Acta clinica Croatica
-
Acta clinica Croatica · Dec 2019
Case ReportsADENOID CYSTIC CARCINOMA OF DISTAL TRACHEA: A CASE REPORT.
Primary malignant tumors of the trachea are very rare with the incidence of less than two per million people per year, and only ten percent of them are adenoid cystic carcinomas. Eighty percent of all tracheal tumors are malignant. Diagnosis is usually late because the symptoms mimic other conditions such as asthma. ⋯ Radical resection is only accomplished in about half of all cases because of the submucosal tumor growth and limited length of tracheal resection. The role of adjuvant radiation therapy in negative resection margin cases is not clear but all patients with positive resection margin benefit from radiation therapy. We present a case of a 43-year-old patient with primary adenoid cystic carcinoma of distal trachea treated by emergency bronchoscopic recanalization and resection of the tracheal tumor with end-to-end anastomosis.
-
Acta clinica Croatica · Dec 2019
THERAPEUTIC PLASMA EXCHANGE AND DOUBLE FILTRATION PLASMAPHERESIS IN SEVERE NEUROIMMUNE DISORDERS.
Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is an extracorporeal blood purification technique, which removes large molecular weight particles such as autoantibodies from plasma. TPE is accepted by the American Society for Apheresis as first line treatment for some severe neuroimmune disorders. Double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) is a newer technique in which plasma is not entirely removed, only the antibodies, using special filters. ⋯ The rate of neurological improvement was similar to other studies. None of the patients presented catheter related complications. Systemic complications were mild, transient and completely reversible.
-
Acta clinica Croatica · Dec 2019
VERIFICATION OF AUTHENTICITY OF GINKGO BILOBA L. LEAF EXTRACT AND ITS PRODUCTS PRESENT ON THE CROATIAN MARKET BY ANALYSIS OF QUANTITY AND RATIO OF GINKGO FLAVONE GLYCOSIDES (QUERCETIN, KAEMPFEROL AND ISORHAMNETIN) TO TERPENE TRILACTONES TO THE EFFECT OF UNMASKING COUNTERFEIT DRUGS ENDANGERING PATIENT HEALTH.
Ginkgo biloba L. is the eldest plant growing on the Earth; preparations made of its leaves and seeds represent an integral part of the Chinese medicine for over a millennium. The plant species was first discovered by Linnaeus in 1771, its name thereby originating from the Latin words bis (two) and lobus (lobe), which duly illustrate the specific shape of its leaf. Contemporary Ginkgo biloba L. plant based pharmaceuticals mostly comprise extracts recovered from leaves harvested during fall, when the concentration of active components reaches its peak. ⋯ Due to the untrue label statements descriptive of these products, the information on the presence of pharmacologically active genistein was neglected to be mentioned despite its unfavorable health impact that can be expected in some consumer groups. The results of this study indicated the frequency of counterfeiting the Ginkgo biloba L.-based products found on the Croatian market to be deemed substantial. Therefore, a more rigorous and more thorough control of these products and sanctioning of irresponsible manufacturers and distributers is proposed, so as to contribute to a higher market representation of high-quality products, as well as to avoid health risks and downsize the rate of their counterfeiting.
-
Acta clinica Croatica · Nov 2019
PROSTATE-SPECIFIC ANTIGEN (PSA) VALUES IN PATIENTS WITH LOW- AND HIGH-RISK PROSTATIC ADENOCARCINOMA.
Prostatic adenocarcinoma (PC) comprises around 19% of malignancies in Croatian male population. On the basis of PSA value, Gleason score, grading group and clinical stage, PC can be classified into low- and high-risk groups which is significant for different therapeutic regimens and prognostic outcomes. ⋯ Subsequently, they were divided into low- and high-risk prostatic adenocarcinoma groups. Our results demonstrated positive correlation in preoperative PSA values between the groups and therefore support the use of PSA as one of the parameters in defining low- and high-risk prostatic adenocarcinoma categories.
-
Acta clinica Croatica · Nov 2019
ReviewWHO SHOULD RECEIVE NOVEL HORMONAL THERAPY WITH ANDROGEN DEPRIVATION THERAPY IN METASTATIC HORMONE SENSITIVE PROSTATE CANCER?
Treatment with androgen deprivation (ADT) has for many years been a standard treatment for patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC). However, several phase 3 randomized trials have completely changed the therapeutic approach for these patients. ⋯ Here we present an overview of the most important trials in this setting: STAMPEDE, LATITUDE, ARCHES, ENZAMET and TITAN in which abiraterone acetate, enzalutamide and apalutamide combined with ADT achieved significant improvement in overall survival of patients with mHSPC compared with ADT only. All three agents combined with ADT became new standard of therapy for this group of patients.