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The goal was to assess the frequency of paraneoplastic neurological disorders in patients with advanced malignancy. Hypotension may be a symptom of paraneoplastic neuropathy

The authors describe their experience with access sites for endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in a group of 165 patients treated over a 10-year period.

Patients with chronic kidney disease have significant disorders in bone and mineral metabolism. This study evaluated the bone mineral density (BMD) of patients at the start of hemodialysis treatment and the relationship between BMD and possible risk factors or biochemical markers.

The extracellular matrix (ECM), which can be variously obtained, has several advantages such as providing the proper environment for cell attachment and proliferation. Decellularization techniques are very promising: they remove cell components, preserve tissue ECM and provides an optimal 3D environment for tissue engineering. This review covers chemical agents that are most widely used in decellularization methods.

Vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque is currently a highly debated topic in cardiology, particularly in the field of coronary and carotid interventions. The aim of this article is to provide a comprehensive overview of the most up-to-date information on this topic with a focus on advanced imaging.

Increase in NFs O-GlcNAcylation protect SK-N-SH cells from abnormal phosphorylation and cell loss, which in turn may contribute to AD neurodegeneration. These results provide suggestion for new mechanism of AD pathogenesis and new idea for development of AD drugs.

The review summarizes the current view of the diagnosis of retrocochlear sensorineural hearing loss, the sensitivity of audiological methods in comparison to MRI for diagnosing a CPA mass. The authors conclude that in light of a more conservative treatment approach to CPA tumours, audiological methods are still a valuable alternative to MRI especially in terms of cost-effectiveness in the case of the Czech healthcare system.

Diagnosing neonatal sepsis is difficult, particularly in preterm newborns. A promising method appears to be evaluation of cell surface markers by flow cytometry. This prospective study investigated newborns suspected of neonatal sepsis. In all, flow cytometry was used to determine the proportion of CD64-positive neutrophils (nCD64). Based on the clinical course and laboratory test results, newborns were categorized as having proven, possible, clinical or no neonatal sepsis. There were significant associations between nCD64 values and development of sepsis in newborns with both early- or late-onset sepsis. Evaluation of nCD64 may be used for diagnosing neonatal sepsis in preterm newborns.

Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) activity is not only restricted to the inhibition of intravascular fibrinolysis but is also important in a vast number of tissue remodeling processes that involve cell motility and interactions with extracellular matrix. The study summarizes current knowledge and describes in details possible relations of PAI-1 with local humoral and cellular determinants of stromal remodeling during physiological as well as pathological processes (atherosclerosis, tissue fibrosis, pregnancy related complications, cancer metastasis).

Clinical monitoring during volatile anesthesia provides adequate protection during surgery. However, during intravenous anesthesia, the observation of clinical parameters is insufficient for stable maintenance of anesthesia and does not prevent intraoperative awareness. Clinical monitoring itself does not exclude periods of too deep anesthesia. The AAI index is a useful tool in monitoring patients' level of conscience during anesthesia.

Ethanol and methanol are an emerging health problem; abuse of ethanol containing beverages can lead to disparate health problems and methanol is highly toxic and unfit for consumption. This article summarizes basic knowledge about alcohol toxicity, effects on the body, current care of poisoned individuals and the implication of alcohols in the development of diseases. Alcohol related dementia, stroke, metabolic syndrome and hepatitis are discussed.

The significance of the paper is in the fact that it includes the most relevant and the latest information on this very common functional syndrome. The aim of the authors is to provide both comprehensive and concise data which will be of value to doctors whose clinical practice brings them into contact with patients with the clinical picture of this syndrome.

The study followed a cohort of patients in the immediate days after stroke to assess the frequency of post-stroke spasticity (PSS) and to identify potential risk factors for PSS development. Better understanding of the evolution of the disorder along with identification of PSS risk factors could lead to earlier treatment and better outcomes. Knowledge of the epidemiology of PSS in Czech Stroke Centers should help with aftercare organization.

Vojta Therapy, or reflex locomotion, is a physiotherapeutic technique known to induce involuntary tonic asymmetric motor responses by prolonged peripheral pressure stimulation and it is believed to cause pronounced autonomic after-effects. In this study, systematic assessment of cardiac autonomic control changes after the therapeutic stimulation according to Vojta and a carefully chosen control stimulation showed almost identical responses to both stimulation types without any evidence of the effects of Vojta Therapy.

