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News Comorbidities of Migraine and Their Impact on Pain Frequency and Intensity
The MAST study, published in March of this year in the prestigious The Journal of Headache and Pain, focused on the occurrence of associated diseases in patients with migraine. What is the prevalence of individual comorbidities and which of them are associated with changes in pain intensity and frequency?
News Role of Transthyretin in the Development of Amyloidosis
Transthyretin (TTR), one of the transport proteins, tends to form extracellular deposits that accumulate in key organs, such as the heart and nerves. The formation of TTR deposits leads to the development of systemic amyloidosis, a disease with highly heterogeneous clinical manifestations. Warning signs may include carpal tunnel syndrome, among others. What is the physiological role of TTR in the body and what role does its structure play in the development of amyloidosis?
News When to Switch to Second-Line Treatment for Primary Biliary Cholangitis?
In patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), the response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) treatment is an important prognostic indicator. To identify patients with an insufficient response to this modality who require second-line therapy, the best practice is to assess the biochemical response to UDCA after 12 months of treatment. A validated and easy-to-use tool is the determination of serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and serum total bilirubin concentration. Although treatment response to UDCA is commonly checked after 12 months, a 6-month check has the same discriminatory value.
News Parenteral Nutrition as Part of Cancer Patient Treatment
Malnutrition represents a potentially serious complication for cancer patients. If it is not possible to meet the nutritional demands of the body through the enteral route, parenteral nutrition must be initiated. A doctor will recommend it in situations where the patient is at risk from the consequences of malnutrition. Up to 45% of these patients struggle with at least a 10% loss of their body weight.
News OCA in Second-Line Treatment of PBC: Analysis Results and Real-World Data
Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is the cornerstone treatment for PBC according to the guidelines of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL). However, many patients (25–50%) do not achieve an adequate response to it, and some patients develop intolerance leading to the necessity of discontinuation (in the phase III POISE study, this concerned 7% of participants). Then, obeticholic acid (OCA) is indicated, which is recommended as the only registered second-line treatment option for PBC by current professional guidelines both European (EASL 2017) and Czech (2018). The latest data on OCA from clinical studies as well as real-world practice was also presented at this year's XLVIII May Hepatology Days.
News Incidence of Osteoporosis in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation Treated with Different Oral Anticoagulants
Previous research has suggested an increased risk of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures in patients with atrial fibrillation treated with warfarin. A recent analysis also identified a higher incidence of osteoporosis in patients treated with warfarin or direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). However, less is known about the risk of this disease when using DOACs compared to warfarin. Therefore, Australian doctors compared its incidence in patients treated with different oral anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation (AF) in a population cohort study using data from a nationwide primary care database.
News Analgesic Effects of Using Ringer's Solution in Wound Healing Management
Pain resulting from skin defects of various etiologies causes significant discomfort for the patient. However, wound care using Ringer's solution and the use of primary dressings, which include this solution to maintain a constant moist environment in the wound, can help address this problem.
News Cardio-Renal-Metabolic Syndrome?
The association between type 2 diabetes (DM2) and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is often referred to as cardiometabolic syndrome, while the relationship between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and heart failure (HF) is known as cardiorenal syndrome. Additionally, an increased prevalence of ASCVD, CKD, and HF is known among patients with type 2 diabetes. A recent study investigated the hypothesis that both syndromes constitute a single entity − the so-called cardio-renal-metabolic syndrome.
News Transthyretin – More Than a Thyroxine Transporter
Transthyretin (TTR) is an extracellular protein whose main role is to transport thyroxine and retinol in the body and brain. TTR tends to form amyloid deposits, which can lead to systemic disease known as TTR amyloidosis. Recently, it has been shown that this protein has a much wider spectrum of activities in the organism than previously thought.
News Current and Future Possibilities for Influencing Immune Thrombocytopenia
The possibilities for treating immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) are quite broad today, with a major advancement for many patients being the advent of thrombopoietin receptor agonists. However, for some patients, optimal treatment is still not available, and their hope lies in further research.
News Where radical surgery cannot be performed in the subhepatic region or liver, there is room for radiation treatment
Proton radiotherapy continues to expand its indications in the treatment of oncological diseases. In the following interview, we focus on its role in treating tumors in the subhepatic region. MUDr. Pavel Vítek, Ph.D., MBA, from the Proton Center Prague (PTC), shared his perspective on this modality and his experiences at his workplace.
