George Chrousos

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens | uoa · First Dept. Pediatrics

Cytosolic dsDNAs are potent immune-stimulatory molecules that trigger inflammation in several human pathologies. A major pathway for the detection of cytosolic dsDNA relies on the cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) synthase (cGAS) that produces the 2′3′-cGAMP cyclic dinucleotide (CDN) for activation of the Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) adaptor protein...

Bioinformatics and artificial intelligence (AI) have emerged as transformative tools in modern medicine, revolutionizing the landscape of medical diagnosis and treatment. Herein, we provide an overview of the synergistic relationship between bioinformatics and AI, elucidating their pivotal roles in deciphering complex biological data and advancing...

Introduction The term “Mediterranean lifestyle” has gained increasing prominence in recent years, yet a specific definition remains elusive. In response, the Mediterranean Lifestyle Medicine Institute Board of Directors convened a multidisciplinary panel comprising international experts and leaders in lifestyle medicine. Their goal was to review ex...

Background Hypocortisolemia is associated with increased expression of NR3C1 (glucocorticoid receptor, GR) in blood cells. As endogenous cortisol production is decreased in some RA patients, we tested the hypothesis that GR may be aberrantly expressed in rheumatoid synovium. Methods We defined the cellular pattern of NR3C1 synovial expression usin...

Exosomes, natural nanovesicles that contain a cargo of biologically active molecules such as lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, are released from cells to the extracellular environment. They then act as autocrine, paracrine, or endocrine mediators of communication between cells by delivering their cargo into recipient cells and causing downstream...

Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), in addition to the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone axis, is a potent aldosterone stimulator, suggesting a potential contribution to conditions associated with increased ACTH concentrations. This study aims to systematically review and synthesize the scientific evidence of alterations of plasma aldosterone concentra...

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a highly prevalent and aggressive malignancy, with mortality rates reaching 60%, mainly due to its excessive diagnostic delay. MiRNAs, a class of crucial epigenetic gene-expression regulators, have emerged as potential diagnostic biomarkers, with >200 molecules exhibiting expressional dysregulation in OSCC. We...

Obesity, a chronic, preventable disease, has significant comorbidities that are associated with a great human and financial cost for society. The aim of the present work is to reconstruct the interactomes of non-hereditary obesity to highlight recent advances of its pathogenesis, and discover potential therapeutic targets. Obesity and biological-cl...

Milk is a biological fluid with a dynamic composition of micronutrients and bioactive molecules that serves as a vital nutrient source for infants. Milk composition is affected by multiple factors, including genetics, geographical location, environmental conditions, lactation phase, and maternal nutrition, and plays a key role in dictating its micr...

Introduction: A plethora of biological molecules regulate chondrogenesis in the epiphyseal growth plate. Disruptions of the quantity and function of these molecules can manifest clinically as stature abnormalities of various etiologies. Traditionally, the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) axis represents the etiological centre of f...

A link between chronic stress and Parkinson’s disease (PD) pathogenesis is emerging. Ample evidence demonstrates that the presynaptic neuronal protein alpha-synuclein (asyn) is closely tied to PD pathogenesis. However, it is not known whether stress system dysfunction is present in PD, if asyn is involved, and if, together, they contribute to neuro...

Background Intact signaling of cortisol through the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in synovial cells is essential for the suppression of experimental inflammatory arthritis [1]. On the other hand, blood cells overexpress NR3C1, the gene encoding the GR, during hypocortisolemia [2], while lower circulating cortisol levels in patients with rheumatoid a...

The impact of HLA-DRB1 alleles in a Hellenic, Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis cohort: Implications on clinical and neuroimaging profile

Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis (POMS) is considered a complex disease entity and several genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors have been associated with disease pathogenesis. Linkage studies in Caucasians have consistently suggested the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) polymorphisms, as the genetic locus most strongly linked to MS, with the...

Exosomes, natural nanovesicles that contain a cargo of biologically active molecules such as lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, are released from cells to the extracellular environment. They then act as autocrine, paracrine, or endocrine mediators of communication between cells by delivering their cargo into recipient cells and causing downstream...

