Extracellular vesicles from platelet-poor plasma possess anti-inflammatory and anti-catabolic effects in chondrocytes stimulated with IL-1β or synovial membrane-conditioned media.

Background: Although osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent form of arthritis, there is still no effective treatment capable of combining immunomodulatory effects with cartilage repair. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) represent a promising new generation of cell-free therapies for OA. Blood-derived products, including plasma, are an easily available and abundant source of EVs with anti-inflammatory and regenerative properties.

Non-Invasive Positive Pressure Ventilation Use-Practice Recommendations of the Slovak Society of Pulmonology and Phthisiology.

Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) is increasingly used as a treatment method for patients with respiratory failure. The first recommendations for the use of NIPPV in Slovakia were developed by the Slovak Society of Pulmonology and Phthisiology in 2007 and were partially revised in 2015. New scientific evidence prompted the present update, which is based on widely accepted international guidelines and was adapted to address local needs.

Plasma-derived extracellular vesicle surface markers CD45, CD326 and CD56 correlate with the stage of osteoarthritis: a primary study of a novel and promising diagnostic tool of the disease.

Recently, there is a growing interest in the research based on extracellular vesicles (EVs) which represent paracrine factors secreted by almost all cell types. Both, normal and pathological cells are able to release various types of EVs with different physiological properties, functions and compositions. EVs play an important role in intercellular communication, mechanism and tissue repair.

Predictors of Quality-of-Life Improvement at Different Minimum Clinically Important Difference Values in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease after Climatic Rehabilitation Treatment.

Background: The minimum clinically important difference (MCID) for the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) is debated in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) quality-of-life (QoL) assessments. This study aimed to determine whether there is a difference in predictors of clinically significant improvement between the traditional (value of 4) and newly proposed MCID SGRQ (value of 7) after climatic rehabilitation treatment. Climatic rehabilitation treatment consists of two main parts: climatotherapy, which typically involves the controlled exposure of individuals to natural environmental elements, and climatic rehabilitation, which includes other therapeutic factors such as physical activities as well as educating the patient to change their lifestyle.

Small Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Human Chorionic MSCs as Modern Perspective towards Cell-Free Therapy.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are of great interest to scientists due to their application in cell therapy of many diseases, as well as regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Recently, there has been growing evidence surrounding the research based on extracellular vesicles (EVs), especially small EVs (sEVs)/exosomes derived from MSCs. EVs/exosomes can be secreted by almost all cell types and various types of EVs show multiple functions.

Comprehensive Decongestive Therapy as a Treatment for Secondary Lymphedema of the Lower Extremity and Quality of Life of Women After Gynecological Cancer Surgery.

BACKGROUND Lymphedema is a clinical manifestation of lymphatic system failure, caused by an imbalance between the transport capacity of the lymphatic system and the volume of the produced lymph. Lymphedema is complication and significantly worsens quality of life (QoL). MATERIAL AND METHODS There were 50 patients diagnosed with secondary lymphedema of the lower extremities after gynecological cancer followed by radiotherapy included in this study.

Association of JAG1 gene polymorphism with systemic blood pressure in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a prospective cohort study.

Aim: To assess the effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on blood pressure control in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods: This prospective observational cohort study, conducted between 2004 and 2014, examined the associations of SNPs of JAG1, GUCY1A3-GUCY1B3, SH2B3, and NPR3-C5orf23 genes with systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) in 1179 adults evaluated for OSA with overnight polysomnography. Genotyping was performed by unlabeled probe melting analysis.

The Effect of Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Mountain Environment on Exercise Capacity and Quality of Life in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Chronic Bronchitis.

BACKGROUND We aimed to test the effectiveness of the pulmonary rehabilitation in a mountain environment on the pulmonary function, physical performance, dyspnea, affective factors, and quality of life (QoL) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic bronchitis (CB), as well as to determine predictors of clinical improvement. MATERIAL AND METHODS 128 consecutive patients (90 diagnosed with COPD and 38 diagnosed with CB) underwent comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation for a duration of 3 weeks in one of 3 mountain health resorts in the High Tatras. The examination included spirometry (FEV1 and FEV1/FVC), 6-minute walk test (6MWT), Borg scale of dyspnea, and assessment of depression (Zung score), anxiety (Beck score), and QoL using the SF-36 scales.