Rostrum of Asclepius Vol 3, No. 2 (2004): April - June 2004

This article refers to the new forms of maternity according to the newly enacted Law 3089/2002 titled: “Medical Support to the Human Reproduction”. The introduction of this Law was necessary in view of the current developments of the genetic support in accordance with the Greek public order. However, its introduction has resulted in the disagreement and debate among jurists regarding its effective application in a legal and social context. The article critically examines the terms and institutions of human reproduction, the new institution of post mortem artificial fertilization, as well as the role of surrogate mother and the right to privacy and anonymity of the third person, which provides the genetic material.

Keywords: Surrogate motherhood, human fertilization, artificial insimen- tation

Depression during pregnancy and postpartum period affects thousands of women each year. Research findings fluctuate the rates of depression during the different stages of pregnancy from 4-49%, while those of postpartum period from 10-53%.

Keywords: Motherhood, depression, pregnancy, postpartum

This paper deals with the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCO), its pathophysiology and its treatment. An extensive description of the pharmaceutical management of the syndrome follows, with agents that act at different levels, e.g. inhibiting the secretion of the involved hormones from the hypophysis or the adrenals, or blocking the action of the respective hormone receptors. In addition to the pharmaceutical management, hirsutism is treated with methods of permanent epilation such as with the application of electric current, the use of proteolytic enzymes or with Laser, which are described in detail.

Keywords: Acne, hirsutism, obesity, thermolysis, electrolysis, enzymes, Lase

Urgent neurological cases comprise about 5% of all emergencies In a General Hospital like tvangelismos in Athens. During a day-long general hospital duty 60-90 people with neurological problems are examined in this hospital. Only 15-20 of them need urgent therapy and hospitalization. In this review we refer briefly in the main urgent neurological problems like coma, strokes, epilepsy, Guillain-Barre syndrome, myasthenia gravis and meningitis from nursing point of view.

Keywords: Coma, stroke, epilepsy, Guillain-Barre syndrome, myasthenia gravis, meningitis

Recently, increasing attention is being focused on advanced disease care, which includes relief or reduction of symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and retching (NVR). Patients with advanced cancer commonly experience NVR as a result of the malignant process and its treatment. Palliative care is taking a global and holistic approach to all patients. Prechemotherapy preparation and patient education during palliative care are essential in preventing acute and delayed distress from NVR, as well as anticipatory symptoms. Careful assessment of chemotherapy-related symptoms is necessary. Strategies for preventing anticipatory nausea, for instance, may differ significantly from those designed to reduce frequency of vomiting. Management of anticancer treatment-related NVR should incorporate both pharmacologic and alternative therapies, whenever appropriate, with the overall goal of improving and/or maintaining the patient's quality of life.

Keywords: Nausea, vomiting, retching, palliative care, pharmacologic therapies, alternative therapies

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This study examines the impact of Boston brace treatment on the perception of stress, of scoliosis adolescents living in Athens, Greece. Material-Methods One hundred fifty braced scoliosis adolescents 12-18 years old, from the 5th Orthopaedic Clinic of the KAT Hospital in Athens and a control group of 150 healthy controls were interviewed for exploring the impact of bracing on the perception of stress. A self-administrated questionnaire was used. The first part of the questionnaire included questions on demographic, socio-economic characteristics, on scoliosis and brace treatment and the second part included the Piers- Harris scale. Data were analyzed with the SPSS/PC+software using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test. Statistical significance was set at P=0.05 or less. Results The analysis of the results revealed that scoliosis subjects experienced more stress (P=0.0389) in comparison to the subjects in the control group. Conclusions A 5% of the scoliosis subjects had some opportunities to discuss their problems with health professionals, while 90% of them stated that they wanted to have opportunities to do this.

Keywords: Scoliosis, Boston brace, perception, stress