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a highly prevalent and aggressive malignancy, with mortality rates that reach 60%, mainly due to an excessive diagnostic delay. MiRNAs, a class of crucial epigenetic gene-expression regulators, have emerged as potential diagnostic biomarkers, with >200 molecules reported to be dysregulated in OSCC. We had prev...

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a heterogeneous group of lipid-bound vesicles released by cells into the extracellular space. EVs are an important mediator of intercellular communications and carry a wide variety of molecules that exert a biological function, such as lipids, nucleic acids, proteins, ions, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Extracel...

Breast milk, often referred to as "liquid gold," is a complex biofluid that provides essential nutrients, immune factors, and developmental cues for newborns. Recent advancements in the field of exosome research have shed light on the critical role of exosomes in breast milk. Exosomes are nanosized vesicles that carry bioactive molecules, including...

Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression that occur without changes to the underlying DNA sequence. Epigenetic modifications can include DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs, among others. These modifications can influence the expression of genes by altering the way DNA is packaged and accessed by tran...

Introduction: A plethora of biological molecules regulate chondrogenesis in the epiphyseal growth plate. Disruptions of quantity and function of these molecules can manifest clinically as stature abnormalities of various etiologies. Traditionally, the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) axis represents the etiological center of final...

Background: Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (FGIDs) present a higher prevalence in individuals with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDDs). The Stress System and the Gut–Brain axis (GBA) may mediate these relations. We aimed to assess the prevalence and profile of FGIDs in a clinical sample of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Att...

Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is a type of cardiomyopathy usually precipitated by either emotional or physical stress and potentially leading to reversible heart failure. There is emerging evidence indicating an interaction between the brain and the heart in patients with TTS. Nevertheless, these new insights are not reflected in the current clinical ap...

The evolutionary conserved Notch signaling pathway functions as a mediator of direct cell–cell communication between neighboring cells during development. Notch plays a crucial role in various fundamental biological processes in a wide range of tissues. Accordingly, the aberrant signaling of this pathway underlies multiple genetic pathologies such...

Infantile onset transient hypomyelination (IOTH) is a rare form of leukodystrophy that is associated with transient motor impairment and delayed central nervous system myelination. Here, we report a case of a new mutation in the transmembrane protein 63A (TMEM63A) gene identified using Whole-Exome Sequencing (WES) in an 8.5-year-old boy with clinic...

Ancient Greek medicine, influenced by religion, attributed disease to divine forces and developed treatments based on faith and the placebo phenomenon. Ancient Greek Medicine, beginning with Hippocrates, was influenced by the pre‑Socratic natural philosophers and was based solely on evidence and the use of reason. Hippocrates employed the doc...

Background Heatwaves represent the main indices of climate change, while mortality is one of the established markers of their human effects. For unknown reasons populations adapt to temperature variations/challenges differently. Thus, to allow better precision and prediction, heatwave evaluations should be enriched by historical context and local d...

Aim: After the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic and the realization of mass vaccination against the virus, the availability of a reliable, rapid, and easy-to-use system for registering the individual anti-S1 antibody titer could facilitate the personalized assessment of the need for booster vaccine doses and the...

Corticotropin-releasing factor or hormone (CRF or CRH) and the urocortins regulate a plethora of physiological functions and are involved in many pathophysiological processes. CRF and urocortins belong to the family of CRF peptides (CRF family), which includes sauvagine, urotensin, and many synthetic peptide and non-peptide CRF analogs. Several of...

Premature ovarian failure (POF) defines the occurrence of ovarian failure prior to the age of 40. It occurs in one out of 100 women but is very rare before age 20 (1:10,000). Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY), caused by mutations in the HNF1A gene, is also a rare disorder; all types of MODY account for 1–2% of adult diabetic cases. These...

Objectives A reduced adrenal reserve-associated cortisol production relative to the enhanced needs of chronic inflammation ( disproportion principle ) has been observed in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We examined the possible clinical value of diurnal cortisol measurements in active RA on treatment response prediction. Methods Diurnal cortisol produ...

