Vitamin B12 is known to be vital for cell growth and population during pregnancy. This retrospective and prospective case−control study was aimed to disclose a health risk for pregnant women with vitamin B12 deficiency, as well as the one of the preterm birth. The main tasks set and performed in this research were as follows: to compare the obstetrics anamnesis between the women who gave birth on term and women who gave birth before term; to find the prevalence of vitamin B12 insufficiency in pregnancy; to determine its association with preterm birth and low birth weight; to examine its association with spontaneous abortions, and to investigate its relationship with obesity and hemoglobin levels in pregnant women. The conducted investigation involved 107 women who gave birth before the 37th week of gestation and 101 women who gave birth after the 37th week of gestation at the outpatient clinic of the University Hospital "Maichin Dom" in Bulgaria. Our study revealed a correlation between maternal vitamin B12 deficiency, overweight and low hemoglobin level. Our results showed no significant correlation between serum vitamin B12 level and the risk of preterm birth. However, we found an inverse association between vitamin B12 level and overweight before pregnancy and at the time of giving birth. As well there was confirmed the strong connection between meat consumption and vitamin B12 level. The paper emphasizes that the deficiency of the vitamin occurs most likely in the women with inadequate diets. Such a deficiency is actually confirmed to have serious health consequences for pregnant women and their offspring. Therefore further profound and numerous studies should be performed to properly assess the correlation between vitamin B12 and preterm birth, as well as to understand better the impact of vitamin B12 over pregnant women. Key words: vitamin B12, preterm birth, pregnancy, overweight, hemoglobin.

Nicotine is the psychoactive component given tobacco has several main components and acts as an agonist for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the nervous system. Although the ligand-gated cation channels known as nAChRs are found throughout the nervous system and body, this review focuses on neuronal nAChRs. Individuals with psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia, comorbid substance use disorders, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, major depression, and bipolar disorder have increased rates of smoking. These psychiatric disorders are associated with various cognitive deficits, including working memory, deficits in attention, and response inhibition functions. The cognitive-enhancing effects of nicotine may be particularly relevant predictors of smoking initiation and continuation in this comorbid population. Individuals with schizophrenia make up a significant proportion of smokers. Literature suggests that patients smoke to alleviate cognitive deficiencies due to the stimulating effects of nicotine. This narrative review examines the role of nicotine on cognition in schizophrenia.

The aim of the present study was to detect copy number variations (CNVs) related to tumour progression and metastasis of urothelial carcinoma through whole-genome scanning. A total of 30 bladder cancer samples staged from pTa to pT4 were included in the study. DNA was extracted from freshly frozen tissue via standard phenol-chloroform extraction and CNV analysis was performed on two alternative platforms (CytoChip Oligo aCGH, 4x44K and Infinium OncoArray-500K BeadChip; Illumina, Inc.). Data were analysed with BlueFuse Multi software and Karyostudio, respectively. The results highlight the role of genomic imbalances in regions containing genes with metastatic and proliferative potential for tumour invasion. A high level of genomic instability in uroepithelial tumours was observed and a total of 524 aberrations, including 175 losses and 349 gains, were identified. The most prevalent genetic imbalances affected the following regions: 1p, 1q, 2q, 4p, 4q, 5p, 5q, 6p, 6q, 7q, 8q, 9p, 9q, 10p, 10q, 11q, 13q and 17q. High-grade tumours more frequently harboured genomic imbalances (n=227) than low-grade tumours (n=103). A total of 36 CNVs in high-grade bladder tumours were detected in chromosomes 1-5, 8-11, 14, 17, 19 and 20. Furthermore, five loss of heterozygosity variants containing 176 genes were observed in high-grade bladder cancer and may be used as potential targets for precision therapy. Revealing specific chromosomal regions related to the metastatic potential of uroepithelial tumours may lay a foundation for implementing molecular CNV profiling of bladder tumours as part of a routine progression risk estimation strategy, thus expanding the personalized therapeutic approach.

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been linked to a myriad of cardiac symptoms and disorders. Reports also suggest decreased hospital visits by patients with known cardiovascular disorders. Methodology To better elucidate the public interest in the information regarding “chest pain” during the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted a Google Trends analysis from March 2019 to March 2021 to compare the internet searches between pre-COVID era and during the pandemic with country-wise [the United States (US) versus the United Kingdom (UK) versus India] variation. Results We observed a significantly rising public interest in “chest pain” internet searches during the peak COVID-19 pandemic. Rising trends were most prominent in the UK, followed by USA and India. Our analysis noted a spike in the trend of “chest pain” search in early March in the UK and USA, whereas in March and June 2020 for India. This shows an important temporal association between the surge of COVID-19 cases and the search for “chest pain” online. Conclusion Google Trends analyses indicate rising public interest in chest pain during the pandemic months and the possible association between COVID-19 and chest pain. These findings warrant further research, especially with increasing reports suggesting contradictory reports of decreased hospital visits by patients with known cardiovascular diseases.

Toncheva (2020) Expression profiling of muscle invasive and non-invasive bladder tumors for biomarkers identification related to drug resistance, sensitivity and tumor progression,