Το τέταρτο κύμα της πανδημίας Covid-19 είναι σε έξαρση, ενώ η πορεία των εμβολιασμών εξελίσσεται με μάλλον βραδείς ρυθμούς. Σημαντική μερίδα της κοινωνίας προβληματίζεται να υιοθετήσει τις επιστημονικές οδηγίες για ανάπτυξη του επιθυμητού τείχους ανοσίας. Η παρατηρούμενη εμβολιαστική διστακτικότητα αποδίδεται κατά κύριο λόγο σε φόβο, αλλά και σε σύγχυση που…

World Immunization Week 2021 bears a special importance and particular significance as the world navigates through the waves of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Looking back in the emergence of COVID-19 in the early rise of 2020, the global community, and especially so biomedical engineers and health scientists, wishing we already had a vaccine,…

According to the Hellenic Statistical Authority data, an impressive smoking decrease has been documented in Greece during the decade 2009-2019. More specifically, in September 2019 smoking prevalence among adult population was 24.9% for daily smokers (more than one cigarette per day) and 3.7% for occasional smokers (less than 7 cigarettes…

Smoking is associated with COVID-19, by enabling the spreading of the virus and making the human organism more susceptible to the virus. Use of tobacco and novel tobacco products increases: hand – mouth contact by 200 times/day hand contact with potentially infectious objects (cigarette packet, lighter, ash trays, vaping devices…)…

Air pollution refers to the mixture of gaseous and solid substances that contaminate the atmospheric air including: ozone (O3), nitrogen oxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), biological molecules and particulate matter (PM). Particulate matter and particularly the smaller inhalable particles of 2.5 microns or less in diameter (PM2.5), are the main…

HIV & AIDS The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a retrovirus originating from the chimpanzee Simian Immunodeficiency Virus ( SIV) that initially passed to humans  who were exposed to infected chimpanzee blood, while hunting them in central Africa, as early as in late 1800’s. Since then, the virus spread across…

What is COPD? According to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) global strategy for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 2018 report, “Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common, preventable and treatable disease that is characterized by persistent respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation that is due…

12th of November has been established as World Pneumonia day since 2009 aiming to increase awareness on pneumonia, one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality especially in children and the elderly. What is Pneumonia? Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs especially affecting the alveoli that fill with…

Cancer is a generic term for a group of diseases which can affect any body organ or system characterized by rapid, uncontrollable and abnormal cell growth and division, as well as the ability to spread throughout the body (metastasis). The cancer is usually named after the organ where it started from,…

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that mainly affect the respiratory system. The severity of illness they cause ranges from a common cold to very serious and even fatal respiratory infections. Symptoms include cough, shortness of breath and high fever, whereas in some severe cases and depending on the virus…