Plasmacytoid dendritic cell content is associated with plasma aldosterone concentration in patients with primary aldosteronism.

Background: Inflammation plays a pivotal role in blood pressure regulation. Current data reflect the important role of T cells in primary hypertension. The role of dendritic cells (DC) in secondary hypertension- primary aldosteronism (PA) remains unknown.

Does robotic assisted surgery mitigate obesity related systemic inflammatory response and clinical outcomes in left sided colorectal cancer resections?

Obesity (BMI > 30 kg/m) is rapidly increasing worldwide with 26% of the UK population being obese and 38% being overweight. Obesity is intimately related to several life-limiting conditions including colorectal cancer (CRC). Obese patients have a higher degree of perioperative systemic inflammatory response (SIR) and an increased risk of perioperative complications.

Clinical features, etiology, and survival in patients with restrictive cardiomyopathy: A single-center experience.

Background: Numerous prognostic factors have been proposed for cardiac amyloidosis (CA). The knowledge about other subtypes of restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) is scant.

Aims: This study aimed to elucidate the etiology and prognostic factors of RCM as well as assess cardiac biomarkers: high-sensitive troponin T (hs-TnT), growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2, as mortality predictors in RCM.

Host body mass, not sex, affects ectoparasite loads in yellow-necked mouse Apodemus flavicollis.

We investigated the presence and potential causes of sex bias in ectoparasite infestations in the yellow-necked mouse Apodemus flavicollis. We compared the natural tick and flea burdens of male and female mice in a temperate beech forest and assessed whether the observed differences were driven by host sex or body mass. We found that males were more heavily infested by ticks compared to female mice.

A new model for predicting adverse outcomes in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

Introduction: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a progressive disease leading to ventricular arrhythmias and heart failure. Determining optimal time for heart transplantation (HTx) is challenging; therefore, it is necessary to identify risk factors for disease progression.

Objectives: The study aimed to identify predictors of end‑stage heart failure and to evaluate the role of biomarkers in predicting adverse outcomes in ARVC.

From trees to fleas: masting indirectly affects flea abundance on a rodent host.

Mast seeding causes strong fluctuations in populations of forest animals. Thus, this phenomenon can be used as a natural experiment to examine how variation in host abundance affects parasite loads. We investigated fleas infesting yellow-necked mice in beech forest after 2 mast and 2 non-mast years.

A quality of life, clinical and biochemical improvements after catheter ablation of persistent arrhythmia in patients with structural heart disease and arrhythmia-mediated cardiomyopathy.

Background: Arrhythmia-mediated cardiomyopathy (AMC) is an essential clinical situation that is commonly underdiagnosed. Successful arrhythmia control leads to improvement in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and heart failure (HF) symptoms in patients with structural heart disease (SHD).

Aims: The study aimed to evaluate the impact of catheter ablation (CA) of persistent arrhythmia on HRQoL, biochemical and clinical parameters HF in patients with SHD and AMC.

Th17/Treg imbalance in patients with primary hyperaldosteronism and resistant hypertension.

Introduction: Inflammation plays a pivotal role in blood pressure regulation. Data on experimental models of hypertension and hypertensive patients reflect the imbalance between T regulatory (Treg) and Th17 effector cells (Th17).

Objectives: The aim of this study was to quantify peripheral blood Treg lymphocytes and Th17 subsets in individuals with primary hyperaldosteronism (PHA) and resistant hypertension (RHT) presenting with elevated blood pressure levels and augmented cardiovascular risk when compared with normotensive controls (CTRL).

Validated Simple HPLC-UV Method for Mycophenolic Acid (MPA) Monitoring in Human Plasma. Internal Standardization: Is It Necessary?

The aim of the work was to prepare a simple but reliable HPLC-UV method for the routine monitoring of mycophenolic acid (MPA). Sample preparation was based on plasma protein precipitation with acetonitrile. The isocratic separation of MPA and internal standard (IS) fenbufen was made on Supelcosil LC-CN column (150 × 4.

Primary aldosteronism is highly prevalent in patients with hypertension and moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea.

