Publications by authors named "Sova M"

Background And Objectives: The Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) guidelines classify rhinitis as "intermittent" or "persistent" and "mild" or "moderate-severe". To assess ARIA classes in a real-world study in terms of phenotypic differences and their association with asthma.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional real-world study based on users of the MASK-air® app who reported data for at least 3 different months.

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  • Advances in hydrocephalus treatment are leading to more patients with shunts reaching reproductive age and planning pregnancies.
  • Pregnancy complications may arise due to bodily changes like increased water retention and intra-abdominal pressure, necessitating thorough preconception exams and careful management.
  • Vaginal delivery is generally deemed safe, while cesarean sections are reserved for cases with significant neurological issues linked to shunt malfunction; various anesthesia options are available in uncomplicated pregnancies.
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Background: The aim of this retrospective study is to analyze a consecutive cohort of brain metastasis (BM) patients treated off clinical trials through combination of surgery and radiotherapy over the last 15 years in a tertiary neurooncology center.

Materials And Methods: All BM patients operated between 2007-2019 received adjuvant linac-based radiotherapy categorized to whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) and tumor bed stereotactic radiotherapy. Survival outcomes and local control was analyzed.

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  • This study investigates the use of recombinant psoriasin as a potential new treatment for oral candidiasis, specifically targeting the growth of Candida albicans on denture materials.
  • Researchers conducted experiments to assess psoriasin's efficacy and safety, showing it effectively inhibited fungal growth when used in sufficient concentrations.
  • The results suggest psoriasin could be a safer alternative to traditional antifungals for treating denture-related fungal infections, with minimal cytotoxic effects on human cells.
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  • - The traditional healthcare approach often overlooks patients' personal experiences and strengths, focusing mainly on disease treatment. Person-centered care aims to align medical decisions with individual values and preferences, particularly for those with chronic conditions.
  • - This paper seeks to enhance care for rhinitis and asthma by developing digital care pathways and incorporating real-world evidence to create a more patient-centered approach.
  • - Key components of the review include advancements in mHealth, the integration of artificial intelligence, a novel classification system for airway diseases, and proposals for the ARIA 2024 guidelines, all targeting a sustainable and applicable healthcare model.
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Ventriculoatrial shunts are the alternative treatments when it is impossible to use ventriculoperitoneal shunts. Limited indication for ventriculoatrial shunt is due to the possibility of very serious complications inherent with this procedure. We present a case report of a young patient who suffered from disconnection of an atrial catheter from the valve after an accidental blow to his neck.

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  • Cell-penetrating peptides are emerging as effective tools for delivering therapeutic agents into cells, particularly those derived from antimicrobial proteins.
  • A specific 16-residue peptide from the defensin MtDef4 was tested and shown to penetrate various mammalian cell types quickly and in low concentrations.
  • When fused to GFP, this peptide not only facilitated the delivery of the protein into cells but also had minimal impact on cell viability, highlighting its potential for therapeutic development.
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Rationale: Persistent respiratory symptoms following Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) are associated with residual radiological changes in lung parenchyma, with a risk of development into lung fibrosis, and with impaired pulmonary function. Previous studies hinted at the possible efficacy of corticosteroids (CS) in facilitating the resolution of post-COVID residual changes in the lungs, but the available data is limited.

Aim: To evaluate the effects of CS treatment in post-COVID respiratory syndrome patients.

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Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are components of innate immunity that play a crucial role in several diseases, including chronic inflammatory and infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. In particular, TLR7 has been identified as a key player in the innate immune response against viral infections and small-molecule TLR7 agonists have shown potential for vaccine therapy, for treatment of asthma and allergies, and as anticancer drugs. Inspired by our previous discovery of selective TLR7 agonists, our goal was to develop and introduce a new chemotype of TLR7 agonists by replacing the quinazoline ring with a new heterocycle isoxazolo[5,4]pyrimidine.

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Herein, we describe a case of epidural hematoma associated with the use of a Mayfield head clamp. An 18-year old patient with an upper brainstem tumour causing obstructive hydrocephalus underwent a routine third ventriculostomy, which unexpectedly revealed an intracranial hemorrhage. We outline potential risk factors, propose an algorithm for preventing complications associated with the use of pin-type fixation, and conducted a structured review of the literature to identify similar clinical scenarios.

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Overcoming infection with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can lead to the persistence of various symptoms in some patients. The complex of symptoms causally related to severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 infection is called post-COVID syndrome. One of the most common respiratory complications is pulmonary fibrosis, especially after critical course of the disease.

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Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a common symptom of sleep disorders such as narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea, and hypersomnia. The most common tools for assessing EDS are various specialized questionnaires such as Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS). However, the scores obtained from self-rating questionnaires do not seem to measure physiological sleepiness but rather a more complex phenomenon of subjective sleepiness modulated by other factors such as motivation, expectation, and capability of self-perception.

