Publications by authors named "Papp Z"

The increasing popularity of plant-based drinks has led to an expanded consumer market. However, available quality control technologies for plant-based drinks are time-consuming and expensive. Two alternative quality control methods, gas chromatography with ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) and an electronic nose, were used to assess 111 plant-based drink samples.

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Aging remains the foremost risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, surpassing traditional factors in epidemiological significance. This review elucidates the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying vascular aging, with an emphasis on sex differences that influence disease progression and clinical outcomes in older adults. We discuss the convergence of aging processes at the macro- and microvascular levels and their contributions to the pathogenesis of vascular diseases.

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The present study aimed to gather evidence on the validity and reliability of the Italian and Hungarian versions of the University Mattering Scale (UM-S). This 10-item scale assesses university students' perceptions of mattering across three dimensions: Awareness, Importance, and Reliance. University students from Italy ( = 210) and Hungary ( = 191) completed a questionnaire that included the adapted UM-S, along with measures of societal mattering, social support, well-being, and academic self-efficacy.

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NMDA receptors in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) play a crucial role in cognitive functions. Previous research has indicated that angiotensin II (Ang II) affects learning and memory. This study aimed to examine how Ang II impacts NMDA receptor activity in layer V pyramidal cells of the rat PFC.

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An external ventricular drain (EVD) is used to release elevated intracranial pressure by draining cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the brain's ventricles. The establishment of an EVD is one of the most commonly performed neurosurgical procedures to treat intracranial pressure in patients. Nevertheless, infections are very frequent complications.

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Hypoxanthine-tricyclano is a synthetic adenosine analogue, in which adenine and ribose have been replaced by hypoxanthine and a morpholino-derived tricyclic moiety, respectively. We investigated whether hypoxanthine-tricyclano could influence atrial inotropy and/or chronotropy, two important functions regulated by the A1 receptor, the main adenosine receptor type of the supraventricular myocardium. Paced left atria and spontaneously beating right atria, isolated from male, 30-35 weeks old, Wistar rats, were used.

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  • The study investigates the structure and evolution of coronary thrombi in STEMI, focusing on the role of activated protein C (APC/PC) and factors like factor XIII (FXIII) and α2 plasmin inhibitor (α2-PI).
  • Histopathological analysis of thrombi from 24 male patients revealed that thrombus age (fresh, lytic, organized) affects the levels and distribution of APC/PC, FXIII, and α2-PI.
  • Key findings indicate that FXIII is highly co-localized with fibrin, while α2-PI increases during thrombus lysis, and NET markers are most prominent in the lytic phase, highlighting potential therapeutic strategies for STEMI.
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A carbapenem-resistant (CRAB) outbreak in an intensive care unit (ICU) was contained by an improved infection-control measure that included a disinfectant policy. In our retrospective cohort study, we describe the epidemiological investigations and infection-control measures during this outbreak. Descriptive analysis was used to summarize patient demographics, neurological diseases, surgical treatment, underlying diseases, infection, and outcomes.

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  • Three types of small RNA therapeutics—siRNAs, miRNAs, and ASOs—have advantages over traditional drugs by targeting gene products, offering new treatment avenues for various diseases.
  • While these small RNAs are valuable in preclinical research for gene silencing and drug target validation, off-target effects, particularly miRNA-like ones, can complicate results and lead to adverse effects.
  • The review discusses strategies such as sequence design and AI-based predictions to minimize these off-target effects, providing a comprehensive overview of current computational methods and experimental validation techniques to support small RNA therapy development.
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The association between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and heart failure (HF) has been firmly established; however, the entity of diabetic myocardial disorder (previously called diabetic cardiomyopathy) remains a matter of debate. Diabetic myocardial disorder was originally described as the occurrence of myocardial structural/functional abnormalities associated with T2DM in the absence of coronary heart disease, hypertension and/or obesity. However, supporting evidence has been derived from experimental and small clinical studies.

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  • The 2023 ESC update to the HF guidelines emphasizes two new drugs, SGLT2 inhibitors and finerenone, for preventing heart failure in patients with diabetic chronic kidney disease, and supports the use of SGLT2 inhibitors across all levels of left ventricular ejection fraction.
  • Quadruple therapy in patients with reduced ejection fraction is beneficial, and the "high-intensity care" approach, involving rapid medication adjustments and close monitoring post-acute heart failure, leads to better outcomes.
  • Recent trials suggest that semaglutide can improve quality of life and physical activity in obese patients with preserved ejection fraction, while findings on additional diuretics and therapies, especially for different
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Introduction: The prevalence of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is continuously rising and predominantly affects older women often hypertensive and/or obese or diabetic. Indeed, there is evidence on sex differences in the development of HF. Hence, we studied cardiovascular performance dependent on sex and age as well as pathomechanisms on a cellular and molecular level.

