In this study, the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and refraction in preterm-born infants in South-Eastern Bulgaria after 12 years of treatment for type 1 prethreshold retinopathy of prematurity were presented, and the outcomes of laser treatment and cryotherapy were compared.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe current research aims to develop a new analytical method applying a dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) assisted by vortex and using an environmentally friendly extractant for the preconcentration of organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides followed by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) analysis. The extractant (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFТhe poor prognosis of patients initially diagnosed at an advanced stage of colorectal cancer (CRC) and the heterogeneity within the same tumor stage define the need for additional predictive biomarkers. Tumor buds are proposed as a poor prognostic factor for CRC, however, they are still not implemented into routine pathology reporting. In turn, the chitinase-3-like protein 1 (CHI3L1) also known as YKL-40, is regarded as a candidate circulating biomarker and therapeutic target in CRC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCloud point extraction is an environmentally benign and simple separation/concentration procedure that can be regarded as an alternative to classical liquid-liquid extraction. In the current work, it was studied the compatibility of cloud point extraction followed by back-extraction in low volume of organic solvent with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS and GC-MS/MS). Triton X-100 was preferred than Triton X-114 as a surfactant to produce the clouding phenomenon and hexane or isooctane was found to be appropriate organic solvents which can be used at the back-extraction step.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChanges in clinical presentation, radiographic progression (RP), bone mineral density (BMD), bone turnover (BT), and cartilage turnover (CT) markers were compared in two groups of patients with hip osteoarthritis (HOA) over a period of 7 years. Each group consisted of 150 patients, including a control group on standard-of-care therapy (SC) with simple analgesics and physical exercises, and a study group (SG) on standard-of-care therapy supplemented by vitamin D3 and intravenous administration of zoledronic acid (5 mg) yearly for 3 consecutive years. Patient groups were homogenized regarding the following: (1) radiographic grade (RG), including 75 patients with hip OA RG II according to the Kellgren-Lawrence grading system (K/L), and 75 with RG III on K/L; (2) radiographic model (RM), as each of the K/L grades was subdivided into three subgroups consisting of 25 patients of different RMs: atrophic ('A'), intermediate ('I'), and hypertrophic ('H'); (3) gender-equal ratio of men and women in each subgroup (Female/Male = 15/10).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Ductal epithelial changes (lympho-epithelial lesions-LEL) in prostatic chronic inflammation (CI) are not well studied so far.
Aim: to investigate LEL immediately adjacent to prostatic CI.
Methods: We studied LEL in 144 prostatic surgical and autopsy specimens in various types of prostatic CI: NIH-category IV prostatitis (histologic prostatitis-HP), nonspecific granulomatous prostatitis (NSGP), and the reactive lymphoid infiltrates in the vicinity of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate adenocarcinoma (PCa).
The advantages of the microwave plasma atomic emission spectrometry (MP-AES) for hydride generation (HG) by means of modified Multi Mode Sample Introduction System (MSIS®) have been revealed for analysis of As and Sb in complex real samples. Two main outcomes have been achieved: (i) reliable analysis and higher tolerability to less diluted matrices and (ii) a multifold reduction in the methodological limits of detection (MLOD). For the first time in real samples analysis the HG is assisted by silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) (∼2 mg mL MnFeO@SiO) added to the hydrogenation reagent stream (1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: To find the correlations between the parameters of iron homeostasis, inflammatory activity and autoimmune disorders in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Materials And Methods: The present study included 114 patients with RA and 42 healthy controls. We determined the parameters of iron homeostasis: serum iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), ferritin and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), the parameters of inflammatory activity: C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and prohepcidin, and the parameters of autoimmune disorders: rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (antiCCP) antibodies and DAS 28.
Aim: To find the correlations between the parameters of iron homeostasis, inflammatory activity and autoimmune disorders in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Materials And Methods: The present study included 114 patients with RA and 42 healthy controls. We determined the parameters of iron homeostasis: serum iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), ferritin and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), the parameters of inflammatory activity: C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and prohepcidin, and the parameters of autoimmune disorders: rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (antiCCP) antibodies, and DAS 28.