Relationship between radiologic patterns, pulmonary function values and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cells in newly diagnosed sarcoidosis.

Background: The aim of the present study was to identify specious radiologic and/or physiologic prognostic marker(s), which lead to optimize of the patient follow-up frequency.

Methods: Eighty consecutive patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary sarcoidosis. Patients underwent chest radiography, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) examination, pulmonary function tests (PFT), bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and lung biopsy, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cell examination.

Psoriasis in a Patient on Peritoneal Dialysis: a Two-sided Mirror.

Psoriasis vulgaris is not frequently seen in patients with renal replacement therapy, especially in patients on peritoneal dialysis. Dialysis also has been reported to improve psoriatic skin lesions with a much higher response rate for peritoneal dialysis than haemodialysis. Conversely, we present a case of a man who developed psoriasis after 16 months of peritoneal dialysis.

Identification of a novel HLA-B*13 allele, HLA-B*13:99, by sequence-based typing in German bone marrow donor.

Amino acid substitution Glu277Lys of the HLA-B*13:02:09 results in a novel allele, HLA-B*13:99.

Response inhibition, set shifting, and complex executive function in patients with chronic lower back pain.

Objective: The aim of our study was to evaluate how response inhibition, set shifting, and complex executive function (represented by risky decision-making) are altered in chronic lower back pain patients.

Materials And Methods: A total of 29 patients with chronic lower back pain (CLBP >6 months) aged 49-69 years and 30 healthy volunteers matched for age, gender, and education were enrolled in a case-control study. The study was conducted in the Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery of Panevėžys Regional Hospital, Lithuania.

Inflammatory myopathy in a patient with Aicardi-Goutières syndrome.

Aicardi-Goutières syndrome (AGS) is an inflammatory disorder belonging to the recently characterized group of type I interferonopathies. The most consistently affected tissues in AGS are the central nervous system and skin, but various organ systems and tissues have been reported to be affected, pointing to the systemic nature of the disease. Here we describe a patient with AGS due to a homozygous p.

Family and sexual life in people with epilepsy.

Having epilepsy is much more than having seizures. Epilepsy can have a severe negative effect on quality of life, affecting social relationships, academic achievement, housing, employment, and the ability to live and function independently. We undertook a cross-sectional study in a tertiary epilepsy center in Lithuania, aiming to assess the influence of epilepsy and aspects relating to epilepsy (employment, stigma, anxiety) on patients and their families, and to estimate their quality of family life and sexual functioning.

Small Intestinal Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Metastasis in the Left Ventricle.

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors (IMTs) are rare and usually appear in childhood and adolescence. These tumors often take a benign course, but tend to reoccur in a quarter of cases and metastasize locally. Distant IMT metastases are extremely uncommon.

Delayed elimination of high-dose methotrexate and use of carboxypeptidase G2 in pediatric patients during treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Background: Carboxypeptidase G2 (CPDG ) can be used as rescue treatment in cases of delayed methotrexate elimination (DME) and Mtx-induced nephrotoxicity.

Procedure: Between July 2008 and December 2014, all children (1.0-17.

IgA nephropathy clinicopathologic study following the Oxford classification: Progression peculiarities and gender-related differences.

Background And Aim: Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is the most frequent glomerular disease worldwide and one of the main causes of chronic kidney disease. We aimed to investigate clinicopathological correlations in IgAN patients by gender.

Materials And Methods: The study was based on a retrospective analysis of renal biopsy data and clinical manifestations of the disease.

Chronic Oral Study of Myosin Activation to Increase Contractility in Heart Failure (COSMIC-HF): a phase 2, pharmacokinetic, randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Impaired contractility is a feature of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. We assessed the pharmacokinetics and effects on cardiac function and structure of the cardiac myosin activator, omecamtiv mecarbil.

Methods: In this randomised, double-blind study, done at 87 sites in 13 countries, we recruited patients with stable, symptomatic chronic heart failure and left ventricular ejection fraction 40% or lower.

Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy for the Treatment of Spasticity in Lithuania.

Spasticity of cerebral or spinal origin severely impairs an individual's functional ability and quality of life. Intrathecal baclofen (ITB) therapy via an implantable pump is indicated for use in patients unresponsive to oral antispasmodics. ITB therapy improves the daily caring for and relief of painful spasms.

Practice, science and governance in interaction: European effort for the system-wide implementation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine.

Since its launch in 2001, relevant international, regional and national PRM bodies have aimed to implement the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM), whereby contributing to the development of suitable practical tools. These tools are available for implementing the ICF in day-to-day clinical practice, standardized reporting of functioning outcomes in quality management and research, and guiding evidence-informed policy. Educational efforts have reinforced PRM physicians' and other rehabilitation professionals' ICF knowledge, and numerous implementation projects have explored how the ICF is applied in clinical practice, research and policy.

Reduced Microvascular Density in Omental Biopsies of Children with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background: Endothelial dysfunction is an early manifestation of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and consistently observed in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We hypothesized that CKD is associated with systemic damage to the microcirculation, preceding macrovascular pathology. To assess the degree of "uremic microangiopathy", we have measured microvascular density in biopsies of the omentum of children with CKD.

