The six-minute walk test - a reliable test for detection of exercise-related desaturation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Exercise-induced desaturation is common in patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It provides additional information about physical capacity and disease evolution, and it is an important predictor of mortality.

Analysis and evaluation of correlation between DNA polymorphism in the genes MTHFR, PAI-1 and serum creatinine, creatinine clearance and albumin/creatinine ratio in morning urine of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy.

Diabetic nephropathy is a major microangiopathic complication of type 2 diabetes and a leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Serum NT-ProBNP potential marker of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy.

Based on many previous studies, liver cirrhosis is traditionally associated with cardiac dysfunction. The main clinical features of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy include attenuated systolic contractility in response to physiologic or pharmacologic strain, diastolic dysfunction, electrical conductance abnormalities, and chronotropic incompetence. Previous studies have found that the levels of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and its precursor the N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) are elevated in cirrhosis with systolic as well as diastolic dysfunction.

Rhythm and conduction complications after COVID-19 infection in physiological hypertrophy of myocardium (athlete's heart).

The term 'athletic heart syndrome' (AHS) is used to describe specific circulatory and morphological changes in individuals who participate in sports competitions. The syndrome is characterized by normal cardiac function and reversible myocardial remodelling.The incidence and severity of the post-COVID-19 cardiac pathology in active athletes are so far unclear.

Catecholamine-induced cardiomyopathy - a clinical case.

A 27-year-old patient presented with a 3-month history of episodic headaches and persistently rising blood pressure (up to 240/120). The clinical, laboratory, and instrumental findings (episodes of severe hypertension, increased levels of metanephrine in urine, and MRI showing a mass of 5.1×5.

Discontinuation of Oral Antiplatelet Agents before Dental Extraction - Necessity or Myth?

Background: The risk of excessive bleeding often prompts physicians to interrupt the antiplatelet agents as acetylsalicilyc acid and clopidogrel before dental extractions which puts patients at risk of adverse thrombotic events.

Aim: To assess the bleeding risk during dental extractions in patients with continued antiplatelet therapy.

Materials And Methods: The study included 130 patients (64 men and 66 women) aged between 18 and 99 years old.

Simvastatin and asymmetric dimethylarginine-homocysteine metabolic pathways in patients with newly detected severe hypercholesterolemia.

Background: The idea that statin therapy decreases asymmetric dimethylarginine through lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels seems logic. However, controversy exists in the literature concerning this issue. This study compares the effect of moderate (40 mg) to high (80 mg) simvastatin doses on asymmetric dimethylarginine levels in patients with newly detected severe hypercholesterolemia (after targeted LDL levels of < or = 2.