Study Objectives: It has been suggested that there might be a pathophysiological link and overlap between primary aldosteronism (PA) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Therefore, in a prospective study, we evaluated the frequency of PA in hypertensive patients suspected of having OSA.

Methods: We included 207 consecutive hypertensive patients (mean age 53.

Galectin-3 plasma levels in adult congenital heart disease and the pressure overloaded right ventricle: reason matters.

To assess galectin-3 (Gal-3) levels and their relationship with clinical status and right ventricular (RV) performance in adults with RV pressure overload of various mechanisms due to congenital heart disease. A cross-sectional study was conducted. Patients underwent clinical examination, blood testing and transthoracic echocardiography.

microRNA-451a prevents activation of matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 in human cardiomyocytes during pathological stress stimulation.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) are important for cardiac remodeling. Recently, microRNA (miR)-451a has been found to inhibit the expression of both MMP-2 and MMP-9 in human malignancies, but its role in cardiomyocytes has not been explored. We hypothesized that miR-451a modulates MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels in human cardiomyocytes.

Circulating biomarkers of hypertrophy and fibrosis in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance.

Background: Myocardial fibrosis in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is associated with worse clinical outcomes. The availability of circulating biomarkers of myocardial fibrosis and hypertrophy would be helpful in clinical practice.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate usefulness of various biomarkers of myocardial fibrosis and hypertrophy in HCM.

Factors related to on-treatment platelet aggregation assessed by multiple electrode aggregometry in percutaneous coronary intervention patients on clopidogrel and aspirin.

Introduction: There is ongoing controversy concerning the clinical value of platelet function monitoring in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Patients at risk of high on-treatment platelet aggregation (HPR) may benefit most from such monitoring.

Aim: To define the factors related to HPR on aspirin and clopidogrel, looking at a wider spectrum of variables than those assessed in some previous studies.

The usefulness of sST2 and galectin-3 as novel biomarkers for better risk stratification in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Background: Estimation of sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk is an integral part of clinical management of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Identification of novel biomarkers of this disease can provide additional criteria for SCD risk stratification. Soluble suppression of tumourigenicity (sST2) and galectin-3 (Gal-3) are useful biomarkers for prognosis of heart failure (HF).

Deciphering the effects of disperser assemblages and seed mass on patterns of seed dispersal in a rodent community.

The sizes of both seed dispersers and seeds are traits that are likely to interact to influence seed fate in many synzoochoric plant species. Here, we examined whether members of a granivorous rodent community consisting of species of different body size vary in their effectiveness as seed dispersers, and how this relationship may be altered by seed size. We marked northern red oak (Quercus rubra) acorns with plastic tags and placed them in size-selective rodent exclosures.

Support provided by nurses to parents of hospitalized children - cultural adaptation and validation of Nurse Parent Support Tool and initial research results.

Introduction: Child's illness and hospitalisation are difficult and stressful situations both for the patients themselves and for their parents. Supporting the ill child and their guardians is an indispensable element of caring for ill children. The Nurse-Parent Support Model developed by Margaret Miles is based on four elements, namely emotional support, appraisal support, informational support and instrumental support.

Risk factors for the development of post-traumatic stress disorder and coping strategies in mothers and fathers following infant hospitalisation in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Aims And Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify the potential risk factors for the development of post-traumatic stress disorder in mothers and fathers following infant hospitalisation in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Background: The development of neonatal intensive care units has increased the survival rate of infants. However, one of the major parental problems is post-traumatic stress disorder.

Advantages of masting in European beech: timing of granivore satiation and benefits of seed caching support the predator dispersal hypothesis.

The predator satiation and predator dispersal hypotheses provide alternative explanations for masting. Both assume satiation of seed-eating vertebrates. They differ in whether satiation occurs before or after seed removal and caching by granivores (predator satiation and predator dispersal, respectively).

[Clinical course and treatment of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma diagnosed during the year 1995].

The aim of the study was to analyze the clinical course and therapy in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) diagnosed in Poland within the year 1995. The group of 478 patients with thyroid cancer (57.7% of all thyroid cancer cases diagnosed this year in Poland) was analyzed.