Central nervous system involvement during clinical course of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

Central nervous system involvement (CNS) of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a rare complication. Some analyses of autopsy studies suggest that the complication remains subclinical or is under-diagnosed. The symptoms of patients with leukemic CNS involvement are heterogeneous and nonspecific. Due to the low incidence, there are no treatment guidelines for this problem. Intrathecal chemotherapy and cranial irradiation are often performed

Pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy

Hepatic encephalopathy can be a serious complication of acute liver failure and chronic liver diseases, predominantly liver cirrhosis. Hyperammonemia plays the most important role in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy. The brain-blood barrier disturbances, changes in neurotransmission, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, GABA-ergic or benzodiazepine pathway abnormalities, manganese neurotoxicity, brain energetic disturbances, and brain blood flow abnormalities are considered to be involved in the development of hepatic encephalopathy. The influence of small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) on the induction of minimal hepatic encephalopathy is recently emphasized. The aim of this paper is to present the current views on the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy

Transcriptomic data analysis of melanocytes and melanoma cell lines of LAT transporter genes for precise medicine

Background: Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is a two-step treatment that can be used in some types of cancers. It involves administering a compound containing boron atoms to the patient and irradiating the affected area of the body with a neutron beam. The success of the therapy depends mainly on the delivery of the boron isotope ($^{10}$B) to the tumor using an appropriate boron carrier. One of the boron carriers used is boronophenylalanine (BPA). Therefore, in research on the use of boron carriers, it is also important to know the mechanisms of its uptake by cells. Aim: To study the expression of LAT family genes in two melanoma (high melanotic WM$_{115}$ and low melanotic WM$_{266-4}$) cell lines and melanocytes (HEMa-Lp) which are responsible for the transport the BPA into cells. Methods: To normalize data from the transcriptomic analysis, the ratio of the median method was used. This allowed the samples to be compared with each other. Comparison metrics included log-fold change (LFC) values. The heatmap of LFC values and the cluster map were created. These graphs show the similarities and differences between the samples. Results: Transcriptomic data show that in melanocytes, LFC for SLC7A5 (LAT$_{1}$) and SLC3A2 ($_{4}$Fhc) was higher than in melanoma cell lines, which corresponded with their melanin content. Conclusion: Our results indicate overexpression of BPA transporter genes in normal cells (melanocytes), which may suggest the highest level of these proteins in melanocytes compared to less melanotic melanoma. Therefore, for BNCT, the use of BPA as the $^{10}$B carrier will require additional qualifying tests of amino acid transporter expression for patients and specific tumors to develop a personalized BNCT

Central nervous involvement by chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

Inclusion of the central nervous system (CNS) in the course of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is rare. At the moment no risk factors or proven treatment methods are known. The disease is described both in its early phase and during its acceleration period, thus it has been suggested that there might be independent mechanisms influencing the development of this condition. As there are no unified diagnostic procedure algorithms each patient needs to be assessed individually. CLL can manifest mostly in elderly people, for whom a possibility of development of neurological disorders with their aetiology different from leukaemia, should also be taken into consideration. The thesis presents a group of seven patients with CLL with CNS infiltration. Patients with prolymphocytic leukaemia, Richter's transformation and the original location of leukemic infiltration within the eye socket constitute an especially interesting case

Correct human cardiac nomenclature

Proper heart’s nomenclature is very important in daily clinical practice and research studies, andwhen it is consistent, it can facilitate better communication between different medical specialists. Thegeneral rule of the anatomy is to describe organs and their structures in attitudinally correct position.However, the use of the old-fashioned Valentine position (where the heart is described as if it werestanding on its apex) is still in use to describe important cardiac structures. Upon closer analysis, all main chambers of the heart and their associated subcomponents have mislabeled structures that should be renamed. In this article we aimed to emphasize the limitations of Valentinian nomenclature, presentproper anatomical names of the most important heart’s structures and advocate to change certain mis-labeled anatomical structures. Attitudinally correct designations presented in this study will benefit allmedical specialties, and they will reinforce the importance of consistent orientational naming. Correctnaming of heart’s structures will also help improve communication between different medical specialists

Influence of mechanical damage and storage on various quality aspects of potatoes

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of mechanical damage on both the contents of dry matter and chlorogenic acid and the degree of blackspot for five cultivars of potatoes of various earliness groups. The study was conducted immediately after the harvest as well as after two, four and six months of storage under constant conditions (air temperature +4 °C and RH 95%). Mechanical damage leads to a greater accumulation of chlorogenic acid and increases the tubers’ susceptibility to blackening, irrespective of the earliness group. The duration of storage significantly determines the dry matter content of chlorogenic acid and the susceptibility to blackening of raw tuber flesh to the greatest extent for cultivars of the medium-early group. A significant (P < 0.01) correlation was demonstrated between the dry matter and chlorogenic acid contents and the degree of blackspot, which was higher on damaged tubers

A Case of Extensive Infl ammatory Changes (Osteomyelitis) in an Infant’s Skeleton from the Medieval Burial Ground (11th–12th c) in Wawrzeńczyce (Near Krakow)

The aim of this study was to diagnose and describe extensive infl ammatory changes in a child’s skeleton from Wawrzeńczyce, (the medieval period). The aim of the analysis was to determine the nature of the infl ammatory changes and their etiology by means of macroscopic techniques as well as X-ray analysis. The tests revealed that the individual suffered from a hematogenous multifocal osteitis. This condition might have been a result of an acute or sub-acute osteitis, and the untreated form of osteomyelitis might have contributed to the infection of the entire developing organism, leading to death

ZAP-70 and CD38 expression are independent prognostic factors in patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and combined analysis improves their predictive value.

Recently identified biological risk factors in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) include ZAP-70 and CD38 expression. The present study was conducted to clarify whether a combined analysis could improve predictive impact of these two parameters. We examined the expression of ZAP-70 and CD38 by flow cytometry method in 217 newly diagnosed, consecutive, unselected and well characterized B-CLL patients in relation to laboratory parameters and clinical outcome. We confirmed that both ZAP-70 as well as CD38 were independent of prognostic factors. There was a significant correlation between the percentage of leukemic cells positive for ZAP-70 and the percentage of CD38+CD19+ cells (R=0.629; p=0.000001). Combined analysis of ZAP-70 and CD38 showed concordant results in 158/217 patients (72.8%), while in 59 patients the results were discordant (27.2%). A mean treatment free survival (TFS) was the longest in ZAP-70-CD38-patients (45.6 months, comparing to 13.6 months in ZAP-70+CD38+ group). Also a mean overall survival was the longest in ZAP-70-CD38- patients (224.7 months compared to 77.9 months in ZAP-70+CD38+ patients)