Generation of two hiPSC lines, (DMBi003-A and DMBi004-A), by reprogramming peripheral blood mononuclear cells and fibroblast-like synoviocytes from rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that primarily affects joints but should be considered as a syndrome that also includes extra-articular manifestations and comorbidities. Human-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and their differentiated derivatives may be of special interest in the investigation of complex pathophysiology of RA. In this study, we demonstrate and compare the generation of hiPSC from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) from RA patients.

Complement Components in the Diagnosis and Treatment after Kidney Transplantation-Is There a Missing Link?

Currently, kidney transplantation is widely accepted as the renal replacement therapy allowing for the best quality of life and longest survival of patients developing end-stage renal disease. However, chronic transplant rejection, recurrence of previous kidney disease or newly acquired conditions, or immunosuppressive drug toxicity often lead to a deterioration of kidney allograft function over time. Complement components play an important role in the pathogenesis of kidney allograft impairment.

The Impact of Beta Blockers on Survival in Heart Transplant Recipients: Insights from the Zabrze HTx Registry.

Introduction: The data assessing the impact of beta blocker (BB) medication on survival in patients after heart transplantation (HTx) are scarce and unequivocal; therefore, we investigated this population.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the HTx Zabrze Registry of 380 consecutive patients who survived the 30-day postoperative period.

Results: The percentage of patients from the entire cohort taking BBs was as follows: atenolol 24 (17%), bisoprolol 67 (49%), carvedilol 11 (8%), metoprolol 28 (20%), and nebivolol 8 (6%).

Mechanical circulatory support restores eligibility for heart transplant in patients with significant pulmonary hypertension.

Background: An increasing number of patients with end‑stage heart failure implies a wider use of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). Irreversible pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a predictor of unfavorable prognosis and a contraindication to orthotopic heart transplant (OHT).

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of continuous‑flow LVAD (CF‑LVAD) support on pulmonary pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) as well as the impact of pre‑LVAD hemodynamic parameters on survival during LVAD support.

Right Heart Catheterization-Background, Physiological Basics, and Clinical Implications.

The idea of right heart catheterization (RHC) grew in the milieu of modern thinking about the cardiovascular system, influenced by the experiments of William Harvey, which were inspired by the treatises of Greek philosophers like Aristotle and Gallen, who made significant contributions to the subject. RHC was first discovered in the eighteenth century by William Hale and was subsequently systematically improved by outstanding experiments in the field of physiology, led by Cournand and Dickinson Richards, which finally resulted in the implementation of pulmonary artery catheters (PAC) into clinical practice by Jeremy Swan and William Ganz in the early 1970s. Despite its premature euphoric reception, some further analysis seemed not to share the early enthusiasm as far as the safety and effectiveness issues were concerned.

Corrigendum to "The Role of Parathyroid Hormone and Vitamin D Serum Concentrations in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2018/5287573.].

Prediction models for different plaque morphology in non-significantly stenosed regions of saphenous vein grafts assessed with optical coherence tomography.

Introduction: Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a method of choice in treatment of diffuse coronary artery disease (CAD), although it has some limitations such as late saphenous vein graft (SVG) patency loss, which occurs in one fifth of all conduits at 5 years. Since atherosclerosis in SVG has diffuse characteristics, it appears that significantly and non-significantly stenosed lesions may have an equal impact on worse prognosis.

Aim: To assess non-significant lesions of SVG by the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and investigate the clinical and laboratory findings with the potential impact on plaque composition.

Saphenous graft atherosclerosis as assessed by optical coherence tomography data for stenotic and non-stenotic lesions from the OCTOPUS registry.

Introduction: Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), although widely used for a long time in diffuse coronary artery disease (CAD), has serious limitations associated with graft aging and its degeneration.

Aim: The relationship between saphenous vein graft (SVG) plaque morphology assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and clinical findings has not been elucidated yet.

Material And Methods: We compared the morphology of SVG in stenotic vs.

The Role of Parathyroid Hormone and Vitamin D Serum Concentrations in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases.

25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) plays a crucial role in human homeostasis. Its deficiency (vitamin D deficiency-VDD), being common in European population, combined with elevated concentration of parathyroid hormone (PTH), represents a vicious cycle of mechanisms leading to heart failure (HF). Despite several papers published in that field, the effect of VDD and PTH concentration on cardiovascular system remains unequivocal; thus, the aim of the study was to compare these data among HF and non-HF patients being prospectively enrolled into the study during hospital stay in the cardiology ward.

[Parathormone and vitamin d in heart failure - theoretical influence on disease development and potential therapy targets].

Vitamin D and parathormone (PTH) are hormones regulating calcium and phosphorus homeostasis. The aim of the article is to summarize the current knowledge in the field and to assess its impact on heart failure (HF) pathogenesis. PTH serum concentration being frequently elevated in patients with HF has negative impact on circulatory system stimulating myocardial fibrosis, wall thickening and reninangiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) activity.

