Prague medical report最新文献

Pollution with heavy metal salts is an important environmental problem today, having an adverse effect on public health. The endocrine system maintains homeostasis in the body. The antioxidant protection (GPX-1) of the pineal gland in mature rats was studied. Animals of the experimental group represented a model of microelementosis, achieved by adding a mixture of heavy metal salts for 90 days to drinking water: zinc (ZnSO4×7H2O) - 5 mg/l, copper (CuSO4×5H2O) - 1 mg/l, iron (FeSO4) - 10 mg/l, manganese (MnSO4×5H2O) - 0.1 mg/l, lead (Pb(NO3)2) - 0.1 mg/l, and chromium (K2Cr2O7) - 0.1 mg/l. Morphological, statistical and immunohistochemical (GPX-1) research methods were used. Long-term (90-days) intake of heavy metal salts mixture in the body of experimental animals brought about development of the general adaptation syndrome, the stage of chronic stress "subcompensation" in the pineal gland. Morphological rearrangements were of nonspecific polymorphic nature as severe hemodynamics disorder in the organ, impairment of vascular wall morphology, development of tissue hypoxia and oxidative stress, accompanied by processes of accelerated apoptosis in part of pinealocytes, by a significant decrease in glutathione peroxidase level in the organ and reactive astrogliosis as a response to the damaging agent's action. Along with the negative changes in the pineal gland, a compensatory-adaptive processes with signs of functional stress also occurred. A sufficiently high degree of glutathione peroxidase activity in 39% of pinealocytes located perivascularly, active adaptive glial reaction and activation of synthetic processes in some pinealocytes were also observed.

Spontaneous pneumothorax is a serious and life-threatening complication of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. It most commonly occurs during the acute phase of the disease in patients with pre-existing lung disease (e.g. emphysema, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, etc.) and in patients who require oxygen supplementation in any form (low-flow oxygen therapy, high-flow non-invasive or mechanical invasive or mechanical invasion). A rare case of a 52-year-old patient with a spontaneous pneumothorax who developed four weeks after PCR SARS-CoV-2 positivity was described. Interestingly, the patient did not have any factors that the literature considered risky for the development of this complication. During the acute phase of the disease, his condition did not require hospitalization. Imaging examinations could not clarify the cause of pneumothorax. With this case report, we want to point out the fact that spontaneous pneumothorax, as a rare and life-threatening complication of COVID-19 infection, may develop during recovery, and it is necessary to think about this complication in the differential diagnosis of dyspnoea.

Dermoid cyst of the parotid gland is a lesion composed of benign tissues of ectodermal and mesodermal origin. Although a dermoid cyst can be encountered across nearly all sites of the body, its location in the head and neck area is quite uncommon and even more unusual inside the parotid gland. We present a case of a patient with gradually enlarging tumour in her right parotid gland who underwent surgical removal of the tumour histologically corresponding to a dermoid cyst.

Stroke is a neurological deficit of cerebrovascular origin that promotes physical impairments of adult individuals. The present study is aimed to demonstrate whether hemorrhagic stroke affects the maximum molar bite force. The prospective study carried in Centro Universitario Claretiano de Batatais, Brazil, determined the distribution of the sample into two groups: hemorrhagic stroke group (n=18, median age, 62.5 years) and disease-free group (n=18, median age, 62.0 years), with 10 men and 8 women in each group. Subjects were paired one-to-one (age and body mass index). The dynamometer was used to measure the maximum molar bite force (right and left). All analyses were performed with a significance level of 5% (Student's t-test). Differences were found on the right (p=0.048) and left (p=0.042) molar bite force, with lower bite force (both sides) in hemorrhagic stroke group. The study suggests that hemorrhagic stroke negatively affects the maximum molar bite force and necessitates changes in food intake to nutritious and softer consistency foods.

There is a clear experience in clinical practice: boys with a diagnosis of ADHD are clearly in greater numbers than girls. It is noteworthy that even in the "older" review articles, the cause of sex-dependent incidence is not mentioned. If we accept the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of such disorder, then the possible genetic predisposition breaks down into two separate groups. On the genome of an individual with ADHD and on the genome of the parents. However, it cannot be overlooked that the incidence of ADHD (3-7%) corresponds to the incidence and sex differences of the number of newborns born at a certain risk (premature birth, immaturity, hypotrophy, hypoxic-ischemic syndrome, low birth weight, etc.). This association of possible genetic predisposition with "external" risks in the genesis of ADHD raises the question of whether a higher incidence of ADHD, as well as higher morbidity and mortality in males, are a) the norm and the female is privileged, or b) the female is the norm and the male is handicapped. The picture of ADHD includes various cognitive dysfunctions with one possible cause in norepinephrine and dopamine insufficiency. Experimental work shows that in response to stress females release more catecholamines in the CNS than males. Since catecholamines stimulate membrane Na+ K+ ATPase activity, this means both the value of the membrane potential and the threshold for activation is increased. Females are more successful in responding to and adapting to a stressful situation due to their higher production of noradrenaline in the CNS.

Administration of drugs by inhalation is mainly used to treat lung diseases and is being investigated as a possible route for systemic drug delivery. It offers several benefits, but it is also fraught with many difficulties. The lung is a complex organ with complicated physiology and specific pharmacokinetic processes. Therefore, the exposure and subsequently efficacy of a drug after inhalation is affected by a number of factors. In this review, we summarize the main variables that may affect drug fate after inhalation delivery, such as physicochemical properties of the drug, pulmonary clearance and metabolism, pathophysiological factors and inhalation device. Factors that have impact on pharmacokinetic processes need to be considered during development as their correct setting can lead to new effective inhaled drugs.