How to offer a helping hand to patients amidst the flood of information and why is communication perhaps more important than ever? And what should the standards in the doctor-patient relationship with multiple sclerosis be? This unusual topic was explored in a publication in the journal Neurosciences.

A case study published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics describes an overdose of teriflunomide, specifically the ingestion of 672 mg of this drug. What measures did the doctors take with the patient? And were they able to prevent serious consequences?

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a risk factor for the development of nephrolithiasis. Recent studies associated with nephrolithiasis suggest a possible beneficial effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i, also known as gliflozins), a significant group of modern antidiabetics. Below we summarize findings from a study that explored this potential in empagliflozin using conducted phase I–IV studies, including EMPA-REG OUTCOME.

Pancreatic tumors continue to be a challenge in modern oncology. Due to the asymptomatic nature of early stages, most cases are diagnosed in advanced stages. The five-year survival rate of patients does not even reach 10%, and up to half of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer never make it to the second line of systemic therapy due to the rapid deterioration of their overall clinical condition. In a case study from her own practice, Dr. Marie Beneš Kočová from the Oncology Department of České Budějovice Hospital shared her experience with the treatment of a relatively early-detected disease in a young patient.

Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is one of the most common genetic disorders in adults. It is usually associated with the early development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or liver damage. We discuss how modern substitution therapy can change patients' prognosis and when to consider this diagnosis with the head of the Clinic of Pulmonary Diseases and Tuberculosis at Masaryk University Faculty of Medicine and Brno University Hospital, Doc. MUDr. Milan Sova, Ph.D.

Treating hypertension is a daily task for not only general practitioners and cardiologists. Polish doctors evaluated the effect of adding bisoprolol on the blood pressure of patients with inadequately controlled hypertension on amlodipine monotherapy in a placebo-controlled AMCOR study.

Based on 81 scientific papers published between 2010 and 2021, experts from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore have prepared an overview of the current epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STD). We summarize information on the diagnosis of gonorrhea, chlamydial infections, M. genitalium, trichomoniasis, genital infections by HSV-1/2, and HPV using nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT), the most well-known method being PCR. NAAT shows high sensitivity and specificity in testing for these diseases.

A germline mutation of the TP53 gene, which causes Li-Fraumeni syndrome, results in a congenital predisposition to the occurrence of malignant tumors, such as pediatric malignancies, breast cancer, bone sarcomas, and others. We bring a summary of indications for testing the pathogenic variant of the TP53 gene according to the recommendations of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and the surveillance program for carriers of this variant according to the consensus of the current recommendations of the European, American, Japanese, and Australian scientific societies compared to the recommendations of the Czech Oncology Society ČLS JEP.

How does tofacitinib fare in the treatment of ulcerative colitis in real clinical practice from the patients' perspective? This was addressed in a recent study published in the journal Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

The immunosuppressive ozanimod was approved for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) based on the results of the phase III clinical trial True North. An open-label study followed this and previous clinical evaluations, focusing particularly on the efficacy of long-term use of ozanimod. What insights did the subsequent monitoring bring?

Ozanimod is classified as a modulator of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptors types 1 and 5. It is approved for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and moderate to severe ulcerative colitis (UC) and continues to undergo intensive clinical research. The DAYBREAK open-label, single-arm study for participants with RRMS from previous trials with ozanimod was scheduled to be completed by January 2023, and its final results can therefore be expected soon. The following article presents the interim analysis results of this study 5 years after initiation.

Effective treatment for patients with transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis requires timely diagnosis and precise risk stratification to identify patients at higher risk of cardiovascular events, heart failure progression, and death. Currently, there are several scoring systems based on commonly available laboratory parameters. Here is a brief overview.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is defined as persistent arthritis of unknown etiology lasting > 6 weeks with the first onset before the age of 16. In the treatment of JIA, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), intra-articular corticosteroid injections, and conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are typically utilized. In case of inadequate response, targeted biological therapy can also be used. An effective and well-tolerated drug for the treatment of polyarticular JIA is the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) inhibitor etanercept. The results of its use in various forms of JIA were examined in the CLIPPER and CLIPPER2 studies.

Ozonized sunflower oil exhibits antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and healing properties, which is why it is added to eye drops intended for infection prevention. We bring you a clear schematic of the mechanism of action of liposomal ozonized oil.

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.