Bratisl Med J
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Observational Study
Predictive value of infliximab trough levels in maintenance therapy for 5-year sustained clinical remission in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
Despite long-term use of infliximab (IFX) in IBD treatment, its optimized use is unclear due to its complicated pharmacokinetics/dynamics. Hence, the predictive value of IFX trough levels (TL) is important in treatment management. ⋯ TL > 3 µg/ml during maintenance therapy is a strong predictor of sustained clinical remission for 5 years in UC patients. The use of combination therapy with AZA, due to its significant association with high TL, may have a practical benefit in achieving better clinical outcomes in UC patients (Tab. 2, Fig. 10, Ref. 20).
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Observational Study
Cytoreductive surgery and intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy for malignant peritoneal mesothelioma.
The aim of this study is to evaluate the results of treatment of diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (DMPM) by cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) at a single center. ⋯ Also under the conditions at our specialized center, CRS-HIPEC is considered as an effective, affordable, and safe therapy with OS, DFS, morbidity, and mortality rates comparable to those reported in the literature (Tab. 5, Fig. 2, Ref. 28). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: cytoreductive surgery, hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, malignant mesothelioma, cisplatin, doxorubicin.
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Our body senses two types of pain, acute and chronic. Acute pain lasts for a short time. It occurs when our body wants to protect us from a dangerous situation. ⋯ In the article we would like to point out the other side of the 'successful' treatment of COVID-19, namely the possible iatrogenic conditions which significantly contribute to the post-COVID‑19 syndrome and chronic pain. The importance of preventive measures over uncertain result of COVID-19 treatment is emphasised (Tab. 4, Fig. 1, Ref. 50). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: iatrogenic conditions; chronic pain; co-morbidity; pain syndrome; pandemic; post-COVID‑19 syndrome.
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The indication for primary surgical resection or neoadjuvant therapy in lower and middle rectal cancers is often disputable. The aim of the study was to evaluate the occurrence of local recurrence of rectal cancer as for a period of at least 4 years after radical resection. The second aim was to evaluate and compare the results of preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) staging with definitive histology. ⋯ Study also shows that the indication for preoperative radiotherapy for lower and middle rectal cancers based on N status is inaccurate and leads to unnecessary indications for preoperative radiotherapy which may decrease the patients´ quality of life and increase the post‑operative complications. We have also shown that leaving out the N-based radiotherapy from indications does not lead to an increase in the number of local recurrences in lower and middle rectal cancers (Tab. 1, Fig. 5, Ref. 22). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: rectal cancer, neoadjuvant therapy, local recurrence.
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Despite all the achievements of science and medicine, juvenile idiopathic arthritis today remains one of the main childhood diseases that lead to severe irreversible consequences. This, in turn, makes it urgent to search for effective drugs for the treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, of which interleukin 1 (anakinra) and interleukin 6 (tocilizumab) inhibitors are becoming increasingly popular. AIM: to analyse the efficacy of genetically engineered biological drugs, namely anakinra and tocilizumab in children with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis among patients of the Karaganda region. ⋯ Assessment of the efficacy of treatment was conducted at 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, and 48 weeks using ACR Pediatric criteria. The clinical effect of both drugs was detected as early as the second week after the start of therapy. At week 12 of the study in the tocilizumab group, the efficacy of treatment for ACR Pediatric 30, 50, and 70 reached 82 %, 71 %, and 69 %, and in the anakinra group - 89 %, 81 %, and 80 % respectively, while in the control group ACR Pediatric 30 after 12 weeks of treatment was achieved in 21 % of patients, ACR Pediatric 50 - in 12 %, and ACR Pediatric 70 - in 9 % (p Keywords: systemic arthritis, polyarthritis, tocilizumab, anakinra, genetically engineered biological drugs.