Unveiling the Unexpected: Why Doctors Should Look beyond the Lungs when Predicting COVID-19 Mortality.

Introduction: The main objective of this study was to identify the best combination of admission day parameters for predicting COVID-19 mortality in hospitalized patients. Furthermore, we sought to compare the predictive capacity of pulmonary parameters to that of renal parameters for mortality from COVID-19.

Methods: In this retrospective study, all patients admitted to a tertiary hospital between September 1st, 2020, and December 31st, 2020, who were clinically symptomatic and tested positive for COVID-19, were included.

Can Renal Parameters Predict the Mortality of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients?

Introduction: Our study aimed to analyze whether renal parameters can predict mortality from COVID-19 disease in hospitalized patients.

Methods: This retrospective cohort includes all adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 disease who were consecutively admitted to the tertiary hospital during the 4-month period (September 1 to December 31, 2020). We analyzed their basic laboratory values, urinalysis, comorbidities, length of hospitalization, and survival.

[Current status of dietary measures in patients with advanced-stage chronic renal failure].

For patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) appropriately chosen and timely initiated dietary measures, as a complement to drug therapy, may slow the progression of the disease and delay the need for dialysis treatment. According to the results, dietary protein restriction may play a very important in management of such a patient. The effect of low protein diet is given by the early initiation and well cooperation of patients.

[What are the blood pressure targets for patients with chronic kidney disease?].

Cardiovascular (CV) diseases remain the main reason for mortality and morbidity among patients with or without chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hypertension represents one of their risk factor. Despite the lack of definitive evidence that intensive blood pressure (BP) lowering improves kidney function outcomes, we agree with the recommendation of target BP.

[Hepatorenal syndrome - update 2020].

Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a serious complication in patients with advanced liver cirrhosis and ascites occurring simultaneously. According to current diagnostic criteria it is considered as one of the less common forms of acute kidney injury (AKI), referred to as HRS-AKI. As a result of the revision of the diagnostic criteria, there was a significant shift in the diagnosis of AKI in patients with liver cirrhosis, allowing early initiation of adequate measures and appropriate treatment.

[Importance of breath tests for the evaluation liver function in patients with chronic kidney disease].

Breath tests for the evaluation liver metabolic function are a non-invasive diagnostic method with high sensitivity and specificity. Up today, the issue of liver damage in patients with chronic kidney disease has not been investigated sufficiently, although it might have significant clinical consequences. The following article describes the principles of breath tests, experiences with breath tests in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the results of our pilot study with methacetin breath tests in patients with CKD and in regular peritoneal dialysis treatment.

Bioptically Proven "Anticoagulation-Related Nephropathy" Induced by Dual Antiplatelet Therapy.

Anticoagulation-related nephropathy (ARN) is a significant and underdiagnosed complication in patients who receive anticoagulation therapy. It is characterized by acute kidney injury in the setting of excessive anticoagulation defined as an international normalized ratio > 3.0 in patients treated with warfarin.

Role of duodenal iron transporters and hepcidin in patients with alcoholic liver disease.

Patients with alcoholic liver disease (ALD) often display disturbed iron indices. Hepcidin, a key regulator of iron metabolism, has been shown to be down-regulated by alcohol in cell lines and animal models. This down-regulation led to increased duodenal iron transport and absorption in animals.

¹³C-methacetin breath test in the evaluation of disease severity in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Aims: The non-invasive (13)C-methacetin ((13)C-MBT) breath test has been proposed as a measure of metabolic liver function that improves the diagnostic efficacy of serologic and biochemical tests in assessing hepatic functional capacity and liver disease severity, The goal of this study was to establish the clinical utility of this test in quantifying hepatic metabolic function in patients with liver cirrhosis of varying severity and to compare (13)C-MBT measurements with the AST/ALT ratio, APRI score, and other routine liver tests.

Methods: Routine liver function tests including serum bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase activity (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), AST/ALT ratio, the APRI score, the percentage of dose rate (PDR) and cumulative percentage of dose rate (CPDR) of the (13)C-MBT were evaluated in 52 cirrhotic patients of alcohol etiology (Child-Pugh A/B/C 10/28/14) and 37 healthy controls.

Results: The (13)C-MBT differed significantly between healthy controls and cirrhotic patients at all time intervals measured.

[Statistics in clinical and experimental medicine].

The paper presents a brief overview of statistical methods used in clinical and experimental medicine, ranging from basic indicators and parameters of descriptive statistics and hypotheses testing (parametric as well as non-parametric methods) to a description of the most frequently used multivariate methods in medical scientific publications, to logistic regression. The paper also describes Principle Component Analysis (PCA), which is one of the methods used to decrease a data dimensionality. The proper use of statistical methods is demonstrated on specific clinical cases.

Iron overload and HFE gene mutations in Czech patients with chronic liver diseases.

The aim of the study was to identify the prevalence of HFE gene mutations in Czech patients with chronic liver diseases and the influence of the mutations on iron status. The presence of HFE gene mutations (C282Y, H63D, and S65C) analyzed by the PCR-RFLP method, presence of cirrhosis, and serum iron indices were compared among 454 patients with different chronic liver diseases (51 with chronic hepatitis B, 122 with chronic hepatitis C, 218 with alcoholic liver disease, and 63 patients with hemochromatosis). Chronic liver diseases patients other than hemochromatics did not have an increased frequency of HFE gene mutations compared to controls.

Duodenal expression of iron transport molecules in patients with hereditary hemochromatosis or iron deficiency.

Disturbances of iron metabolism are observed in chronic liver diseases. In the present study, we examined gene expression of duodenal iron transport molecules and hepcidin in patients with hereditary hemochromatosis (HHC) (treated and untreated), involving various genotypes (genotypes which represent risk for HHC were examined), and in patients with iron deficiency anaemia (IDA). Gene expressions of DMT1, ferroportin, Dcytb, hephaestin, HFE and TFR1 were measured in duodenal biopsies using real-time PCR and Western blot.

Correlation of NT-proBNP with metabolic liver function as assessed with (13)C-methacetin breath test in patients with acute decompensated heart failure.

Metabolic liver function is significantly decreased in patients with advanced chronic heart failure (CHF). The purpose of the study was to evaluate correlation of NT-proBNP with metabolic liver function as assessed with (13)C-methacetin breath test in patients with acute decompensation of chronic heart failure (ADHF). NT-proBNP, (13)C-methacetin breath test and investigation of other biochemical parameters were realized on days 0-2 (V1) and 2-7 (V2) after hospital admission in 13 consecutive ADHF patients.