Analysis of Cdx2 VDR gene polymorphism rs11568820 in association with multiple sclerosis in Slovaks.

Vitamin D deficiency is involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS), a severe autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. The gene polymorphism Cdx-2 (rs11568820, G/A) seriously influences the trancriptional activity of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) that binds the vitamin D responsive elements of target genes including HLA-DRB1*15. The aim of the present study in Slovaks was to analyse the association of Cdx-2 variants with the risk of MS and disability progression, and to assess the DRB1*15:01 allele as a possible confounding factor.

The use of transcutaneous bilirubin nomograms for the prevention of bilirubin neurotoxicity in the neonates.

Purpose: Although neonatal jaundice is a ubiquitous and predominantly benign phenomenon, the risk of neurotoxicity exists in a number of infants with unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia. Plotting bilirubin values on nomograms enables clinicians to employ an anticipatory and individualized approach with the goal of avoiding excessive hyperbilirubinemia and preventing acute bilirubin encephalopathy and its progression to kernicterus. We aimed to construct nomograms for White term infants based on transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) measurements using a JM-105 device.

Peripheral Inflammatory Markers in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder at Adolescent Age.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are associated with immune dysregulation. We aimed to estimate the pro- and anti-inflammatory activity/balance in ASD and ADHD patients at a little-studied adolescent age with respect to sex. We evaluated 20 ASD patients (5 girls, average age: 12.

Prevalence of Positivity for Diabetes-Associated Autoantibodies in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes and Their Further Characterisation: Cross-sectional Study from Slovakia.

Background: Individuals initially diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2D) might exhibit positivity for diabetes-associated autoantibodies (DAA +). We investigated the prevalence of DAA positivity in a group of individuals with T2D who were referred to a tertiary diabetes centre within a pre-specified period of time. We aimed to identify characteristics linked with DAA positivity by comparing DAA + individuals with their DAA-negative counterparts.

Expression of isoforms is reduced in primary colorectal cancer.

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide. The carcinogenesis of CRC is indeed complex, and there are many different mechanisms and pathways that contribute to the development of malignancy and the progression from primary to metastatic tumors. The OCT4A, encoded by the gene, is a transcription factor responsible for the phenotype of stem cells, maintaining pluripotency and regulation of differentiation.

Autonomic control of heart and vessels in patients with very early stage of Parkinson disease.

. Non-motor symptoms including those reflecting autonomic cardiovascular dysregulation are often present in Parkinson disease. It is unclear whether it is possible to detect cardiovascular autonomic dysregulation in the very early stage of Parkinson disease potentially supporting the concept of the upstream propagation of nervous system damage through autonomic nerves.

Phytochemical-based nanodrugs going beyond the state-of-the-art in cancer management-Targeting cancer stem cells in the framework of predictive, preventive, personalized medicine.

Cancer causes many deaths worldwide each year, especially due to tumor heterogeneity leading to disease progression and treatment failure. Targeted treatment of heterogeneous population of cells - cancer stem cells is still an issue in protecting affected individuals against associated multidrug resistance and disease progression. Nanotherapeutic agents have the potential to go beyond state-of-the-art approaches in overall cancer management.

Adiponectin/leptin ratio as a predictor of acute rejection in early post-transplant period in patients after kidney transplantation.

Introduction: Adipokines are largely involved in the regulation of immune system activity. While leptin is the main pro-inflammatory marker of adipose tissue, adiponectin is characterized by anti-inflammatory effects. The aim of our study was to determine the risk of acute graft rejection in protocol biopsy depending on the adiponectin/leptin (A/L) ratio in patients after kidney transplantation (KT).

Tissue distribution of ethanol after intraprostatic injection using a porous needle.

Purpose: To develop a safe and precise method for intraprostatic injection, and to establish correlation between the volume of ethanol injectate and the volume of subsequent infiltrated prostate tissue.

Materials And Methods: We performed intraprostatic injection of 96% ethanol using a needle which has a segment of its wall made of capillary membrane with hundreds of pores in an acute and chronic canine experiment, in heart-beating cadaveric organ donors, and in a xenograft model of human prostate cancer. Whole mount tissue sections were used for three-dimensional reconstruction of the necrotic lesions and calculation of their volumes.

Survey of transfusion practices in preterm infants in Europe.

Background: Preterm infants commonly receive red blood cell (RBC), platelet and fresh frozen plasma (FFP) transfusions. The aim of this Neonatal Transfusion Network survey was to describe current transfusion practices in Europe and to compare our findings to three recent randomised controlled trials to understand how clinical practice relates to the trial data.

Methods: From October to December 2020, we performed an online survey among 597 neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) caring for infants with a gestational age (GA) of <32 weeks in 18 European countries.

Does medical school cause depression or do medical students already begin their studies depressed? A longitudinal study over the first semester about depression and influencing factors.

