to be the non-use of guidelines by the treating physicians. Patients may benefit from further education of health professionals in this field.

Bleomycin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates.

Among clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus tested for resistance to the antibiotic bleomycin, 197 were found to be resistant; most of them were also resistant to tobramycin and contained plasmids. DNA dot-blot hybridization analysis of the bleomycin resistant isolates with an 171 bp probe derived from the plasmid pUB110 indicated that 43 strains (22%) carried pUB110-like bleomycin resistance DNA sequences. Analysis of bacterial cell lysates derived from the bleomycin resistant isolates indicated that many contained bleomycin-binding properties (BBP), that prevent DNA damage by the antibiotic. Of 13 strains that were analysed by DNA gel electrophoresis and Southern blot DNA hybridization, six were found to carry pUB110-like bleomycin resistance DNA sequences. These studies indicate that there may be more than one genetic determinant for bleomycin resistance in S. aureus whose DNA is protected.