Relevance of Proteinuria in Kidney Transplant Recipients and Allograft Outcomes.

Background: The onset of proteinuria in renal allograft recipients is frequently associated with an increased risk for both graft failure and mortality. We investigated the risk associated with post-transplant proteinuria and its time-dynamics in a select group treated for biopsy proven antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR).

Methods: Eighty-five patients who underwent transplantation were enrolled in our study and followed up from transplantation until October 31, 2020, death, or the date of the return to dialysis.

Investigation of the Allelopathic Effect of Two Invasive Plant Species in Rhizotron System.

A key question in plant invasion biology is why invasive plants are more competitive in their introduced habitat than in their native habitat. Studies show that invasive species exhibit allelopathy, influencing other plants by releasing chemicals. Research on allelopathy uses tests, investigating effects on seed germination and seedling development.

Decreased level of serum NT-proCNP associates with disease severity in COVID-19.

Background: C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is an endothelium-derived paracrine molecule with an important role in vascular homeostasis. In septic patients, the serum level of the amino-terminal propeptide of CNP (NT-proCNP) shows a strong positive correlation with inflammatory biomarkers and, if elevated, correlates with disease severity and indicates a poor outcome. It is not yet known whether NT-proCNP also correlates with the clinical outcome of patients suffering from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

Association Between Alcohol Consumption and Cardiovascular Risk Based on Data from the Three Generations for Health Program in Hungary.

BACKGROUND Alcohol consumption has a significant effect on cardiovascular health, and risk factors, such as excessive alcohol use, should be avoided. Although alcohol consumption has decreased over the last decade in Hungary, it is still significantly higher than the average across the European Union. The objective of this study was to describe the patterns of alcohol use based on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), with a special focus on cardiovascular risk status (low, moderate, high, or very high).

Influenza Vaccination Coverage and Its Predictors among Self-Reported Diabetic Patients-Findings from the Hungarian Implementation of the European Health Interview Survey.

In high-risk populations, such as the elderly or those with serious medical issues, for instance, people with cardiovascular diseases or diabetes, influenza can have devastating effects because it might contribute to severe complications or even death. This makes vaccination against influenza an essential component of public health. The primary objective of our research was to identify the characteristics that influenced whether an individual chose to become vaccinated against influenza, with an emphasis on whether they reported having diabetes.

Biomonitoring and assessment of toxic element contamination in floodplain sediments and soils using fluorescein diacetate (FDA) enzymatic activity measurements: evaluation of possibilities and limitations through the case study of the Drava River floodplain.

The EU Water Framework Directive requires the monitoring and evaluation of surface water sediment quality based on the assessment of risk posed by contamination on the biotic receptors. Floodplain sediments are important receptors of potentially toxic element (PTE) contamination from the upstream catchment areas, and floodplains host climate-sensitive riverine ecosystems and fertile agricultural areas at the same time. This study investigates the effect of PTE contamination on microbial communities in floodplain sediments and soils using the fast, inexpensive and reliable fluorescein diacetate (FDA) method in order to estimate its applicability for sediment quality monitoring and preliminary toxicity-based risk assessment.

An Exploratory Assessment of Factors with Which Influenza Vaccine Uptake Is Associated in Hungarian Adults 65 Years Old and Older: Findings from European Health Interview Surveys.

Influenza vaccination is an imperative public health task for elderly people due to a higher risk of developing more severe complications. The main aim of our study was to determine the influencing factors of being vaccinated against influenza among subjects aged 65 and above. Data were from the Hungarian implementations of the European Health Interview Survey 2009, 2014 and 2019 studies with a final sample size of 3355.

Clinical Spectrum and CSF Findings in Patients with West-Nile Virus Infection, a Retrospective Cohort Review.

West Nile Virus (WNV) infection is a world-wide zoonotic disease transmitted by mosquitoes. The infection is usually self-limiting; however, elderly patients or those with comorbidities are predisposed to developing severe, and sometimes fatal complications of the infection. Recently, the incidence of WNV infection in Europe had seen a sharp increase, as compared to previous years.

Metabolic syndrome and periodontitis among adults: The 2018 Indonesia National Health Survey.

Aim: This study aimed to examine the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS), its components, and periodontitis among Indonesian adults.

Materials And Methods: Cross-sectional data from the 2018 Indonesia National Health Survey (Riskesdas) was analysed. The sample included dentate individuals aged 35 years or older for whom complete information was available on components of MetS and periodontitis, including bleeding on probing (BOP) (N = 13,356), pocket depth (PD) (N = 13,273), and clinical attachment loss (CAL) (N = 13,000).

Neuropsychiatric symptoms, quality of life and caregivers' burden in dementia.

The objective of this research is to identify the relationship between the neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs) of patients with major neurocognitive disorder (mNCD), their quality of life, illness intrusiveness and the caregiver's burden. We assessed 131 patients with mNCD. Examination methods included WHO well-being index short version, illness intrusiveness rating scale, Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cog, Mini Mental State Examination and neuropsychiatric inventory.

Foliar dust and heavy metal deposit on leaves of urban trees in Budapest (Hungary).

This work considers dust deposition and the heavy metal (HM) content on leaves of urban trees (Acer platanoides L. 'Globosum,' Fraxinus excelsior L. 'Westhof's Glorie' and Tilia tomentosa Moench.

