Pulmonary Embolism Caused by a Migrated Gunshot Projectile

Pulmonary embolism caused by a foreign body is an exceedingly rare event. We report on a 62 year old woman who suffered a gun shot injury to her left knee with concomitant vascular lacerations. The bullet migrated through the venous system into the pulmonary circulation causing a pulmonary embolism. The projectile remained stationary for ten years. Taking into consideration that she is virtually asymptomatic and that regular follow up examinations showed no further migration of the foreign body, we opted for a conservative venue of menagement

Ovariectomy and chronic stress lead toward leptin resistance in the satiety centers and insulin resistance in the hippocampus of Sprague- Dawley rats

Aim To evaluate the changes in the expression level of gonadal steroid, insulin, and leptin receptors in the brain of adult Sprague-Dawley female rats due to ovariectomy and/or chronic stress. Methods Sixteen-week-old ovariectomized and non-ovariectomized female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided in two groups and exposed to three 10-day-sessions of sham or chronic stress. After the last stress-session the brains were collected and free-floating immunohistochemical staining was performed using androgen (AR), progesterone (PR), estrogen-β (ER-β), insulin (IR-α), and leptin receptor (ObR) antibodies. The level of receptors expression was analyzed in hypothalamic (HTH), cortical (CTX), dopaminergic (VTA/SNC), and hippocampal regions (HIPP). Results Ovariectomy downregulated AR in the hypothalamic satiety centers and hippocampus. It prevented or attenuated the stress-specific upregulation of AR in these regions. The main difference in stress response between non-ovariectomized and ovariectomized females was in PR level. Ovariectomized ones had increased PR level in the HTH, VTA, and HIPP. Combination of stressors pushed the hypothalamic satiety centers toward the rise of ObR and susceptibility to leptin resistance. When exposed to combined stressors, the HIPP, SNC and piriform cortex upregulated the expression of IR-α and the possibility to develop insulin resistance. Conclusion Ovariectomy exacerbates the effect of chronic stress by preventing gonadal receptor-specific stress response reflected in the up-regulation of AR in the satiety and hippocampal regions, while stress after ovariectomy usually raises PR. The final outcome of inadequate stress response is reflected in the upregulation of ObR in the satiety centers and IR-α in the regions susceptible to early neurodegeneration. We discussed the possibility of stress induced metabolic changes under conditions of hormone deprivatio

Beginnings of the coronary artery srugery at University hospital Osijek

Bolesti srca jedan su od najčešćih uzroka smrti i pobola. Vodeća je među njima ishemijska bolest. Postoje uspješne metode liječenja ishemijske bolesti srca, prije svega invazivna perkutana koronarna intervencija, te koronarna kirurgija. Dugoročno, kirurško liječenje ima bolje rezultate i kad je u pitanju preživljavanje, a i potreba za reintervencijom. Analizirana je skupina bolesnika koji su podvrgnuti kirurškoj revaskularizaciji miokarda na Odjelu za kardijalnu kirurgiju Klinike za kirurgiju KB Osijek. Stupanj smrtnosti značajnije ne odstupa od svjetskih mjerila i u okvirima je prediktivne perioperativne smrtnosti izražene Euro SCORE-om. S obzirom na početne rezultate opravdano je osnivanje Odjela za kardijalnu kirurgiju Klinike za kirurgiju KB Osijek.Heart diseases are one of the most frequent causes of death and sickness with ischemic disease as the leading cause. There are successful treatments of the ischemic heart disease, primarily percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary surgery. Coronary surgery has a better long term outcome in the percentage of survival and need for reinterventions. Patients who had been treated at the Department of Cardiac Surgery at Surgery Clinic of the University Hospital Osijek have been presented. Death rate has been similar to the world standards and to the predictive death rate calculated with Euroscore. According to the first results, Department of Cardiac Surgery at University Hospital Osijek has confirmed its purpos

