Objectives Although the exact underlying mechanisms are still unknown, Plantago lanceolataL. (PL) water extracts are frequently used to stimulate wound healing and to drain abscesses. Therefore, in ...this experimental study the effect of PL water extract on skin wound healing was studied in Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods Two excisional and one incisional skin wounds were performed on the back of each rat. Wounds were treated for three consecutive days with two different concentrations of the aqueous extract of PL. Rats were sacrificed 7, 14, and 21 days after surgery. Samples of wounds were processed for macroscopic (excisions - wound contraction measurement), biomechanical (incisions - wound tensile strength (TS) measurement) and histological examination (excisions). Key findings It was shown that open wounds treated with PL extract contained myofibroblasts and demonstrated significantly higher contraction rates. Furthermore, significantly increased wound TSs were recorded in treated rats as a consequence of increased organization of extracellular matrix proteins, such as the collagen type 1. Conclusions We demonstrated that PL aqueous extract improves skin wound healing in rats. However, further research need to be performed to find optimal therapeutic concentration, and exact underlying mechanism prior obtained results may be introduced into the clinical practice.
Waldenström's macroglobulinemia is a distinct clinicopathologic entity defined as a B-cell neoplasm characterized by lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate in the bone marrow, with an associated immunoglobulin ...(Ig) M paraprotein. Clinical manifestations are due to deposition of IgM in the liver, spleen, and/or lymph nodes, so it presents with anemia, hyperviscosity, lymphadenopathy, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly and neurologic symptoms. The main diagnostic criteria are a typical peak on serum protein electrophoresis and malignant cells in bone marrow biopsy samples. There is no standard therapy for the treatment of symptomatic Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia and no agents have been specifically approved for this disease, but initial treatment usually starts with the monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab, either alone or in combination with other agents, rather than chemotherapy alone. This article confirms that, despite the existence of more modern imaging methods, ultrasonography still has a significant diagnostic role.
The metabolic syndrome (MS) is a clustering of cardiovascular risk. The high prevalence of metabolic syndrome among populations of lower socioeconomic status is a cause of concern and calls for an ...effective public health response.
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the Roma population compared with the non-Roma population in the eastern part of Slovakia and to determine the parameter which has the strongest association with metabolic syndrome.
123 Roma and 79 non-Roma patients with metabolic syndrome were evaluated. In the subgroup of Roma men, we found that waist circumference conferred the highest chance of MS (more than 12-times), followed by triglycerides (TG) (3.670-times). In the subgroup of non-Roma men, we found that waist circumference conferred the highest chance of MS (more than 16-times), followed by high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (4.348-times increased risk per one unit decrease in HDL). In the subgroup of Roma women as well as non-Roma women, we found that serum TG conferred the highest chance of MS, followed by waist circumference for Roma women. Comparing non-classical risk factors for MS we found that only age (with OR 1.977) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) (OR 1.887) were significant and independent predictors of MS in Roma men. Among Roma women apolipoprotein B100 was also found to be an independent predictor of MS, besides age and hsCRP.
Our study confirmed that the prevalence of metabolic syndrome is strongly associated with hypertriglyceridemic waist, besides other risk factors, a marker of the atherogenic metabolic triad among younger Roma population, which may be the reason for the increased cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality in elderly Roma compared with non-Roma. In light of these results, better prevention of CV events for Roma minority settlements in Slovakia should be provided.
Obesity-induced metabolic syndrome is a multiple risk factor for cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and type 2 diabetes, and ethnic minorities seem to have unfavourable medical risk factors in general ...more frequently than majority populations.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in relation to metabolic syndrome in the Roma population compared with the non-Roma population residing in the eastern part of Slovakia.
123 Roma and 79 non-Roma patients with metabolic syndrome were evaluated. Men between 40-55 years of age had 4.76-times higher odds and women 5.26-times higher odds for metabolic sydrome compared with the younger population. We found statistically significant higher waist circumference in the Roma subpopulation and higher body mass index as well, although in selected population with metabolic syndrome. HDL cholesterol was significantly lower in both Roma men and women, and LDL cholesterol was not significant in men and women with metabolic syndrome. Triglycerides levels were significantly higher in non-Roma women only. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) values were not in correlation with age but were associated with the increasing number of fulfilled criteria for metabolic syndrome in both subgroups (Roma, non-Roma), independently of gender.
Our study confirmed higher prevalence of obesity, metabolic syndrome and other CV risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome among younger Roma population, which may be associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality among elderly Roma compared with non-Roma.
