Polski merkuriusz lekarski : organ Polskiego Towarzystwa Lekarskiego
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Antibiotic resistance is a major European and global public health problem. There are a number of reasons for its emergence; however, the main reasons are the excessive and improper use of this group of antimicrobial drugs. ⋯ The main message is to use them more responsibly and rationally, since the very dynamic emergence and spread of resistant microorganisms, plus a lack of new antimicrobial drugs in the pipelines of pharmaceutical companies, may result in our inability to treat infections successfully in the near future. To strengthen the message on prudent use, an initiative of the ECDC resulted in a decision by the European Commission to establish the 18th of November as European Antibiotic Awareness Day every year.
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Pol. Merkur. Lekarski · Sep 2009
Review[Biological function of some elements and their compounds. II. Selenium, selenate, selenium organic compounds].
The review is devoted to the role of selenium and its compounds for living organisms. Selenium as an antioxidant protects the cells from generating free radicals. It constitutes an integral part of approximately 20 enzymes. ⋯ Amino acid bonds are significant in functions of RNA, in biosynthesis and activity of thyroid hormones. Selenium deficiency leads to decrease in selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase, which occurs in mitochondria and cytosole. It causes also heart muscles diseases, the skeletal and circulatory systems disorders, neoplasms, infections, and cold.
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Pol. Merkur. Lekarski · Aug 2009
Review[Pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary embolism in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease associated with high increasing worldwide mortality. COPD-related mortality is probably underestimated because of difficulties associated with identifying the precise cause of death. ⋯ The links between COPD and these conditions are not fully understood. However a link through the inflammation pathway has been suggested.
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Pol. Merkur. Lekarski · Aug 2009
Review[Therapeutic intervention in diseases with advanced glycation end products in their pathogenesis].
Nonenzymatic modification of proteins by reducing sugars, a process that is also known as the Maillard reaction, leads to the formation of advanced glycation end products (advanced glycation end-products--AGEs) in vivo. There is a growing body of evidence that formation and accumulation of AGEs progress during normal aging, and at an extremely accelerated rate under diabetes, and are thus involved in the pathogenesis of various diseases such as diabetic vascular complications, neurodegenerative diseases, renal failure, and liver cirrhosis. ⋯ In the former part of this paper, we discuss several types of AGEs inhibitors and their therapeutic implications in diseases. Then we summarize in the latter part of this review recent findings regarding pathophysiological roles in diseases of RAGE and soluble RAGE and discuss their potential usefulness as therapeutic targets.
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Pol. Merkur. Lekarski · Aug 2009
[Prevalence and difficulties in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease diagnosis in patients suffering from severe peripheral arterial disease].
Cigarette smoking is the most prominent risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Prevalence of COPD among cigarette smokers is about 23% in Poland. Effort dyspnea which develops in advanced stage of COPD is the leading cause of seeking medical advice. Physical activity among patients with PAD is reduced due to intermittent claudication. It may cause delayed COPD diagnosis in this group of patients. ⋯ COPD diagnosis among patients suffering from severe PAD involves several difficulties such as uselessness of MRC dyspnea scale and frequent heart diseases which delay the COPD diagnosis being considered as primary dyspnea reason. Many factors which have been proven to be responsible for worse prognosis due to COPD were observed in patients with PAD and coexistent COPD. High prevalence of COPD among patients suffering from PAD suggests the spirometry as a COPD screening would be justified in that group.