Croatian medical journal
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Croatian medical journal · Apr 2022
ReviewVitamin D in liver cancer: novel insights and future perspectives.
Vitamin D has been a focus of attention in liver cancer due to its direct and indirect antineoplastic effects. This review critically evaluates data from recently published basic and clinical studies investigating the role of vitamin D in liver cancer. Basic studies indicate that vitamin D plays an important role in liver cancer development by suppressing the activity of hepatic stellate cells and Kupffer cells. ⋯ Recent investigation suggested several interesting mechanisms of these actions, such as inactivation of Notch signaling, p27 accumulation, and tyrosine-protein kinase Met/extracellular signal-regulated kinases inhibition. On the other hand, data from clinical observational studies, although promising, are still inconclusive. Unfortunately, studies on the effect of vitamin D supplementation were generally focused on short-term outcomes of chronic liver diseases (liver enzyme levels or elastographic finding); therefore, there are still no reliable data on the effect of vitamin D supplementation on liver cancer occurrence or survival.
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Croatian medical journal · Apr 2022
Meta AnalysisThe prognostic role of diabetes mellitus type 2 in the setting of hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
To evaluate the effect of diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) on the outcomes after treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). ⋯ Current data provide strong evidence that T2DM unfavorably affects HCC progression and recurrence, and patients' survival after treatment, irrespective of the approach used.
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Croatian medical journal · Apr 2022
Next-generation sequencing of von Willebrand factor and coagulation factor VIII genes: a cross-sectional study in Croatian adult patients diagnosed with von Willebrand disease.
To identify the von Willebrand factor (VWF) gene variant status in Croatian adult patients diagnosed with von Willebrand disease (VWD), provide differential diagnosis of VWD subtypes, and identify patients with mild hemophilia A (HA) who were earlier misdiagnosed as VWD. ⋯ Croatian adult patients with VWD have considerable genetic heterogeneity. NGS of both VWF and FVIII genes provided accurate differential diagnosis of VWD subtypes and distinction of VWD from mild HA.
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Croatian medical journal · Apr 2022
Risk factors for non-melanoma skin cancer development in renal transplant recipients: a 40 year retrospective study in Croatia.
To determine the prevalence of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) and disease-specific risk factors in renal transplant recipients (RTRs). ⋯ RTRs are at high risk for NMSC development. Sex, age at transplantation, and type of immunosuppressive therapy play a role in tumor development.
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Croatian medical journal · Apr 2022
Serotype distribution and antimicrobial resistance of invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates among Croatian adults during a fifteen-year period (2005-2019).
To assess serotype distribution, antibiotic resistance, and vaccine coverage against Streptococcus pneumoniae causing invasive infections in Croatian adults from 2005 to 2019. ⋯ The incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease in adults is highest in patients ≥65 years of age. Penicillin susceptibility, increased exposure and macrolide resistance were mostly associated with serotypes 14 and 19A. PCV13 and PPV23 provide very high serotype coverage. Future studies should evaluate the effects of the 10-valent vaccine, introduced in the Croatian National Immunization Program in June 2019, on serotype distribution and antibiotic resistance rates.