Diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations for chronic pancreatitis. Recommendations of the Working Group of the Polish Society of Gastroenterology and the Polish Pancreas Club.

This article describes the latest diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations in chronic pancreatitis, developed by the Working Group of the Polish Society of Gastroenterology and the Polish Pancreas Club. The recommendations refer to the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis, autoimmune pancreatitis, conservative management, treatment of pain, and exocrine and endocrine pancreatic insufficiency, treatment of chronic pancreatitis by endoscopic and surgical methods, and oncological surveillance of chronic pancreatitis. This paper refers to the Polish recommendations published in 2011, which have been updated and supplemented.

Circulating miR-30a-5p as a prognostic biomarker of left ventricular dysfunction after acute myocardial infarction.

Left ventricular (LV) dysfunction after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is associated with an increased risk of heart failure (HF) development. Diverse microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to appear in the bloodstream following various cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to identify prognostic miRNAs associated with LV dysfunction following AMI.

The Relationship Between Health-Related Quality of Life and Anabolic Hormone Levels in Middle-Aged and Elderly Men With Prediabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The aim of this study was to compare health-related quality of life (HRQoL) between men with prediabetes (PD) and a control group as well as to investigate the relationship between HRQoL and anabolic hormones. The analysis was carried out in 176 middle-aged (40-59 years) and elderly (60 80 years) men with PD, and 184 control peers. PD was defined according the American Diabetes Association and HRQoL was assessed by the SF-36 questionnaire.

Role of PROPELLER-DWI of the prostate in reducing distortion and artefact from total hip replacement metalwork.

Objective: To compare image quality, artefact, and distortion in standard echo-planar imaging (EPI) with periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction (PROPELLER) for prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in patients with previous total hip replacement (THR).

Methods: 21 male subjects with a clinical suspicion for, or known prostate cancer and previous THR were scanned at 1.5 T using a phased-array body coil.

Tackling Communication Breakdown - Clinically Unjustified Examinations Revisited.

A lack of communication between the referring clinician and radiologist leads to innumerable unnecessary examinations in the developed world, including Poland. Are the current administrative efforts reaching the right audience and what changes await us in the near future?

Role of plasma growth factor in the healing of chronic ulcers of the lower legs and foot due to ischaemia in diabetic patients.

Introduction: It has been demonstrated that plasma growth factor (PGF) responsible for proliferation of smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts significantly shortens treatment duration.

Aim: To determine the role of human growth factor in the healing of ulcers due to ischaemic diabetic foot syndrome (DFS) following previous angioplasty of the blood vessels of the lower leg and foot.

Material And Methods: The study group included 50 patients with ischaemic diabetic foot complicated by lower leg ulcers in which angioplasty of the stenotic arteries in the distal lower leg and foot was performed.

A method for mapping and quantifying whole organ diffusion-weighted image distortion in MR imaging of the prostate.

A computational algorithm was designed to produce a measure of DW image distortion across the prostate. This algorithm was tested and validated on virtual phantoms incorporating known degrees and distributions of distortion. A study was then carried out on DW image volumes from three sets of 10 patients who had been imaged previously.

Analysis of correlations between the placental expression of glucose transporters GLUT-1, GLUT-4 and GLUT-9 and selected maternal and fetal parameters in pregnancies complicated by diabetes mellitus.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the correlations between the expression of glucose transporters GLUT-1, GLUT-4, and GLUT-9 in human term placenta and selected maternal and fetal parameters in pregnancies complicated by diabetes mellitus (DM).

Materials And Methods: Placental samples were obtained from healthy control (n = 25) and diabetic pregnancies, including diet-controlled gestational diabetes mellitus (GDMG1) (n = 16), insulin-controlled gestational diabetes mellitus (GDMG2) (n = 6), and pregestational DM (PGDM) (n = 6). Computer-assisted quantitative morphometry of stained placental sections was performed to determine the expression of selected glucose transporter proteins.

Placental Expression of Glucose Transporter Proteins in Pregnancies Complicated by Gestational and Pregestational Diabetes Mellitus.

Gestational diabetes mellitus and pregestational diabetes mellitus constitute carbohydrate metabolism disorders, which, if not diagnosed and adequately treated, lead to serious and often life-threatening pregnancy complications. According to a recently formulated hypothesis, some diabetes-related complications, such as fetal macrosomia, may be the result of disturbances in the transplacental transport of nutrients-in particular, excessive maternal-fetal glucose transfer. Throughout pregnancy, glucose flux across the placenta is mediated by the group of facilitative glucose transporters (GLUT), the expression of which in different placental compartments is the precondition for effective glucose uptake from maternal blood and its subsequent transfer to the fetal circulation.

Acute Phase Proteins for Monitoring Hematopoietic Recovery After Early Engrafting of CD34+ Peripheral-Blood-Stem-Cells for Autografting or Allografting in Patients with Malignant Diseases.

BACKGROUND Neutropenic fever (NF) is associated with delayed engraftment after peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT). MATERIAL AND METHODS We followed the levels of acute-phase proteins (APPs) serially in 60 patients after peripheral blood stem-cell autograft (n=39) or peripheral blood stem-cell allograft (n=21) for hematologic malignancies and germinal tumors; we then examined the correlation of those levels with the presence of fever and with markers of engraftment. RESULTS Fever (present in 60% of patients) was associated with a highly statistically significant delay in reaching conventional engraftment targets (ANC >500/μL [0.

