Bratisl Med J
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Review Case Reports
Successful support of biventricular heart failure in an adult patient by the Berlin Heart EXCOR system as a bridge to transplant: literature review.
Right heart failure is a huge challenge in left ventricular assist device therapy and its occurrence is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Other options include the use od temporary right ventricular assist device, use of two continous flow biventricular assist devices, use of total artificial heart and the use of paracorporeal biventricular assist devices. In this report we described the successful use of the paracorporeal pulsatile Berlin Heart EXCOR system as a bridge to transplant in a 62 years old patient with end-stage biventricular heart failure (Tab. 1, Fig. 3, Ref. 22). Keywords: biventricular heart failure, mechanical circulatory support, biventricular assist device, Berlin Heart EXCOR system, heart transplantation.
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Lung cancer (LC) represents a major healthcare issue worldwide. It is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in Slovakia and European Union. Data from multiple randomized controlled trials have shown significant evidence of a mortality benefit in LC using screening with low-dose computed tomography of the chest (LDCT). ⋯ We describe fundamental principles to identify asymptomatic high-risk patients reduce false positive and false negative results, decrease benign resection rates, and avoid unnecessary invasive procedures. The efficacious utilization of public resources to secure the highest possible quality standards of LDCT plays a crucial role in successfully implementing a nationwide LCS program (Tab. 1, Fig. 4, Ref. 31). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: lung cancer, screening, early detection, smoking cessation.
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Lichen planus (LP) is one of the chronic inflammatory diseases. Epicardial fatty tissue (EFT) is the adipose tissue in which pro-inflammatory and pro-atherogenic hormones and cytokines are secreted. We planned to investigate the predictive value of EFT in LP patients by evaluating together with Fibrinogen to albumin ratio (FAR) other inflammation markers. ⋯ We found a relationship between LP and FAR together with other inflammation parameters NLR, and PLR. We demonstrated for the first time that FAR, NLR and EFT were independent predictors of LP. Also, there was a significant relationship between these parameters and EFT (Tab. 4, Fig. 1, Ref. 30). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: lichen planus, epicardial fatty tissue, fibrinogen, albumin, neutrophil, lymphocyte.
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Basal cell carcinoma is the most frequently occurring cancer in humans. In light of its vast prevalence, this disease causes a substantial burden on the quality of life of patients. Histopathologic examination is currently the gold standard for diagnostic confirmation and a requisite for therapeutic planning. ⋯ This review focused on contemporary evidence on basal cell carcinoma cytology to provide a comprehensive description of the technique with practical insights for specific clinical scenarios. This review also aimed to delineate and discuss evidence gaps and potential novel applications of this technique in the context of recent advances in cytopathology, dermatosurgery, molecular targeted therapy, and precision medicine (Tab. 2, Ref. 43). Keywords: basal cell carcinoma, cytology, Papanicolaou test, May-Grunwald Giemsa.
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Observational Study
Transient reduction in ejection fraction following aortic valve replacement for aortic regurgitation.
In patients following aortic valve replacement (AVR) for aortic regurgitation, a transient reduction in ejection fraction (TREF) sometimes occurs in the postoperative period without a clear remediable cause, which leads to a spontaneous improvement without the need for a specific treatment. ⋯ Our results show that transient reduction in ejection fraction is a relatively common phenomenon following aortic valve replacement for aortic regurgitation and that in our study population it had no effect on short- and long-term survival (Tab. 2, Fig. 1, Ref. 15).