Dermoscopic Features as Predictors of Mutational Status and Sentinel Lymph Node Positivity in Primary Cutaneous Melanoma.

Dermoscopy is a diagnostic tool widely used in clinical practice for the detection of skin tumors, especially early stages of melanoma. Recent studies have shown that different dermoscopic features are associated with important prognostic parameters of melanoma, such as BRAF mutational status and sentinel lymph node status. More than half of all melanomas harbor a mutation in the BRAF oncogene.

Profiling Colorectal Cancer in the Landscape Personalized Testing-Advantages of Liquid Biopsy.

Drug-specific therapeutic approaches for colorectal cancer (CRC) have contributed to significant improvements in patient health. Nevertheless, there is still a great need to improve the personalization of treatments based on genetic and epigenetic tumor profiles to maximize the quality and efficacy while limiting cytotoxicity. Currently, CEA and CA 19-9 are the only validated blood biomarkers in clinical practice.

TERT Gene Fusions Characterize a Subset of Metastatic Leydig Cell Tumors.

Objective: Metastatic Leydig cell tumors (LCT) are rare, difficult-to-treat malignancies without known underlying molecular-genetic events. An index case of metastatic LCT showed an LDLR-TERT gene fusion upon routine genetic profiling for detection of therapeutic targets, which was then followed by an investigation into a cohort of additional LCTs.

Patients And Methods: Twenty-nine LCT (27 male and 2 female patients) were profiled using next-generation sequencing and immunohistochemistry.

Long acting aripiprazole influences cognitive functions in recent onset schizophrenia.

Rationale: Beneficial effects of aripiprazole on cognition in schizophrenia have been previously reported, but not in recent onset schizophrenia. Cognitive impairments have also been associated with catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), and serotonin transporter (SERT) gene polymorphisms which were earlier implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

Objectives: This study examined the short-term influence of aripiprazole long-acting injectable (LAI) as well as of COMT, MTHFR, and SERT gene polymorphisms and their interactions on clinical features and cognitive functions in inpatients with recent onset schizophrenia.

Psoas abscess during treatment with intravenous tocilizumab in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis: a case-based review.

Interleukin-6 receptor antagonist tocilizumab is a biologic drug used for treating patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who failed to respond to synthetic or other biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs or where they were contraindicated. Interleukin-6 receptor blockade results in a decrease of disease activity but has some potential adverse effects, the most common being infections. We present a case of a 75-year-old female patient with long-lasting RA, several comorbidities and multiple prior therapies, who developed back pain and general malaise during tocilizumab intravenous treatment.

Effects of Environmental Factors on Severity and Mortality of COVID-19.

Most respiratory viruses show pronounced seasonality, but for SARS-CoV-2, this still needs to be documented. We examined the disease progression of COVID-19 in 6,914 patients admitted to hospitals in Europe and China. In addition, we evaluated progress of disease symptoms in 37,187 individuals reporting symptoms into the COVID Symptom Study application.

Imaging in chronic rhinosinusitis: A systematic review of MRI and CT diagnostic accuracy and reliability in severity staging.

Background: Computerized tomography (CT) severity scores are frequently used as an objective staging tool in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has also been proposed as a valid option in CRS imaging.

Purpose: The aim of this systematic review was to briefly present the recent developments on sinus imaging utilized in clinical practice with regard to diagnostic accuracy of imaging and severity staging in CRS according to evidence-based medicine (EBM) principles.

Bioactivity Comparison of Electrospun PCL Mats and Liver Extracellular Matrix as Scaffolds for HepG2 Cells.

Cells grown on bioactive matrices have immensely advanced many aspects of biomedical research related to drug delivery and tissue engineering. Our main objective was to perform simple evaluation of the structural and biotic qualities of cell scaffolds made of affordable biomaterials for liver cell line (HepG2) cultivation in vitro. In this work the electrospun matrix made of synthetic polyester poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) was compared with the natural protein-based extracellular matrix isolated from porcine liver (ECM).

The Role of Folded Multi-Island Vertical Rectus Abdominis Myocutaneous Flap in Reconstruction of Complex Maxillectomy and Midfacial Defects.

The rationale and outcomes for reconstruction of complex maxillectomy and midfacial defects using a folded multi-island vertical rectus abdominis myocutaneous free flap (MI-VRAM) are analyzed in this study.A retrospective review of prospectively collected database was conducted on all VRAM free flaps used in head and neck reconstruction from 2013 to 2019. A total of 39 cases were identified, of which 21 patients underwent immediate VRAM flap reconstruction for complex maxillectomy and midfacial defects.

Glucagon-like-1 receptor agonists and sodium/glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors combination-are we exploiting their full potential in a real life setting?

Background: The sodium/glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) and glucagon-like-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) are antidiabetic agents effective both in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) reduction (with a low risk of hypoglycemia) and cardiovascular event prevention. In patients with type 2 diabetes, the add-on value of combination therapy of GLP-1RA and an SGLT-2i seems promising.

