Delayed Antibody Response in the Acute Phase of Infection Is Associated with a Lower Mental Component of Quality of Life in Survivors of Severe and Critical COVID-19.

The long-term sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) significantly affects quality of life (QoL) in disease survivors. Delayed development of the adaptive immune response is associated with more severe disease and a worse prognosis in COVID-19. The effects of delayed immune response on COVID-19 sequelae and QoL are unknown.

Antimicrobial Therapy as a Risk Factor of Multidrug-Resistant Infection in COVID-19 Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.

Background: Multidrug-resistant (MDR-Ab) is one of the most important pathogens causing superinfections in COVID-19 patients hospitalised in the intensive care unit (ICU). The occurrence of MDR-Ab superinfection significantly impairs the prognosis of patients in the ICU. Overuse of antibiotics in COVID-19 patients might contribute to the risk of developing MDR-Ab infection.

Mycotic aneurysm as a hidden cause of treatment failure of pyelonephritis caused by serovar Enteritidis.

Invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) infections are rare in developed countries but their incidence is increasing. One of the most severe complications of extraintestinal NTS infection is mycotic aneurysm. Its natural course is usually fatal and its treatment demands complex interdisciplinary management.

Lemierre syndrome caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae complicated by epidural abscess - Case report.

is an extremely rare case of the Lemierre syndrome, which is characterized as septic thrombophlebitis of the jugular vein as a consequence of oropharyngeal infection. We present a unique case of Lemierre syndrome caused by complicated by epidural abscess. The patient presented with fever, severe nuchal pain and stiffness and mild sore throat and headache.

Comorbid status and the faecal microbial transplantation failure in treatment of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection - pilot prospective observational cohort study.

Background: Faecal microbial transplantation (FMT) is currently the most effective treatment of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). However, up to 20% of patients experience further recurrences after single FMT. The mechanisms that lead to FMT failure and its risk factors are poorly understood.

Effect of 8-weeks intensive lifestyle intervention on LDL and HDL subfractions.

Objective: Atherogenic dyslipidemia is a cardinal feature of obesity and the metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Many interventional studies, describing the influence of weight loss on cardiometabolic risks, are bariatric surgery studies. The aim of our study was to analyze the effect of intensive lifestyle changes on LDL- and HDL-cholesterol subfractions and cardiometabolic risk factors in obese subjects.

Uric acid level is positively associated with NT-proBNP concentration in Slovak heart failure patients.

Increased concentration of uric acid (UA) is positively associated with the clinical severity but negatively associated with the prognosis of heart failure (HF). However, data related to the association between UA concentration and N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) are still lacking. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationships between UA, NT-proBNP, clearance of creatinine and NYHA function class and echocardiographic variables in the Slovak population of primary care patients diagnosed with HF.

[Management of diabetic patients with lower extremity peripheral arterial disease].

Extremitovascular arterial ischemic disease (lower extremity peripheral arterial disease - PAD) is an important manifestation of systemic atherosclerosis and other arterial diseases of vascular system. The lower the ankle-brachial pressure index, the greater the risk of serious acute instable organovascular events (e. g.

The effects of body weight loss and gain on arterial hypertension control: an observational prospective study.

Background: Body weight changes are associated with significant variations in blood pressure (BP). Body mass modifications may, therefore, influence hypertension control in primary care.

Methods: Patients with a history of essential arterial hypertension were observed for 12 months.

Atherogenic index of plasma is positively associated with the risk of all-cause death in elderly women : A 10-year follow-up.

Background: The blood concentrations of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) do not predict survival in patients older than 60 years. The atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) is a logarithm of the triacylglycerol to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio and a surrogate for the concentration of small dense LDL. It might be a better reflection of the risk of all-cause death in elderly patients.

Effect of short term aerobic exercise on fasting and postprandial lipoprotein subfractions in healthy sedentary men.

Background: Our goal was to investigate the effect of short term exercise on fasting and postprandial lipoprotein profile.

Methods: Healthy sedentary men exercised 20 min for four days. The intensity of exercise was modulated to maintain 75-80 % of a calculated HRmax.

Effect of hyperbaric oxygen on lipoprotein subfractions in diabetic patients.

Objectives: Favorable metabolic changes have been observed in many in vitro and animal studies after application of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2). Metabolic changes after hyperbaric oxygen therapy, especially focused on lipoprotein subfractions, have not been described in humans. Our aim was to investigate possible alteration in concentration of lipoprotein subfractions in diabetic patients after hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Prognostic significance of dipping in older hypertensive patients.

