Hippokratia
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Kidney size may differ between healthy members of Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) and non-BEN families. The present study was designed to elucidate this, in comparison with values for BEN patients. ⋯ Kidneys of BEN patients were significantly shorter than in healthy members of both BEN and non-BEN families, but no difference was found in kidney length and parenchymal thickness between healthy members of BEN and non-BEN families. No significant association was found between parental history of BEN and kidney size and function either in BEN patients or in healthy members from BEN families. Hippokratia 2015; 19 (4): 304-308.
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Free radicals, as a product of cigarette smoke, are considered to have deleterious effects causing oxidative stress. Acute active smoking seems to be followed by transient leukocytosis and delayed increase in neutrophil activation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the oxidative status of smokers and passive non-smokers, as well as the impact that acute cigarette smoking has on hematological parameters. ⋯ Acute exposure to cigarette smoking affects hematological indexes and oxidative stress biomarkers negatively, in both active and passive smokers, with similar results. The outcome seems to be even worse in passive smokers regarding oxidative stress and antioxidant protection markers. Elimination of cigarette smoking could prevent the adverse effects for smokers, as well as for healthy non-smokers in their vicinity. Hippokratia 2015; 19 (4): 293-297.
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Recent studies provide evidence that peripheral blood monocytes have the ability to differentiate into mesenchymal-like cells. The ability of cultured monocytes to differentiate and produce insulin in vitro is analysed in the present study. ⋯ Monocytes can acquire morphological properties of multipotent cells when they are cultivated under specific conditions in vitro. Differentiated monocytes are able to synthesize and excrete insulin. Hippokratia 2015; 19 (4): 344-351.
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Case Reports
A case of peduncular hallucinosis due to a pontine infarction: a rare complication of coronary angiography.
Cerebral thromboembolism is a rare, but well-recognized complication of angiographic procedures. Peduncular hallucinosis (PH) is a form of complex visual hallucinations usually associated with lesions in the midbrain and thalamus. ⋯ An understanding of how different pathologies may produce complex visual hallucinations can lead to an appropriate treatment, depending on the site and the nature of the lesion. Furthermore, cerebral embolism due to any angiographic procedure, although rare, should always be taken into consideration, upon any neurological manifestation, visual hallucinations included. Hippokratia 2015; 19 (3): 268-269.