Cognitive and emotional support for the family of a person with frontotemporal degeneration - with particular consideration given to a minor. / Wsparcie poznawcze i emocjonalne rodziny osoby ze zwyrodnieniem czolowo-skroniowym ­ ze szczególnym uwzglednieniem dziecka niepelnoletniego.

The diagnosis of frontotemporal degeneration changes the entire family, being an unexpected and emotionally burdening experience for all the individuals in the family. Confrontation with problems that are diametrically different from those that occur in the family system without a person with a major neurocognitive disorder requires the development of new coping strategies. If these coping mechanisms are to be useful, they should undergo successive modifications that consider the progression of the neurodegenerative disease and the dynamics of the family system. Providing the information on different aspects of this group of diseases is the basic form of supporting families with frontotemporal degeneration. Growing up in the family with a parent affected by frontotemporal degeneration is a crucial, though non-normative, developmental experience of a child. It results in an irreversible loss of the existing relationship and the necessity to form another relationship with an affected parent. The paper focuses on providing support for a minor. Graphic medicine can be a support tool, which combines verbal communication with graphics, and, as a result, it provides knowledge on health problems and also creates the possibility of expressing emotions triggered by the presence of the disease in the family.

The presence of E-selectin in the myocardium indicates a sustained inflammatory reaction in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: It is still uncertain whether de-novo expression of E-selectin in endothelial cells may be considered an additional marker of chronic inflammation in heart failure (HF). METHODS: We studied 393 consecutive patients (313 M, 80 F) with HF secondary to dilated cardiomyopathy in whom the right ventricular endomyocardial biopsy was performed. For immunohistochemistry, HLA class I and II, E-selectin (ELAM-1), CD3 + lymphocytes and CD68 + macrophages were studied. Patients were divided into two groups: Group A, with ELAM-1 (+), and Group B with ELAM-1 (-) in the biopsy sections. RESULTS: Of all patients, 140 (35.6%) subjects were presented with ELAM-1 expression in endomyocardial biopsies. Patients in the Group A had a significantly lower LV ejection fraction compared to those from the Group B (31.3 ± 12.9 vs. 34.2 ± 12.7; 95% CI, 0.3-5.6, P = 0.029) and they showed a higher mean number of CD3 (+) lymphocytes in the biopsy sections, P = 0.006. In addition, ELAM-1 reasonably correlated with CD3 lymphocytes (r = 0.3, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that de-novo ELAM-1 expression in endothelial cells may be a useful marker of chronic inflammation in the biopsies of patients with HF secondary to dilated cardiomyopathy.

The Role of Periostin in Angiogenesis and Lymphangiogenesis in Tumors.

Periostin (POSTN) is a protein that is part of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and which significantly affects the control of intracellular signaling pathways (PI3K-AKT, FAK) through binding integrin receptors (αvß3, αvß5, α6ß4). In addition, increased POSTN expression enhances the expression of VEGF family growth factors and promotes Erk phosphorylation. As a result, this glycoprotein controls the Erk/VEGF pathway. Therefore, it plays a crucial role in the formation of new blood and lymphatic vessels, which may be significant in the process of metastasis. Moreover, POSTN is involved in the proliferation, progression, migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of tumor cells. Its increased expression has been detected in many cancers, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, non-small cell lung carcinoma and glioblastoma. Many studies have shown that this protein may be an independent prognostic and predictive factor in many cancers, which may influence the choice of optimal therapy.

Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors-from the Treatment of Diabetes to Therapy of Chronic Heart Failure.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are currently the second-line pharmacotherapy in type 2 diabetes, particularly through their effectiveness in reducing glycemia, but also due to their cardioprotective and nephroprotective effects. In light of surprisingly satisfactory results from large, randomized trials on gliflozins, SGLT2 received the highest recommendation (Class IA) with the highest level of evidence (A) in the treatment algorithm for HF with reduced LVEF in recent ESC HF guidelines. This great breakthrough in the treatment of HF is due to different mechanisms of action of gliflozins that are reported to be able to change the natural course of HF by reducing the risk of both hospitalization and death. They are recommended regardless of the patient's diabetes status. This review summarizes the up-to-date literature on their beneficial and pleiotropic impact on the cardiovascular system.

