Bratisl Med J
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Cognitive changes associated with cerebral emboli during coronary intervention.
To investigate factors influencing the frequency and type of microembolic signals (MES) detected using transcranial Doppler (TCD) in patients undergoing elective coronary intervention, and to correlate MES with silent stroke detected using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cognitive dysfunction. ⋯ Cardiac catheterization was associated with a high risk of cerebral embolism in our patients. A higher number of solid MES and combinations of solid and gaseous MES was associated with the deterioration in cognitive tests (Tab. 5, Fig. 3, Ref. 30).
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Propranolol (PRO) has been recently discovered to possess anti-tumorigenic effects in cancer patients. So, we aimed to enlighten the in vitro effects of propranolol in A549 lung cancer cells and BEAS2B nontumoral lung cells. ⋯ We suggest that DDIT3 and CDKN1A play a critical role during cell fate decision after PRO treatment by protecting nontumoral cells against apoptosis and by triggering apoptosis in tumor cells. The selective action mechanism of PRO with less cytotoxicity in nontumoral lung cells puts it forward as a promising adjuvant agent in lung cancer therapy (Tab. 1, Fig. 4, Ref. 50). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: propranolol, BEAS2B, A549, lung cancer, apoptosis, DDIT3.
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Recently, older people's cardiovascular systems have been affected by aging-related changes. An electrocardiogram (ECG) provides information about cardiac health. Analyzing ECG signals can help doctors and researchers diagnose many deaths. Besides direct ECG analysis, some measurements can be extracted from the ECG signals, and one of the most important measurements is heart rate variability (HRV). Research and clinical domains can benefit from HRV measurement and analysis as a potential noninvasive tool for assessing autonomic nervous system activity. The HRV describes the variation between an ECG signal's RR intervals over time and the change in that interval over time. An individual's heart rate (HR) is a non-stationary signal, and its variation can indicate a medical condition or impending cardiac disease. Many factors, such as stress, gender, disease, and age, influence HRV. ⋯ According to the result of this study, heart rate changes can be reduced by aging, and ignoring this issue could lead to cardiovascular disease in the future (Tab. 3, Fig. 7, Ref. 55).
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Observational Study
Predictive value of infliximab trough levels in maintenance therapy for 5-year sustained clinical remission in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
Despite long-term use of infliximab (IFX) in IBD treatment, its optimized use is unclear due to its complicated pharmacokinetics/dynamics. Hence, the predictive value of IFX trough levels (TL) is important in treatment management. ⋯ TL > 3 µg/ml during maintenance therapy is a strong predictor of sustained clinical remission for 5 years in UC patients. The use of combination therapy with AZA, due to its significant association with high TL, may have a practical benefit in achieving better clinical outcomes in UC patients (Tab. 2, Fig. 10, Ref. 20).
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Our analysis focuses on the advantages of virtual surgical planning (VSP) compared to a conventional treatment method as well as on a wider range of parameters influencing the surgical procedure, postoperative care, morbidity and lastly, the survival rate of these patients. ⋯ Among all the risk factors, administering a higher unfractionated dosage of heparin administered immediately after completing the anastomosis was identified as a significant predictor of postoperative complications. Using VSP in cases of advanced stage head and neck malignancy for salvage surgery is highly recommended. Shorter duration of these comprehensive surgeries in the VSP group leads to a significantly favorable outcome (Tab. 2, Fig. 2, Ref. 19). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: virtual planning, microvascular flap, maxillofacial, free fibula flap, reconstructive surgery.