Pentraxin 3 – a new marker in the assessment of atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a medical problem of high prevalence being a main cause of cardiovascular diseases. Outcomes of many experimental and clinical studies have confi rmed that infl ammation plays an important role in atherogenesis. One of infl ammatory markers, acute phase protein produced in response to infl ammatory signals, among others by several type of cells in atherosclerotic plaques, is pentraxin 3 (PTX3). On the basis of outcomes of performed studies it is supposed that PTX3 may become a new indicator useful for detecting diseases of atherosclerotic origin on their very early stages of development what may enable the implementation of treatment to prevent their progression.Miażdżyca jest powszechnym problemem zdrowotnym, stanowiącym główną przyczynę chorób układu sercowo-naczyniowego. Wyniki wielu eksperymentów i badań klinicznych potwierdzają, że w procesie jej rozwoju ważną rolę odgrywa stan zapalny. Jednym z markerów zapalenia, białkiem ostrej fazy produkowanym w odpowiedzi na mediatory stanu zapalnego, m.in. przez komórki budujące blaszkę miażdżycową, jest pentraxyna 3. Na podstawie wyników przeprowadzonych badań przypuszcza się, że białko to może okazać się ważnym wczesnym wskaźnikiem rozwoju i zaawansowania zmian miażdżycowych, a tym samym stać się nowym markerem przydatnym do wykrywania chorób na podłożu miażdżycy we wczesnych etapach ich rozwoju, umożliwiając wdrożenie leczenia zapobiegającego ich progresji

What would you like to print? Students' opinions on the use of 3D printing technology in medicine.

BackgroundRecent advances in 3D printing technology, and biomaterials are revolutionizing medicine. The beneficiaries of this technology are primarily patients, but also students of medical faculties. Taking into account that not all students have full, direct access to the latest advances in additive technologies, we surveyed their opinion on 3D printing and education in this area. The research aimed to determine what knowledge about the use of 3D printing technology in medicine, do students of medical faculties have.MethodsThe research was carried out in the form of a questionnaire among 430 students of the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice (Poland) representing various fields of medicine and health sciences. The questions included in the survey analyzed the knowledge of the respondents for 3D printing technology and the opportunities it creates in medicine.ResultsThe results indicate that students do have knowledge about 3D printing obtained mainly from the internet. They would be happy to deepen their knowledge at specialized courses in this field. Students appreciated the value of 3D printing in order to obtain accurate anatomical models, helpful in learning. However, they do not consider the possibility of complete abandonment of human cadavers in the anatomy classes. Their knowledge includes basic information about current applications of 3D printing in medicine, but not in all areas. However, they have no ethical doubts regarding the use of 3D printing in any form. The vast majority of students deemed it necessary to incorporate information regarding 3D printing technology into the curriculum of different medical majors.ConclusionThis research is the first of its kind, which allows for probing students' knowledge about the additive technologies in medicine. Medical education should be extended to include issues related to the use of 3D printing for medical applications

The Predictive Role of Lactate in the Emergency Department in Patients with Severe Dyspnea

Objective. An accurate identification of patients at the need for prioritized diagnostics and care are crucial in the emergency department (ED). Blood gas (BG) analysis is a widely available laboratory test, which allows to measure vital parameters, including markers of ventilation and perfusion. The aim of our analysis was to assess whether blood gas parameters in patients with dyspnea at an increased risk of respiratory failure admitted to the ED can predict short-term outcomes. Methods. The study group eventually consisted of 108 patients, with available BG analysis. The clinical and laboratory parameters were retrospectively evaluated, and three groups were distinguished—arterial blood gas (ABG), venous blood gas (VBG), and mixed blood gas. The primary endpoint was short-term, all-cause mortality during the follow-up of median (quartile 1–quartile 3) 2 (1–4) months. The independent risk factors for mortality that could be obtained from blood gas sampling were evaluated. Results. The short-term mortality was 35.2% (38/108). Patients who died were more frequently initially assigned to the red triage risk group, more burdened with comorbidities, and the median SpO2 on admission was significantly lower than in patients who survived the follow-up period. In the multivariable analysis, lactate was the strongest independent predictor of death, with 1 mmol/L increasing all-cause mortality by 58% in ABG (95% CI: 1.01–2.47), by 80% in VBG (95% CI: 1.13–2.88), and by 68% in the mixed blood gas analysis (95% CI: 1.22–2.31), what remained significant in VBG and mixed group after correction for base excess. In each group, pH, pO2, and pCO2 did not predict short-term mortality. Conclusions. In patients admitted to the ED due to dyspnea, at risk of respiratory failure, lactate levels in arterial, venous, and mixed blood samples are independent predictors of short-term mortality

Rekomendacje Polskich Towarzystw Naukowych „Diagnostyka i leczenie raka tarczycy”. Aktualizacja na rok 2018

Significant advances have been made in thyroid can­cer research in recent years, therefore relevant clinical guidelines need to be updated. The current Polish guidelines “Diagnostics and Treatment of Thyroid Carcinoma” have been formulated at the “Thyroid Cancer and Other Malignancies of Endocrine Glands” conference held in Wisła in November 2015 [1].Gwałtowny postęp, dokonujący się w ostatnich latach w badaniach nad rakiem tarczycy spowodował, że konieczne jest aktualizowanie bieżących rekomendacji klinicznych. Obowiązujące dotychczas Rekomendacje „Diagnostyka i leczenie raka tarczycy” zostały ustalone na Konferencji „Rak Tarczycy” w Wiśle w listopadzie 2015 roku [1]