We found that 19 (10.4%) of 183 unvaccinated children hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia had autoantibodies (auto-Abs) neutralizing type I IFNs (IFN-α2 in 10 patients: IFN-α2 only in three, IFN-α2 plus IFN-ω in five, and IFN-α2, IFN-ω plus IFN-β in two; IFN-ω only in nine patients). Seven children (3.8%) had Abs neutralizing at least 10 ng/ml of o...

BACKGROUND Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the central nervous system, often leading to poor sleep quality and diminished quality of life (QoL) for affected patients. Sleep disturbances in MS do not always correlate linearly with other symptoms such as anxiety, depression, fatigue, or pain. Various approaches, in...

Background: The intricate relation between maternal stress and preterm birth remains a critical area of research. This abstract illuminates key findings from a systematic review that elucidates how psychosocial stress may drive preterm deliveries. Methods: A systematic review was carried out, examining studies published from 2003-2023. Pertinent...

In the last half-century, understanding pro- and antiinflammatory actions as opposite biological effects (“a tug of war”) has become obsolete. • Rather, emerging evidence suggests a more complex relation between pro- and antiinflammatory actions, with complementary coregulation (dualism), respectively, between the glucocorticoid (GC)- activated glu...

In critical illness, glucocorticoid (GC) receptor alpha (GC-GRα) regulatory and coregulatory actions are associated with an enormous bioenergetic and metabolic cost, and GC-GRα’s function is codependent with (i) mitochondrial cell bioenergetic and adaptation functions and (ii) reserves of essential micronutrients. ° Crosstalk between neuroendocrine...

The human microbiome plays an integral role in health. In particular, it is important for the development, differentiation and maturation of the immune system, 70% of which resides in the intestinal mucosa. Microbiome studies conducted to date have revealed an association between disturbances in the microbiota (dysbiosis) and various pathological d...

Disclosure: N. Papadopoulou: None. M. Arkoumani: None. I. Papassotiriou: None. A. Mantzou: None. G.P. Chrousos: None. N. Tentolouris: None. C. Kanaka-Gantenbein: None. Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a frequent autoimmune disease in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood and may cause microvascular complications. Several studies have shown that increa...

Disclosure: N. Papadopoulou-Marketou: None. A. Papageorgiou: None. G. Vavetsis: None. T. Panagiotis: None. G.P. Chrousos: None. Introduction: Osteoporosis is a chronic condition characterized by a decrease in bone density and deterioration of microarchitecture. It has been associated with a high bone-fracture risk, an increased mortality, and vast...

Gout is a chronic disease frequently associated with lifestyle; its prevalence is increasing in Western societies, as well as in the Middle East. Apart from its partial genetic features, diet accounts for 12% of the causality of the disease, while purine-rich foods contribute decisively to its development and evaluation. The influential Persian phy...

Background: The immunological responses to exercise and the corresponding adaptations in high-level sports have become an important issue, from both the health and the physical performance points of view. A better understanding of the immune responses to exercise and chronic exercise training may benefit athletes and improve physical performance an...

Stress is a state of disrupted homeostasis, triggered by intrinsic or extrinsic factors, the stressors, which are counteracted by various physiological and behavioural adaptive responses. Stress has been linked to cancer development and incidence for decades; however, epidemiological studies and clinical trials have yielded contradictory results. T...

More than 30 years ago, in discussions with the late Wylie Vale and other colleagues, we raised the potential usefulness of an oral, micromolecular corticotropin-releasing hormone or factor (CRH or CRF) antagonist in a long series of disorders characterized by increased CRH secretion, with one of them being classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (C...

There have been numerous attempts to establish a correlation between obesity and stress, inflammatory, and dysmetabolism biomarkers in children and adolescents. Here, we performed a meta-analysis of existing studies to shed light on the elusive correlations of childhood and adolescent obesity with physiological indicators of stress, inflammation, a...

Occupational burnout is particularly widespread amongst surgical professionals. During the past 10 years, both the awareness and the ability to reliably measure and classify "burnout" in medical professionals have increased. The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize the current evidence on the burnout levels of general surgeons. Online...