Two potential equilibrium states in long-term soil respiration activity of dry grasslands are maintained by local topographic features.

Soil respiration of grasslands is spatio-temporally variable reflecting the changing biological activities of the soil. In our study we analysed how the long-term soil respiration activities of dry grasslands would perform in terms of resistance and resilience. We also investigated how terrain features are responsible for response stability.

Predictive value of bubble sign for tubal patency during office hysteroscopy.

Objective: Our purpose was to investigate the predictive value of visible air bubble sign for real tubal patency during hysteroscopic procedures.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, clinical data of 61 infertile women who underwent diagnostic hysteroscopy and laparoscopy have been analysed.

Results: Mean age of patients was 33.

Levonorgestrel emergency contraception and bodyweight: are current recommendations consistent with historic data?

To assess the consistency between current recommendations that women of body weight (BW) or body mass index (BMI) above a defined threshold should use a double dose of levonorgestrel (LNG) for emergency contraception (EC) and observed frequency of pregnancy in historic studies of single-dose LNG for EC. We applied double dose recommendation criteria to individual participant level data from three historic studies of the WHO's Human Reproductive Program to categorize subjects into single dose-recommended (SDR) and double dose-recommended (DDR) groups and compared the latter to the former using pregnancy risk ratios (RR). A total of 5859 subjects with 59 pregnancies made up the full dataset.

Influence of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition on reversibility of alterations in arterial wall and cognitive performance associated with early hypertension: A follow-up study.

The importance of optimal blood pressure control for preventing or reducing the impairment of vascular and cognitive functions is well known. However, the reversibility of early alterations in vascular and cognitive functions through antihypertensive agents is under-investigated. In this study, we evaluated the influence of 3 months of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition treatment on the morphological and functional arterial wall and cognitive performance changes in 30 newly diagnosed primary hypertensive patients.

Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms in Neurocognitive Disorders: Specific Patterns in Dementia Subtypes.

Background: Behavioural and psychological symptoms in dementia (BPSD) form an important sub-syndrome of dementia. We assessed the frequency and severity of BPSD in a random sample of Hungarian treatment-naïve dementia patients. Furthermore, we examined the relationship between cognitive symptoms and BPSD and the pattern of BPSD in specific types of dementias.

Hypertension-induced subclinical vascular and cognitive changes are reversible-An observational cohort study.

Beside the well-known complications of poorly controlled, long-standing hypertension, milder abnormalities induced by early-stage hypertension have also been described. In our study, the authors examined the reversibility of changes induced by early-stage hypertension. The authors performed laboratory testing, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) measurement, evaluation of stiffness parameters, assessment of various cardiac and cerebral hemodynamic parameters during head-up tilt table (HUTT) testing, and neuropsychological examinations in 49 recently diagnosed hypertensive patients.

Altered irisin/BDNF axis parallels excessive daytime sleepiness in obstructive sleep apnea patients.

Study Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a sleep-related breathing disorder, characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), paralleled by intermittent collapse of the upper airway. EDS may be the symptom of OSAHS per se but may also be due to the alteration of central circadian regulation. Irisin is a putative myokine and has been shown to induce BDNF expression in several sites of the brain.

Levonorgestrel emergency contraception and bodyweight.

Emergency contraception (EC) provides an opportunity to avoid an unwanted pregnancy following unprotected sexual intercourse (UPSI), failure of a regular contraceptive method, or after sexual assault. Two main methods are currently available: oral pills or the copper-T intrauterine device. In recent years there has been some debate regarding the efficacy of oral therapy in obese women.

Positive correlation of airway resistance and serum asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) in bronchial asthma patients lacking evidence for systemic inflammation.

Background: Contribution of nitric-oxide (NO) pathway to the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma (asthma) is ambiguous as NO may confer both protective and detrimental effects depending on the NO synthase (NOS) isoforms, tissue compartments and underlying pathological conditions (e.g. systemic inflammation).

The Alteration of Irisin-Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Axis Parallels Severity of Distress Disorder in Bronchial Asthma Patients.

Distress disorder (a collective term for generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder) is a well-known co-morbidity of bronchial asthma. The irisin-brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) axis is a pathway that influences several neurobehavioral mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of distress disorder. Thus, the aim of the present study was to quantify the serum irisin and BDNF concentrations in order to investigate the possible link between the irisin/BDNF axis and distress disorder in an asthma patient cohort.

Alteration of the irisin-brain-derived neurotrophic factor axis contributes to disturbance of mood in COPD patients.

COPD is accompanied by limited physical activity, worse quality of life, and increased prevalence of depression. A possible link between COPD and depression may be irisin, a myokine, expression of which in the skeletal muscle and brain positively correlates with physical activity. Irisin enhances the synthesis of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin involved in reward-related processes.

The Effect of Passive Movement for Paretic Ankle-Foot and Brain Activity in Post-Stroke Patients.

Background: This study aims at investigating the short-term efficacy of the continuous passive motion (CPM) device developed for the therapy of ankle-foot paresis and to investigate by fMRI the blood oxygen level-dependent responses (BOLD) during ankle passive movement (PM).

Methods: Sixty-four stroke patients were investigated. Patients were assigned into 2 groups: 49 patients received both 15 min manual and 30 min device therapy (M + D), while the other group (n = 15) received only 15 min manual therapy (M).