Polymorphisms within Genes Coding for IL-17A and F and Their Receptor as Clinical Hallmarks in Ankylosing Spondylitis.

IL-17A and IL-17F together with their coreceptor (IL-17RA/RC) were reported to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of spondyloarthritis. The group of axial spondyloarthritis comprises ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a rheumatic disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the joints in the spine. This study is aimed at investigating , , , and polymorphisms as potential biomarkers of disease susceptibility, clinical parameters, and anti-TNF treatment outcome in a cohort of Polish ankylosing spondylitis patients.

A 39-Year-Old Woman with Cervicofacial and Mediastinal Emphysema 10 Hours After an Elective Lower Molar Dental Extraction.

BACKGROUND Mediastinal emphysema, also called pneumomediastinum, is a very infrequent condition in patients reporting to an Emergency Department. Mediastinal emphysema is the pathologic presence of free air enclosing the mediastinal structures. In the case of chest pain in a young healthy adult, pneumomediastinum as a differential diagnosis will undoubtedly be omitted.

Treating Aggression and Self-destructive Behaviors by Stimulating the Nucleus Accumbens: A Case Series.

Self-destructive and aggressive behaviors can have a significant impact on the quality of life of affected individuals and their carrers. While deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been applied to the treatment of self-destructive and aggressive behaviors in isolated cases, clinical data on this treatment modality are still lacking. We therefore assessed responses to treatment with bilateral DBS of the nucleus accumbens in six patients with severe self-destructive and aggressive behaviors.

Is Neuropathic Pain a Good Marker of Peripheral Neuropathy in Hospice Patients with Advanced Cancer? The Single Center Pilot Study.

Neuropathic pain (NP) affects approximately 30% of patients with advanced cancer. The prevalence of neuropathic pain related to peripheral neuropathy (NP-RPN) in these patients is not known. The aim of the study was to evaluate NP-RPN prevalence in hospice patients and to find out whether the absence of this pain is sufficient to rule out peripheral neuropathy.

Phloroglucinol prevents albumin glycation as well as diminishes ROS production, glycooxidative damage, nitrosative stress and inflammation in hepatocytes treated with high glucose.

The treatment of diabetes mellitus aftermaths became one of medicine's most significant therapeutical and financial issues in the XXI century. Most of which are related to protein glycation and oxidative stress caused by long lasting periods of hyperglycemia. Thus, even within a venerable one, searching for new drugs, displaying anti-glycation and anti-oxidative properties seem useful as an additive therapy of diabetes.

Translation and validation of the inflammatory bowel disease fatigue (IBD-F) patient self-assessment questionnaire.

Introduction: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of chronic gastrointestinal diseases with frequent systemic complications that are incurable according to current knowledge. These diseases adversely affect various areas of life, lowering patients' quality of life. One of the most frequently reported symptoms is fatigue.

Randomized-Controlled Trial Examining the Effect of Pelvic Floor Muscle Training in the Treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence in Men after a Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy Pilot Study.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of pelvic floor muscle training (PMFT) in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in men after they received radical prostatectomy (RP).

Methods: From November 2018 to September 2019, patients who underwent radical prostatectomy were assessed for eligibility. A total of 37 men were then randomly assigned to the experimental group (EG) and the control group (CG).

Changes in Cerebral Blood Flow after Erenumab Treatment in Good and Non-Responders-A Pilot Study of Migraine Patients.

Erenumab showed efficacy in migraine prevention, however we cannot identify which patients to treat by predicting efficacy response. The aim of this study was to compare changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) reflected by transcranial Doppler (TCD) in erenumab good responders (GR) and non-responders, in order to identify a parameter that could predict the treatment response. In this study, migraineurs treated with erenumab underwent clinical and TCD evaluations before and 6 weeks after the treatment, including data on migraine type, monthly migraine days (MMD), medication overuse headache (MOH) presence, mean blood flow velocity (Vm) and pulsatility index (PI) in cerebral arteries (CA).

Gene Polymorphisms as Potential Biomarkers of Disease Susceptibility and Response to TNF Inhibitors in Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, and Psoriatic Arthritis Patients.

Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) belong to inflammatory rheumatic diseases, the group of conditions of unknown etiology. However, a strong genetic component in their pathogenesis has been well established. A dysregulation of cytokine networks plays an important role in the development of inflammatory arthritis.

Mechanical Thrombectomy in Stroke. Experience from Switching from Stent Retriever Only to Stent Retriever Combined with Aspiration Catheter.

Unlabelled: Endovascular treatment is a rapidly evolving technique; therefore, there is a constant need to evaluate this method and its modifications. This paper discusses a single-center experience and the results of switching from the stent retriever only (SO) mechanical thrombectomy (MT) to the combined approach (CA), with a stent retriever and aspiration catheters.

Methods: The study involved a retrospective analysis of 70 patients undergoing MT with the use of either SO or CA.

