Chemerin in the Spotlight: Revealing Its Multifaceted Role in Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Chemerin, an adipokine known for its role in adipogenesis and inflammation, has emerged as a significant biomarker in cardiovascular diseases, including acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Recent studies have highlighted chemerin's involvement in the pathophysiological processes of coronary artery disease (CAD), where it modulates inflammatory responses, endothelial function, and vascular remodelling. Elevated levels of chemerin have been associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, including increased myocardial injury, left ventricular dysfunction, and heightened inflammatory states post-AMI.

The Effectiveness of Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT LOUD) on Children's Speech and Voice: A Scoping Review.

Background: This scoping review had as a primary goal a review of the literature and the an analysis of the possible effectiveness of the LSVT LOUD approach in children with voice and speech deficits.

Methods: A search was conducted in the Scopus and PubMed databases in May of 2024. Eleven articles were obtained from the search.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy in heart failure based on Strauss criteria for left bundle branch block.

Aims: The left bundle branch block (LBBB) is a strong predictor of response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). However, a significant number of patients do not respond to the treatment. The study sought to evaluate the impact of the stricter Strauss criteria for left bundle branch block (St-LBBB) on CRT response, hospitalizations, ventricular arrhythmia (VA) events and mortality.

Fragile hearts: Unveiling the crucial layers of frailty in elderly patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions.

Wang and Liu's systematic review of frailty among elderly patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) revealed that patients with frailty have significantly higher risks of all-cause and in-hospital death, major undesirable cardiovascular events, and major haemorrhage. Frailty is associated with adverse events, prolonged hospital stays, increased complications, and elevated mortality risk due to diminished physiological reserves. Integrating frailty into risk assessment tools is crucial, and gait speed has emerged as a key predictor of frailty.

Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease: From Pathophysiology to Treatment.

The Bicuspid Aortic Valve (BAV) is the most common congenital anomaly in adults, with a global incidence of 1.3%. Despite being well documented, BAV presents significant clinical challenges due to its phenotypic heterogeneity, diverse clinical manifestations, and variable outcomes.

Health care workers' knowledge and perceptions on WHO hand hygiene guidelines, and the perceived barriers to compliance with hand hygiene in Cyprus.

Background: Hand hygiene (HH) is recognized as an important measure to avoid the transmission of harmful germs, and assists significantly in preventing healthcare-associated infections. HH compliance among health care workers (HCWs) is a result of their knowledge and perceptions.

Aim: To investigate the knowledge and perceptions of WHO hand hygiene guidelines among HCWs, and the perceived barriers to compliance with hand hygiene in a major public hospital in Cyprus.

Trust in government moderates the association between fear of COVID-19 as well as empathic concern and preventive behaviour.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, behavioural scientists aimed to illuminate reasons why people comply with (or not) large-scale cooperative activities. Here we investigated the motives that underlie support for COVID-19 preventive behaviours in a sample of 12,758 individuals from 34 countries. We hypothesized that the associations of empathic prosocial concern and fear of disease with support towards preventive COVID-19 behaviours would be moderated by trust in the government.

Global Globin Network and adopting genomic variant database requirements for thalassemia.

Thalassemia is one of the most prevalent monogenic disorders in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). There are an estimated 270 million carriers of hemoglobinopathies (abnormal hemoglobins and/or thalassemia) worldwide, necessitating global methods and solutions for effective and optimal therapy. LMICs are disproportionately impacted by thalassemia, and due to disparities in genomics awareness and diagnostic resources, certain LMICs lag behind high-income countries (HICs).

Consumption of tobacco products and associated factors among outpatient visitors of two healthcare facilities in Northern Cyprus: a descriptive cross-sectional study.

Background: Tobacco use is one of the leading causes of preventable mortality and morbidity. Although Cyprus is considered a developed country, the tobacco prevalence and related issues have not been explored sufficiently in the general population of North Cyprus.

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the rate of tobacco product consumption and related factors among the visitors of a community health center and a university hospital in Northern Cyprus.

Flecainide toxicity-Clinical diagnosis and management of an urgent condition.

