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This review summarises recent knowledge on IL-22 in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis and proposes a functional link between IL-22 and two transcription factors - c-Maf and AHR.

In a case series of nine patients for cardiac surgery, the authors examined biomarkers of neuroaxonal injury to predict and detect delirium. Cardiopulmonary bypass procedures induce an increase in neuroaxonal injury biomarkers in contrast to off-pump surgery procedures. Pre-operative tau protein levels may predict postoperative delirium. Post-operative longitudinal NfL levels might help to detect the emergence of delirium.

Repair of inguinal hernia represents one of the most frequent general surgical operations in newborns, infants, and toddlers. Injury to the vas deferens (VD) during herniotomy is one of the most common complications in 0.8-2.0 % of cases. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the different vasovasostomy techniques can be performed using only the operating loupe in a rat model. This operating method is predicted to be applicable in standard departments of pediatric surgery.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells are an attractive therapeutic approach in regenerative medicine. This review summarizes the achievements and failures of current in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies that seek to provide evidence for MSC efficacy in cardiology.

One of the most important factors that increase the risk of tumor recurrence is perineural and bone invasion. In this review we focus on the molecular mechanisms affecting local invasiveness of oral squamous cell carcinoma which can have impact on more accurate preoperative diagnosis of bone invasion and subsequent tailor-made therapy.

This study examines the clinical utility of magnetic resonance imaging as part of diagnostic procedures on autism. The key finding of the study was that corpus callosum hypoplasia was significantly more common in the autistic compared to the control group (13.7 vs. 0%), and it appears to be the rather specific finding, which should raise suspicion of autism.

There is increased prevalence of inguinal hernia in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm. However limited data exists regarding the presence of abdominal aortic aneurysm in patients with inguinal hernia. This study showed that there is an increased prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm in patients with inguinal hernia, especially in smokers, with hypertension and with bilateral or direct hernia. Periodic ultrasonound examination may play an important role in screening and early diagnosis of abdominal aortic aneurysm in these patients.

Infection of the AVG is a serious and life-threatening complication. ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT and ^99mTc-HMPAO-WBC SPECT/CT can both serve as important tools contributing to early diagnosis of AVG infection.

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.

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.

The legalisation of medical cannabis is associated with increasing interest in its practical applications. The review covers available cannabis based products in general, both in the Czech Republic and the rest of Europe. It provides a summary of clinical experience with cannabis in the treatment of pain and multiple sclerosis. Third, it describes the pharmacokinetics of medical cannabis constituents and routes of administration. Finally, it provides information on preparing medical cannabis in a faculty pharmacy.

The prevalence of prediabetes is rapidly increasing worldwide. This disorder significantly contributes to the development of cardiovascular, oncological and other health complications. Early detection of prediabetes must not be underestimated.

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.

A survey questionnaire study of neonates with gastroschisis gives unique feedback on their somatic growth and quality of life.

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.

Although intravenous and mechanical thrombectomy are currently not recommended as a standard treatment for paediatric patients with stroke, increasing evidence shows that in selected cases these therapeutic options can reduce morbidity and mortality.

Delirium and brain dysfunction, is frequent complication in critically ill patients. The primary aim of this study was to recognize and explore risk factors of the development delirium to allow prevention. The main risk factors are age, APACHE II score, admission type, alcohol abuse in anamnesis, length of ICU stay, duration of artificial ventilation, need for vasopressors, and the use of drug-induced sedation.

This is a review of the cardiovascular effects of adipokines with a focus on both the positive and negative actions of omentin, apelin, adiponectin, leptin, visfatin, resistin and adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein.

Acute compartment syndrome (ACS) in traumatology and orthopaedic surgery requires urgent diagnosis and treatment. Currently, it is not clear, whether functional regional anaesthesia and analgesia can lead to delay in diagnosis and treatment of ACS. In this systematic review, the authors evaluate the actual evidence-based data on regional anaesthesia/analgesia in high-risk patients with possible ACS.

We propose a new approach for the determination of the baseline incidence level in epidemiology using the latest statistical methods.

The article presents original epidemiological data on severe sepsis patients in the Czech Republic. It assesses data collected as part of the EPOSS project - the largest database of patients with severe sepsis in Central Europe. It contains information gathered over a period of almost three years. Based on retrospective data analysis, the paper identifies the combination of diagnostic/therapeutic interventions during the initial 6 hours of severe sepsis most closely related to in-hospital mortality. It identifies interventions that may be, based on statistical assessment, considered as risky or protective in relation to in-hospital mortality. In addition, the paper provides data on about the in-hospital morality of patients with severe sepsis with respect to the care procedure and course. It demonstrates the therapy/diagnosis intervention achievement level according to the Sepsis Surviving Campaign.

The authors found significantly higher levels of carboxymethyl-lysine (CML) in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus than healthy controls. This is a first study on CML levels in connection with persisting glucose abnormality postpartum.

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.

This paper describes the results of an analysis of the molecular-genetics of the COL1A1 gene in Czech patients diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta type I-IV. Possible effects of DNA changes on phenotype are discussed.

The results of this study showed the sustained efficiency of ivacaftor on pulmonary function for treatment periods up to six years, with marked reduction in antibiotic use and hospital stays.

Seventy-one patients at risk of heart failure with normal left ventricular ejection fraction underwent simultaneous exercise echocardiography and right heart catheterization. Fifty-one patients had exercise-induced pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) elevation ≥ 8 mmHg and reached peak exercise PCWP ≥ 20 mmHg. Post-exercise recovery of PCWP at 1, 2, 3, 4, and ≥ 5 min was achieved in 7 (13.7%), 11 (21.6%), 10 (19.6%), 6 (11.8%), and 17 (33.3%) patients, resp. In summary, the course of post-exercise PCWP recovery is highly variable, and a significant proportion of patients have only a brief period (≤ 2 min) of exercise-induced PCWP elevation. This fact should be taken into account when assessing exercise-induced PCWP noninvasively.

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the outcomes of the anti-VEGF treatment in patients with the wet form of AMD in real clinical practise in Czech Republic. A comparison of the results with clinical trials was surprising. A sub analysis of the results identified parameters that could predict treatment success.

This study relates to the current topic of imaging methods in supporting ablation of atrial fibrillation. From the literature, no prior study has compared the clinical outcomes of ablation procedures using 3D rotational angiography as a substitute for cardiac CT. The clinical results of this study demonstrate the utility of 3D rotation angiography as an adequate alternative to a commonly performed CT scan.

Laser induced arteriolar constriction used in early phase of branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) brings significantly better visual results if compared with standard grid photocoagulation. This study proved that initial visual acuity (VA) is a strong and independent prognostic factor; initial VA ≤ 0.1 and age over 70 years are strong predictors for poor final VA. Prognostically unfavorable BRVO is defined as an occlusion with an initial VA ≤ 0.25 and these BRVOs should be treated as soon as possible.