In-bore MR prostate biopsy - initial experience.

INTRODUCTION: The introduction of multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) has been a breakthrough in the diagnosis of noninvasive clinically significant prostate cancer. Currently, MR-guided prostate biopsy (in-bore biopsy) is the only biopsy method that uses real-time MRI in patients with suspected prostate cancer. The aim of the study was a retrospective analysis of the correlation between MRI results and histological findings of prostate samples suspected of malignancy, which were taken during MRI-guided biopsy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-nine patients with 57 lesion biopsies were enrolled in the study. Patients were aged 48-84 years (mean age 67.2 ± 9.4 years). RESULTS: Cancer was histologically confirmed in 24 lesions, including primary cancer in 14 lesions and local recurrence in 10 lesions. Cancer was not detected in the remaining lesions (n = 33). Malignancy was confirmed in 90% of lesions previously reported as PI-RADS 5. Only one Prostate Imaging and Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS 5) lesion was histologically negative (prostatitis). Cancer was detected in 50% of lesions defined as PI-RADS 4. Cancer cells were not found in any of 23 lesions defined as PI-RADS 3 (53.5%). Most of the lesions assessed as PI-RADS 3 were located in the transitional zone (n = 19). Only four PI-RADS 3 lesions were found in the peripheral zone. Large lesions or lesions feasible for cognitive TRUS biopsy were not referred for MRI biopsy, which resulted in a higher proportion of lesions assessed as PI-RADS 3. Fourteen lesions suspected of local recurrence were assessed in our study. Cancer was found in approximately 72% of the lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Performing prostate biopsy under the guidance of real-time MRI allows precise collection of material for histological examination (even from a very small lesion). As a result, both primary cancer and local recurrence after previous radiotherapy of prostate cancer can be confirmed.

Usefulness of atorvastatin in patients with heart failure due to inflammatory dilated cardiomyopathy and elevated cholesterol levels.

This study evaluated the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of statin therapy in patients with heart failure secondary to inflammatory dilated cardiomyopathy and moderately elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Seventy-four patients were randomized to receive atorvastatin 40 mg/day or conventional treatment for heart failure. After 6 months of therapy, the predefined primary efficacy end point (an increase of >5% in the absolute left ventricular ejection fraction and > or =2 selected criteria by echocardiography and a decrease in New York Heart Association functional class) was significant in the statin-treated patients (p = 0.004). Among secondary efficacy parameters, the quality-of-life index showed a trend suggesting the benefit of statin therapy (p = 0.055). In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrate that treatment with atorvastatin in addition to standard therapy for heart failure may significantly improve clinical outcomes in this cohort of patients.

The relationship between late gadolinium enhancement imaging and myocardial biopsy in the evaluation of chronic heart failure patients with suspected myocarditis.

AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between late gadolinium-enhanced (LGE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) and immunohistochemical markers of inflammation in patients with heart failure and a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Endomyocardial biopsy and CMR were performed in 38 consecutive patients (24 males, average age 43.2 ± 6.9 years, New York Heart Association [NYHA] class II) with HFrEF and suspected myocarditis. The immunohistochemical evaluation was done by the En-Vision system using DAKO monoclonal antibodies. The presence of > 14 infiltrating cells together with myocardial damage and ≥ 2 + up-regulation of HLA class II was considered diagnostic for myocarditis. The results of LGE were compared with the immunohistochemical markers of inflammation. All patients underwent coronary angiography. RESULTS: Twelve out of 38 (31.6%) patients met the immunohistological criteria for the diagnosis of myocarditis. Late gadolinium enhancement was present in 23 of 38 (60.5%) patients, mostly at the interventricular septum. No correlation was found between LGE and immunohistochemistry results (Kendall's tau; r = 0.21, p = 0.09). CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed no significant relationship between LGE cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging and immunohistochemical markers of inflammation in patients with HFrEF.