Pathogenesis and Surgical Treatment of Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries (ccTGA): Part III.

Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (ccTGA) is an infrequent and complex congenital malformation, which accounts for approximately 0.5% of all congenital heart defects. This defect is characterized by both atrioventricular and ventriculoarterial discordance, with the right atrium connected to the morphological left ventricle (LV), ejecting blood into the pulmonary artery, while the left atrium is connected to the morphological right ventricle (RV), ejecting blood into the aorta.

Cardiac Development and Factors Influencing the Development of Congenital Heart Defects (CHDs): Part I.

The traditional description of cardiac development involves progression from a cardiac crescent to a linear heart tube, which in the phase of transformation into a mature heart forms a cardiac loop and is divided with the septa into individual cavities. Cardiac morphogenesis involves numerous types of cells originating outside the initial cardiac crescent, including neural crest cells, cells of the second heart field origin, and epicardial progenitor cells. The development of the fetal heart and circulatory system is subject to regulatation by both genetic and environmental processes.

Virtual simulations in planning intravascular treatment of aortic coarctation - a retrospective analysis.

Introduction: A number of studies on using both three-dimensional printing and virtual models in assessment of aortic coarctation have been published, yet none of them uses virtual modelling as a planning tool in a blind retrospective analysis.

Aim: Assessment of virtual modelling and virtual reality in planning interventional treatment of aortic coarctation.

Material And Methods: The study involved computed tomography scans of 20 patients performed prior to interventional treatment of aortic coarctation, which were used to create a virtual three-dimensional model of the aorta in Materialise Mimics.

Release of Endocannabinoids into the Cerebrospinal Fluid during the Induction of the Trigemino-Hypoglossal Reflex in Rats.

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) plays an important role in pain processing and modulation. Since the specific effects of endocannabinoids within the orofacial area are largely unknown, we aimed to determine whether an increase in the endocannabinoid concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) caused by the peripheral administration of the FAAH inhibitor URB597 and tooth pulp stimulation would affect the transmission of impulses between the sensory and motor centers localized in the vicinity of the third and fourth cerebral ventricles. The study objectives were evaluated on rats using a method that allowed the recording of the amplitude of evoked tongue jerks (ETJ) in response to noxious tooth pulp stimulation and URB597 treatment.

Effect of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase Inhibitor URB597 on Orofacial Pain Perception in Rats.

Endocannabinoids act as analgesic agents in a number of headache models. However, their effectiveness varies with the route of administration and the type of pain. In this study, we assessed the role of the fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitor URB597 in an animal model of orofacial pain based on tooth pulp stimulation.

Genetic, Epigenetic, and Steroidogenic Modulation Mechanisms in Endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological disease, affecting up to 10% of reproductive-age women. The exact cause of the disease is unknown; however, it is a heritable condition affected by multiple genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. Previous studies reported variations in the epigenetic patterns of numerous genes known to be involved in the aberrant modulation of cell cycle steroidogenesis, abnormal hormonal, immune and inflammatory status in endometriosis, apoptosis, adhesion, angiogenesis, proliferation, immune and inflammatory processes, response to hypoxia, steroidogenic pathway and hormone signaling are involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.

Analysis of Let-7 Family miRNA in Plasma as Potential Predictive Biomarkers of Diagnosis for Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

The most common histological type of thyroid cancer is papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Radical resection of the thyroid gland is currently the recommended method of treatment. Almost 75% of thyroidectomies performed just for diagnostic purposes are benign.

Altered levels of circulating nuclear and mitochondrial DNA in patients with Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

Papillary thyroid cancer is the most common thyroid cancer type. However, diagnostics based on fine needle biopsy cannot make a definitive diagnosis in 25% of thyroid nodules. Additionally, approximately 70% to 80% of thyroid lobectomies performed just for diagnostic purposes are benign.

Opioid and endocannabinoid system in orofacial pain.

Orofacial pain disorders are frequent in the general population and their pharmacological treatment is difficult and controversial. Therefore, the search for novel, safe and efficient analgesics is an important but still elusive goal for contemporary medicine. In the recent years, the antinociceptive potential of endocannabinoids and opioids has been emphasized.

Assessment and pathophysiology of pain in cardiac surgery.

Analysis of the problem of surgical pain is important in view of the fact that the success of surgical treatment depends largely on proper pain management during the first few days after a cardiosurgical procedure. Postoperative pain is due to intraoperative damage to tissue. It is acute pain of high intensity proportional to the type of procedure.

Potential of Liquid Biopsy in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in Context of miRNA, BRAF and p53 Mutation.

Background: Liquid biopsy is a minimally invasive detection method for molecular biomarkers such as miRNA and cell free DNA in body fluids. Deregulations of miRNA are involved in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), one the most common endocrine malignancy. The most widespread common mutations detected in papillary thyroid cancers are BRAF mutations.

Effects of centrally administered endocannabinoids and opioids on orofacial pain perception in rats.

Background And Purpose: Endocannabinoids and opioids play a vital role in mediating pain-induced analgesia. The specific effects of these compounds within the orofacial region are largely unknown. In this study, we tried to determine whether an increase in cannabinoid and opioid concentration in the CSF affects impulse transmission between the motor centres localized in the vicinity of the third and fourth cerebral ventricles.

The Role of miRNA in Papillary Thyroid Cancer in the Context of miRNA Let-7 Family.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common endocrine malignancy. RET/PTC rearrangement is the most common genetic modification identified in this category of cancer, increasing proliferation and dedifferentiation by the activation of the RET/PTC-RAS-BRAF-MAPK-ERK signaling pathway. Recently, let-7 miRNA was found to reduce RAS levels, acting as a tumor suppressor gene.

