About Our Research

The Respiratory Physiology Laboratory is equipped with Spirometers (Vitalograph), a Nitrogen Multiple Breath Washout System (Ecomedics EXHALYZER D), a pulse oximeter, one non-portable (Ecomedics CLD 88sp) and 2 portable (NIOX MINO and NIOX VERO) devices for the measurement of exhaled bronchial and nasal NO, 24-hour oesophageal High Resolution Manometry and pH monitoring system (MMS-Ohmega). Also, the laboratory has access to a ZEISS AxioPhot microscope with a Linkam DC-60 heating plate and a High Speed Video microscopy system (SAVA system, Basler scA640).

Through its collaboration with the Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Embryology, the laboratory has access to Air Liquid Interface (ALI) respiratory epithelial cell cultures (using a Memmert ICO 150 CO2 incubator) that allows for a better characterisation of cilia motility. Finally, through its collaboration with the Department of Electron Microscopy/Molecular Pathology of the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, there is access to a JEOL-JEM 1010 Transmission Electron Microscope for the study of cilia ultrastructure.

The research objectives of the Respiratory Physiology Laboratory include:

  1. The development of innovative research in the fields of diagnostics, prophylaxis and treatment of the respiratory diseases as well as in environmental and public health.
  2. The study of the diagnostic approach of chronic and inherited respiratory diseases, such as: Asthma, Cystic Fibrosis and Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia.
  3. The conduction of research programs in environmental and public health with emphasis in epidemiology of Asthma along with comorbidities like obesity and Vitamin D deficiency and the tackling of the health effects due to the desert dust storm episodes.
  4. The participation in international studies for respiratory diseases and for environmental and public health and the collaboration with other academic and research institutes in Cyprus and abroad.

Projects

List of some of the Respiratory Physiology Laboratory projects
  1. Motile ciliopathies: Understanding the molecular basis and introducing new technologies towards diagnosis and treatment. Project Acronym: PCD (Funded by Research Promotion Foundation (Sustainable RTDI System, Excellence Hubs, RESTART 2016-2020)
  2. Ciliary Adhesions and their role in Ciliogenesis and Ciliary function. Project Acronym: CILIA (Funded by Research Promotion Foundation (Sustainable RTDI System, Excellence Hubs, RESTART 2016-2020)
  3. Biometeorological Aspect of Thermal environment and Health: impacts on public health and on special populations to improve the quality of life and tourism sustainability. Project Acronym: BeAT Heat (Funded by Research Promotion Foundation (Sustainable RTDI System, Excellence Hubs, RESTART 2016-2020)
  4. Mitigating the Health Effects of Desert Dust Storms through Exposure Reduction Approaches. Project Acronym: LIFE-MEDEA (Funded by European Union's LIFE programme under Grant Agreement LIFE16 CCA/CY/000041)

Access to project can be found here: https://www.life-medea.eu/

  1. Better Experimental Screening and Treatment for Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia. Project Acronym: BESTCILIA (Funded by European Union's FP7 HEALTH.2012.2.4.4-2 Observational trials in rare diseases)

Access to project can be found here: http://bestcilia.eu/

  1. Translational Research in Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia - Bench, Bedside, and Population Perspectives. Project Acronym: BEAT-PCD (Funded by European Program COST Project: oc-2014-1-19034 - BM1407)

Access to project can be found here: http://www.beatpcd.org/

Publications

Selected publications from our lab are available below

Ioannou, P., Kouis, P., Kakkoura, G.M., Kaliva, M., Toliopoulou, A., Andreou, K., Behan, L., Lucas, J.S., Papanikolaou, V., Charalambous, G., Middleton, N., Yiallouros, P.K. (2020). Health related quality of life in adult primary Ciliary dyskinesia patients in Cyprus: development and validation of the Greek version of the QOL-PCD questionnaire. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 18. (105).

Kouis, P., Papatheodorou, S. I., Middleton, N., Giallouros, G., Kyriacou, K., Cohen, J. T., Evans, J.S., Yiallouros, P. K. (2019). Cost-effectiveness analysis of three algorithms for diagnosing primary ciliary dyskinesia: a simulation study. Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases, 14(1), 142.

Yiallouros, P. K., Kouis, P., Pirpa, P., Michailidou, K., Loizidou, M. A., Potamiti, L., et al. (2019). Wide phenotypic variability in RSPH9-associated primary ciliary dyskinesia: Review of a case-series from Cyprus. Journal of Thoracic Disease, 3(2).