Beginnings of the coronary artery srugery at University hospital Osijek

Bolesti srca jedan su od najčešćih uzroka smrti i pobola. Vodeća je među njima ishemijska bolest. Postoje uspješne metode liječenja ishemijske bolesti srca, prije svega invazivna perkutana koronarna intervencija, te koronarna kirurgija. Dugoročno, kirurško liječenje ima bolje rezultate i kad je u pitanju preživljavanje, a i potreba za reintervencijom. Analizirana je skupina bolesnika koji su podvrgnuti kirurškoj revaskularizaciji miokarda na Odjelu za kardijalnu kirurgiju Klinike za kirurgiju KB Osijek. Stupanj smrtnosti značajnije ne odstupa od svjetskih mjerila i u okvirima je prediktivne perioperativne smrtnosti izražene Euro SCORE-om. S obzirom na početne rezultate opravdano je osnivanje Odjela za kardijalnu kirurgiju Klinike za kirurgiju KB Osijek.Heart diseases are one of the most frequent causes of death and sickness with ischemic disease as the leading cause. There are successful treatments of the ischemic heart disease, primarily percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary surgery. Coronary surgery has a better long term outcome in the percentage of survival and need for reinterventions. Patients who had been treated at the Department of Cardiac Surgery at Surgery Clinic of the University Hospital Osijek have been presented. Death rate has been similar to the world standards and to the predictive death rate calculated with Euroscore. According to the first results, Department of Cardiac Surgery at University Hospital Osijek has confirmed its purpos

Plasma Content of Glucose, C-reactive Protein, Uric Acid and Cholesterol in Male, Female and Ovariectomized Rats upon Acute and Chronic Stress – a Path for Development of Cardiovascular Diseases

To explore sex differences in cardiovascular function under stress, we analyzed plasma levels of glucose, C-reactive protein (CRP), uric acid and cholesterol in male, female and ovariectomized rats under acute and chronic stress. Glucose tolerance test (GTT) was performed in all rats before any stress was performed, as well as later in the chronic stress experiment. GTT in control animals showed the same trend as in chronically stressed. Male rats showed the highest plasma level of glucose and uric acid upon acute stress in comparison between the other two groups. Ovariectomized rats reached the highest concentration of plasma cholesterol during acute and chronic stress, respectively and also the highest plasma concentration of CRP during acute stress. Stress, as a risk factor of metabolic syndrome, affected biochemical parameters in males upon acute more than upon chronic stress, but the opposite was observed in female rats. Gender differences supported by ovariectomy show that stress managing could be affected by sexual hormones

Hepatoprotective effects of Micromeria croatica ethanolic extract against CCl4–induced liver injury in mice

Abstract BACKGROUND: Micromeria croatica (Pers.) Schott is an aromatic plant from Lamiaceae family previously found to possess potent in vitro antioxidant activity which is mainly attributed to the high level of polyphenolic substances. The aim of this study was to investigate the hepatoprotective activity and possible underlying mechanisms of Micromeria croatica ethanolic extract (MC) using a model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver injury in mice. METHODS: Male BALB/cN mice were randomly divided into seven groups: control group received saline, MC group received ethanolic extract of M. croatica in 5% DMSO (100 mg/kg b.w., p.o.), and CCl4 group was administered CCl4 dissolved in corn oil (2 mL/kg, 10% v/v, ip). MC50, MC200 and MC400 groups were treated with MC orally at doses of 50, 200 and 400 mg/kg once daily for 2 consecutive days, respectively, 6 h after CCl4 intoxication. The reference group received silymarin at dose of 400 mg/kg. At the end of experiment, blood and liver samples were collected for biochemical, histopathological, immunohistochemical and Western blot analyses. In addition, major phenolic compounds in MC were quantified by HPLC-DAD. RESULTS: CCl4 intoxication resulted in liver cells damage and oxidative stress and triggered inflammatory response in mice livers. MC treatment decreased ALT activity and prevented liver necrosis. Improved hepatic antioxidant status was evident by increased Cu/Zn SOD activity and decreased 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) formation in the livers. Concomitantly, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were overexpressed. The hepatoprotective activity of MC was accompanied by the increase in nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) activation and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) expression, indicating amelioration of hepatic inflammation. Additionally, MC prevented tumor growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression, suggesting the potential for suppression of hepatic fibrogenesis. CONCLUSION: These results of the present study demonstrated that MC possesses in vivo antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity and exhibits antifibrotic potential, which are comparable to those of standard hepatoprotective compound silymarin