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This work presents two cases of a discrepancy between clinical presentation and falsely elevated cardiac troponins concentrations. Cases like this are well known to laboratory professionals, however, according to the experience of the authors, clinical professionals are often not. Presentation of such cases to the wider medical community can help avoid unnecessary investigation and possible harm to patients.

The results confirmed, that ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is valuable in the diagnostic algorithm for patients with pleomorphic adenoma. Ultrasound-guided FNAB is simple, accurate and valuable in the diagnosis of plemorphic adenoma and provides results that can lead to the choice of less invasive operative treatment. For smaller tumours in favourable locations, extracapsular dissection is a safe and adequate surgical technique with minimal risk to the facial nerve or other local complications and without increased risk of recurrence.

Most pregnant women are offered a routine ultrasound scan during the second trimester of pregnancy in order to detect fetal anomalies. In some cases, an anomaly suspected by ultrasound requires referral for a fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination in order to clarify the diagnosis. In this study a large series of such referrals was assessed, accounting for one in six women with a fetal anomaly on ultrasound. In general, the MRI findings supported the scan results but this varied according to the type of anomaly. This concordance was very high for anomalies of the urinary tract and face.

This is an analysis of post-acute COVID symptoms and the pulmonary function test (PFT) results in patients surviving the native strain of the virus (Wuhan variant). There were 785 subjects (345 male) mean age 53.8 (SD 14.6); PFT results showed a decrease with disease severity; anosmia during the acute phase was associated with mild course of the disease, persisting dyspnoea was more frequent in the more severe disease groups; female sex was identified as a possible risk factor for persisting symptoms in the post-acute phase.

In this study, the authors focused on changes in the vascular density of the superficial and deep vascular plexus in temporal and foveal-sparing flap after pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with macular peel. The vascular density of the deep plexus increased in both groups and the vascular density of the superficial plexus was almost the same in the temporal flap and in the foveal-sparing flap was reduced during the one-year follow-up period. The results were also confirmed by the anatomical improvement. The authors demonstrated a statistical relationship between the duration of symptoms and changes in the microvasculature in the macula in both groups. No significant differences were found between the various forms of the flap method used in PPV.

This paper maps the etiology of mesothelioma with respect to current risks and the situation where the asbestos ban is in place.  It shows what other factors may apply and under what circumstances. Also, what are the possible routes of asbestos exposure today.

CNO/CRMO is a rare autoinflammatory bone disease of unknown etiology. The authors review the etiology, epidemiology, clinical course, diagnostic criteria, development of classification criteria, diagnostic methods, association with other diseases, methods for disease activity evaluation, treatment and tasks for the future. Tables comparing different diagnostic criteria, recently developed RINBO index (radiologic index for nonbacterial osteomyelitis) and summary of studies on CNO/CRMO therapy using pamidronate are included.

Cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light chain (cNfL) and CXCL13 concentrations were measured in 44 patients with clinically isolated syndrome or early multiple sclerosis. Neither cNfL nor CXCL13 did influence the risk of the second relapse or development of MRI activity. After adjustment for age, sex and treatment, higher cNfL levels were weakly associated with earlier worsening of neurological status.

This evaluation clearly shows the connection between type of bone invasion, tumour differentiation and MDV and this can be used in the diagnosis of tumours of the oral cavity and oropharynx and in determining the radicality of the oncological therapy.

The authors report an analysis of 2,681 patients hospitalized in a single centre for a first implantation of any type of ICD during the last decade. No mortality difference was found between patients with ischemic or non-ischemic cardiomyopathy and in the device type; a higher mortality risk was found in men, patients older than 75 years, diabetics, and those with atrial fibrillation. These data confirm significant differences in the mortality of individual subgroups of patients and further support the need for a new approach to risk stratification for sudden cardiac death (SCD). A personalized assessment of the individual risk is warranted.

Study of the tear and ocular tissue metabolome may help us understand the metabolism of normal ocular tissues and mechanisms in disease, to discover inter-individual variations within the ocular environment and, thus improve diagnosis and prognosis. Metabolomic profiling of tear, aqueous humor and vitreous samples is useful for identifying biomarkers for more precise diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy.

In the literature, DME treatment with SMPL is only reported after 1 year maximally. The authors present 5-year-results in a group of 52 eyes of 34 patients. There was an improvement in CRT (reduction by 89.5 µm) and only slight deterioration in BCVA (by less than 1 ETDRS line).

Ultrasonography is a reliable alternative to electrodiagnosis for diagnosing moderate to severe carpal tunnel syndrome. The data demonstrate that the median nerve cross-sectional area had  the best diagnostic ability of  the  parameters tested. The median nerve cross-sectional area at the tunnel inlet, for instance at a suggested threshold value of 12 mm2, could substantially help us indicate surgical CTS treatment.

This article describes endocrine disorders which may play a role in the etiology of obesity in childhood. Though these are uncommon in overweight and obese children, late diagnosis may be associated with high morbidity or rarely, mortality. The authors describe the pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for the development of some forms of obesity in childhood and related clinical, diagnostic and management issues including factors such as growth patterns and BMI charts leading to the diagnosis of these conditions. Timely diagnosis of endocrinopathy and prompt treatment are necessary.