Objective: In the past, medical students have been found to be at increased risk for depressive symptoms compared to the general population. This study addresses the question, whether medical students already show these elevated depression scores at the beginning of medical school or whether it is the studies of medicine that leads to symptoms of depression.

Methods: In the winter semester 2018/2019, 148 medical students at a middle-sized German university answered a questionnaire during the first (T0) and last week (T1) of their first semester that examined various risk and resilience factors for initial depressive symptoms and their course.

Adiponectin/Leptin Ratio as an Index to Determine Metabolic Risk in Patients after Kidney Transplantation.

Background and Objectives: It has been confirmed that adiponectin/leptin (A/L) ratio correlates better with cardiometabolic risk factors than hormone levels alone. The aim of our study was to determine the risk of developing post-transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) and other metabolic conditions depending on A/L ratio after kidney transplantation (KT). Material and Methods: In a prospective analysis, the studied samples were divided into three groups: control group, prediabetes and PTDM group.

Barriers to the Cervical Cancer Screening by CPC-28 Questionnaire: A Pilot Study.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to identify and compare barriers to cervical cancer screening (CCS) between women seeking and not seeking CCS by CPC-28 questionnaire ('Creencias, Papanicolaou, Cancer-28' questionnaire - Beliefs about Papanicolaou and Cervical Cancer).

Methods: A pilot study was performed in 20 gynecological departments, each department sending data from five healthy women and five untreated women with cervical cancer. The women completed a validated and standardized questionnaire with 28 statements (the CPC-28 questionnaire).

Filling the gap between the heart and the body in acromegaly: a case-control study.

Objective: Cardiovascul diseases are the most common comorbidities in acromegaly. Potential parameters in pathology of cardiovascular comorbidities are changes in levels of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) as well as body composition parameters.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine morphological and functional parameters of the cardiovascular system by echocardiography and to assess its relationship with disease activity and body composition parameters.

Evaluation of Inflammatory Response System (IRS) and Compensatory Immune Response System (CIRS) in Adolescent Major Depression.

Purpose: Nowadays, the role of two tightly interconnected systems, the inflammatory response system (IRS) and the compensatory immune response system (CIRS) in depression, is increasingly discussed. Various studies indicate pro-inflammatory activity in adolescent depression; however, there is an almost complete lack of findings about IRS and CIRS balance. Thus, we aimed to assess different IRS and CIRS indices, profiles, and IRS/CIRS ratios in drug-naïve MDD patients at adolescent age, with respect to sex.

Changes in Cross-Sectional Area of the Median Nerve and Body Composition Parameters after Treatment of Acromegaly: 1 year Follow-Up.

Objective: Median neuropathy is a common manifestation of acromegaly, although its pathology is uncertain. Changes in levels of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and body composition are potential parameters in pathology of median neuropathy in acromegaly. We aimed to assess changes in the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the median nerve and body composition in newly diagnosed acromegalic patients 1 year after treatment and to determine their mutual relationships.

The potential use of miRNAs in the diagnosis and prediction of metastatic lung carcinoma.

Lung carcinoma is the "top killer" of all malignancies in the world. Early diagnosis of lung carcinoma significantly improves patient survival. Screening with biomarkers from peripheral blood could detect more patients at an early stage of the disease.

A case of novel DYT6 dystonia variant with serious complications after deep brain stimulation therapy: a case report.

Background: DYT6 dystonia belongs to a group of isolated, genetically determined, generalized dystonia associated with mutations in the THAP1 gene.

Case Presentation: We present the case of a young patient with DYT6 dystonia associated with a newly discovered c14G>A (p.Cys5Tyr) mutation in the THAP1 gene.

T-Cell Density at the Invasive Margin and Immune Phenotypes Predict Outcome in Vulvar Squamous Cell Cancer.

Background: Although quantification of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) has become of increasing interest in immuno-oncology, only little is known about TILs infiltration in the tumor microenvironment and its predictive value in vulvar cancer. Methods: Immunohistochemistry and automated digital image analysis was applied to measure the densities of CD3+ (DAKO, #IR503) and CD8+ (DAKO, #IR623) TILs at the invasive margin and in the center of 530 vulvar squamous cell cancers. Results: An elevated density of CD3+ T-cell at the invasive margin was significantly associated with low tumor stage (p = 0.

Cryotherapy in the paediatric airway: Indications, success and safety.

Background And Objective: Cryotherapy in interventional bronchoscopy is a new treatment modality, which has recently been made available for the paediatric airway. Lack of experience and safety concerns have led to hesitant adaptation. The aim of this study was to assess indications, success rates and complications of airway cryotherapy in children.

Major depressive disorder at adolescent age is associated with impaired cardiovascular autonomic regulation and vasculature functioning.

Cardiovascular adverse complications represent a risk factor for increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, there is little knowledge of adolescent MDD. We aimed to study complex cardiovascular autonomic regulation and early atherosclerotic damage with a focus on an analysis of heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure variability (BPV), systolic time intervals, and measures of early atherosclerotic changes in adolescent MDD.