News Current Therapy Options for Interstitial Lung Diseases
Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) represent a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by inflammatory or fibrotic changes in the lung parenchyma. Simply put, they can be divided into inflammatory and fibrotic, with inflammatory ILDs often progressing to a fibrotic stage. Interstitial lung diseases are also associated with high morbidity and early mortality. The following text briefly summarizes the current recommendations regarding the therapy for these diseases.
News Options for Preventing Enteral Nutrition Intolerance in Mechanically Ventilated Patients in the ICU
Standards of care for critically ill patients recommend enteral nutrition for those on mechanical ventilation. A recently published study addressed the question of how to identify patients at risk of enteral nutrition intolerance (ENI) and how to subsequently prevent this intolerance, which may be associated with worse clinical outcomes.
News Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Non-specific Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Are Not Evolutionarily Related Diseases
The authors of the presented work attempted to compare the geographical distribution of irritable bowel syndrome and non-specific inflammatory bowel diseases and other factors related to these two diseases to reveal their potential evolutionary connection.
News Why Do Women in the USA Receive Indicated Statin Therapy Less and in Lower Doses Than Men?
Statin use has been proven to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases in both men and women. However, women in the USA who are indicated for this treatment have historically taken it less frequently and in lower doses than men. The current status and possible causes were investigated by the study presented below.
News Recurring allergy symptoms after waking up? It could be due to dust mites
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?
News Etiology and Therapy of Dry Eye Syndrome in a Nutshell
Dry eye syndrome, the most common diagnosis in outpatient ophthalmology practice, is a multifactorial disease with varying severity of symptoms. It reduces the quality of life and can also affect the patient's visual functions. Therapy is individualized according to the primary trigger of the disease and aims to restore the homeostasis of the ocular surface and tear film. Due to the rapid pace of modernization associated with numerous extrinsic factors contributing to the development of dry eye syndrome, its incidence is rising, as well as the number of topical therapeutic options.
News Residual Pulmonary Hypertension After Endarterectomy: How Common Is It?
Pulmonary endarterectomy is the only potentially curative option in the treatment of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). What are its outcomes and in what percentage of cases does it lead to complete cure? A meta-analysis, significantly contributed to by Czech experts, was dedicated to the improvement of signs and symptoms of CTEPH after performing endarterectomy.
News Interaction of the 'Big Five' Helps Predict Depression
Experts refer to the 'Big Five' as a personality model that encompasses the following five dimensions: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Can this model be helpful in diagnosing depression?
News The main advantage of sartans is a very good safety profile. Now it is about increasing adherence in hypertensive patients
The rules for initiating hypertension treatment have been simplified. The trend is to achieve blood pressure control as early as possible, making it unnecessary to wait for a longer period for the effect of non-pharmacological measures. One of the 4 main classes of antihypertensives is AT1 receptor blockers for angiotensin II – sartans, which bring several advantages. These include a low incidence of side effects, a good antihypertensive effect, or the possibility of use in fixed combinations. We will take a closer look at the current position of sartans in the treatment of hypertension with Assoc. Prof. Ondřej Petrák, MD, PhD, from the Center for Research, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Hypertension at the 3rd Internal Clinic - Clinic of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, and General University Hospital in Prague.
News Bimekizumab in the treatment of moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa – another approved indication for this biological agent
In May, the primary results of the BE HEARD I and II studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of the IL-17A and IL-17F inhibitor bimekizumab in the treatment of moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) in adults were published in The Lancet. This is the first publication of the results of these Phase III studies. Based on these findings, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved bimekizumab (which is currently approved for the treatment of plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and axial spondyloarthritis) for the treatment of HS in adults who have not responded adequately to conventional systemic therapy.
News Ketogenic diet in MS patients as an aid to increase microbiota diversity and quantity
A recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology explores the role of gut microbiota in multiple sclerosis, specifically the changes in its quantity and the potential for influencing microbiota through a ketogenic diet.
News Inclisiran − a new addition to the arsenal of dyslipidemia treatment
At the XXIX Congress of the Czech Society of Internal Medicine ČLS JEP, held November 6−9, 2022 in Prague, lectures on innovative dyslipidemia therapy using the small interfering RNA molecule − inclisiran were presented at the Novartis company symposium.