Laparoscopic gastric banding (LAGB) is one of the most common surgical procedures in the treatment of morbid obesity since it provides good long-term outcomes in weight loss and decrease of ...comorbidities associated with obesity. Although the procedure has low morbidity and almost none-existing mortality, certain complications can occur. Erosion of the band into the gastric wall is one of the rare complications in LAGB. The reported incidence varies from 1 to 11%, however the largest study reported an incidence of 1.6%. This is in accordance with the incidence in our Centre for obesity, where only one case of erosion occurred among 112 operative procedures. The aim of this paper is to present a patient with gastric band erosion and it's removal by using the endoscopic techniques as a minimally invasive management method.
Arterio-enteric fistula is a rare, but potentially deadly cause of gastrointestinal bleeding. The disease occurs in two forms: primary as a result of atherosclerotic aortic aneurysm, aortitis, ...trauma, radiation, tumor invasion or penetrating ulcer, and secondary as a consequence of surgical aortal reconstruction. The clinical manifestation is mostly gastrointestinal bleeding, rarely back pain, fever and sepsis. Computed tomography with contrast medium is the most suitable diagnostic test, however, the diagnosis frequently requires explorative laparotomy. A case is presented of secondary arterio-enteric fistula, found two years after surgical treatment of chronic pancreatitis with pseudocystojejunostomy, which clinically manifested with gastrointestinal bleeding. Although there was strong suspicion of arterio-enteric fistula, the diagnosis was not verified by routine workup, but only on explorative laparotomy.
Open Wound Healing In Vivo Gál, Peter; Vasilenko, Tomás; Kostelníková, Martina ...
Acta histochemica et cytochemica,
09/2011, Volume:
44, Issue:
5
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Galectins are a family of carbohydrate-binding proteins that modulate inflammation and immunity. This functional versatility prompted us to perform a histochemical study of their occurrence during ...wound healing using rat skin as an in vivo model. Wound healing is a dynamic process that exhibits three basic phases: inflammation, proliferation, and maturation. In this study antibodies against keratins-10 and -14, wide-spectrum cytokeratin, vimentin, and fibronectin, and non-cross-reactive antibodies to galectins-1, -2, and -3 were applied to frozen sections of skin specimens two days (inflammatory phase), seven days (proliferation phase), and twenty-one days (maturation phase) after wounding. The presence of binding sites for galectins-1, -2, -3, and -7 as a measure for assessing changes in reactivity was determined using labeled proteins as probes. Our study detected a series of alterations in galectin parameters during the different phases of wound healing. Presence of galectin-1, for example, increased during the early phase of healing, whereas galectin-3 rapidly decreased in newly formed granulation tissue. In addition, nuclear reactivity of epidermal cells for galectin-2 occurred seven days post-trauma. The dynamic regulation of galectins during re-epithelialization intimates a role of these proteins in skin wound healing, most notably for galectin-1 increasing during the early phases and galectin-3 then slightly increasing during later phases of healing. Such changes may identify a potential target for the development of novel drugs to aid in wound repair and patients' care.
Epilepsija je najčešća neurološka komplikacija u trudnoći. Žene s epilepsijom imaju veći rizik za komplikacije u trudnoći. U Hrvatskoj žene s epilepsijom obično prate neurolozi u tercijarnim centrima ...prema mjestu njihova boravka. Mi smo prospektivno pratili trudnoće u žena s epilepsijom i u zdravih kontrolnih trudnica te analizirali čimbenike odgovorne za ishode trudnoća i razvoj njihove djece. Zdrave trudnice su imale višu razinu obrazovanja i ekonomskog statusa, ali su žene s epilepsijom uzimale folnu kiselinu u višem postotku nego zdrave trudnice zahvaljujući pravodobnom predkoncepcijskom savjetovanju. Komplikacije za vrijeme trudnoće ovisile su o broju antiepileptičnih lijekova i kontroli epilepsije. Zamijetili smo određene bihevijoralne i kognitivne aspekte u djece izložene in utero valproičnoj kiselini, što zahtijeva daljnje praćenje. Stopa kongenitalnih malformacija nije bila povišena. U zaključku, ženama s epilepsijom trebali bismo omogućiti predkoncepcijsko
savjetovanje o rizicima u trudnoći, ali i o mogućnostima kako značajno smanjiti taj rizik. Predstavili smo model integrativne
prospektivne skrbi trudnica s epilepsijom koji se temelji na bliskoj suradnji različitih kliničkih eksperata u Hrvatskoj, u cilju osiguranja promptnog savjetovanja i pravodobne intervencije.
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