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  • Pulmonary hypertension (PH) linked to left heart failure (PH-LHF) is a common condition that worsens symptoms, reduces physical ability, and harms right heart function, leading to a poor outlook for patients.
  • Despite various drugs being tested, there are currently no specific treatments for PH-LHF, highlighting significant gaps in understanding its pathophysiology and clinical management.
  • The document calls for improved research on pulmonary venous changes, patient categorization for tailored therapies, and rigorous pre-clinical studies to enhance clinical trials and expand treatment options beyond current methods used for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
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The development of opioid tolerance in patients on long-term opioid analgesic treatment is an unsolved matter in clinical practice thus far. Dose escalation is required to restore analgesic efficacy, but at the price of side effects. Intensive research is ongoing to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of opioid analgesic tolerance in the hope of maintaining opioid analgesic efficacy.

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  • Miscarriages are common, occurring in 50-70% of pregnancies, with 1-5% of women experiencing recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), which is defined as having two or more miscarriages.
  • Current understanding of the causes and mechanisms behind RPL is lacking, making reliable diagnostic and preventive methods unavailable.
  • The study assessed three placental proteins and found that lower levels of free-β-hCG and PAPP-A, particularly between 9-13 weeks of pregnancy, could serve as effective biomarkers for identifying RPL, suggesting issues with placental function and development.
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Objectives: Serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is the only biomarker routinely used in the laboratory diagnostics of sarcoidosis, and ACE inhibitor (ACEi) drugs are among the most prescribed drugs worldwide. Taking ACEi can mislead medical teams by lowering ACE activity, delaying diagnosis and giving a false impression of disease activity of sarcoidosis. We aimed to develop a simple method to detect the presence of ACEi drugs in samples, to investigate the ACEi medication-caused interference and consequences in a retrospective study.

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Sound analysis is an important field of research for improving precision livestock farming systems. If the information carried by livestock sounds is interpreted correctly, it could be used to improve management and welfare assessment in this field. Therefore, we hypothesized that the nasal vocalization of a mother cow could have a calming effect on conspecifics.

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The prevention of pre-eclampsia is difficult due to the syndromic nature and multiple underlying mechanisms of this severe complication of pregnancy. The current clinical distinction between early- and late-onset disease, although clinically useful, does not reflect the true nature and complexity of the pathologic processes leading to pre-eclampsia. The current gaps in knowledge on the heterogeneous molecular pathways of this syndrome and the lack of adequate, specific diagnostic methods are major obstacles to early screening and tailored preventive strategies.

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Unlabelled: Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are the primarily chosen drugs to treat various cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension. Although the most recent guidelines do not differentiate among the various ACE inhibitory drugs, there are substantial pharmacological differences.

Goal: Here, we tested if lipophilicity affects the efficacy of ACE inhibitory drugs when used as the first therapy in newly identified hypertensives in a prospective study.

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  • The study investigates how 12 months of tofacitinib treatment affects the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone system (RAAS) in rheumatoid arthritis patients, particularly focusing on angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and ACE2 levels.
  • Twenty-six RA patients completed the study, revealing that tofacitinib treatment significantly increased serum ACE levels and the ACE/ACE2 ratio after one year, while ACE2 activity only showed a temporary increase at six months.
  • The results suggest a link between baseline inflammation, disease duration, and specific biomarkers (like rheumatoid factor) with changes in the ACE/ACE2 ratio during the treatment period.
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Autoantibodies targeting the lung tissue were identified in severe COVID-19 patients in this retrospective study. Fifty-three percent of 104 patients developed anti-pulmonary antibodies, the majority of which were IgM class, suggesting that they developed upon infection with SARS-CoV-2. Anti-pulmonary antibodies correlated with worse pulmonary function and a higher risk of multiorgan failure that was further aggravated if 3 or more autoantibody clones were simultaneously present (multi-producers).

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  • The LeoDOR trial tested if a medicine called levosimendan helps people recover better after being in the hospital for heart failure.
  • It included a mix of patients who were given either levosimendan or a fake medicine (placebo) to see if it worked over 12 weeks.
  • The results showed that levosimendan didn’t make a big difference in recovery compared to the placebo, and some patients on it had more problems than those on the fake medicine.
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