Bratislava Medical Journal-Bratislavske Lekarske Listy最新文献

Background: In this study, we aimed to examine the telomerase activity and hTERT gene expression in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and those with stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) and compare the results to controls. Additionally, we compared overall mortality rates relative to the telomerase activity.

Methods: A total of 211 patients (78 ACS and 71 SCAD patients) were included in the study. The telomerase concentration was measured by ELISA and used to determine telomerase activity. The hTERT gene expression was determined by real-time PCR.

Results: The serum telomerase enzyme concentration was lower in ACS (36.61 ± 1.54) and SCAD (36.79 ± 1.57) when compared to the control group (37.03 ± 2.25). However, this difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.890). The hTERT gene expression acting in telomerase enzyme synthesis was 2.7-fold lower in ACS group (p = 0.070) and 2.2-fold lower in the SCAD group (p = 0.101) compared to the control group. Patients were followed for a median of 32 months (minimum: 0.1, maximum: 46.8). The serum telomerase concentrations in patients who died and those survived in the SCAD group (35.98 ± 2.02 vs 36.86 ± 1.52 ng/ml, respectively; p = 0.529) were similar to those in the ACS group (36.39 ± 1.08 vs 36.63 ± 1.60 ng/ml, respectively p = 0.993).

Conclusions: In the current study, telomerase activity or hTERT expression was similar in patients with ACS, SCAD, and controls. Moreover, telomerase activity was not associated with all- cause mortality during the 32-month follow-up (Tab. 3, Fig. 1, Ref. 29).

Objectives: Cisplatin is a widely used anticancer drug for the treatment of many solid cancers. DNA damage is thought to be the key mechanism of cisplatin's anticancer activity. However, cisplatin may also affect cellular metabolism. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of cisplatin on the types of ATP production (OXPHOS versus glycolysis) and their rate in prostate cancer cells and to determine the potentially protective effect of autophagy and amino acids during cisplatin treatment. We also wanted to investigate the potential synergy between the metabolic effects of cisplatin on ATP production and the inhibition of autophagy.

Methods: Cisplatin treatment can significantly affect the metabolism of cancer cells. Important metabolic pathways can be altered, leading to changes in energy production and nutrient utilization. Autophagy and amino acid pool modulations can serve as protective mechanisms significantly affecting tumor cell survival under metabolic stress caused by anticancer treatment. By enabling the recycling of amino acids, autophagy helps cancer cells maintain cellular homeostasis and overcome nutrient limitations. Thus, inhibition of autophagy could have a supportive effect on the metabolic effects of cisplatin.

Results: After cisplatin treatment, ATP production by way of OXPHOS was significantly decreased in 22Rv1 and PC-3 cells. On the other hand, ATP production by glycolysis was not significantly affected in 22Rv1 cells. DU145 cells with dysfunctional autophagy were the most sensitive to cisplatin treatment and showed the lowest ATP production. However, short-term autophagy inhibition (24h) by autophinib or SAR405 in 22Rv1 and PC-3 cells did not alter the effect of cisplatin on ATP production. Levels of some amino acids (arginine, methionine) significantly affected the fitness of cancer cells.

Conclusion: Persistent defects of autophagy can affect the metabolic sensitivity of cancer cells due to interference with arginine metabolism. Amino acids contained in the culture medium had an impact on the overall effect of cisplatin (Fig. 3, Ref. 38).

Background: Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women could lead to significant changes during the pregnancy, affect the outcomes of pregnancy and the timing of labour. Small‑for‑gestational‑age (SGA) newborns are defined by birthweight below the 10th percentile for gestational age. We tested an association between latent toxoplasmosis in pregnant women and deliveries of SGA babies.

Material and methods: For testing, we included 1,647 women who gave birth to a singleton baby at ≥ 37 weeks of gestation. The complement-fixation test (CFT) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests for IgG and IgM were used. The latent form of toxoplasmosis was defined as a CFT titre of 1:8 or higher, together with index positivity IgG ELISA > 1.1 and negative IgM.

Results: There were 406 (24.7 %) women positive, and 1,241 (75.3 %) women negative for latent toxoplasmosis. Of all deliveries. 190 were SGA‑positive and 1,457 were SGA‑negative. Our study found a statistically significant association between latent toxoplasmosis and SGA foetuses born at term. The Pearson chi-square model was statistically significant (χ2(1) = 7.365, p = .007). The odds ratio was 1.567.

