Archive » 2015 » 1 »

IgA nephropathy is the most common primary glomerulonephritis in adults and a common cause of end-stage renal failure. The understanding of the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy has evolved importantly in the past few years. There has also been an improvement in the treatment of the disease. The main pathogenic characteristic of IgA nephropathy is the formation of galactose-deficient immunoglobulin A1 … Preberite več >>

Acute intermittent porphyria is a rare inherited disease that is caused by the deficiency of one of the enzymes in the heme synthesis chain. Together with the accelerated metabolism of heme it causes accumulation of neurotoxic precursors. The presentation of acute intermittent porphyria attacks varies as it reflects the impairment of the autonomic, somatic peripheral and central nervous systems. The … Preberite več >>

Regular intensive physical exertion results in physiological cardiac adaptations named athlete’s heart. Adaptations are functional and structural and depend on intensity and type of exercise, age, sex, body surface area, race and genetics. Functional adaptations are due to high parasympathetic (vagal) tone, which results in resting bradycardia. Frequent accompanying electrocardiographic changes include respiratory sinus arrhythmia, early repolarization pattern and atrioventricular … Preberite več >>

Parkinson’s disease is traditionally regarded as a movement disorder caused by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the nigrostriatal system. However, we are becoming more and more aware that pathology of this disease is much wider than initially thought and that degeneration may involve many areas in both central and peripheral nervous systems. This is reflected in a wide spectrum … Preberite več >>

Cerebral venous thrombosis is a rare but serious neurologic disorder manifested clinically with headache, focal neurological deficits, seizures, impairment of consciousness and papilledema. Causes and predisposing factors include local conditions such as brain injury, intracranial and regional infection as well as systemic conditions such as changes in hormonal states (e.g. recent abortion, pregnancy, oral contraceptives), recent surgical procedures, hypercoagulable states, … Preberite več >>

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is a congenital heart defect where only right ventricle remains functionally unimpaired. Soon after birth, the newborns become severely ill with cardiorespiratory collapse which is followed quickly by death without immediate medical intervention. A crucial step in treatment is staged surgical palliation. Infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome must be managed by a multidisciplinary team. A … Preberite več >>

Modern medicine considers somatic illness and health as two parts of a biopsychosocial whole, while the systemic paradigm also includes the family context of the somatic illness and health. Attachment is considered an important evolutionary tool, which in adulthood becomes increasingly important in terms of fear and incompetence that accompany somatic illness. Family attachment is physically processed alongside endocrine and … Preberite več >>

The interpretation of the electroencephalographic signal is often limited to the assumption  that the electrode placed directly above the source of the signal detects the largest potential, whereas more distant electrodes detect smaller potentials. However, in certain cases such interpretation can be misleading. The modern approach to interpreting the electroencephalographic signal makes use of dipole generators, whereas this signal recorded … Preberite več >>

Tissue engineering as a relatively new field of regenerative medicine has already gone through early developmental stages in a way that it already gives some clinical results. In essence, tissue engineering includes the use of a combination of cells, engineering, materials methods, and suitable biochemical and physio-chemical factors to improve or replace biological functions. Because bone tissue provides the main … Preberite več >>

BACKGROUNDS. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and breast cancer are common diseases in the developed world which share certain risk factors. There are several possible pathophysiological mechanisms which could explain increased incidence of breast cancer in patients with type 2 DM, including increased circulating insulin level. Because certain types of treatment for type 2 DM are associated with increased circulating … Preberite več >>