Background: A proportion of head and neck carcinomas (HNSCCs) are induced by high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and are associated with better patient outcomes compared to patients with HNSCCs related to tobacco and alcohol abuse. In the microenvironment of solid tumors, including HNSCCs, oxygen levels are often reduced, and a hypoxic state is induced. This can lead to a poor treatment response and a worse patient prognosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlatelet aggregation is a complicated process mediated by different signaling pathways. As the process is highly complex and apparently redundant, the relationships between these pathways are not yet fully known. The aim of this project was to study the interconnections among seven different aggregation pathways in a group of 53 generally healthy volunteers aged 20 to 66 years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOverexpression of aspartate β-hydroxylase (ASPH) in human tumors contributes to their progression by stimulating cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Several signaling pathways affected by ASPH have been identified, but the high number of potential targets of ASPH hydroxylation suggests that additional mechanisms may be involved. This study was performed to reveal new targets of ASPH signaling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFElevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels lead to atherosclerosis and platelet hyperaggregability, both of which are known culprits of arterial thrombosis. Normalization of LDL cholesterol in familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is not an easy task and frequently requires specific treatment, such as regularly performed lipid apheresis and/or novel drugs such as proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9 monoclonal antibodies (PCSK9Ab). Moreover, a high resistance rate to the first-line antiplatelet drug acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) stimulated research of novel antiplatelet drugs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMethylation silencing of certain cellular genes is a sign of carcinogenesis progression and therefore tests that detect methylation could be used in the diagnosis or staging of malignant diseases. In the diagnosis of squamous cell carcinomas of the cervix which are almost 100% caused by long-term infection with highrisk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV), methylation silencing of certain cellular genes is a highly specific marker of advanced dysplastic lesions and appears to result from aberrant activation of the methyltransferase DNMT1 by viral oncoproteins E6 and E7. A methylation test performed on a cervicovaginal cytology specimen allows to increase the diagnostic value of this non-invasive test and to select patients with severe squamous cell lesions for follow-up.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA polyphenol-rich diet has beneficial effects on cardiovascular health. However, dietary polyphenols generally have low bioavailability and reach low plasma concentrations. Small phenolic metabolites of these compounds formed by human microbiota are much more easily absorbable and could be responsible for this effect.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe process of platelet aggregation is often influenced by several factors including sex and age. A literature review confirmed the existence of sex-related differences in platelet aggregation. Although 68 out of 78 papers found such differences, there are still some controversies regarding these differences, which can be due to multiple factors (age, trigger, concomitant disease, sample handling, etc.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurrent knowledge about human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in psoriasis patients treated with biologics is limited. In this study we evaluated the prevalence of oral and genital HPV infection in psoriasis patients treated with biologics or topical therapy for at least 6 months. The presence of HPV DNA in oral rinse and genital smears was evaluated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Users with experience of eating disorders use the internet as a source of information, whether for prorecovery activities (such as web-based treatment, looking for information, support, and sharing) or activities that promote eating disorder behavior as a desirable lifestyle choice (such as pro-eating disorder communities and reading and creating pro-eating disorder posts). Their assessment of web-based eating disorder-related information is crucial for understanding the context of the illness and for health professionals and their web-based interventions.
Objective: This study aimed to understand the criteria young women with the experience of eating disorders use in evaluating eating disorder-related web-based information and what eating disorder-related characteristics of these women are involved in their evaluation.
Importance: Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is a rare benign chronic disease of the larynx etiologically linked with the infection of low-risk human papillomavirus (HPV). Combination of surgical and immunomodulatory therapy has limited success. Possible use of prophylactic HPV vaccine that includes HPV-6 and HPV-11 antigens has been studied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Czech older adults have lower rates of physical activity than the average population and lag behind in the use of digital technologies, compared with their peers from other European countries.
Objective: This study aims to assess the feasibility of intensive behavior monitoring through technology in Czech adults aged ≥50 years.
Methods: Participants (N=30; mean age 61.
Background: Anal cancer (AC) screening is justified in high-risk populations, particularly HIV-positive men having sex with men (MSM). HR-HPV testing could improve the efficiency of cytologically based screening of AC, as in the screening of biologically analogical cervical cancer. The specificity of HR-HPV testing is influenced by the prevalence of HR-HPV infection in the screened population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) plentifully infiltrate the tumor microenvironment (TME), but their role in anti-tumor immunity is controversial. Depending on the acquired polarization, they can either support tumor growth or participate in the elimination of neoplastic cells. In this study, we analyzed the TME by RNA-seq and flow cytometry and examined TAMs after ex vivo activation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSquamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) in the anogenital and head and neck regions are associated with high-risk types of human papillomaviruses (HR-HPV). Deregulation of miRNA expression is an important contributor to carcinogenesis. This study aimed to pinpoint commonly and uniquely deregulated miRNAs in cervical, anal, vulvar, and tonsillar tumors of viral or non-viral etiology, searching for a common set of deregulated miRNAs linked to HPV-induced carcinogenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHead and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) can be induced by smoking or alcohol consumption, but a growing part of cases relate to a persistent high-risk papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Viral etiology has a beneficial impact on the prognosis, which may be explained by a specific immune response. Tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) represent the main immune population of the tumor microenvironment with a controversial influence on the prognosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims/hypothesis: Women remain underrepresented in clinical trials and those with type 2 diabetes mellitus are at high risk for cardiovascular (CV) events. The sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor dapagliflozin reduces the risk of CV death or heart failure hospitalisations in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Here, we performed a pre-specified analysis to examine whether sex modifies these effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEven though the internet is a common source of information and treatment for people with eating disorder (ED) experience, the motives for illness-related searches have rarely been investigated beyond the perceived negatives. This study explores how women with ED experience reflect upon the advantages and disadvantages of their ED-related internet use. We expand the framework of the Uses and Gratifications Theory (U&G) into the context of users with ED experience through 30 semi-structured interviews with women with ED experience, aged 16 to 28, who live in the Czech Republic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLactic acidosis is a feared complication of metformin therapy. In our article we describe 2 case reports of patients treated with metformin, who developed this complication. In the first case, which was fatal, cummulation of lactate was a result of acute kidney failure caused by diarrhea.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs metastasis is a major cause of death in cancer patients, new anti-metastatic strategies are needed to improve cancer therapy outcomes. Numerous pathways have been shown to contribute to migration and invasion of malignant tumors. Aspartate β-hydroxylase (ASPH) is a key player in the malignant transformation of solid tumors by enhancing cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe human papillomavirus (HPV) integration, the critical step in viral carcinogenesis, most frequently occurs in the E2 gene, which results in its inactivation and in an increase of E6/E7 transcription. However, in a substantial number of tumors, the virus is present in an extrachromosomal form. For those tumors, the transformation mechanisms are not fully elucidated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Digitalisation of health services is among the top priorities of the European Union (EU), yet take-up of eHealth tools is slower in some EU countries than others.
Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of information communication technology (ICT) and eHealth tools by Czech GPs, to elucidate their motivation and barriers to the adoption of eHealth technologies.
Design & Setting: A cross-sectional, mixed-design survey study, administered online and conducted with GPs from seven randomly selected Czech regions.