The Effect of Chronic Immunosuppressive Regimen Treatment on Apoptosis in the Heart of Rats.

Chronic immunosuppressive therapy is currently the only effective method to prevent acute rejection of a transplanted organ. Unfortunately, the expected effect of treatment brings a number of grave side effects, one of the most serious being cardiovascular complications. In our study, we wanted to investigate how treatment with commonly used immunosuppressive drugs affects the occurrence of programmed cardiac cell death.

The Effects of Chronic Immunosuppressive Treatment on Morphological Changes in Cardiac Tissue and the Balance between Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9) and Their Inhibitors in the Rat Heart.

Using different three-drug immunosuppressive treatment regimens in a rat model, we aimed to determine the effects of long-term therapy on metalloproteinase-2 and metalloproteinase-9 activity and the expression of their inhibitors, as well as to assess the morphology of the animals' cardiac tissue. Our results suggest that chronic use of immunosuppressive drugs disrupts the balance between the activity of MMPs and TIMPs. Depending on the type of drug regimen used, this leads to abnormalities in the cardiac structure, collagen fiber accumulation, or cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.

Vitamin D Status in Patients before Thyroidectomy.

Thyroid neoplasms (tumors) are the most common pathology of the endocrine system that requires surgery, and in most cases changes are benign. The surgical treatment of thyroid neoplasms consists in total, subtotal, or one lobe excision. Our study aimed to assess the concentration of vitamin D and its metabolites in patients before thyroidectomy.

Local Infiltration Anaesthesia with a Bloodless Operative Field (WALANT). Presentation of the Technique and its Use in Hand Surgery.

Local infiltration anaesthesia with a bloodless operation field (WALANT) allows for performing hand surgery without a tourniquet. This effect is obtained through an injection of greater than standard volume of the anaesthetic solution composed of lignocaine and adrenaline. The addition of adrenaline induces spasm of small arteries within the infiltration area, which inhibits bleeding and allows visualization of most of the subtle but important structures in the hand and fingers.

An analysis of patient's and disease related factors predictive of the outcomes of surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome.

Purpose:  Outcomes of surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome may differ in relation to certain factors like age, duration of symptoms, clinical and electrophysiological severity. The objective of this study was an investigation into the hypothesis that several factors are predictive of results of surgical treatment of the condition.

Methods:  The pre- and postoperative records of 1,117 patients: 909 women (81 %) and 208 men (19 %) with a mean age of 63 years were analysed.

The results of the treatment of hand - Outcomes of the treatment of hand degloving injuries with greater omentum flaps.

Degloving injury consists in tearing out the soft-tissue integument from skeleton of the hand, with accompanied nerves and vessels. The whole hand degloving has bad reputation and one of worst prognosis, even worse than total hand amputation. The range of possible salvage procedures in these cases is limited and their outcomes are unsatisfactory.

Undergraduate microsurgical training: a preliminary experience.

Microsurgical training is organised almost exclusively in a post-graduate setting, usually for residents of various surgical specialities. The aim of this study was to present an undergraduate microsurgical training model directed toward medicine students of clinical years. Curriculum design and results.

A comparison of outcomes of K-wire vs plate fixation for distal radial fractures with regard to patients' quality of life.

The objective of the study was a comparison of outcomes of K-wire vs plate fixation for distal radial fractures with regard to patients' quality of life. One hundred and two patients, 79 women and 23 men with displaced distal radial fractures, were non-randomly allocated for either K-wire (n=72) or palmar plate (n=30) fixation. In general, simpler fractures were fixed by pins, while plates were used for those that were more severe.

Familial occurrence of carpal tunnel syndrome.

The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence of familial carpal tunnel syndrome in patients admitted to the authors' institution for carpal tunnel release. Questionnaires completed by 120 patients: 92 women (77%) and 28 men (23%) at a mean age of 56 years at their baseline clinical examination were reviewed. Familial occurrence of the disease was noted in 21 patients (17%): 16 women and five men.

Percutaneous K-wires vs palmar locking plate fixation for different types of distal radial fractures: a comparison of the outcomes of two methods to controll our guidelines.