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The nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2)-Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1) system is a master regulator of redox homeostasis and cell adaptation to a variety of exogenous and endogenous stressors. Accumulating evidence from the last decade indicates that the impairment of the redox balance leads to oxidative stress (OS), a common alteration occurring in many human acute and chronic inflammatory diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, neurodegeneration, and metabolic disorders, and aging. Being located at the intersection of crucial signaling pathways, NRF2 can influence several cellular functions, which extend beyond the maintenance of the redox balance and include cellular metabolism, proteostasis, mitochondrial function and inflammation.

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Objective: The study worked with depressive symptoms, anxiety score and cognitive functions in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients treated with CPAP.

Methods: Eighty-one subjects with OSA and without psychiatric comorbidity were treated with CPAP for one year and completed the following scales and cognitive tests: Trail Making Test, Verbal Fluency Test, d2 Test, Beck Depression Inventory-II and Beck Anxiety Inventory. MINI ruled out psychiatric disorder.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Pulmonary fibrosis is a serious long-term complication of COVID-19, and corticosteroids can aid recovery but come with potential side effects.
  • - Researchers developed predictive models using multiple algorithms, including Decision Tree and Random Forest, on data from 281 patients assessed before and three months after treatment.
  • - The Decision Tree algorithm showed strong performance with a balanced accuracy of 73.52%, suggesting these models could help doctors tailor corticotherapy to individual patients' needs.
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  • Collagen is the most abundant protein in mammals and is crucial for many biological functions, while its production is often expensive and challenging.
  • Using the small molecule ML228, which activates the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), researchers found that collagen type-I levels increased significantly in human fibroblast cells.
  • This study highlights a novel way to enhance collagen production by manipulating cellular signaling pathways, which could improve biotechnological applications like cultivated meat and medical engineering.
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Introduction: Severe respiratory failure is one of the most serious complications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In a small proportion of patients, mechanical ventilation fails to provide adequate oxygenation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is needed. The surviving individuals need long-term follow-up as it is not clear what their prognosis is.

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Biomarkers for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with rhinitis and/or asthma are urgently needed. Although some biologic biomarkers exist in specialist care for asthma, they cannot be largely used in primary care. There are no validated biomarkers in rhinitis or allergen immunotherapy (AIT) that can be used in clinical practice.

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Introduction: Persistent post-COVID syndrome, also referred to as long COVID, is a pathologic entity that involves persistent physical, medical, and cognitive sequelae following COVID-19. Decreased fitness has repeatedly been reported in numerous studies dealing with post-COVID syndrome, however, it is still not fully clear which groups of patients may be more susceptible for persisting symptoms.

Aim: The aim of our study was to evaluate the number of post-COVID patients with cardiac symptoms, where these patients were evaluated by CPET and the results compared with a control group of patients.

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Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is the highest form of resuscitation care in management of patients with respiratory failure. In the case of acute respiratory distress syndrome, the veno-venous setting is more often used. ECMO support enables, in case of lung function failure, to obtain the necessary time for the onset of the causal treatment effect or is used as a bridge to transplantation Mortality of the patients varies according to the underlying cause and presence of risk factors (e.

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COVID-19 has led to an unprecedented strain on healthcare workers (HCWs). This study aimed to determine the prevalence of burnout in hospital employees during a prolonged pandemic-induced burden on healthcare systems. An online survey among employees of a Czech and Slovak university hospital was conducted between November 2021 and January 2022, approximately when the incidence rates peaked in both countries.

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Asthma, rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis (AD) are interrelated clinical phenotypes that partly overlap in the human interactome. The concept of "one-airway-one-disease," coined over 20 years ago, is a simplistic approach of the links between upper- and lower-airway allergic diseases. With new data, it is time to reassess the concept.

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Design of peptide binders is an attractive strategy for targeting "undruggable" protein-protein interfaces. Current design protocols rely on the extraction of an initial sequence from one known protein interactor of the target protein, followed by in-silico or in-vitro mutagenesis-based optimization of its binding affinity. Wet lab protocols can explore only a minor portion of the vast sequence space and cannot efficiently screen for other desirable properties such as high specificity and low toxicity, while in-silico design requires intensive computational resources and often relies on simplified binding models.

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MASK-air , a validated mHealth app (Medical Device regulation Class IIa) has enabled large observational implementation studies in over 58,000 people with allergic rhinitis and/or asthma. It can help to address unmet patient needs in rhinitis and asthma care. MASK-air is a Good Practice of DG Santé on digitally-enabled, patient-centred care.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to establish cutoff values for visual analog scales (VAS) related to global, nasal, ocular, and asthma symptoms in allergic rhinitis patients using MASK-air data.
  • The researchers compared methods based on percentiles and data-driven clusters, analyzing data from over 23,000 users and assessing the relevance of these cutoffs.
  • Results indicated that the data-driven approach provided more precise cutoff values for classifying patients' control levels, aiding in better management of allergic rhinitis and asthma.
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