The Study of Some Possible Risk Factors for Arterial Thrombosis in the Example of Georgian Patients

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the most common cause of death worldwide. As arterial as venous thrombosis are major cause’s morbidity and mortality. There is an exponential increase in the risk of arterial and venous thrombotic events with age, gender, smoking habits, diet type etc. The association of arterial and venous thrombosis and ABO histo-blood group is well established. Our research aim was to find a possible relationship between age, gender, smoking habit, ABO, Rh, Kell, MN blood group and arterial thrombosis in the example of the Georgian population. The study material comprised the blood samples of 100 patients with arterial thrombosis. Also, control (donor) groups were studied. The Control group included individuals without cardiovascular disease during the 2019–2020 periods. They were asymptomatic, healthy persons. The immunoserological express method with universal monoclonal antibodies ware used. 77% of the studied patients were males. The majority of patients were over the 60 years old. 35% of our studied patients are non-smoker, 39% are ex-smoker, and 26% are active smokers. A similar distribution has the ABO and Rh phenotypes in patients and donors. M+ N+ (MN) the phenotype is relatively high in the patient group to comparing to donors. Kell antigen prevalence was relatively high in studied patients. Our study has shown maleness as a higher risk factor for arterial thrombosis. The smokers have a more predicted chance for arterial thrombosis. K+ phenotype and M+ N+ characteristics are a high prevalence in patients. There is no correlation between ABO and Rh blood groups with arterial thrombosis

Distance Learning in Medical Education: COVID-19 Pandemic - Contingency Plan or a Paradigm Shift?

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected virtually all aspects of human life including the domain of education. All tiers of education are in a process of transition to the diverse modes of online teaching/distance learning. Certain geographic regions and areas of study are particularly vulnerable to these challenges. The countries with lower economic development have evident deficiencies in the Internet access, computer literacy and professional qualifications of teachers and students essential for successful implementation of online teaching forms. While certain specialties in higher education (less technologically dense) are still relatively well-off in terms of effectively shifting to distance learning, medical education with its technologically sensitive academic process faces major difficulties. This is especially true about teaching clinical sciences, where immediate supervision and attendance has been considered as a core requirement. By assessing own experiences and published data, it is our belief that the following steps should be made by nations (with the particular reference to low middle income countries) and institutions: 1. More thorough, robust and inclusive research should be done in order to reveal as many technically and “ideologically” fit solutions for ensuring the smooth transition to e-education; 2. Official authorities should think creatively while revising/determining the status of e-education, so that where possible, it may replace traditional modality of education in technically and legally organized ways and bureaucratic resistance has to be meaningfully minimized; 3. The governments need to obligate and incentivize HEIs for introducing realistic and comprehensive “contingency and business continuity plans” especially tailored to the requirements arising from global public health emergencies

Plasma Polyamines Decrease in Patients with Obstructive Cholecystitis

Polyamines (PAs), endogenous metabolites with a wide range of biological activities, are synthesized at a high rate in liver supporting hepatocyte proliferation and survival. The liver appears as an important regulator of plasma PAs; however, the perspective to exploit plasma PA measurements as indicators for liver function was not explored. This study aimed to evaluate the value of the plasma levels of PAs as a biomarker of pathological changes in the liver in patients with obstructive cholecystitis. The levels of polyamines and their acetylated forms were measured using HPLC/UV in the plasma of patients with obstructive cholecystitis and in healthy subjects. PA turnover was assessed by the ratio between an acetylated form of PA and PA. An effect of diet preference of cheese or meat, the major exogenous sources of PAs, smoking, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in anamnesis was also evaluated in healthy subjects. We found that the plasma levels of spermine and acetylated spermidine decreased in patients with obstructive cholecystitis without a concurring increase in the total plasma bilirubin and amylase levels. The turnover of spermine and spermidine was also changed, suggesting a decrease in the rate of PA degradation in the liver. In healthy subjects, the PA levels tended to mirror chronic smoking and recent SARS-CoV-2 infection but were not relevant to diet factors. A number of observations indicated the role of physical exercise in the regulation of the plasma pool of PA. The decrease in plasma PA levels and index of PA turnover in the cholestasis syndrome indicate the liver’s metabolic function reduction. A conceivable effect of lung-related conditions on plasma PA, while indicating low specificity, nonetheless, speaks favorably about the high sensitivity of plasma PA measurement as an early diagnostic test in the clinic

Plasma Polyamines Decrease in Patients with Obstructive Cholecystitis

Polyamines (PAs), endogenous metabolites with a wide range of biological activities, are synthesized at a high rate in liver supporting hepatocyte proliferation and survival. The liver appears as an important regulator of plasma PAs; however, the perspective to exploit plasma PA measurements as indicators for liver function was not explored. This study aimed to evaluate the value of the plasma levels of PAs as a biomarker of pathological changes in the liver in patients with obstructive cholecystitis. The levels of polyamines and their acetylated forms were measured using HPLC/UV in the plasma of patients with obstructive cholecystitis and in healthy subjects. PA turnover was assessed by the ratio between an acetylated form of PA and PA. An effect of diet preference of cheese or meat, the major exogenous sources of PAs, smoking, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in anamnesis was also evaluated in healthy subjects. We found that the plasma levels of spermine and acetylated spermidine decreased in patients with obstructive cholecystitis without a concurring increase in the total plasma bilirubin and amylase levels. The turnover of spermine and spermidine was also changed, suggesting a decrease in the rate of PA degradation in the liver. In healthy subjects, the PA levels tended to mirror chronic smoking and recent SARS-CoV-2 infection but were not relevant to diet factors. A number of observations indicated the role of physical exercise in the regulation of the plasma pool of PA. The decrease in plasma PA levels and index of PA turnover in the cholestasis syndrome indicate the liver’s metabolic function reduction. A conceivable effect of lung-related conditions on plasma PA, while indicating low specificity, nonetheless, speaks favorably about the high sensitivity of plasma PA measurement as an early diagnostic test in the clinic

Molecular Aspects of Allergen-Specific Immunotherapy in Patients with Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis

A systematic review and narrative synthesis of publications was undertaken to analyze the role of component-resolved diagnosis technology in identifying polysensitization for the provision of allergen-specific immunotherapy to patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis. A search of publications was carried out in electronic databases in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The search helped to identify 568 publications, 12 of which were included in this review. Overall, 3302 patients were enrolled. The major finding was that component-resolved diagnostics change the choice of relevant allergens for allergen-specific immunotherapy in at least 50% of cases. Sensitization to allergen components differs with age, type of disease, and overall disease duration. Patients who had both bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis were sensitized to a larger number of allergens than patients who had bronchial asthma alone