Unlabelled: The objective of the study was a comparison of the outcomes of K-wire vs plate fixation for distal radial fractures used according to the proposed institutional algorithm. Fracture configurations A2, A3, B1, B2, C1 and some C2 were operated on with K-wire pinning, whereas B3 and some B2, C3 and some C2 were with locking palmar-plate fixation.

Patients And Methods: Four hundred and sixty-seven patients were non-randomly allocated for either K-wire (n = 363) or palmarplate (n = 104) fixation.

An assessment of quality of the surgical curriculum in Pomeranian Medical University in years 2015-2017.

Unlabelled: The objective of this study was assessment of quality of the surgical curriculum in Pomeranian Medical University in years 2015-2017.

Material And Methods: A questionnaire-survey has been conducted in a group of 100 of Polish students from the Medical Faculty just before the final test-exam in subject surgery. Main topics of the questionnaire items concerned students' opinion on the expected usefulness of acquired surgical knowledge for future medical practice, acquired manual skills, range of knowledge learned in particular academic years and on understanding the term "skill/competency-oriented teaching" surgery.

Factors involved in the clinical profile of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Unlabelled: Clinical presentation of carpal tunnel syndrome may differ in relation to certain factors like sex, age, duration of symptoms and severity of compression. The objective of this study was an investigation into the hypothesis that several distinct factors are predictive of the clinical profile for the condition. The records of 1,117 patients: 909 women (81 %) and 208 men (19 %) with a mean age of 63 years, were analysed.

A comparison of outcomes of carpal tunnel release for carpal tunnel syndrome in patients diagnosed with and without electrophysiological studies.

Records were analysed from the institutional database, including 943 patients (1089 hands) with CTS who were operated on in the authors' department over a period of four years (2012 to 2015). The diagnosis of CTS was made solely on the basis of clinical findings in 551 patients (58 %); 392 patients (42 %) also had electrodiagnostic tests performed, for various reasons. Patients were followed-up at 1 and 6 months with assessments that included the Levine scores, filament tests, grip and pinch strength.

Perforation of the Peptic Ulcer Localized in the Proximal Jejunum - Case Report.

Non-traumatic perforation of the digestive tract occurs most often in the duodenum and stomach (peptic ulcer), as well as the colon (diverticulitis, cancer or ischemic lesions). Perforation of the small bowel is very rare. The Authors of the study presented a case of proximal jejunum perforation, which occurred in a patient with a history of duodenal peptic ulcer disease.

Exposure of the surgeon's hands to radiation during hand surgery procedures.

Background: The objective of the study was to assess the time of exposure of the surgeon's hands to radiation and calculate of the equivalent dose absorbed during surgery of hand and wrist fractures with C-arm fluoroscope guidance.

Material And Methods: The necessary data specified by the objective of the study were acquired from operations of 287 patients with fractures of fingers, metacarpals, wrist bones and distal radius. 218 operations (78%) were percutaneous procedures and 60 (22%) were performed by open method.

The usefulness of the surgical knowledge and skills acquired via the university curriculum for doctors' medical practice several years after graduation.

Background: Teaching surgery during university curriculum comprises transferring theoretical knowledge traditionally and simultaneously acquiring manual skills, i.e., suturing, stitch removal, limb immobilization, catheterization, and assisting operations.

[Association of anthropometric factors and predisposition to carpal tunnel syndrome].

Background: An observation of patients suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome shows distinct overweight, short stature and relatively thick hands in majority of them. Objective of this study was evaluation of the relationship of anthropometric and anatomical factors related to the hand with incidence of the syndrome.

Patients And Methods: The anthropometric measurements of body weight and height, as well as anatomical of wrist girth, hand length and volume were performed in 105 patients, 84 women (80%) and 21 men (20%), aged a mean of 59 years, with idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome.

[Are conduction studies in the median nerve obligatory for the diagnosis of the carpal tunnel syndrome: a review].

Most the of doctors, including surgeons, who deal with diagnosing and treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome believe that median nerve conduction studies are obligatory for accurate diagnosis of the syndrome, providing various arguments to support this opinion. Based on available, current literature, a critical analysis of such an attitude was conducted. There is no definitive scientific evidence supporting a greater diagnostic importance of abnormal conduction in median nerve, than classical symptoms and signs of carpal tunnel syndrome.