Myocardial deposition of aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, and lead accelerates heart failure and alters UPRmt in humans.

In the myocardium of control subjects and patients undergoing heart transplantation or left ventricular assist device implantation (LVAD), we analyzed concentrations of Al, As, Cd, Pb, and Ni using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Myocardial generation of oxidative-stress-induced lipid peroxidation was analyzed by quantifying concentration of 4-Hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) with ELISA and pro-apoptotic DAPK2 gene expression was determined with quantitative RT-PCR. Compared to six control hearts, myocardial samples of 128 individuals undergoing heart transplantation or LVAD implantation exhibited a moderate increase in deposition of five tested non-essential elements, which was significantly increased only for Cd and cumulative deposition of Al, As, Cd, and Pb.

Advantages of Ultrafast™ ultrasound in the screening for renal artery disease.

Aim: Renal artery disease is the most common cause of secondary hypertension worldwide. B-mode and Doppler ultrasound are considered the modalities of choice for the imaging of the renal arteries. However, an adequate examination can be plagued by difficulties in patients with unfavorable anatomy.

Accounting for Red Cell Distribution Width Improves Risk Stratification by Commonly Used Mortality/Deterioration Risk Scores in Adult Patients Hospitalized Due to COVID-19.

Higher red blood cell distribution width (RDW) levels have gained attention in the prognostication of many chronic metabolic and malignant diseases, as well as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to evaluate whether accounting for RDW might contribute to risk stratification when added to commonly used risk scoring systems in adult COVID-19 patients. We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of 3212 non-critical COVID-19 patients hospitalized in a tertiary-level institution from March 2020 to June 2021.

Cyberchondria, Health Literacy, and Perception of Risk in Croatian Patients with Risk of Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV-A Cross-Sectional Study.

The perception of the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is a well-researched phenomenon, but not in relation to cyberchondria and health literacy. Therefore, our aim was to examine the association between the assessment of the risk of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV, cyberchondria, and health literacy. : This study was conducted in 2020-2021 in Croatia.

Artificial immortalization, number of therapy lines, and survival of patients with advanced gastric and esophagogastric adenocarcinoma.

Letter to the Editor Regarding 'Impact of the number of therapy lines on survival in advanced gastric and esophagogastric adenocarcinoma - a real-world retrospective analysis from Croatia', published in Neoplasma 2024; 71: 201-208. https://doi.org/10.

No impact of steatotic liver disease on clinical outcomes in patients with essential thrombocythemia and polycythemia vera: A pilot study.

The presence of steatotic liver disease (SLD) is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk in the general population. Chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), essential thrombocythemia (ET) and polycythemia vera (PV), are characterized by clonal myeloproliferation, chronic inflammatory state, and increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The aim of this single-center study was to analyze clinical associations and the potential prognostic impact of SLD in ET and PV patients.

Systemic Inflammatory Index in Polycythemia Vera and Its Prognostic Implications.

: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and prognostic associations of the systemic inflammatory index (SII) in polycythemia vera (PV) patients. SII integrates information on absolute neutrophil (ANC), lymphocyte (ALC), and platelet counts into one index (calculated as ANCxALC/platelet count) and was previously shown to predict thrombotic and mortality risks in the general population. : A total of 279 PV patients treated in several hematologic centers in Croatia and Serbia was retrospectively evaluated.

Negative Prognostic Associations of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors Use in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients and Potential Contribution of Cardiovascular Comorbidities.

Introduction: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a very contagious systemic disease dominantly affecting the respiratory tract. Recent findings oppose earlier suggestions that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) might be protective during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, prompting the current study.

Methods: The institutional registry of a tertiary referral center was retrospectively evaluated for SSRI use and associated clinical outcomes among hospitalized COVID-19 patients with mostly severe and critical disease.

Relative Bradycardia and Tachycardia and Their Associations with Adverse Outcomes in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients.

Background: Relative-tachycardia (RT), a phenomenon of unproportionately high heart-rate elevation in response to fever, has been previously attributed to unfavourable outcomes in severe-inflammatory-response-syndrome (SIRS). Relative heart-rate to body-temperature ratio (RHR) and its prognostic associations in patients with severe and critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have not been investigated.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed heart-rate and body-temperature data at admission in patients who were hospitalized due to COVID-19 at a tertiary center from March 2020 to June 2021.

Evaluation of Absolute Neutrophil, Lymphocyte and Platelet Count and Their Ratios as Predictors of Thrombotic Risk in Patients with Prefibrotic and Overt Myelofibrosis.

Aim: To investigate the prognostic contribution of absolute neutrophil (ANC), lymphocyte (ALC), platelet count and their ratios, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), to thrombotic risk in patients with prefibrotic and overt fibrotic myelofibrosis (MF).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of 256 patients with prefibrotic (85 patients) and overt fibrotic MF (171 patients) treated in six Croatian hematological centers.

Results: Prefibrotic compared to overt fibrotic MF patients presented with significantly higher ALC, platelet count and PLR, and experienced longer time to thrombosis (TTT).

Specific adverse outcomes associated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors use in COVID-19 patients might be potentiated by remdesivir use.

Background: Due to non-consistent reports in the literature, there are uncertainties about the potential benefits and harms of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Aim: To investigate associations of SSRIs with clinical characteristics and unwanted outcomes among real-life severe and critical COVID-19 patients and their relationship with remdesivir (RDV) use.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study evaluated a total of 1558 COVID-19 patients of the white race treated in a tertiary center institution, among them 779 patients treated with RDV and 779 1:1 case-matched patients.