Evidence is limited regarding the effects of holistic programs on work-related stress, anxiety, and depressive symptomatology. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the Pythagorean Self-Awareness Intervention (PSAI) on stress and mental health characteristics of civil servants in Crete, Greece. This was a single arm interventional study with...

Stress is common in childhood and an important factor that affects behavior later in adulthood. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of the Pythagorean Self-Awareness Intervention (PSAI), a holistic "cognitive reconstruction" technique to assess primary school children's stress levels, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, and body mass i...

Both shame and guilt are self-conscious negative emotions claiming self-representations and self-awareness. Growing evidence indicates that these pessimistic emotions are associated to stress and stress-related disorders. The aim of this study was to translate and investigate the validity and reliability of the State Shame and Guilt Scale (SSGS) in...

Aroma extracts from plant species have been utilized since ancient times for a variety of discomforting circumstances. Aromatherapy is a recognized complementary therapeutic treatment performed in various ways such as massage or dermal application, with its main uses involving relaxation, pain relief, and stress management. Several studies have out...

This article provides a systematic review of studies evaluating the effect of meditation on the Default Mode Network (DMN). The review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. A literature search of PubMed, Scopus, and Embase was conducted up to June 2020. Search terms included default mode network or DMN and meditation. A total of 306 article...

Many studies have shown the effect of dance to the brain. It seems that long-term practice modulates brain plasticity and visuomotor skills, as it activates the Action Observation Network (AON). The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate potential differences in the brain activity (visuomotor skills) between professional dancers and non-danc...

Higher education's expectations place demands on students' attainment, leading them to experience stress and anxiety, which negatively affect their academic improvement and life satisfaction. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate (a) if mindfulness as an inner ability is related to academic attainment, through dependent variables, in...

The purpose of this research study was to obtain greater insight into the associations of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and trauma-exposed experiences with the development of offending behavior in adolescents. Using the PubMed and Scopus databases, we performed a systematic review of recent cross-sectional studies between 2016 and 2022, inv...

Despite ample experimental data indicating a role of inflammatory mediators in the behavioral and neurobiological manifestations elicited by exposure to physical and psychologic stressors, causative associations between systemic low-grade inflammation and central nervous system inflammatory processes in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients...

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most prevalent human malignancies and a global health concern with a poor prognosis despite some therapeutic advances, highlighting the need for a better understanding of its molecular etiology. The genomic landscape of OSCC is well-established and recent research has focused on miRNAs, which regula...

Introduction: The intake of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and specific antagonists of angiotensin II receptors, widely used as antihypertensive drugs, significantly reduces the risk of developing basal cell carcinoma (BCC), highlighting the possible tumorigenic role of angiotensin II (AngII). We present here the investigated genet...

TANK-binding kinase 1 protein (TBK1) is a kinase that belongs to the IκB (IKK) family. TBK1, also known as T2K, FTDALS4, NAK, IIAE8, and NF-κB, is responsible for the phosphorylation of the amino acid residues, serine and threonine. This enzyme is involved in various key biological processes, including interferon activation and production, homeosta...

Breast milk is the ideal food for the premature and mature babies and has undoubtedly immediate and ultimate benefits. Among other things, it protects against infections, reduces the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis and retinopathy of the premature babies, improves neurodevelopmental outcome, and reduces the risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome...

Exploring the origin of plastids is an interesting theme for study because it enhances our knowledge of the basis of photosynthesis in flora. Plastids, which are organelles, are actually the major sites of photosynthesis in eukaryotic cells. Plastids are also every chloroplast which contains cytoplasmic organelles, enabling the harvesting and conve...

Introduction: Ectodermal dysplasias are a group of >200 clinically and congenitally heterogeneous disorders characterized by abnormal development in the ectodermal structures, such as hair, nails, teeth, and sweat glands. We report here the clinical and molecular genetic analysis of five Greek families with different types of ectodermal dysplasia...

