Bratisl Med J
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AIM of the study was to compare serum levels of IGF-1, IGF-2 and insulin‑like growth factor‑binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) among non‑obese and obese PCOS women, and to assess their relationship to metabolic and hormonal parameters. The study included 64 women diagnosed with PCOS (age 28.9 ± 5 years); 30 of them with BMI > 27 and 34 with BMI lower than 27. All subjects were examined for parameters of glucose and lipid metabolism, steroid hormones and serum IGF-1, IGF-2 and IGFBP-3 levels.
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Chronic wounds are commonly colonized by various bacterial species and colonization frequently turns into wound infection, severely impairing healing process. With increasing antimicrobial resistance, the antimicrobial treatment of chronic wounds may be extremely challenging. Rediscovery of old and forgotten antimicrobial therapeutic options, such as apitherapy, may contribute to solving the problem of incurable chronic wound infections. Aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial properties of four kinds of Slovak honey from ecological beekeeping against the most common bacterial species contaminating and infecting chronic wounds, and to compare these antimicrobial activities with those of the approved medical-grade Manuka honey. The impact of honey sterilisation methods and long-lasting storage on the bactericidal activity was also examined. ⋯ Slovak ecologically produced honey samples demonstrated an excellent in vitro antibacterial activity, superior to the monofloral medical-grade Manuka honey activity. Neither the gamma-irradiation, nor the three-year-long storage had impact on the bactericidal activity of the tested honey (Tab. 4, Fig. 2, Ref. 53).
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This study aims to investigate the acute effects of thymoquinone (TQ) which has been suggested to be a cardioprotective agent, on ventricular myocytes. ⋯ The effect of TQ on cardiomyocytes has been demonstrated for the first time. TQ changes AP morphology along with ionic currents and alleviates β-adrenergic response in adult ventricular myocytes. These results indicate that TQ may be considered as a therapeutic agent in cases such as diabetic cardiomyopathy and cardiac hypertrophy, wherein the β-adrenergic system is over-activated (Tab. 2, Fig. 6, Ref. 30).
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The article focuses on main topics related to disease, death, and dying in communication between parents and their adolescent children with this diagnosis. ⋯ Adolescents appreciate age-appropriate, open communication about their disease. Talking about the disease and its prognosis appears to be the way from mutual protection to open truthfulness. Openness also includes the participation of adolescents in further treatment. For some parents, it makes sense to constantly protect the child from the fact of death. Caregivers should support discussions about death between parents and their terminally ill adolescent children and accept individual decisions to talk about death (Tab. 1, Ref. 25).
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Forty-two COVID-19 patients who underwent emergency PCI due to the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome were included in the study. Mean age was 63±14.76 and males accounted for 81 % (34/42). Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) was defined as absolute increase in serum creatinine level by 0.3 mg/dL above baseline within 48 hours of contrast exposure. Patients were divided into two groups according to CI-AKI development following coronary angiography. ⋯ Our study results demonstrated that patients suffering from COVID-19 had a high risk of CI-AKI development following coronary angiography (Tab. 1, Ref. 36).