Left ventricle systolic function is an essential parameter in different clinical scenarios and the usual methods available for its assessment are sometime suboptimal, depending on the filling conditions of the heart. Therefore, the development and implementation in clinical practice of a new parameter for assessing left ventricle contractile function is desirable. Mechanical work defined as energy transferred to or from an object via the application of force along a displacement seems to be a promising method for myocardial performance estimation. Although initially this parameter was calculated on the left ventricle volume-pressure curve estimated by cardiac catheterization, an easier method considering non-invasive left ventricle pressure and global longitudinal strain assessed by speckle tracking echocardiography was developed recently. Myocardial work offers information regarding the segmental and global function of the left ventricle, and it is considered a more sensitive marker for assessing left ventricle performance compared to ejection fraction and global longitudinal strain. Its applicability in various cardiac pathologies was demonstrated recently in several studies and its use in every day practice may bring important additional information for clinical decision making.
Evaluation of the size of the kidney's parameters of patients with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) can provide relevant knowledge about the prognosis factors of VUR's complications. The study aimed to assess the size of the renal parameters of children with VUR and compare the results with healthy matched cases by the ultrasound method. Methods: In this case-control study, children under 14 years of age with VUR in our pediatric urology practice from May 2019 to May 2020 were included. Eighty children were included in the two groups (case (40 cases) and control group (40 cases)) in the study. The case group included children with VUR, while the control group included healthy children. The data regarding Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), the length and width of the kidney, the size of the pelvis, parenchyma thickness, and volume of the kidney were recorded. Results: The mean age of children was 3.07 ± 3.05 years, and 35.0% of them were male. The mean number of UTIs in the VUR group was 1.90 ± 1.15 and in the control group was 1.10±0.30 (P=0.031). The incidence of UTIs was significantly higher in the VUR group than in the control group (P<0.001). Length, width, the posterior-anterior diameter of kidney, renal parenchyma thickness, and renal volume in the VUR group were significantly lower than the control group (P< 0.001). There was no difference between case and control groups in terms of anterior-posterior diameter of the pelvis (P= 0.653). Conclusions: The results showed that the size of kidneys parameters in children with VUR was less than in the control group. Also, the incidence of UTIs in the VUR group was significantly higher than in the control group. Ultrasound is a safe and non- invasive tool that can use for checking the size of the children's kidneys with VUR for predict of possible complications.
Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms have been intensively studied in relation with many diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders. We investigated the relationship between VDR polymorphisms and spinal muscular atrophy type I, a common lower motor neuron disease. Forty clinically and molecular diagnosed patients and 54 healthy subjects were analyzed PCR-RFLP method. We found an association trend (p=0.01) for the BsmI polymorphism taken individually and a significant association for two of four-locus inferred haplotypes (fBAt and fbaT). Also, baT, Bat and bAT were the most frequent estimated haplotypes in our control group, which is in accordance with previous published reports for Caucasian populations. We concluded that future studies performed in order to identify possible modifier genes for spinal muscular atrophy disease should take into consideration the involvement of vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms.
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common chronic inflammatory skin condition, characterized by multiple recurrent eczematous lesions and intense itchiness. It is a multifactorial skin disorder involving an association between genetic and environmental factors that lead to a defect of the epithelial barrier in conjunction with immunological dysregulation. Over the last decade, there has been an increasing understanding of the role of the human microbiota in preserving skin integrity and that a shift in the homeostasis of these microorganisms may lead to dysbiosis and disease. Diversity in the intestinal microbiome and its role in the etiopathogenesis of AD has been described and has become of great interest. In this report, we have reviewed the importance of the gut microbiome and the possible mechanism in the pathogenesis of AD as well as the therapeutic impact of probiotics and prebiotics.
Nanotechnology is applied in wide-ranging fields including energy, information technology, consumables, medicine, etc. Nanomedicine includes the medical applications of nanomaterials in the fields of diagnosis and treatment. This paper focuses on the application of nanotechnology in medical diagnostics for which the main applications of nanomedicine include the detection and discovery of specific biomarkers and rapid identification of biological agents. The
Auto-immune rheumatic diseases are characterised by high levels of inflammation that accelerate the development of atherosclerosis, increasing the cardiovascular risk. Direct evaluation of arteries such as of intima media thickness measurement is a simple test that asesses the cerebral and cardiovascular risk. In the initial stages, an increase of the intimal media thickness can be observed. Later on, atherosclerosis (plaques), stenosis and occlusion of the arteries can be identified. Indirect evaluation of the cardiovascular risk can be performed using serological markers - fibrinogen, C reactive protein, estimated sedimentation rate, total cholesterol, low density lipoproteins and high density lipoproteins, homocysteine levels etc. The presence of certain lifestyle factors that increase the risk, such as smoking, sedentarism and associated pathologies such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension were assesed in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The aim of the study is to prove the relationship between anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha therapy effect on the cardiovascular risk in rheumatoid arthritis patients.
