Bratisl Med J
-
Comparative Study
Serum butyrylcholinesterase activities in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Comparison with liver proteosynthetic function and liver fibrosis.
We aimed to determine how does butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity change in the serum of NAFLD patients, whether there was a relationship between BChE and the severity of NAFLD and whether BChE could be used to distinguish the patients with simple hepatic steatosis from the patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. ⋯ Our results showed increased BChE values in NAFLD patients. The comparison of changes in BChE activity with the changes in prealbumin levels and changes of both fibro markers showed that the examination of BChE activity could help to differentiate NAFLD patients with a simple hepatic steatosis from those with an advanced disease (Tab. 1, Fig. 7, Ref. 28). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: butyrylcholinesterase, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, hyaluronic acid, FIB-4, fatty liver index.
-
Despite of being considered a routine procedure, cranioplasty is associated with a substantial risk of failure, or postoperative complications. ⋯ After a cranial reconstruction, complications with a various degree of severity may occur and even the result in need of the implant removal. Postoperative improvement of focal neuro-deficit is possible as well as improvement on the level of patient's consciousness (Tab. 2, Fig. 2, Ref. 61).
-
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.
-
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).
-
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).