Efficacy of deep biopsy for subepithelial lesions in the upper gastrointestinal tract.

Introduction: Accurate diagnosis of subepithelial lesions (SELs) in the gastrointestinal tract depends on a variety of methods: endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound and different types of biopsy. Making an error-free diagnosis is vital for the subsequent application of an appropriate treatment.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of deep biopsy via the endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) technique for SELs in the upper gastrointestinal tract.

Performance of the GenoType MTBDRplus assay (v2.0) and a new extended GenoType MTBDRsl assay (v2.0) for the molecular detection of multi- and extensively drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis on isolates primarily from Lithuania.

The emergence of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) hampers infection control. To assess the performance of an extended rapid novel molecular analysis for the detection of resistance conferring mutations to fluoroquinolones (gyrA, gyrB genes) and aminoglycosides/cyclic peptides (16S rRNA rrs gene, eis promotor region) compared to phenotypic susceptibility and sequencing, 43 multidrug-resistant (MDR) and 10 susceptible clinical isolates were analyzed. Results were compared to a previous version.

The relationship between the metabolic syndrome and arterial wall thickness: A mosaic still to be interpreted.

Background And Aims: We aimed to identify clusters of metabolic syndrome (MetS) components, risky for extremely high intima-media thickness.

Methods: We studied 41,513 volunteers (men and women) from eleven cohorts worldwide, participating in the MARE (Metabolic syndrome and Artery REsearch) Consortium.

Results: Specific clusters of MetS components - high triglycerides-high blood pressure-abdominal obesity (TBW), low HDL cholesterol-high blood pressure-abdominal obesity (HBW), high glucose-high blood pressure-abdominal obesity (GBW) - were accompanied by a 50-90% significantly greater likelihood of presenting extremely high intima-media thickness (via ultrasound of carotid artery, CCA IMT), after controlling for age, sex, smoking, non-HDL cholesterol, and presence of diabetes mellitus.

Reduction in Proportion of Senescent CD8+ T Lymphocytes During Chemotherapy of Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Aim: To evaluate quantitative changes in B, NK and T lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) undergoing chemotherapy.

Patients And Methods: Children with ALL were treated according to NOPHO ALL 2008 protocol. Levels of B lymphocytes (CD19), NK cells (CD3CD56) and subsets of T lymphocytes (CD3CD4, CD4CD25Foxp3, CD3CD8, CD3CD8CD57, CD3CD8CD57) in peripheral blood were analyzed by flow cytometry prior and during treatment with cytotoxic drugs.

Down-Regulation of CD62L Shedding in T Cells by CD39 Regulatory T Cells Leads to Defective Sensitization in Contact Hypersensitivity Reactions.

Injection of regulatory T cells (Tregs) followed by sensitization with 2,4,6-trinitrochlorobenzene induced a transient increase in size and cellularity of skin-draining lymph nodes (LNs) in mice. This led us to hypothesize that Tregs may affect the trafficking of T cells from and to peripheral LNs. Two to three hours after sensitization, we found fewer CD8 T cells expressing CD62L in LNs compared with untreated controls.

Glycine inhibits angiogenesis in colorectal cancer: role of endothelial cells.

Neo-angiogenesis is important for tumor growth. Glycine is a non-toxic amino acid with suspected anti-angiogenic effects. This study was designed to evaluate anti-angiogenic effects of glycine in colorectal cancer.

Prevalence and clinical significance of extracardiac findings in cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

Objective: In cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), incidental pathological findings are frequently found outside the investigated cardiovascular system. Some of these findings might have clinical implications. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of incidental extracardiac findings (ECF) in CMR and their clinical significance.

Malnutrition Assessment in Hemodialysis Patients: Role of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Phase Angle.

Objective: To determine the most potent bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) marker of malnutrition and to adjust its application to hemodialysis (HD) patients.

Design: An observational study.

Subjects: A total of 99 patients on maintenance HD were enrolled in the study.

The safety of anti PD-1 therapeutics for the treatment of melanoma.

The introduction of immunotherapies into clinical practice has substantially improved the prognosis of metastatic melanoma patients as well as patients suffering from other cancers. The two FDA-approved checkpoint inhibitors against PD-1 (nivolumab and pembrolizumab) have been shown to significantly improve patient survival while being less toxic than previous treatment options. Areas covered: The current scientific literature on safety and adverse events (AEs) related to anti-PD-1 therapies has been investigated with special attention to case reports and to the latest results announced at the major clinical cancer and melanoma meetings, including ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology), ESMO (European Society of medical Oncology) and EADO (European Association of Dermato-Oncology) annual meetings.

Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding: a Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing 5-Year Results of two Different Bands in 103 Patients.

Background: Various types of adjustable gastric bands are used during LAGB, but there is insufficient data comparing different bands in the long term. We carried out a prospective randomized study to compare two different bands.

Methods: Between January 1, 2009 and January 31, 2010, 103 morbidly obese patients were randomized between SAGB and MiniMizer Extra adjustable gastric bands.