Worldwide, adults and childhood obesity are increasing alarmingly, being a major health problem. Obesity is correlated with an increased incidence of various systemic diseases including cancer, heart diseases, and diabetes mellitus type 2. Risk factors for obesity are dysbiosis, genetic, socioeconomic, behavioural and environmental. The gut microbiota has beneficial effects on human health, like host immune system stimulation, being influenced by pH, or nutrient intake. Studies performed on humans and animal models reported differences regarding microbiota at lean and obese individuals. The consumption of probiotics and prebiotics may balance the microbiota with positive effects in obesity. The main aim of this review is to reveal the interaction between dysbiosis and obesity.
One of the most controversial topics in total knee arthroplasty is rotation of the femoral component. The current gold-standard in total knee arthroplasty consists in positioning the femoral component in 3 degrees of external rotation to the epicondylar axis, having as reference the tangent to the posterior condyles. Achieving the correct rotation of the femoral components is one of the main goals during total knee arthroplasty. Multiple complications can result from internal femoral rotation, such as lateral patellar tilt, patellar subluxation or dislocation, mobilization with movement on pain, and low survival rates of the femoral components. Postoperative rotational assessment of protective components can only be performed correctly using computed tomography. The known evaluation methods are related to anteversion of the femoral neck, femoral trans-epicondylar line, insertion of the posterior cruciate ligament from the tibia and tibial tuberosity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the rotation of the prosthetic components in the group of patients with the methods validated by studies and to find alternatives to evaluate the rotation of the femoral component. Thirty-four patients diagnosted with gonarthrosis, proposed for total knee arthroplasty, were included in the study. This is a prospective cohort study in which applied statistics consisted of analyzing data using frequency and percentage for qualitative and mean variables and standard deviation for quantitative variables.
Background and Aim: The prevalence of high-risk behaviors is one of the most serious issues threatening the health of young people. The first step in preventing youth risk-taking is to recognize the problem and its dimensions. The purpose of this study was to investigate high- Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted from March to August 2019. The sample set was 4,000 students. Data was collected by multi-stage sampling at eight universities in Tehran. Demographic information and standard youth-risk questionnaires were used. SPSS 19 software was used to perform an independent t-test, Pearson ANOVA, and linear regression at a significance level of 0.05 on the questionnaire data collected. Results: The mean of the total tendency to high-risk behavior was 130.34±40.37. Significant risks identified were driving (27.3±8.33), violence (18.86±6.4), smoking (18.86±7.68), drugs (22.47±8.83), alcohol (24.10±8.57), and high-risk sexual behavior (18.47±7.49). High-risk behaviors were more common in men, single people, and people living in dormitories (P<0.05). Age and gender were the best-correlated predictors of students' high-risk behaviors. Conclusions: Results show that the tendency to high-risk behaviors in students is a worrying situation. as, at younger ages, the tendency to engage in high-risk behaviors is greater. Among young men and in dormitory life, students are more prone to high-risk behaviors. So, more monitoring in dormitories, especially male dormitories, and better planning and education to reduce high-risk behaviors among students, is necessary.
Infection complication has a major impact on outcomes of patients with combat related penetrating head injuries. There is still a discussion around which factor influence outcomes and infection complication. In the beginning of war, in 2014, the evacuation system was not ready for a sudden start of hostilities because of limited medical resources, the lack of neuro visualization in the frontline, the lack of trained personnel provided first aid to the wounded. Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the factors that influenced the development of infectious complications in penetrating combat head injuries with limited medical capabilities on theatre Materials and methods: This is retrospective study of 79 military cases with penetrating head injuries, which was received during the fighting in eastern Ukraine in the period from March 2014 to the end of December 2017. Information was collected on demographics, evacuation assistance, type of injury and infectious complications. R commander was used for statistical analysis. Statistical significance was defined as p<0.05. Results: Infection complication of CNS were detected in 31 cases (39,24%). Factors that influence rate of infection are low GCS on first evaluation (p<0.001), CSF leak (p=0.002), ventricular injury (p<0.005), installation of tidal drainage (p=0.005), superficial wound infection (p=0.013) and wound dehiscence (p<0.001). Conclusions: There are many controversies in managing penetrating gunshot wounds to the head. Still exist lack of information that neurosurgeon can trust. Data even about small samples still very informative.
