Bratisl Med J
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The studies on the pathogenesis of schizophrenia reported data indicating that abnormal immune responses might play a role in the development of schizophrenia. One of the markers of systemic inflammation is the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). In our study, the relationship between the early-onset schizophrenia, NLR, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) was investigated. ⋯ The results of the study support the multisystem inflammatory process model related to schizophrenia, which was revealed in previous studies, also in children and adolescents in the patient group (Tab. 4, Ref. 36). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, inflammation, early‑onset schizophrenia.
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Cholinergic neurons, a type of neurons found in central nervous system, play a vital role in muscle movement and activities. Cholinergic neurons degeneration is the main pathological symptom of neurodegenerative diseases. Among a variety of stem cells, iPSCs have emerged as a promising candidate for transplantation to improve the repair of neuronal lesion sites. However, the establishment of an appropriate induction method to yield large numbers of cholinergic neurons has yet to be determined. Here, we studied the differentiation potential of iPSCs to generate cholinergic neurons by developing a new optimized differentiation protocol. ⋯ Our investigation represents a highly efficient protocol for iPSCs differentiation toward cholinergic neurons which could be used for further preclinical transplantation studies (Tab. 1, Fig. 5, Ref. 35). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: induced pluripotent stem cells, cholinergic neurons, neurotrophic factors, induction protocol, preclinical transplantation.
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common chronic inflammatory lung disease with high mortality and morbidity rates. Obesity, various comorbid diseases, and inflammation often coexist in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), exhibiting a complex interaction with disease severity. The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between COPD markers and obesity, the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR). ⋯ As a result, it is essential to screen obese patients with COPD, who are among the groups with the highest incidence of comorbidities, in terms of such diseases that exacerbate the symptoms of their disease. Findings may support the potential applicability of simple blood count indices (such as NLR) in the clinical assessment of disease in stable COPD patients (Tab. 4, Fig. 1, Ref. 46).
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Urinary tract infections (UTI) are the most common infectious complications after kidney transplantation (KTx) with highest incidence in the first three months of transplantation. UTI in transplant recipients increase morbidity and mortality, risk of graft failure and incidence of acute rejection episodes. According to published data, urinary tract infections significantly affect graft survival. The aim of our study was to identify possible risk factors for the development of UTI. ⋯ We identified the aforementioned risk factors of urinary tract infections in the files of our patients. Statistically, the most significant risk factors are the female gender, and presence of urological complications. The urological complications and BMI of the patients are considered modifiable factors. Based on our analysis, we confirmed a significantly higher number of ACR patients who overcame infection which is in accordance with the published data on association of UTI with the development of acute cellular rejection (ACR) (Tab. 2, Fig. 1, Ref. 15).
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Some symptoms such as fatigue and dyspnea decrease the quality of life in patients with heart failure. The effectiveness of self-management programs on management of chronic conditions was discussed. So, this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of self-management program based on 5A model on fatigue and dyspnea in patients with heart failure. ⋯ According to the results of this study, self-management program based on 5A Model can be used to reduce the severity of fatigue and dyspnea as well as improve the quality of life in patients with heart failure (Tab. 4, Fig. 1, Ref. 33).