Opioid and Cannabinoid System in Food Intake.

Energy intake and expenditure are regulated by a complex network of neurochemical systems. The results of numerous studies have provided information about receptors involved, the sites of action within the brain and interactions between various systems, including opioid and cannabinoid, in regulation of energy balance. This review summarizes our present knowledge on the opioid and cannabinoid system appetite and satiety pathways.

Trigemino-hypoglossal somatic reflex in the pharmacological studies of nociception in orofacial area.

Disorders involving the orofacial area represent a major medical and social problem. They are a consequence of central nociceptive processes associated with stimulation of the trigeminal nerve nucleus. A rat model of trigeminal pain, utilizing tongue jerks evoked by electrical tooth pulp stimulation during perfusion of the cerebral ventricles with various neuropeptide solutions, can be used in the pharmacological studies of nociception in orofacial area.

New Horizons in the Etiopathogenesis and Non-Invasive Diagnosis of Endometriosis.

Endometriosis is one of the most common gynecological inflammatory diseases, occurring in adolescents and women in the reproductive age group and leading to infertility. The precise etiopathogenesis of endometriosis is unknown, but several theories concerning the phenomena involved in its development have been proposed. Beside classic retrograde menstruation, these include lymphatic and vascular metastases, iatrogenic direct implantation, coelomic metaplasia, embryonic remnants and mesenchymal cell differentiation or induction; the persistence of a form of embryonic endometriosis may also be involved, as well as the theory of the possible role of endometrial stem/progenitor cells.

Prognosis in children with pulmonary arterial hypertension: 10-year single-centre experience.

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare progressive disease of the pulmonary arterioles with an unfavourable prognosis.

Aim: To evaluate survival and prognostic factors in patients with PAH diagnosed and treated at a single centre in the years 2004–2013.

Methods: The study included 55 children (33 girls; 66%, 22 boys; 33%), with an average age 6.

A new face of endocannabinoids in pharmacotherapy. Part II: role of endocannabinoids in inflammation-derived cardiovaascular diseases.

Endocannabinoids play an important role in cardiovascular diseases caused by inflammatory disorders. Endocannabinoids are endogenous bioactive lipids that activate cannabinoid receptors and together with enzymes responsible for their synthesis and degradation constitute endocannabinoid system. The results obtained to date suggest the involvement of endocannabinoids in the pathology of many cardiovascular diseases associated with inflammation, such as atherosclerosis, restenosis, chemotherapy-induced myocardial injury, diabetic and hepatic cirrhosis cardiomyopathy.

A new face of endocannabinoids in pharmacotherapy. Part I: protective role of endocannabinoids in hypertension and myocardial infarction.

Cannabinoids are compounds which were first isolated from the Cannabis sativa plant. For thousands of years they have been used for treatment of numerous diseases. Currently, synthetic cannabinoids and endocannabinoids are also known.

Pulmonary artery growth in univentricular physiology patients.

Background: A Fontan-type operation, i.e. a connection of the systemic veins and pulmonary arteries without subpulmonary ventricle, with different surgical techniques, is nowadays the only treatment option for patients with a functionally univentricular heart (UVH).

Effect of tooth pulp and periaqueductal central gray electrical stimulation on β-endorphin release into the fluid perfusing the cerebral ventricles in rats.

Our previous studies demonstrated that tooth pulp stimulation increases the pain threshold, whereas stimulation of the periaqueductal central gray (PAG) has the opposite effect. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect exerted by electrical stimulation of the nociceptive afferent terminals in the tooth pulp and analgesic electrical stimulation of the PAG on the release of immunoreactive β-endorphin (β-EP-IR) into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) perfusing the cerebral ventricles in rat, and to establish whether during such stimulation the μ-opioid receptor (MOR) was activated. The tongue jerk reflex was induced by dental pulp stimulation in rats under chloralose anesthesia.

Effect of tooth pulp and periaqueductal central gray stimulation on the expression of genes encoding the selected neuropeptides and opioid receptors in the mesencephalon, hypothalamus and thalamus in rats.

Nociceptive stimulation has been considered to affect the expression of genes encoding endogenous neuropeptides and their receptors. The effect of electric stimulation of the tooth pulp and/or periaqueductal gray (PAG) in rats on mRNA levels of the selected neuropeptides and opioid receptors (ORs) was investigated in comparison with control group, without stimulation. The levels of mRNA for the selected neuropeptides: galanin (GAL), vasopressin (AVP), oxytocin (OT), substance P (SP), somatostatin (SOM), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), endomorphin-2 (EM-2), and opioid receptors: MOR, DOR and KOR in mesencephalic, hypothalamic and thalamic tissues were determined by real-time PCR.

Acute and late obstruction of a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt: a two-center experience in different catheter-based methods of treatment.

Modified Blalock-Taussig (B-T) shunt occlusion results in a sudden reduction of pulmonary vascular perfusion, causing dramatic saturation drop and cyanosis which pose a direct hazard to a child's life. The results of percutaneous local r-tpa infusion, balloon angioplasty and additionally stent implantation in obstructed modified B-T shunts were studied to assess their role as an alternative to a re-do surgery. We outline two pediatric centers' experience (period 2004-2008) regarding the effectiveness of various emergency treatment methods for occlusion or critical stenosis of systemic-to-pulmonary arterial shunts in 23 children.