Mental disorders are strongly connected with several psychiatric conditions including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, eating disorder, and suicides. There are many biological conditions and pathways that define these complicated illnesses. For example, eating disorders are complex mental health conditions that require the intervention...

Craniofacial development is a complex process involving several signaling pathways, including the one regulated by the TGF-beta (TGF-β) superfamily of growth factors. Isoforms of TGF-β play a vital part in embryonic development, notably in craniofacial patterning. Consequently, pathogenic variants in their coding genes may result in a variety of or...

All living organisms have been programmed to maintain a complex inner equilibrium called homeostasis, despite numerous adversities during their lifespan. Any threatening or perceived as such stimuli for homeostasis is termed a stressor, and a highly conserved response system called the stress response system has been developed to cope with these st...

SARS-CoV-2 is a coronavirus responsible for one of the most serious, modern worldwide pandemics, with lasting and multifaceted effects. By late 2021, SARS-CoV-2 has infected more than 180 million people and has killed more than 3 million. The virus gains entrance to human cells through binding to ACE2 via its surface spike protein and causes a comp...

Objective: Synthesis of functional MRI (fMRI) and functional connectivity (FC) analysis data on human stress system (SS) function, as it relates to the dynamic function of the Salience (SN), Default Mode (DMN) and Central Executive (CEN) networks. Methods: Systematic search of Medline, Scopus, Clinical Trials.gov, and Google Scholar databases of...

Cognitive and behavioral disorders are subgroups of mental health disorders. Both cognitive and behavioral disorders can occur in people of different ages, genders, and social backgrounds, and they can cause serious physical, mental, or social problems. The risk factors for these diseases are numerous, with a range from genetic and epigenetic facto...

The dramatic fluctuations in the energy demands of living organisms by the rhythmic succession of night and day on our planet has prompted a geophysical evolutionary need for a biological temporal organization necessary for maintenance of homeostasis and adaptation to environmental changes across phylogeny. The intrinsic circadian system (CS) repre...

Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) are multipotent neural stem cells (NSCs) capable of self-renewing and differentiating into neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. In the postnatal/adult brain, NPCs are primarily located in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricles (LVs) and subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG)...

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most prevalent human malignancies and a global health concern with a poor prognosis despite therapeutic advances, highlighting the need for a better understanding of its molecular background. The genomic landscape of OSCC is well-established and recent research has focused on miRNAs, which regulate...

Glucocorticoids were named by Hans Hugo Bruno Selye, the modern father of stress concepts, for their important role in glucose metabolism [...]

Ewing sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that develops in the bones and soft tissues. Drug therapy represents an extensively used modality for the treatment of sarcomas. However, cancer cells tend to develop resistance to antineoplastic agents, thereby posing a major barrier in treatment effectiveness. Thus, there is a need to uncover the molecular m...

Ankyloblepharon-ectodermal defects-cleft lip/palate (AEC) syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant disorder. AEC is caused by mutations in the TP63 gene that encodes the tumor suppressor p63 protein, itself involved in the regulation of epidermal proliferation, development, and differentiation. We present here a typical AEC case of a four-year-old gir...

Cafe-au-lait macules are the most distinctive clinical finding in neurofibromatosis type I. The aim of this prospective study of Greek children diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type I was to describe the dermatological phenotype and to analyse the characteristics of cafe-au-lait macules and their association with genotype. Pigment intensity and mel...

Background & objective The study aimed to assess the total prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs), and separately, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) among adults and to determine their potential association with fructose consumption. Materials & Methods Data from the Hellenic National Nutrition and Health Survey (HNNHS) were incl...

Healthy eating has gained ground in people's daily lives in modern society. However, an overwhelming preoccupation with healthy eating can lead to a pathological form setting the ground for orthorexia nervosa. This study aimed to validate the Greek version of the Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ) in adults 18 to 65 years old. The EHQ evaluates orth...

Many people are worried about their social appearance. The fear of negative evaluation and judgment regarding one’s look in social circumstances is referred to as social appearance anxiety. Social appearance anxiety belongs to social anxiety. The aim of the present study was to validate the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS) in the Greek langua...