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News The Importance of Hydration in Wound Healing
In response to skin injury, bodily processes initiate to restore the function of the skin barrier, minimize fluid loss, and ensure optimal hydration. Studies have shown that wounds maintained in a moist or hyperhydrated environment heal faster than those left to dry in the air. Research further suggests that the harmful effects of exudate in poorly healing wounds are not due to the water itself, but to the biological components contained in the exudate.
News After 20 years, a new treatment option for primary biliary cholangitis arrives
Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), formerly known as cirrhosis, is a rare disease with a negative impact on prognosis and quality of life. While ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) has been essentially the only treatment option for PBC so far, in 2016, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved obeticholic acid as a second-line option. Since 2019, this medication has been available and fully covered by health insurance in 11 selected centers in the Czech Republic.
News Previous Treatment of Osteoporosis May Affect the Efficacy of Romosozumab
A study conducted by a team of authors from several clinical sites in Japan shows that the type and duration of previous osteoporosis treatment just before starting romosozumab affects its therapeutic effect. Romosozumab, as an antibody targeting sclerostin, stimulates bone formation and suppresses bone resorption. The authors of the study investigated whether the efficacy of 12-month treatment with romosozumab depends on the duration of prior treatment with teriparatide, denosumab, or oral bisphosphonates.
News Can we properly manage osteoporotic fractures?
Osteoporotic fractures are associated with increased morbidity and mortality and often lead to an overall deterioration in the quality of life. We should not forget to diagnose osteoporosis in patients after fractures and subsequently set appropriate therapy.
News MUDr. Libor Dvořáček: Microinvasiveness of surgery involves not only the method but also targeted solutions to varicose vein sources
Varicose veins, or chronic venous insufficiency of the lower extremities, are primarily a health issue, not purely a cosmetic one. This is because they are associated with the risk of complications that necessitate long-term therapy and complex treatment of these issues. As MUDr. Libor Dvořáček, the head physician of the Vasmedic Clinic, mentions in our brief interview on this topic, the approach of health insurance companies and the Ministry of Health has fortunately been changing in favor of day surgery – that is, microinvasive and much gentler surgery.
News Monocyte Distribution Width as a New Indicator of Sepsis in High-Risk Patients
Most septic patients are first encountered in the emergency department, where sepsis detection is often delayed, partly due to a lack of effective biomarkers. The study presented below evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of monocyte distribution width in peripheral blood alone and in combination with white blood cell count evaluation for early sepsis detection.
News Debate on Sepsis Biomarkers 'on Blood'
Sepsis represents a major cause of death from infectious diseases. Early identification of patients with a prognosis of sepsis is therefore crucial for their survival and prognosis. In addition to traditional biomarkers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) or procalcitonin (PCT), other markers are being sought that could be used in the differential diagnosis of sepsis. This issue was also addressed at a symposium organized by Beckmann Coulter, which took place on April 28, 2022, as part of the Colours of Sepsis congress in Ostrava.
News Memantine in Dementia Therapy – Current Findings and Possible Future Applications
Memantine is an inhibitor of NMDA receptors, which are pathologically activated by excessive concentrations of glutamate in the synaptic cleft in Alzheimer's disease. It is indicated in the treatment of moderate to severe cases of Alzheimer's disease, often in combination with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. At the experimental level, its administration shows a number of promising effects, including an impact on diabetes associated with the development of neurodegenerative diseases.
News Side Effects of Metformin: It's Not Just a Nocebo Effect?
If we were to name medications that have the greatest significance from a population standpoint, metformin would certainly be at the top of the list. We have known it for over fifty years and know a lot about it, including its negatives. But is it time to replace it with new drugs? Or is it worth staying with it?
News CASE STUDY: Rocker who can enjoy life again thanks to DM2 compensation p.o. semaglutide and better lifestyle
Diabetologist MUDr. Lucie Radovnická from Masaryk Hospital in Ústí nad Labem illustrates the case of her patient − a sympathetic rocker who enjoys life including concerts, beer, and good food − demonstrating how modern antidiabetic treatment with oral semaglutide in combination with thorough lifestyle re-education can achieve very good diabetes compensation and overall health improvement. One of the many benefits of this modality was the possibility to discontinue sulfonylurea derivative medication, which previously caused severe hypoglycemia.
News Role of Chemoimmunotherapy in the Era of Rapid Development of CLL Treatment Strategies and Emergence of New Drugs
In the context of the significant advancements in the field of immunotherapy and evidence of its efficacy in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, it is pertinent to ask how this will influence therapeutic strategies in the context of first-line treatment and what the role of chemoimmunotherapy will be in the algorithms for CLL. At the 2019 NCCN Annual Congress, a panel of experts, led by Professors William G. Wierda from Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Jennifer R. Brown from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, debated this topic.
News Chemoimmunotherapy in the Treatment of Breast Cancer − Final Results of the IMpassion130 Study
According to international recommendations, treatment with the immune checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab in combination with the cytostatic nab-paclitaxel is used for patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer where PD-L1 protein expression is detected on the surface of tumor-infiltrating immune cells (IC). The final results regarding overall survival and long-term safety of this treatment in patients who participated in the registration study IMpassion130 were presented at this year's European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) congress, which was held virtually due to circumstances.
News Prof. Hana Rosolová: According to recent studies, caution is needed with beta-blockers only in severe cases of asthma and COPD
Beta-blockers (BB) are among the most widely used drug groups in cardiology. While their position is clear in some indications, it is debated in others. Additionally, individual BBs differ in various aspects, which plays an important role in selecting the right treatment for a particular patient. We discussed some current topics related to beta-blockers with the head physician of the Center for Preventive Cardiology of the 2nd Department of Internal Medicine LF UK and FN Plzeň Prof. MUDr. Hana Rosolová, DrSc., FESC.
News When You Say Amyloid…
The term 'amyloid' was first used by the German doctor Rudolf Virchow in the mid-19th century. He described it as a pathological substance which he originally thought was starch. Although it was quickly discovered that it was a substance of protein nature, the reference to starch (from the Greek amylon) remained in the name.
News Comparison of Efficacy and Safety of Unsaponifiable Soy and Avocado Oil and Chondroitin Sulfate in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease in adult patients, with its prevalence increasing with age, and these issues most frequently affect the knee joint. In the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (gonarthrosis), the so-called symptomatically slow-acting drugs in the treatment of osteoarthritis (SYSADOA) are used, among which unsaponifiable soy and avocado oil or chondroitin sulfate are included. The study compared the efficacy and safety of these two drugs in a 6-month therapy of gonarthrosis.