Background And Aims: Arterial hypertension doubles the risk of coronary heart disease, heart and kidney failure, and peripheral arterial disease. Less variation in diurnal ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) patterns may affect mortality outcome. Therefore, as hypertension occurs in over 95% of older subjects, the prognostic value of dipping status in older hypertensive patients will be assessed.

[Mesenterointestinocolonovascular arterial ischemic disease: guidelines of the angiology section of Slovak Medical Chamber (AS SMC, 2013)].

Organovascular arterial ischemic diseases (cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, extremitovascular, renovascular, genitovascular, pulmovascular, mesenterovascular, dermovascular, oculovascular, otovascular, stomatovascular etc.) are an important manifestations of systemic atherosclerosis and other arterial diseases of vascular system (arteriolosclerosis/arteriolonecrosis; diabetic macroangiopathy; diabetic microangiopathy; Mönckeberg´s mediosclerosis/mediocalcinosis; arteritis - vasculitis; syndromes of arterial compression; fibromuscular dysplasia; cystic adventitial degeneration; arterial thrombosis; arterial embolism/thromboembolism; traumatic and posttraumatic arteriopathies; physical arteriopathies; chemical and toxic arteriopathies; iatrogenic arterial occlusions; dissection of aorta and of arteries; coiling; kinking; complicated arterial aneurysms; arteriovenous fistula, rare vascular diseases). Key clinical-etiology-anatomy-pathophysiology (CEAP) aspects of the mesenteriovascular arterial ischemic diseases are discussed in this article (project Vessels).

Postprandial changes of lipoprotein profile: effect of abdominal obesity.

Background: Majority of studies that focused on the influence of abdominal obesity on lipoprotein profile, were conducted in the fasting conditions. The effects of visceral fat accumulation on postprandial lipoprotein concentrations have not yet been studied in details. We therefore focused on the postprandial lipoprotein profile in otherwise healthy men and women with abdominal obesity and their comparison with the control group of volunteers with normal waist circumference.

[The impact of a 14- day regular physical exercise regime on the concentration of the classes and subclasses of lipoprotein particles in young subjects with a sedentary lifestyle].

Recommendations from the cardiological professional companies working in the area of primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases put an emphasis on regular aerobic physical activity. Its positive effect on both cardiovascular and overall mortality has repea-tedly been proven by the observations of prospective and cross sectional epidemiological studies. One of the possible explanations of this positive effect is a change in the concentration of lipoprotein classes and their subclasses, which is expressed as a change in their average size.

[Acute coronary syndrome imitated by malignant melanoma or real acute coronary syndrome?].

The article describes the case of 67 year  old woman, hospitalized at our department due to history of syncopes. At the time of admission the patient complained of back pain in the area of exophytic growing tumour. During the diagnostic process routine laboratory tests revealed severe normocytic hypochromic anemia, hypoproteinemia, elevation of inflammatory parameters (leukocytes, C reactive protein) and imaging methods (ultrasonography, computer  aided tomography) helped to formulate suspicion of disseminated cancerous disease (metastases in spleen, skeleton and lymph nodes).

Influence of infection on clinical picture of diabetic foot syndrome.

The aim of our study was to analyse the foot infections in diabetic patients. We analysed foot ulcerations in 124 diabetics who attended outpatient foot clinic, or were hospitalized in the period from 1996 to 2006. Basic neuropathy screening examination was made with cotton wisp, pin-prick, tuning fork, and monofilament.

The importance of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in patients with tinnitus.

Arterial hypertension belongs to the most important factors of origin and lasting of tinnitus. We have studied 18 subjects suffering from tinnitus without the history of diagnosed or treated arterial hypertension. ABPM method was used for diagnosing arterial hypertension.

[Obesity and arterial hypertension].

Obesity is an independent risk factor for the development and progression of hypertension, cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease. There is growing evidence that obesity and associated metabolic abnormalities may induce and accelerate renal complications in essential hypertension. The clustering of obesity and other features of the metabolic syndrome might have important implications for prevention, particularly with regard to whether interventions targeted at visceral obesity would have beneficial effects on cardiovascular and renal morbidity.

[Continuous monitoring of tissue glucose].

Continuous glucose monitoring is technology revolution in diabetology similar to holter ECG monitoring in cardiology. With goal of the diabetes treatment to achieve almost normal glucose concentration in blood, continuous glucose monitoring can help in hypoglycemia risk reduction. Continuous glucose monitoring offers actual value of glycemia longitudinal whole day, with possibility of analyzing records and signalization when programmed thresholds are exceeded.