Menditto, E., Costa, E., Midão, L., Bosnic‐Anticevich, S., Novellino, E., Bialek, S., et al. (2019). Adherence to treatment in allergic rhinitis using mobile technology. the MASK study. Clinical & Experimental Allergy,49 (4): 442-460. doi: 10.1111/cea.13333.

Bousquet, J., Hellings, P. W., Agache, I., Amat, F., Annesi-Maesano, I., Ansotegui, I. J., et al. (2019). Allergic rhinitis and its impact on asthma (ARIA) phase 4 (2018): Change management in allergic rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity using mobile technology. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 143(3), 864-879. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2018.08.049.

Lucas, J. S., Gahleitner, F., Amorim, A., Boon, M., Brown, P., Constant, C., et al. (2019). Pulmonary exacerbations in patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia: An expert consensus definition for use in clinical trials. ERJ Open Research, 5(1), 00147-2018. doi: 10.1183/23120541.00147-2018.

Kouis, P., Kakkoura, M., Ziogas, K., Paschalidou, A. Κ., & Papatheodorou, S. I. (2019). The effect of ambient air temperature on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality in Thessaloniki, Greece. Science of the Total Environment, 647, 1351-1358. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.106.

Bosnic‐Anticevich, S., Costa, E., Menditto, E., Lourenço, O., Novellino, E., Bialek, S., et al. (2018). Aria pharmacy 2018 “Allergic rhinitis care pathways for community pharmacy”. Allergy, 2018 doi: 10.1111/all.13701.

Bousquet, J., Arnavielhe, S., Bedbrook, A., Bewick, M., Laune, D., Mathieu-Dupas, E., et al. (2018). MASK 2017: ARIA digitally-enabled, integrated, person-centred care for rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity using real-world-evidence. Clinical and Translational Allergy, 8(1), 45. doi: 10.1186/s13601-018-0227-6.

Kouis, P., Hadjisavvas, A., Middleton, N., Papatheodorou, S. I., Kyriacou, K., & Yiallouros, P. K. (2018). The effect of l-arginine on ciliary beat frequency in PCD patients, non-PCD respiratory patients and healthy controls. Pulmonary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 48, 15-21. doi: 10.1016/j.pupt.2017.10.010.

Stylianou-Riga, P., Kouis, P., Kinni, P., Rigas, A., Papadouri, T., Yiallouros, P. K., et al. (2018). Maternal socioeconomic factors and the risk of premature birth and low birth weight in cyprus: A case–control study. Reproductive Health, 15(1), 157. doi: 10.1186/s12978-018-0603-7.

Halbeisen, F. S., Goutaki, M., Spycher, B. D., Amirav, I., Behan, L., Boon, M., et al. (2018). Lung function in patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia: An iPCD cohort study. The European Respiratory Journal, 52(2), doi: 10.1183/13993003.01040-2018.

Werner, C., & Kouis, P. (2017). Should transmission electron microscopy and ultrastructural cilia evaluation remain part of the diagnostic work-up for primary ciliary dyskinesia? Ultrastructural Pathology, 41(6), 386-389. doi: 10.1080/01913123.2017.

Goutaki, M., Halbeisen, F. S., Spycher, B. D., Maurer, E., Belle, F., Amirav, I., et al. (2017). Growth and nutritional status, and their association with lung function: A study from the international primary ciliary dyskinesia cohort. The European Respiratory Journal, 50(6), 10.1183/13993003.01659-2017. doi:1701659.

Abarca-Gómez, L., Abdeen, Z. A., Hamid, Z. A., Abu-Rmeileh, N. M., Acosta-Cazares, B., Acuin, C., et al. (2017). Worldwide trends in body-mass index, underweight, overweight, and obesity from 1975 to 2016: A pooled analysis of 2416 population-based measurement studies in 128· 9 million children, adolescents, and adults. The Lancet, 390(10113), 2627-2642. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32129-3.

Bousquet, J., Bewick, M., Cano, A., Eklund, P., Fico, G., Goswami, N., et al. (2017). Building bridges for innovation in ageing: Synergies between action groups of the EIP on AHA. The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, 21(1), 92-104. doi: 10.1007/s12603-016-0803-1.

Hellings, P. W., Fokkens, W. J., Bachert, C., Akdis, C. A., Bieber, T., Agache, I., et al. (2017). Positioning the principles of precision medicine in care pathways for allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis–A EUFOREA‐ARIA‐EPOS‐AIRWAYS ICP statement. Allergy, 72(9), 1297-1305. doi: 10.1111/all.13162.

