Intravenous iron application in patients with heart failure and iron deficiency is now part of ESC guidelines aimed at improving symptoms, increasing exercise tolerance and quality of life in these patients, and simultaneously reducing the risk of hospitalization or death from cardiovascular causes.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is considered an independent risk factor for the development of ischemic heart disease (IHD). The prevalence of IHD is continuously increasing, making early detection of risk factors and their elimination crucial in reducing morbidity and mortality of all at-risk patients. Metformin is still recommended as the first-line drug for patients with type 2 DM by experts. In addition to its effects leading to a reduction in blood glucose levels, it also has a cardioprotective effect. Recently, studies focusing on primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention in patients with and without DM have been concentrating on it.

Romiplostim in the treatment of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) has demonstrated safety and the promise of long-term remission, enabling many pediatric and adult patients to discontinue treatment and maintain a drug-free state.

Data from the PLATON study on the administration of romiplostim in real-world clinical practice in Central and Eastern Europe confirmed very good efficacy in patients with newly diagnosed, persistent, and chronic ITP.

Canadian professional societies and the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom recommend COVID-19 vaccination even for patients treated with anticoagulants. The benefit of vaccination in these patients significantly outweighs the risk of hematoma associated with intramuscular injection. The recommendation applies to both warfarin and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs).

Vitamin D deficiency is the most common hypovitaminosis in developed countries. It is largely related to a lack of outdoor activity. Additionally, the typical Western diet does not support a healthy composition of the gut microbiome. Gut dysbiosis, in turn, is associated with both intestinal and systemic diseases. Alongside a healthy lifestyle, probiotics and oral vitamin D supplementation offer solutions.

Allergens that are part of the feces and exoskeleton of dust mites, invisible members of human households, can cause milder symptoms like mucosal swelling, itching of the nose or throat, but also a stronger immune reaction, asthma, or severe allergic rhinitis. It is stated that 1−2% of the global population suffers from dust mite allergy, which corresponds to 65−130 million people. Why does it arise and what can be done in its prevention and treatment?

The journal Updates in Surgery recently published the results of a survey on prophylactic negative-pressure wound therapy (pNPWT) conducted among Swiss surgeons. The survey results show how often this therapy is used, in what situations it is typically applied, and what could make negative-pressure wound therapy more attractive in the future.

As of March 1, 2022, the 28th update of the Blue Book by the Czech Society for Oncology of ČLS JEP was released. Let's take a look at what changes it has brought compared to the previous version in the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a driver mutation in the ALK gene.

Neoadjuvant treatment (chemoradiotherapy) for colorectal cancer is regularly used in advanced rectal tumors, with the goal of reducing the tumor size for the surgeon and ensuring the best possible radical outcome for the patient. In metastatic tumors of the remaining parts of the digestive tract, we talk more about induction treatment, which uses a combination of targeted therapy and chemotherapy for the same purpose –⁠ reducing the extent of the tumor disease and possibly enabling surgery including radical removal of metastatic foci. The duration of this treatment is usually up to 6 months followed by surgery (surgeries). The following case report describes a successful surgical solution in a patient with an advanced sigmoid tumor even after more than 3 years of combination chemotherapy and targeted therapy.

A clinical study conducted in the USA and Canada demonstrated the efficacy of dupilumab in treating moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, improving both skin symptoms and suppressing systemic inflammatory markers.

Iron deficiency is very common in patients with heart failure and is associated with exercise intolerance, reduced quality of life, increased mortality, and higher risk of hospitalization, regardless of the presence of anemia. Clinical studies have previously demonstrated the positive effect of intravenous administration of ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) in patients with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction of the left ventricle. The AFFIRM-AHF study investigated the effect of FCM administration initiated shortly before discharge from hospitalization for acute heart failure.

A recently published secondary analysis of the EMPEROR-Reduced study is based mainly on the results of the KCCQ-23 questionnaire, which assesses the patient's health status from their perspective. Its goal was to verify whether the benefit of empagliflozin added to the treatment of heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF) depends on the initial health status and how it subsequently affects the health status of these patients over 1 year.