Arch Med Sci
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The aim was to devise an animal model showing some of the neuropathological changes seen in senile dementia, and to investigate the effect of celastrol on cognition neuropathology in this model. ⋯ Sev/DM rats showed cognitive and neurochemical changes similar to those seen in senile dementia. Celastrol decreased these changes and should be evaluated further as a possible clinical agent in dementia.
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Morphea is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis of the skin. Dendritic cells (DC) and regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a significant role in development of autoimmune and tolerance mechanisms. The aim of the study was to establish the expression of selected genes of plasmacytoid and myeloid DC, Treg cells, and the microenvironment of cytokines (interleukin-17A (IL-17A), transforming growth factor β (TGF-β)) in blood and skin of morphea patients. In addition, the effect of UVA1 phototherapy on expression of the aforementioned genes was evaluated. ⋯ The results do not confirm the involvement of analysed subsets of DC and Tregs in UVA1 phototherapy in morphea, but point to CLEC4C as a possible biomarker associated with the disease activity.
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Helicobacter pylori infection is a common infection worldwide. The most frequently recommended treatment for eradication of H. pylori remains triple therapy. In this study, we compared sequential and hybrid regimens for H. pylori eradication in a region of Turkey with high resistance to clarithromycin. ⋯ Both therapies are highly effective for eradication of H. pylori, and could be recommended as a first-line therapy in regions with high antibiotic resistance.
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Paresis of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) is a complication of thyroid surgery. Neuromonitoring as is gaining acceptance among surgeons. The aim of the study was to assess the number of technical problems in the initial phase of intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) use and the specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of neuromonitoring. The number of cases of postoperative paresis (transient and permanent) was assessed. ⋯ During the initial stages of implementing IONM we experienced technical problems that required correction in every tenth patient. The positive predictive value was relatively low; nevertheless, good results in terms of the rate of accurate identification of the RLN as well as the low rate of RLN paresis support the use of this method.
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Acute pancreatitis (AP) is the third most common gastrointestinal disease at hospital admission. The etiology and pathogenesis of this disease are not completely clear. Our study was intended to determine the systemic levels of pentraxin-3 (PTX-3), myeloperoxidase (MPO), procalcitonin (PCT), and C-reactive protein (CRP) as prognostic parameters in early stages of AP. We also determined the effects of treatment on PTX-3, MPO, PCT and CRP levels in AP. ⋯ Our findings indicated that the CRP, PTX-3, MPO and PCT levels increase in patients with AP and hence these indicators can be used as diagnostic factors to predict inflammation severity in AP. It was revealed that after treatment, there were significant reductions in biomarker levels. However, further research is needed in order to understand how these biomarkers can help to monitor inflammatory responses in AP.