Clinical suspicion, clinical presentation, and electrocardiogram can help clinicians diagnose flecainide toxicity. Currently, there are no guidelines for the management of patients with flecainide toxicity. Sodium bicarbonate, lipid emulsion therapy, and extracorporeal life support have been used in this setting.

Bridging the Gap between Galectin-3 Expression and Hypertensive Pregnancy Disorders: A Narrative Review.

Galectin-3 belongs to a family of soluble glycan-binding proteins, which are increasingly recognized as modulators of pregnancy-associated processes, including proper placental development. Gestational hypertension and preeclampsia are significant complications of pregnancy, affecting millions of women annually. Despite their prevalence, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms remain poorly understood.

Emerging Therapeutic Targets for Acute Coronary Syndromes: Novel Advancements and Future Directions.

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, requiring ongoing efforts to identify novel therapeutic targets to improve patient outcomes. This manuscript reviews promising therapeutic targets for ACS identified through preclinical research, including novel antiplatelet agents, anti-inflammatory drugs, and agents targeting plaque stabilization. Preclinical studies have expounded these agents' efficacy and safety profiles in mitigating key pathophysiological processes underlying ACS, such as platelet activation, inflammation, and plaque instability.

Impact of COVID-19 infection on lung function and nutritional status amongst individuals with cystic fibrosis: A global cohort study.

Background: Factors associated with severe COVID-19 infection have been identified; however, the impact of infection on longer-term outcomes is unclear. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of COVID-19 infection on the trajectory of lung function and nutritional status in people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF).

Methods: This is a retrospective global cohort study of pwCF who had confirmed COVID-19 infection diagnosed between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021.

The Clinical and Genetic Landscape of Hereditary Cancer: Experience from a Single Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory.

Background/aim: The application of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology in the genetic investigation of hereditary cancer is important for clinical surveillance, therapeutic approach, and reducing the risk of developing new malignancies. The aim of the study was to explore genetic predisposition in individuals referred for hereditary cancer.

Materials And Methods: A total of 8,261 individuals were referred for multigene genetic testing, during the period 2020-2023, in the laboratory, and underwent multigene genetic testing using NGS.

The Influence of the Dominant Leg in Body Asymmetries in Children and Adolescent Male Soccer Players.

The current study aimed to examine (a) whether the dominant leg (DL) was associated with the contralateral side of functional scoliosis and (b) if any of the postural asymmetries' evaluation variables may be a reliable predictor of the functional scoliosis development in young male soccer players. Six hundred-nine ( = 609) male soccer players (age: 10.8 ± 2.

Pleomorphic Adenoma of Minor Salivary Glands: a Rare Case Report.

Pleomorphic adenoma is a non-cancerous neoplasm that develops in the salivary glands. Originating from minor salivary glands, it is extremely uncommon and primarily affects females. The peak incidence is observed between 40 and 60 years of age.

European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases/European Committee on infection control clinical guidelines on pre-operative decolonization and targeted prophylaxis in patients colonized by multidrug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria before surgery.

Scope: The aim of these guidelines is to provide recommendations for decolonization and perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP) in multidrug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria (MDR-GPB) adult carriers before inpatient surgery.

Methods: These European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases/European Committee on Infection Control guidelines were developed following a systematic review of published studies targeting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci, methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococci, and pan-drug-resistant-GPB. Critical outcomes were the occurrence of surgical site infections (SSIs) caused by the colonizing MDR-GPB and SSIs-attributable mortality.

Do Children with High Callous-Unemotional Traits Have Attentional Deficits to Emotional Stimuli? Evidence from a Multi-Method and Multi-Informant Study.

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits in children and adolescents are linked to severe and persistent antisocial behavior. Based on past empirical research, several theoretical models have suggested that CU traits may be partly explained by difficulties in correctly identifying others' emotional states as well as their reduced attention to others' eyes, which could be important for both causal theory and treatment. This study tested the relationships among CU traits, emotion recognition of facial expressions and visual behavior in a sample of 52 boys referred to a clinic for conduct problems (Mage = 10.