Conclusion: Pregnant women with latent toxoplasmosis giving birth at ≥ 37 weeks of gestation have a 1.567 times higher risk of delivering an SGA baby (Tab. 2, Fig. 1, Ref. 30).

Background: In the 21st century, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has emerged as a diagnostic and therapeutic method for diseases of the pancreaticobiliary duct system. However, like any other diagnostic and therapeutic method, ERCP carries the risk of unwanted complications.

Material and methods: We retrospectively followed patients who underwent ERCP examinations from January 2013 to April 2023. We focused on early post-ERCP complications and their risk factors, prevention, treatment, and mortality.

Results: A total of 4,814 patients were recorded, of which 175 patients had early post-ERCP complications, including acute pancreatitis, acute cholangitis, perforation, and bleeding. We focused on the statistical significance of risk factors such as BMI, repeated ERCP, bleeding disorders, and repeated pancreatitis or cholangitis.

Conclusion: Ensuring proper preparation and appropriate indication for ERCP examination can significantly mitigate the risk of post-ERCP complications. Additionally, early diagnosis and prompt treatment of any post-ERCP complications are essential strategies for reducing mortality associated with these conditions (Tab. 3, Fig. 3, Ref. 32). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: post-ERCP complication, risk factor, BMI, prevention.

Objectives:  This study aimed to predict individual COVID-19 patient prognosis at hospital admission using artificial intelligence (AI)-based quantification of computed tomography (CT) pulmonary involvement.

Background: Assessing patient prognosis in COVID-19 pneumonia is crucial for patient management and hospital and ICU organization.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 559 patients with PCR-verified COVID-19 pneumonia referred to the hospital for a severe disease course. We correlated the CT extent of pulmonary involvement with patient outcome. We also attempted to define cut-off values of pulmonary involvement for predicting different outcomes.

Results:  CT-based disease extent quantification is an independent predictor of patient morbidity and mortality, with the prognosis being impacted also by age and cardiovascular comorbidities. With the use of explored cut-off values, we divided patients into three groups based on their extent of disease: (1) less than 28 % (sensitivity 65.4 %; specificity 89.1 %), (2) ranging from 28 % (31 %) to 47 % (sensitivity 87.1 %; specificity 62.7 %), and (3) above 47 % (sensitivity 87.1 %; specificity, 62.7 %), representing low risk, risk for oxygen therapy and invasive pulmonary ventilation, and risk of death, respectively.

Conclusion: CT quantification of pulmonary involvement using AI-based software helps predict COVID-19 patient outcomes (Tab. 4, Fig. 4, Ref. 38).

Objectives: This investigation aims to analyze the characteristics and development of literature and advocate to include "Somatopsychic" as a Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) term.

Background: The interplay between physiological processes and psychological conditions, commonly referred to as "Somatopsychic," has garnered increasing attention in scientific literature over the years.

Methods: Somatopsychic-related research from the Scopus database using (Text word) and (MeSH) features. Publications were collected on Mar 22, 2023. The publication output was then analyzed using the R package's bibliometrics (Biblioshiny) and VOSviewer.

Results: In this study, search results for "somatopsychic" using (MeSH) resulted in a predictable return of 0 articles. Meanwhile, based on a search with (Text word), this study retrieved 306 documents for an unlimited period (and yielded published articles between 1913 and 2022). The analysis also revealed that 3,176 authors contributed to publications related to somatopsychic, with the United States ranking first in terms of authorship. In addition, the study presented a co-word network that illustrated frequent co-occurrence of particular keywords within somatopsychic research.

Conclusion: This study reveals that somatopsychic-related publications are becoming increasingly prevalent. Adding somatopsychic as a dedicated term to the MeSH thesaurus of the National Library of Medicine would assist in indexing and retrieving the most pertinent literature on this topic (Tab. 3, Fig. 5, Ref. 51).

Aim: We aimed to investigate the role and importance of immature granulocyte percentage and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio in the etiology, diagnosis and follow-up of acute pancreatitis (AP) in patients tentatively diagnosed with AP in the emergency department. We evaluated these factors alongside other established markers proven effective in the diagnosis and follow-up of AP.

