No abstract

The purpose of this study was to test, whether the late phase of remote ischaemic preconditioning (L-RIPC) improves myocardial protection in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with cold-crystalloid cardioplegia and whether preoperative tramadol modifies myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury using the same group of patients in a single-blinded randomized controlled study. One hundred and one adult patients were randomly assigned to either the L-RIPC, control or tramadol group. L-RIPC consisted of three five-minute cycles of upper limb ischaemia and three five-minute pauses using blood pressure cuff inflation 18 hours prior to the operation. Patients in the tramadol group received 200 mg tramadol retard at 19:00 hours, the day before the operation and at 06:00 hours. Serum troponin I levels were measured at eight, 16 and 24 hours after surgery. Myocardial samples for inducible and endothelial nitric oxide synthases (iNOS, eNOS) estimation were drawn twice: before and after cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass from the auricle of the right atrium. We found that L-RIPC can reduce injury beyond the myocardial protection provided by cold-crystalloid cardioplegia, and tramadol worsened myocardial injury after CABG. Expressions of iNOS were increased in the control (significantly) and L-RIPC groups and dampened in the tramadol group.

Aortic dissection (AD) is a severe vascular disease associated with major morbidity and mortality. The diagnosis of AD requires the performance of urgent aortic imaging exams such as computed tomography angiography, but the decision to perform these exams now essentially relies on clinical judgment. Several studies have identified a range of potential biomarkers stemming from the aortic extracellular matrix (matrix metalloproteinases, TGF-β, soluble elastin fragments), vascular smooth muscle cells (smooth muscle myosin heavy chain, creatine kinase, calponin), coagulation (D-dimer, platelets) and inflammation (C-reactive protein), whose circulating levels increase in patients affected by AD. Biomarkers of AD could be potentially used to screen patients with compatible symptoms, to identify patients at higher risk of AD, to rule out AD in patients with non-high clinical probability of AD and/or to obtain prognostic stratification of affected patients. This review will summarize available data and discuss present and future perspectives of circulating biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognostic stratification of AD.

This study investigates the surface contamination levels of cyclophosphamide and platinum (a marker of platinum-containing drugs) in storage and preparation areas of hospital pharmacies and their relationship to working conditions surveyed by questionnaire. In total, 259 wipe samples were collected in 13 hospital pharmacies over 4 sampling campaigns. After sample extraction with acetate buffer, cyclophosphamide and platinum were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy (HPLC-MS/MS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Depending on the sampling spot and campaign, median concentrations ranged from <2 to 61 pg/cm(2) and from <0.2 to 6.9 pg/cm(2) for cyclophosphamide and platinum, respectively. Statistical evaluation of monitoring data revealed that the contamination level was significantly influenced by laboratory throughput (expressed as number of chemotherapies prepared per week), personnel expertise (ie, participation of pharmacists with academic education in drug admixture activities), and surface material.

The study objectives were to (1) identify risk factors related to stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and postnatal depression (PD) after birth, and (2) investigate both possible directions of association between SUI and PD in population-based sample of Czech mothers. 3,701 nulliparous and multiparous women completed the self-reported questionnaires at 6 weeks and 6 months after birth and were included into the analyses of this prospective cohort study. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regressions examined relationship between SUI a PD accounting for range of other risk factors. During the first 6 months after birth, 650 mothers (17.6%) developed SUI and 641 (17.3%) displayed signs of PD. The mode of delivery, parity and higher BMI were associated with SUI. The rate of PD symptoms was higher in mothers with positive history of prenatal depression, and in divorced or widowed mothers. Both conditions were associated with worse self-reported health, back pain and stop-smoker status. initially, SUI at 6 weeks was slightly, but significantly associated with onset of PD at 6 months (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.02-2.23) while PD at 6 weeks was not significantly related to new cases of SUI at 6 months (OR 1.48, 95% CI 0.91-2.39). After full adjustment these OR reduced to 1.41 and 1.38 (both non-significant), respectively. SUi and pD are common conditions in women postpartum that share some risk factors. Our study suggests that both directions of their relationship are possible although a larger study is needed to confirm our findings.Urinary incontinence is a commonly experienced health problem in women after delivery. Its prevalence ranges between 18 and 34% 1 . Multiple studies showed that a vaginal delivery is the most significant postpartum urinary incontinence contributor 2 . Other suggested risk factors included increased maternal age, body mass index and parity 3 . In most cases urinary incontinence regresses spontaneously or after rehabilitation of the pelvic floor muscles. However, a substantial number of women with postpartum urinary incontinence are affected in the long term 4 . Postpartum urinary incontinence together with other health related problems such as tiredness, back pain, sexual problems, and relationship difficulties may contribute to the development of depressive symptoms 5 .Transient mood disorders after birth are common but usually subside relatively quickly without any long term adverse effects 6 . Postpartum depression, on the other hand, is more severe mood disorder with a potential long term effect on mothers´ quality of life 7 . Its prevalence ranges from 5.2% to 13.0% in developed countries 8 and can reach up to 20% in mothers from low and middle income countries 9 . In addition, some authors suggested that the rates reported in some studies were underestimated and would be higher if a standardized screening tool for depression in mothers after birth had been applied 10 . The main covariates for postnatal depression include

The measures implemented in the outpatient clinic were shown to reduce workplace contamination effectively. Therefore, they can be recommended also for other workplaces where antineoplastic drugs are administered. In contrast, measures implemented in the preparation room, where relatively strict regulations had already been adopted before the study, were less effective. To decrease the actual contamination of the preparation room, other protective measures (e.g. closed-system transfer devices) should be considered.

The main findings of this prospective birth cohort study add to previous observations linking prenatal and early postnatal paracetamol exposure to asthma development. However, the magnitude of effect is relatively modest, and therefore, we recommend paracetamol to remain the analgesic and antipyretic of choice throughout pregnancy and early childhood.

Background The aim of the nationwide prospective seroconversion (PROSECO) study was to investigate the dynamics of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in the Czech population. Here we report on baseline prevalence from that study. Methods The study included the first 30,054 persons who provided a blood sample between October 2020 and March 2021. Seroprevalence was compared between calendar periods, previous RT-PCR results and other factors. Results The data show a large increase in seropositivity over time, from 28% in October/November 2020 to 43% in December 2020/January 2021 to 51% in February/March 2021. These trends were consistent with government data on cumulative viral antigenic prevalence in the population captured by PCR testing – although the seroprevalence rates established in this study were considerably higher. There were only minor differences in seropositivity between sexes, age groups and BMI categories, and results were similar between test providing laboratories. Seropositivity was substantially higher among persons with history of symptoms (76% vs. 34%). At least one third of all seropositive participants had no history of symptoms, and 28% of participants with antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 never underwent PCR testing. Conclusions Our data confirm the rapidly increasing prevalence in the Czech population during the rising pandemic wave prior to the beginning of vaccination. The difference between our results on seroprevalence and PCR testing suggests that antibody response provides a better marker of past infection than the routine testing program.