Bratisl Med J
-
The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of pulse steroid therapy administered to patients critically ill with COVID-19 progressing into severe pneumonia. ⋯ Pulse steroid therapy does not shorten the duration of hospital stay, does not reduce the need for intubation and increases the risk of thrombosis by significantly increasing the level of D-dimer among patients critically and severely ill with COVID-19 (Tab. 4, Fig. 3, Ref. 20) Keywords: COVID-19, pulse steroid therapy, thrombosis, d-dimer, corticosteroid.
-
The study focused on the relationship between routine clinical characteristics and anti-SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies in a pilot sample of healthcare workers (HCWs) having suffered COVID-19. The aim was to investigate the existence of readily available predictors of antibodies against COVID-19. ⋯ The mean interval between the symptom onset and the determination of antibodies was 58 days. IgG seropositivity and IgM seropositivity were noted in 82 % and 49 % of HCWs, respectively. Symptom duration was the only statistically significant predictor of IgG seropositivity. With each day of symptom duration, the probability of IgG seropositivity increased from 1.078 to 1.092 times (p < 0.05). If symptoms lasted longer than 17 days, a majority (almost 80 %) of the subjects demonstrated seropositivity in the following months. CONCLUSION: The presence of IgG immunity may be assumed from symptom duration. Such easy recognizing of seropositive patients may be a useful tool, e.g. in vaccination strategies (Tab. 3, Fig. 1, Ref. 28).
-
Metallothionein's (MT) overexpression has been demonstrated immunohistochemically in neoplastic cells of many tumour types. Its elevation above the physiological level has been confirmed in circulation of their hosts. The results of studies dealing with the topic have been summarized to verify if this marker can be applied in the current oncologic practise. ⋯ In our review, after a precise selection, we included 8 prospective randomized trials encompassing 561 blood samples taken from patients with a large histopathological spectrum of malignancies. In general, significant differences in blood MT levels between oncological patients and healthy subjects were confirmed. No particular value of the MT level has been demonstrated to be unequivocally predictive of oncologic diseaseCONCLUSION: The results of our review suggest that although the elevation of MT in blood serum in patients with solid malignancy can be regarded as a promising tumour marker, the recommendations of its applicability in clinical practice require to be derived from further research on extended cohorts of patients (Tab. 1, Fig. 1, Ref. 49).
-
This study was performed to investigate changes in dentofacial characteristics associated with mouth breathing (MB) and adenoidectomy. ⋯ MB alters the vertical and transverse growth of the craniofacial complex. It is associated with longer lower anterior facial height and decreased maxillary intermolar distance. However, it does not influence the sagittal parameters. Airway clearance via adenoidectomy promotes the normalization of vertical parameters (Tab. 1, Fig. 2, Ref. 20).
-
Does mean platelet volume/lymphocyte count ratio associate with frailty in type 2 diabetes mellitus?
Frailty is a common problem in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). It is considered to be associated with inflammation. Novel markers derived from hemogram, such as neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and mean platelet volume/lymphocyte ratio (MPVLR), are proposed as inflammatory markers. In present study, we aimed to compare NLR and MPVLR levels of frail patients with T2DM to non‑frail diabetic subjects. ⋯ We suggest that elevated MPVLR could be a finding that marks frailty in diabetic subjects. Inexpensive and easy‑to‑assess nature of the MPVLR may be useful in predicting frailty in type 2 diabetic population (Tab. 2, Fig. 1, Ref. 32).