Shared epitope and polymorphism of and encoding genes in Greek and Polish patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The present study aimed to analyse and compare the distribution of MICA (rs1051792) and NKG2D/KLRK1 (rs1154831, rs1049174, rs2255336) polymorphisms in 61 Greek and 100 Polish patients with rheumatoid arthritis in relation to the presence of the HLA-DRB1 shared epitope and clinical parameters. Genotyping of selected polymorphism was performed using real-time PCR. HLA-DRB1 shared epitope alleles segregated differently in Greek and Polish patients but in both populations were detected in over 60% of cases.

The Impact of Electrical Stimulation of the Brain and Spinal Cord on Iron and Calcium-Phosphate Metabolism.

Background: Deep-brain stimulation (DBS) electrically modulates the subcortical brain regions. Under conditions of monopolar cerebral stimulation, electrical current flows between electrode's contacts and an implantable pulse generator, placed in the subclavicular area. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) delivers an electrical current to the spinal cord.

Tractography Alterations in the Arcuate and Uncinate Fasciculi in Post-Stroke Aphasia.

Fiber tractography based on diffuse tensor imaging (DTI) can reveal three-dimensional white matter connectivity of the human brain. Tractography is a non-invasive method of visualizing cerebral white matter structures in vivo, including neural pathways surrounding the ischemic area. DTI may be useful for elucidating alterations in brain connectivity resulting from neuroplasticity after stroke.

Biochemical Parameters in Cognitive Functions.

Cognitive impairment is a common disease. Many studies attempt to explain the mechanisms of these dysfunctions formation, including correlations between cognitive functions and biochemical parameters. Scientists search for substances that would be indicators of cognitive functions and which could be determined in the cerebrospinal fluid or blood of the subjects.

Endovascular Treatment of Stroke Caused by Carotid Artery Dissection.

Ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion (LVO) is a devastating condition. Most LVOs are embolic in nature. Arterial dissection is responsible for only a small proportion of LVOs, is specific in nature and poses some challenges in treatment.

Tractography-Based Analysis of Morphological and Anatomical Characteristics of the Uncinate Fasciculus in Human Brains.

(1) Background: The uncinate fasciculus (UF) is a white matter bundle connecting the prefrontal cortex and temporal lobe. The functional role of the uncinate fasciculus is still uncertain. The role of the UF is attributed to the emotional empathy network.

ADMA (asymmetric dimethylarginine) and angiogenic potential in patients with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.

Asymmetric dimethylarginine is an endogenous competitive inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase and marker of endothelial dysfunction, but the question remains as to whether asymmetric dimethylarginine is a marker of cardiovascular episodes or their independent risk factor. ADMA/DDAH (dimethylaminohydrolase) pathway regulates vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-mediated angiogenesis due to its impact on the NO formation. The aim of the study was to assess the concentrations of asymmetric dimethylarginine and the angiogenic potential in the blood of subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2DM,  = 33) and patients with prediabetes ( = 32)-impaired fasting glycemia and/or impaired glucose tolerance (WHO criteria).

Polymorphisms within the RANK and RANKL Encoding Genes in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Association with Disease Progression and Effectiveness of the Biological Treatment.

Inconsistency of the results regarding the genetic variability within genes coding for receptor activator of nuclear factor κB (RANK) and its ligand (RANKL) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) prompted us to study the RANK and RANKL polymorphisms as potential biomarkers associated with disease predisposition and response to anti-TNF treatment in a group of Polish patients with RA. This study enrolled 318 RA patients and 163 controls. RANK (rs8086340, C > G; rs1805034, C > T) and RANKL (rs7325635, G > A; rs7988338 G > A) alleles were determined by real-time PCR with melting curve analysis and related with clinical parameters.

The changing role of ultrasonography examination in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in light of recent studies.

For many years, ultrasonography (US) has been a widely accepted modality used for joint assessment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Given the efficacy of present day therapies, there is scepticism whether it is required in the first place. The most recent clinical Targeting synovitis in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis (TaSER) and Clinical Tight Control Therapy (ARCTIC) trials' results appear to contradict it, yet this does not necessarily mean ultrasound has no place in modern rheumatology.

Tissue-type plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 in patients with symptomatic lower extremity artery disease.

Background: Lower extremity artery disease (LEAD) involves progressive arterial narrowing manifested by intermittent claudication (IC). LEAD entails endothelial dysfunction and fibrinolytic disorders. In the current study, we analyze the selected parameters of the fibrinolytic system in the blood of patients with symptomatic LEAD depending on clinical parameters.

Association of MICA-129Met/Val polymorphism with clinical outcome of anti-TNF therapy and MICA serum levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

MHC class I polypeptide-related sequence A (MICA) is a stress-induced protein involved in activation of NK and T cells through interaction with NKG2D receptor. These molecules are atypically expressed in synovium of patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A total of 279 patients with RA, qualified to TNF-blockade therapy, were genotyped for MICA rs1051792 SNP.

Implications of Hemostasis Disorders in Patients with Critical Limb Ischemia-An In-Depth Comparison of Selected Factors.

Background: Atherosclerosis is a systemic disease. Among patients with atherosclerosis, those suffering from peripheral arterial disease (PAD) represent a group of individuals with particularly high death risk, especially during the course of critical limb ischemia (CLI). In the pathogenesis of PAD/CLI complications, blood coagulation disorders play a significant role.