Material and methods: A total of 139 patients with a tentative diagnosis of acute pancreatitis who were hospitalized and followed up in the gastroenterology clinic in 2021‒2022 were included in the study. In addition, a control group, consisting of 139 individuals admitted to the clinic for various other reasons, was established. The cases were also compared with the control group in terms of NLR, ICG and IG%.

Results: There was a significant difference in the NLR, IGC and IG% measurements between the patients in the AP group and the control group. In all three markers, the average values of the patient group were higher than those of the control group. Furthermore, a significant difference in IGC and IG% blood measurements was noted between sub-groups of patients categorized based on the severity of acute pancreatitis, particularly the patients with severe pancreatitis exhibited higher mean IGC and IG% blood measurements compared to those with mild or moderate pancreatitis.

Conclusion: IGC and IG% values emerged as superior indicators to other acute-phase reactants for detecting inflammation, determining its severity, and establishing prognosis in acute pancreatitis. While the N/L ratio remains an important parameter in acute pancreatitis, our findings indicate that it was not significantly superior to other investigated markers in terms of prognosis (Tab. 5, Ref. 35).

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate pulmonary sequestration (PS). We report on location, blood supply, histology, clinical manifestation, and surgical treatment of PS, as well as on postoperative course in patients with PS.

Background: PS is a rare congenital defect of the lower respiratory tract, it represents locus minoris resistentiae of the body. Occasionally, PS is diagnosed for the first time in adulthood.

Methods: We evaluated 7 cases of PS treated at the Centre of Thoracic Surgery in Vyšné Hágy, Slovakia, between years 2013 and 2020.

Results: Four of our seven patients were asymptomatic; the PS was found incidentally upon chest imaging. Three patients had recurrent bronchopneumonia related specifically to the intralobar type of sequestration. The most significant complication, observed in a singular patient, was a life-threatening episode of haemoptysis, requiring urgent surgical intervention. In the other 6 cases, the sequestra were surgically resected during the period when they were asymptomatic. and their sputum was confirmed negative upon microbiological examination. Anatomical resection of the affected pulmonary lobe by thoracotomy was the most common type of operation performed (4 cases, n = 7). There was no surgical mortality.

Conclusion: To prevent complications, it is crucial to perform surgical treatment for pulmonary sequestration in patients who have sufficient functional capacity (Tab. 2, Fig. 4, Ref. 30). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: pulmonary sequestration, anatomic lobectomy, haemoptysis.

Insulin resistance (IR) is the most significant risk factor for post-transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM). This study aimed to determine the effects of regular physical activity on IR and PTDM in patients after kidney transplantation (KT). The study group (n = 22) participated in aerobic or combined sports (aerobic and anaerobic). Monitoring was provided by a sports tracker (Xiaomi Mi Band 4, compatible with the Mi Fit mobile application). Waist circumference was significantly lower (p = 0.0437, p = 0.0372), graft function was better (p = 0.0036, p = 0.0137), fasting blood glucose was lower (p = 0.0016, p = 0.0003), C-peptide level was lower (p = 0.0447, p = 0014) in the 3rd and 6th months of monitoring, and low-density lipoprotein was lower at 6 months (p = 0.0444) in the observed group than in the control group. IR was significantly lower at 6 months (p = 0.0202), and fasting blood glucose was significantly lower at 3 and 6 months (p = 0.0227) in the observed group. We confirmed the significant effect of regular physical activity on preventing the development of IR and impaired fasting glucose levels in patients after KT (Tab. 1, Fig. 4, Ref. 27). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: kidney transplantation, insulin resistance, physical activity.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the opinions of individuals aged 18 and above in our country regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and robots in the field of healthcare.

Background: The growing population and patient load, coupled with increasing data, can expedite the diagnosis and treatment process for patients through faster, easier, and more accurate interpretation of information.

Methods: The study encompasses voluntary participants aged 18 and above, who have either undergone surgery in a hospital or have accompanied a family member during a surgical procedure and possess internet access as well as the capability to participate in online surveys.

Results: A total of 725 individuals participated in our study 61% (n=442) of respondents expressed trust in the operation of AI and robots in the hospital setting. 64.1% (n=465) of participants expressed trust in AI's contribution to disease diagnosis and laboratory tests. The confidence in AI's use in radiological examinations and its contribution reached 71.6% (n=519).

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the use of AI and robots in healthcare services is accepted by our society and would be appropriate in our society (Tab. 5, Fig. 1, Ref. 24).