Parathyroid hormone serum concentration in Central European patients with non-ischaemic heart failure as a potential marker of disease severity and poor prognosis.

Introduction: Parathyroid hormone (PTH) might be considered as a potential marker of disease severity and worse prognosis in heart failure (HF) patients. The aim of the study was to assess PTH, vitamin D, phosphorus (P), and total calcium (Ca2+) serum concentrations in Central European patients suffering from HF of non-ischaemic origin compared to non-HF volunteers.To evaluate potential correlations among the enumerated parameters, established markers of worse prognosis and declared sun exposure.

Handheld Capillary Blood Lactate Analyzer as an Accessible and Cost-Effective Prognostic Tool for the Assessment of Death and Heart Failure Occurrence during Long-Term Follow-Up.

Impact of tissue lactate accumulation on prognosis after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is biased. The study aimed to assess the prognostic role of lactate concentration (LC) in patients with AMI during one year of follow-up. 145 consecutive patients admitted due to AMI were enrolled.

Shoulder proprioception - lessons we learned from idiopathic frozen shoulder.

Background: Of all the most frequent soft tissue disorders of the shoulder, idiopathic frozen shoulder (IFS) offers the greatest potential for studying proprioception. Studies concerning the presence of proprioception dysfunctions have failed to determine the potential for spontaneous healing of passive shoulder stabilizers (anterior and posterior capsule, middle and inferior gleno-humeral ligaments), its relationship with passive (PJPS) and active (AJPS) shoulder proprioception for internal and external rotation (IR, ER), as well as the isokinetic muscle performance of the internal and external rotators. This study investigates these dependencies in the case of arthroscopic release of IFS.

The quantitative evaluation of the impact of viable medial meniscus graft type on the biochemical and biomechanical properties of the rabbit tibial cartilage.

Background: Knowledge of the impact of viable medial meniscus allograft and autograft transplantation on biochemical and mechanical properties of cartilage is needed to understand the development of joint osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this relationship 6 months after viable medial meniscal autograft and allograft transplantation.

Methods: Twenty rabbits were chosen for the study.

Evaluation of treatment strategy of acute knee infection after ACL reconstruction with hamstring.

Background: Knee infection after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is a very serious complication. The aim of the paper is to present our experience relating diagnosis and management of this complication with concomitant graft salvage.

Material And Methods: The study included 5 patients diagnosed with acute knee infection after anterior cruciate ligament arthroscopic reconstruction with hamstring with Rigid Fix graft fixation system.

[Acute aortic syndrome mimicking anterior wall ST-elevation myocardial infarction].

We present a case of a 58-year-old man presenting with chest pain irradiating to the back and left arm, history of smoking and untreated hypertension. The anamnesis, symptoms and ECG findings consisting of ST elevation in leads aVR and V1-V2 suggested ST segment elevated myocardial infarction. Performed ECHO examination revealed possible acute aortic dissection.

Clinical improvement after 2 years one stage bilateral open reduction of chronic anterior shoulder dislocations with internal fixation of greater tuberosity fractures. Case study.

We report an unusual case of clinical improvement after 2 years from one stage bilateral open reduction of chronic anterior shoulder dislocations with internal fixation of greater tuberosity fractures. The chronic bilateral anterior shoulder dislocations with greater tuberosity fractures were caused by electric shock. After the injury the patient was hospitalized on a medical ward and the dislocations were not diagnosed.

To compare the results of knee evaluation after meniscus repair and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction on the basis of Lysholm, HSS and IKDC scoring systems.

Background: Commonly used knee evaluation scoring systems differ according to their range of influence over the overall grade which is a composite of both subjective and objective category. Due to this fact the final outcomes obtained with individual scores may differ in relation to the evaluation of the same patient. The aim of the study was to compare the results obtained with the use of three most common knee evaluation scoring systems: Lysholm, HSS and IKDC.

Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy as a recurrent disease with doubtful prognosis of recovery and heterogenic symptoms.

Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy, known since 1990, is described as hypo/akinesis of apical heart segments with the hyperkinesis of the basis of the heart which mimics the shape of a traditional Japanese octopus trap.

[Total left main coronary artery occlusion in a female patient after AVSD surgical repair in childhood as a cause of non ST elevation myocardial infarction].

A case of a 51-year-old woman with symptoms of non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome and concomitant atrial flutter is presented. Patient underwent atrioventricular septal defect repair in childhood. Coronary angiography showed total occlusion of left main coronary artery and massive collateral network originating from right coronary artery supplying entire left coronary artery.

Clinical results of meniscus repair.

Background: The paper presents the results of clinical assessment of meniscal repair outcomes after a minimum of two years post-suturing.

Material And Methods: The first stage of the treatment involved arthroscopic repair of 34 menisci in 31 knees of 30 patients, and the second stage was anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. The menisci were repaired mainly with PDS sutures, using an inside-out technique.