Insomnia affects a large percentage of cystic fibrosis patients and reduces the quality of life. Anxiety and depression are factors that increase the risk of insomnia. Steps should be taken to identify predictors of insomnia such as anxiety and depression and implement appropriate remedial measures.

Based on a literature search, we identified three features of the retina that appear to show characteristic changes in schizophrenia - microvasculature, electroretinogram and optical coherence tomography. These novel findings may serve as biomarkers and help to address the diagnostic, predictive, preventative, prophylactic and therapeutic aspects of schizophrenia.

Methylation of tumor suppressor genes in sinonasal carcinoma is an important event and it has the potential to serve as a prognostic biomarker.

Hereditary spherocytosis refers to a group of heterogeneous inherited anemias. The two most often affected organs are the spleen and gallbladder. Splenectomy is the only effective therapy for this disorder and often it is performed in combination with cholecystectomy. The authors have experienced positive results from performing laparoscopic splenectomy and cholecystectomy at one time for treating hereditary spherocytosis that was combined with cholelithiasis. Their experience shows that single incision laparoscopic surgery splenectomy and cholecystectomy is feasible even in young children and despite the small number of cases in the world, they consider the combined laparoscopic approach, safe and effective for the treatment of hereditary spherocytosis

This article evaluates the effect of topography, as one of the remarkable characteristics of substrate, on induction and promotion of the signaling pathways involved in osteogenic differentiation of MSCs.

Specific chemotactic cytokines implicated in the pathogenesis of malignant processes are also detected in tumor-adjoining fluids in concentrations reflecting disease severity. Tumor-specific chemokines and their cognate receptors represent potential targets for antitumor therapy.

Arterial stiffness assessment by pulse wave analysis is regarded as a predictive factor of cardio vascular (CV) events. Arterial stiffness is increased in patients with diabetes mellitus.who have increased risk of CV disorders. The aim of this paper was to review current knowledge of the relationship between diabetes mellitus and pulse wave analysis.

The finding of pelvic lymph node endometriosis with loss of hormonal receptor expression of the endometrial gland plays a significant role from the pathology standpoint and, perhaps even more importantly, from the clinical standpoint - correct diagnosis of endometriosis saves the patient from treatment for a false positive diagnosis of metastatic adenocarcinoma.

An optimised ELISA method for the determination of anti-neurofilament heavy subunit antibody avidity is suitable for research on anti-NfH antibody avidity in patients with neurological diseases associated with neurocytoskeletal defects. However, the results showed no difference in levels or avidity of IgG anti-NfH antibodies in Alzheimer´s disease patients and cognitively normal persons.

The current chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods used in therapeutic drug monitoring of major antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs in body fluids and tissues are summarized for the period 2006-2015. The article provides the reader with a comprehensive overview of sample preparation procedures, analyte stability, analytical (validation) parameters achieved by various methods as well as description and comparison of different methods.

The authors describe a novel variant p.Glu1755Gly of alpha-1A subunit of the voltage-dependent P/Q-type calcium channel in a Slovak three-generation family with recurrent episodes of ataxia.

This paper offers an inovative view on epigenetic analysis in clinical practice. Methylation analysis is unique for parafin fixed samples. The results have promising clinical impact.

An artificial intron was cloned within the open reading frame of the DsRed2 gene using cyclic ligation assembly. The successful cloning increased the number of cells expressing red fluorescence by approximately four percent compared to native DsRed2 protein.

This study focused on the differences between patients with biopsy-proven inflammatory cardiomyopathy with and without improved left ventricular systolic function. Although a higher number of inflammatory cells at baseline and more pronounced decline to follow-up biopsy were observed in the group with improved ejection fraction of the left ventricle, supporting the hypothesis that initial more intense inflammatory changes lead to more rapid retreat of myocardial inflammation and is associated with improved left ventricular function, in the multivariate analysis only NTproBNP level at baseline was confirmed as an independent predictor of improved ejection fraction of the left ventricle.

The article describes the consequences of altered microRNA expression levels in NSCLC tissues and cells through affecting target genes in various signaling pathways. The authors summarise the relevant literature, outlining how such pathological dysregulation can lead to metastatic spread to brain, lymph nodes and bones. In conclusion, they propose a possible function of microRNAs as a predictor of the site of NSCLC metastasis.

This paper provides evidence supporting the use of the synovial white cell count as well as neutrophil and lymphocyte percentages in the diagnostic workup for prosthetic joint infection.