This study investigated the expression of galanin receptors (GalR1, GalR2, GalR3) in the spinal cord in a murine model of multiple sclerosis, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) by qPCR analysis and determined GalR1 cellular localization (oligodendrocytes, microglia, astrocytes, ependymal cells, and endothelial cells in the capillaries) by immunohistochemistry. qPCR analysis revealed that GalR1 mRNA levels is decreased in the EAE mice compared to controls, whereas mRNA level of GalR2 and GalR3 were not significantly different from the controls. Immunochemical detection of the GalR1 revealed its expression in the ependymal and endothelial cells. This study provides new evidence of the involvement of galanin in EAE pathophysiology, but further research is warranted.

The authors evaluated the effect of preoperative oral nutritional supplements (ONS) on the self-sufficiency, physical, and nutritional status of patients who had elective colorectal resections. Patient self-sufficiency in the postoperative period was comparable between groups (P=0.313), the prevalence of postoperative complications was also comparable (P=0.73). Physical and nutritional status were not influenced by preoperative ONS. Preoperative administration of ONS in patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery did not reduce postoperative morbidity or enhance recovery.

This case report describes a tuberculosis patient treated with ethambutol for 3 months, which resulted in ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy (EON). The use of electrophysiological examinations, visual field test, retinal nerve fiber layer and angiography of optic nerve head, and magnetic resonance imaging of the optic nerves confirmed the improvement of visual function after discontinuation of the medication, irreversible atrophy of the optical disc has still been confirmed.

The etiology of tumors is multifactorial; non-hereditary and hereditary factors, congenital malformations, and syndromes all play a role. The mothers' medication (especially hormone therapy), low Apgar score at 1 min, and the presence of a congenital defect or genetic abnormality was associated with increased risk of tumor development.

This review is focused on the influence of psychological stress on the metabolism of antidepressants and anxiolytics mediated by the enzymes of Phase I – cytochromes P450, as there is increasing evidence that stress can alter drug pharmacokinetics and drug metabolism, hence there is a risk of less effective drug metabolism and increased side effects.

We demonstrate a family with macular dystrophy, resembling North Carolina Macular dystrophy, in which genetic analysis excluded mutations previously reported to be pathogenic for NCMD. We present modern diagnostic and therapeutic approaches and a favorable effect of anti-VEGF therapy in this very rare familial maculopathy.

Various studies have examined the therapeutic value of periradicular infiltration using treatments consisting of local anesthetic and corticosteroids or ozone application for radicular pain but this is to our knowledge the first study that statistically compares the treatment effect of different types of corticosteroids and ozone.

This case study describes a rare neuro-ophthalmological complication of allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Marked reduction of visual acuity on both eyes accompanied by bilateral optic disc edema firstly led to diagnosis of retrobulbar neuritis. Following complete ophthalmological examination supplemented by functional MRI, we established a multifactorial etiology with the participation of vascular and inflammatory changes.

Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer in the world. It is unclear whether the concentrations of chemokines at the time of NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer) diagnosis differ from healthy controls and reflect the extent of NSCLC. This study focuses on chemokine concentrations in the plasma of patients with resectable NSCLC vs healthy individuals and chemokine concentrations according to stage of NSCLC.

The paper gives an overview of current visual neuroprostheses and explains their failures. In the second part it presents a new method based on transcranial stimulation of functional cells of the visual cortex. This technology is protected by a patent.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a clonal malignancy characterized by proliferation of plasma cells in bone marrow. Epigenetic anomalies have been identified as important drivers in MM development. This study describes the level of methylation and/or expression changes of selected DNA methyltransferases in both unsorted and sorted bone marrow aspirates of multiple myeloma patients.

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths. Although the most affected age group is in the 6th decade occasionally we meet very young patients with the disease. The authors looked at a group of young patients under 40 years with this diagnosis, its characteristics, the diversity of the group and the potential pathogenesis of lung cancer at such a young age. Data of 17 individuals diagnosed during 2011–2020 at the Department of Respiratory Diseases, University Hospital Brno, Czech Republic, were analysed. From 8 valid samples, we detected actionable mutation in 75% patients.

Medication poisoning in children is one of the severe conditions that can endanger a child's life. We examined the demographic and clinical data of children admitted to the Department of Pediatrics of the University Hospital Olomouc for acute drug-induced intoxication between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2019. From the results and determination of the two most common age groups, we need to understand drugs from several perspectives. To young children, medicines, especially colored ones, are perceived as attractive-looking. For older children and adolescents, medication can be an unfortunate way out of their difficulties. Medicines should be kept out of the reach of children and parents should educate their children.

A literature review and report of a rare, highly malignant and unusually large heart tumor, where an individually tailored combination of complex surgical and oncological treatment resulted in long-term survival with complete remission of the disease.

Intraoperative floppy iris syndrome (IFIS) is a cataract surgery complication that remains a challenge for eye surgeons. IFIS is most commonly associated with chronic use of alpha-1 adrenergic receptor antagonists in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms; however, it has been reported in other drug groups as well. This article is intended especially for urologists, ophthalmologists and internal medicine specialists, to review all the medications that can be associated with development of IFIS.