Bratisl Med J
-
Life expectancy of cancer patients determine the regimen of treatment. There is no feasible marker that determines the survival other than the stage of the disease or other patients related factors. Bilirubin can be a revealing marker for these. The effect of bilirubin may be due to the fact that the genetic and biochemical processes of bilirubin also modulate the tumour microenvironment. Radiotherapy and bilirubin can produce an effect similar to metformin via AMPK pathway. ⋯ Plasma bilirubin level at the time of diagnosis affects the survival of the patients independent of cancer stage and tumour volume. Possible additive interactions of radiotherapy and bilirubin are discussed with their pathophysiological mechanisms (Tab. 2, Fig. 7, Ref. 26).
-
Glucosamine derivatives have been found to have anticancer effects in many cancer cell lines in previous investigations. The effect of glucosamine sulfate on neuroblastoma, however, is uncertain. The potential cytotoxic effects of glucosamine sulfate on the SH-SY5Y cell line were investigated in this study. The underlying mechanisms of this cytotoxicity have also been studied. ⋯ Altogether, glucosamine sulfate produced considerable cytotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells by triggering oxidative stress, inducing DNA damage, and finally causing apoptosis. In addition, more research is needed to determine the efficacy of glucosamine sulfate as an anticancer drug in the treatment of neuroblastoma (Fig. 5, Ref. 39).
-
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and asthma are associated with chronic inflammation leading to airway obstruction and remodelling. There is little information on possible differences in the TGFB signalling pathway in the pathologies compared to less severe chronic bronchitis without airway obstruction. ⋯ Although we observed no differences in our patients, other studies should investigate the genes and their possible correlation with advanced airway obstruction and emphysematous changes (Tab. 2, Fig. 3, Ref. 27). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: TGFB signalling pathway, COPD, asthma, chronic bronchitis, bronchoalveolar lavage.
-
We decided to compare the incidence and spectrum of pelvic fractures in 2020 affected by the anti-pandemic measures due to COVID-19 with previous years 2018 and 2019. ⋯ We observed the increased number of suicidal attempts only on a limited number of specific patients with pelvic fractures; therefore, we cannot formulate any general conclusions regarding the incidence of suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, we consider this to be a warning signal highlighting the worsened population mental health due to COVID-19 pandemic (Tab. 2, Fig. 1, Ref. 34).
-
Case Reports
A rare case of acute acalculous cholecystitis secondary to hantavirus infection with renal syndrome.
Hantaviruses are single-stranded RNA viruses. They are transmitted to humans by rodents and insectivore hosts. Some Hantavirus subtypes are the causative agents of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), which is characterized by fever, thrombocytopenia, and acute kidney injury. ⋯ The patient's condition and clinical findings improved after supportive treatment. Hantavirus infection should be considered in patients with acute kidney injury, cholecystitis and thrombocytopenia (Fig. 2, Ref. 10). Keywords: Hantavirus, acute kidney injury, acalculous cholecystitis, thrombocytopeni.