Nikos Athanasou (born in 1953) is a

short story writer A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

and musculoskeletal pathologist and scientist. He was born in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

and grew up in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

where he studied medicine. He moved to England and is currently Professor of Musculoskeletal Pathology at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and a Fellow of

Wadham College Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...

Short story writer and novelist

His collection of twenty short stories ''Hybrids'' was published in 1995. These character-based short stories dealt with the sense of dislocation felt by

Greek Australian Greek Australians ( el, Ελληνοαυστραλοί, ) are Australians of Greek ancestry. Greek Australians are one of the largest groups within the global Greek diaspora. As per the 2021 census, 424,750 people stated that they had Greek an ...

s and Greeks in Australia who see themselves as neither wholly Greek nor Australian but as a specific hybrid formed by the influence of these two cultures. Greek traditions sit uneasily in the new world society of Australia and contrarily, Australian attitudes and outlook clash with the social customs and attitudes of Greeks. His second work, ''The Greek Liar'', a novel was published in 2002. It further examines

society and explores in greater depth the effect of rigid Greek and Australian social structures and the pursuit of materialistic goals on the individual Greek-Australian’s quest for identity. His second novel ''The Person of the Man'', published in 2012, continues this existential theme, examining the logical basis and feelings underlying an outwardly successful but secretly flawed marriage. The betrayal and tragedy that follow show that love cannot be analysed in personal materialistic terms: it can only be understood. His third novel ''Palindrome'', published in 2016 is a cerebral crime novel set in the none too virtuous world of modern Oxford town and gown.

Musculoskeletal pathologist and scientist

As Nicholas Athanasou he has written widely on bone, joint and soft tissue pathology and on the pathobiology of osteoarticular cells and tissues. With TJ Chambers he developed the

osteoclast An osteoclast () is a type of bone cell that breaks down bone tissue. This function is critical in the maintenance, repair, and remodeling of bones of the vertebral skeleton. The osteoclast disassembles and digests the composite of hydrated pro ...

lacunar

bone resorption Bone resorption is resorption of bone tissue, that is, the process by which osteoclasts break down the tissue in bones and release the minerals, resulting in a transfer of calcium from bone tissue to the blood. The osteoclasts are multi-nucleated ...

assay system. His work was the first to show that the human

shares specific surface antigens with

macrophage Macrophages (abbreviated as M φ, MΦ or MP) ( el, large eaters, from Greek ''μακρός'' (') = large, ''φαγεῖν'' (') = to eat) are a type of white blood cell of the immune system that engulfs and digests pathogens, such as cancer cel ...

s and that the mononuclear human

precursor circulates in the ( CD14+)

monocyte Monocytes are a type of leukocyte or white blood cell. They are the largest type of leukocyte in blood and can differentiate into macrophages and conventional dendritic cells. As a part of the vertebrate innate immune system monocytes also inf ...

fraction. This led to the discovery of cellular and molecular mechanisms of pathological bone resorption associated with primary and secondary bone tumours, particularly

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

metastasis Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, then, ...

Ewing sarcoma Ewing sarcoma is a type of cancer that forms in bone or soft tissue. Symptoms may include swelling and pain at the site of the tumor, fever, and a bone fracture. The most common areas where it begins are the legs, pelvis, and chest wall. In about ...

and giant cell–rich lesions such as giant cell tumour of bone and pigmented villonodular synovitis. In addition, his work has studied synovial and inflammatory macrophages and their role in

osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis (OA) is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone which affects 1 in 7 adults in the United States. It is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the w ...

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and hands are involv ...

infection An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

and Paget disease. His work on hip and knee implants focused on the importance of biomaterial wear particles on promoting

formation,

osteolysis Osteolysis is an active resorption of bone matrix by osteoclasts and can be interpreted as the reverse of ossification. Although osteoclasts are active during the natural formation of healthy bone the term "osteolysis" specifically refers to a path ...

and implant loosening. He also characterised inflammatory criteria for the histological diagnosis of infection using

frozen section procedure The frozen section procedure is a pathological laboratory procedure to perform rapid microscopic analysis of a specimen. It is used most often in oncological surgery. The technical name for this procedure is cryosection. The microtome device that ...

and was the first to provide a pathological description of pseudotumors associated with

metal on metal ''Metal on Metal'' is the second studio album by Canadian heavy metal band Anvil, released in 1982. Reception In 2005, ''Metal on Metal'' was ranked number 441 in '' Rock Hard'' magazine's book of ''The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of A ...

hip implants.Mahendra G, Pandit H, Kliskey K, Murray D, Gill HS, Athanasou NA (2009) Necrotic and inflammatory changes in metal-on-metal resurfacing hip arthroplasties: Relation to implant failure and pseudotumour formation. Acta Orthop. 80:653-9

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Athanasou, Nikos 1953 births Living people Australian pathologists Australian people of Greek descent Writers from Perth, Western Australia University of Sydney alumni Fellows of Wadham College, Oxford