Kouis, P., Yiallouros, P. K., Middleton, N., Evans, J. S., Kyriacou, K., & Papatheodorou, S. I. (2017). Prevalence of primary ciliary dyskinesia in consecutive referrals of suspect cases and the transmission electron microscopy detection rate: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Pediatric Research, 81(3), 398-405. doi: 10.1038/pr.2016.263.

Kyriacou, K., Yiallouros, P. K., Kouis, P., Papatheodorou, S., & Omran, H. (2017). Better experimental screening and treatment for primary ciliary dyskinesia: The FP7 BESTCILIA project. Ultrastructural Pathology, 41(1), 110-112. doi: 10.1080/01913123.2016.

Bousquet, J., Hellings, P., Agache, I., Bedbrook, A., Bachert, C., Bergmann, K., et al. (2016). ARIA 2016: Care pathways implementing emerging technologies for predictive medicine in rhinitis and asthma across the life cycle. Clinical and Translational Allergy, 6(1), 47. doi: 10.1186/s13601-016-0137-4.

Rubbo, B., Behan, L., Dehlink, E., Goutaki, M., Hogg, C., Kouis, P., et al. (2016). Proceedings of the COST action BM1407 inaugural conference BEAT-PCD: Translational research in primary ciliary dyskinesia-bench, bedside, and population perspectives. Paper presented at the BMC Proceedings, , 10. (9) pp. 66. doi: 10.1186/s12919-016-0067-0.

Yiallouros, P. K., Kouis, P., Kolokotroni, O., Youhanna, S., Savva, S. C., Dima, K., et al. (2016). Shared genetic variants between serum levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and wheezing in a cohort of children from Cyprus. Italian Journal of Pediatrics, 42(1), 67. doi: 10.1186/s13052-016-0276-1.

NCD Risk Factor Collaboration. (2016). Trends in adult body-mass index in 200 countries from 1975 to 2014: A pooled analysis of 1698 population-based measurement studies with 19· 2 million participants. The Lancet, 387(10026), 1377-1396. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30054-X.

Bousquet, J., Farrell, J., Crooks, G., Hellings, P., Bel, E., Bewick, M., et al. (2016). Scaling up strategies of the chronic respiratory disease programme of the european innovation partnership on active and healthy ageing (action plan B3: Area 5). Clinical and Translational Allergy, 6(1), 29. doi: 10.1186/s13601-016-0135-6.

Kouis, P., Papatheodorou, S. I., & Yiallouros, P. K. (2015). Diagnostic accuracy of nasal nitric oxide for establishing diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia: A meta-analysis. BMC Pulmonary Medicine, 15(1), 153. doi: 10.1186/s12890-015-0147-3.

Papadopoulou, A., Kouis, P., Middleton, N., Kolokotroni, O., Karpathios, T., Nicolaidou, P., et al. (2015). Association of vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and vitamin D levels with asthma and atopy in Cypriot adolescents: A case–control study. Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine, 10(1), 26. doi: 10.1186/s40248-015-0025-0.

Yiallouros, P. K., Kouis, P., Middleton, N., Nearchou, M., Adamidi, T., Georgiou, A., et al. (2015). Clinical features of primary ciliary dyskinesia in cyprus with emphasis on lobectomized patients. Respiratory Medicine, 109(3), 347-356. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2015.01.015.

Yiallouros, P. K., Savva, S. C., Kolokotroni, O., Dima, K., Zerva, A., Kouis, P., et al. (2014). Asthma: The role of low high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol in childhood and adolescence. International Archives of Allergy and Immunology, 165(2), 91-99. doi: 10.1159/000368405.

 

Presentations

Selected presentations from our lab are available below
Effect of PM2.5 and regulatory thresholds on all-cause mortality among active commuters in two mega-cities
Comparison of diagnostic accuracy between the chemiluminescence and electrochemical methods for nasal nitric oxide measurements in PCD
Development and psychometric validation of the Greek version of the adult QOL PCD questionnaire: preliminary results
Clinical Spectrum of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia patients with RSPH9 gene mutations: a case series

PRESS

Selected press releases from our lab are shown below
Newspiece for the establishment of the Cystic Fibrosis Cyprus Association
Interview on the kick-off of the LIFE MEDEA Project at Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation
Politis newspaper article regarding the increase in Desert Dust Episodes in Cyprus