Aim: To investigate whether the efficacy of GLP-1RA and SGLT-2i combination observed in randomized controlled trials translates into therapeutic benefits in the Croatian population during routine clinical practice and follow-up.

Pembrolizumab-induced vitiligo in a patient with lung adenocarcinoma: A case report.

Pembrolizumab is an immune checkpoint inhibitor designed to block the interaction between programmed cell death-1 and programmed cell death-ligands 1 and 2. It shows efficacy in the treatment of patients with advanced nonsmall-cell lung cancer, among others. Side effects may involve immune-related adverse events, including vitiligo.

Plasma Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) Concentration and / Gene Polymorphisms in Croatian Adults with Asthma.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB) receptor might contribute to normal lung functioning and immune responses; however, their role in asthma remains unclear. Plasma BDNF concentrations, as well as and ( gene) polymorphisms, were investigated in 120 asthma patients and 120 healthy individuals using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and polymerase chain reaction, respectively. The genotype and allele frequencies of Val66Met (rs6265) and rs1439050 polymorphisms did not differ between healthy individuals and asthma patients, nor between patients grouped according to severity or different asthma phenotypes.

Haptoglobin genotype 2-2 associated with atherosclerosis in patients with ischemic stroke.

Aim: Ischemic stroke (IS) is multifactorial disease and therefore different genes and proteins play a role in its development. Haptoglobin (Hp) removes free hemoglobin and protects from iron-induced oxidative damage, inflammatory response, atherosclerosis and cerebrovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate Hp genetic variants in patients with carotid atherosclerotic lesions and IS.

Peritumoral Clefting and Expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Skin.

Background/aim: Peritumoral clefting is one of the main histologic features of basal cell carcinoma of the skin (BCC). The aim of the study was to analyze the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 both in cells of basal cell carcinoma and in the adjacent stroma and to correlate the findings of immunohistochemical analysis with the presence of peritumoral clefting.

Patients And Methods: The study was made on archival material comprising 48 cases of BCC.

Nurses' perception of implicit nursing care rationing in Croatia-A cross-sectional multicentre study.

Aim: To examine Croatian nurses' perception of implicit nursing care rationing and the patient safety culture from the perspective of acute care hospital staff.

Background: In the past three decades, the Croatian health system has undergone numerous transformations driven by geopolitical, legal, financial, demographic, scientific and technological progress. These changes have led to systemic changes in the structure, organisation, financing and delivery of health care, and thus, of nursing care.

Inflammation-related cytokines and their roles in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms.

Proinflammatory counterworks are important at different stages of tumor development, particularly during invasion and metastasis. Immune cells and their signal molecules can influence all stages of tumor progression, as well as therapeutic intervention. Proinflammatory cytokines are known triggers of growth in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NENs).

Identifying early postoperative serum parathyroid hormone levels as predictors of hypocalcaemia after total thyroidectomy: A prospective non-randomized study.

Objective: There is no clear cut-off value of serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) or calcium in which patients are at risk for hypocalcemia after total thyroidectomy. We evaluated the usefulness of serum calcium and PTH concentration measurements after total thyroidectomy in predicting late-occurring hypocalcemia.

Design: A prospective, single-center, non-randomized longitudinal cohort study of 143 patients undergoing thyroidectomy between August 2019 and December 2019 with serum calcium and PTH levels sampled 1 h after surgery and on the first and fifth postoperative day.

Prevention of cardiac allograft vasculopathy - A new possible indication for SGLT-2 inhibitors?

One of the main risk factors influencing patient survival after heart transplantation is cardiac allograft vasculopathy, the leading cause of death after the first year of transplantation. It is an entity of multifactorial origin including both humoral and cellular alloimmune responses as well as immunologic-independent factors such as graft injury, ischaemia-reperfusion injury, oxidative stress, cytomegalovirus infection, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes mellitus and hypertension. A fundamental characteristic of cardiac allograft vasculopathy is vascular remodelling, initially driven by the injury and apoptosis of endothelial cells, then by the migration of smooth muscle cells leading to intimal thickening and ultimately allograft vessel occlusion.

Intense Physical Exercise Induces an Anti-inflammatory Change in IgG N-Glycosylation Profile.

Exercise is known to improve many aspects of human health, including modulation of the immune system and inflammatory status. It is generally understood that exercise reduces inflammation, but there are missing links in terms of understanding the mechanisms as well as the differences between exercise modalities. N-glycosylation of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and total plasma proteins was previously shown to reflect changes in inflammatory pathways, which could provide valuable information to further clarify exercise effects.

Toward Better Reporting Standards of Patients' Characteristics in Rehabilitation Trials: Applying a New Conceptual Framework to Current Standards.

Background And Aim: The reporting of clinical studies in rehabilitation has been criticized in several aspects, including the reporting of patient characteristics. This article aims to contribute to the improvement of the reporting of patient characteristics in rehabilitation trials. Specifically, we want to determine the type of information that should be reported in rehabilitation trials that is specific to rehabilitation patients and how this information is captured by current reporting standards.