NT-proCNP as a new indicator of asthenozoospermia.

Purpose: C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is a proinflammatory peptide. The highest concentration of CNP is found in male reproductive organs. This study aims to analyze the role of N-terminal C-type natriuretic propeptide (NT-proCNP) as a new indicator of asthenozoospermia.

The differences in electrocardiogram interpretation in top-level athletes.

Background: The Ministry of Health in Poland recommends electrocardiogram (ECG)-based cardiovascular screening in athletes, but so far there has been a lack of guidelines on preparticipation assessment. We compared different criteria of ECG screening assessment in a group of top-level athletes.

Aim: The aims were to evaluate the prevalence of ECG changes in athletes that necessitate further cardiological work-up according to three criteria in various age groups as well as to identify factors determining the occurrence of changes related and unrelated to the training.

Impact of pre-gestational and gestational diabetes mellitus on the expression of glucose transporters GLUT-1, GLUT-4 and GLUT-9 in human term placenta.

Purpose: Various studies in placental tissue suggest that diabetes mellitus alters the expression of glucose transporter (GLUT) proteins, with insulin therapy being a possible modulatory factor. The aim of the present study was quantitative evaluation of the expression of glucose transporters (GLUT-1, GLUT-4, GLUT-9) in the placenta of women in both, uncomplicated and diabetic pregnancy. Additionally, the effect of insulin therapy on the expression of selected glucose transporter isoforms was analyzed.

Dialkylcarbamoyl chloride-impregnated dressing for the prevention of surgical site infection in women undergoing cesarean section: a pilot study.

Introduction: Incisional surgical site infections (SSIs) occur in approximately 1.8-9.2% of patients undergoing cesarean section (CS) and contribute to prolonged hospitalization time and increased treatment costs.

Monitoring Cerebral Autoregulation After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Introduction: Delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Data challenge vasospasm being the sole cause of ischemia and suggest other factors. We tested the hypothesis that early autoregulatory failure might predict DCI.

The role of ultrasound and lymphoscintigraphy in the assessment of axillary lymph nodes in patients with breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy and the leading cause of death due to cancer in European women. Mammography screening programs aimed to increase the detection of early cancer stages were implemented in numerous European countries. Recent data show a decrease in mortality due to breast cancer in many countries, particularly among young women.

Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating Dialkylcarbamoyl Chloride Impregnated Dressings for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infections in Adult Women Undergoing Cesarean Section.

Background: Surgical site infections (SSI) occur in 1.8%-9.2% of women undergoing cesarean section (CS) and lead to greater morbidity rates and increased treatment costs.

The role of ultrasound and nuclear medicine methods in the preoperative diagnostics of primary hyperparathyroidism.

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PH) represents one of the most common endocrine diseases. In most cases, the disorder is caused by parathyroid adenomas. Bilateral neck exploration has been a widely used treatment method for adenomas since the 20's of the twentieth century.

Doppler imaging of orbital vessels in the assessment of the activity and severity of thyroid-associated orbitopathy.

Patients with symptoms of thyroid-associated orbitopathy are classified on the basis of the clinical activity score (CAS) proposed by Mourits in 1989. Despite its undoubted clinical usefulness, it has several limitations which can decide about the success or failure of the implemented treatment. Numerous reports mention the presence of hemodynamic changes in orbital and bulbar vessels in the course of an orbitopathy called Graves' disease.

Higher level of NT-proCNP in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with meningitis.

Aminoterminal pro-C type natriuretic peptide (NT-proCNP) as an active form of CNP, has been recently proven to be a potential marker of sepsis and to be linked to inflammatory diseases. So far, there are no studies describing the level of NT-proCNP in meningitis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of NT-proCNP in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in patients with meningitis and to compare it with the serum level of CRP and procalcitonin (PCT) in this group of patients.

Small intestine dysfunction in Parkinson's disease.

The aim of this study was to assess the small bowel transit time in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Ten patients with PD with no gastrointestinal complaints and ten healthy control subjects were investigated using single photon emission computed tomography fused with computed tomography after swallowing of a specially prepared capsule containing technetium 99m, which allowed visualization of the passage in the intestines. Preliminary results show that the small intestine passage in PD patients was prolonged compared to controls.

Letter to Editor. New assessment of the validity of the Brief Measure to Assess Perception of Self-Influence on the Disease Course: A Version for Schizophrenia.

Introduction: Clinical observations suggest that the Brief Measure to Assess Perception of Self-Influence on the Disease Course: A Version for Schizophrenia has the better reliability, than presented in the original publication of the scale [1]. It is used in research and their results indicate moderate relations between the perception of the self-influence on schizophrenia course and social functioning as well as adherence to the recommended treatment. These circumstances justify and new assessment of the reliability of the scale.

Spontaneous rupture of the pregnant uterus following salpingectomy: a literature review.

Background: Spontaneous rupture of the uterus is a life-threatening obstetric complication in rare cases associated with previously performed salpingectomy.

Aim: This paper presents an analysis of uterine rupture cases during pregnancy in patients after surgical removal of the fallopian tubes.

Methods: The English and Polish language literature was reviewed for studies published between January 1, 1980 and September 30, 2014 to identify articles that described rupture of the uterus in women with a previous history of salpingectomy.