SUMMARY – Lung cancer as the major cause of cancer mortality worldwide includes several histologic subtypes evolving from numerous genetic and epigenetic changes emerging in alveolar, bronchiolar and bronchial epithelium. The majority of cases are diagnosed in advanced stage (i.e. stages IIIB and IV), often with scanty amount of tissue in transbronchial biopsies or cytology specimens. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of the scaffolding protein neural precursor cell expressed, developmentally downregulated 9 (NEDD9) in small biopsies of lung adenocarcinoma. The expression of NEDD9 was analyzed immunohistochemically in 71 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded transbronchial biopsy specimens of primary lung adenocarcinoma. Nuclear and cytoplasmic NEDD9 expression was detected indicating activation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition process. Direct relationship between the expression of NEDD9 and survival was not demonstrated.

It is known that oxidoreductase is responsible for the regulation of oxidative stress in organisms, and pathological changes occur within the cell in the form of accumulation or lack of superoxide and peroxide radicals if the oxidoreductase activity is disturbed. Currently, the development of drugs that target the affected cells while leaving healthy cells unaffected is of great interest. The action of potential drugs is based on the inhibition / activation of oxidoreductase. In this work, we studied the electrochemical parameters of superoxide dismutase as well as the action of the potential drug of boroxine - dipotassium trioxohydroxytetrafluorotriborate (K2[B3O3F4OH]) as a target therapeutic for enzyme activity. Electrochemical tests were carried out in a classical three-electrode system using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry techniques, and the obtained results were presented in the form of the kinetic parameters with the maximum value of the current obtained when the solution was saturated with the substrate (Imax) and the Michaelis-Menten constant (Km). K2[B3O3F4OH] was proven to be a reversible inhibitor, and the obtained Imax without inhibitor value of 0.014 mM and Km = 12.09 mM. The results from the Lineweaver - Burk diagram show that the inhibition is a partial noncompetitive inhibition type.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a rare, often fatal, opportunistic infection, associated with demyelinating process. PML is caused by John Cunningham (JC) polyomavirus, and predominantly affects patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or other immunocompromised patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in establishing the diagnosis of PML. MRS with long and short echo time was performed in two patients with PML associated with HIV infection and in one PML patient associated with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The most prominent peak on the obtained spectra was for lactate; it showed 2-3 times higher concentration of lactate compared to choline, almost 4-6 times higher lactate concentration compared to creatine, and 4-11 times higher lactate in comparison to N-acetylaspartate concentration. Similar spectrum pattern was observed in all patients. To the best of our knowledge, this is a new finding that might be useful in early diagnosis of PML. Nevertheless, further confirmation of our results is needed, since we analyzed the spectrum pattern only in three patients. Overall, our results could help in early detection of PML, especially in non-HIV patients, and thus prevent the fatal outcome of the disease. MRS could also be useful in detecting "tumefactive" demyelinating lesions in PML patients, associated with immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome, to avoid misdiagnosis of neoplasm.

In this study, boroxine derivative (K2[B3O3F4OH]) was tested as an inhibitor of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) by spectrophotometric and electrochemical methods. The activity of horseradish peroxidase was first studied under steady-state kinetic conditions by a spectrophotometric method which required the use of guaiacol as a second substrate to measure guaiacol peroxidation. The results of this method have shown that, by changing the concentration of guaiacol as the literature suggests, a different type of inhibition is observed than when changing the concentration of hydrogen peroxide as the substrate. This suggests that guaiacol interferes with the reaction in some way. The electrochemical method involves direct electron transfer of HRP immobilized in Nafion nanocomposite films on a glassy carbon (GC) electrode, creating a sensor with an electro-catalytic response to the reduction of hydrogen peroxide. The electrochemical method simplifies kinetic assays by removing the requirement of reducing substrates.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure (HF) both are global epidemics with substantial burden on morbidity and mortality. They present major challenges to healthcare providers and often coexsist. Multiple interactions exist between these conditions. COPD is often responsible for delayed diagnosis of HF and vice versa, since both conditions have similar symptoms such as dyspnea and poor exercise tolerance based on the skeletal myopathic response rather than the primary organ failure. Patients with COPD also have an increased risk of developing HF and higher hospitalization and death rates compared with HF patients without COPD. Echocardiography and pulmonary function tests along with natriuretic peptides should be performed and carefully interpreted. Diagnostic assessment of both conditions present in the same patient is often difficult, but therapeutic approach is also often non-adherent to current guidelines. For example, patients with coexisting COPD and HF receive beta-blockers at disappointingly low rates below 20%. Closer collaboration between cardiologists and pulmonologists is required for better identification and management of concurrent COPD and HF.

The aim of the study was to investigate the unknown effect of air pollutants on the occurrence or deterioration of respiratory diseases in the area with a humid continental climate. This retrospective study included 5868 patients with respiratory symptomatology (upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), pneumonia, acute bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and asthma) admitted to emergency department (ED). The number of patients, values of meteorological parameters (mean daily values of air temperature pressure and relative humidity) and concentrations of air pollution particles (≤10 μm (PM10), ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)) were collected during a two-year ( July 2008 - June 2010) period. There were 1839 (31.3%), 1712 (29.2%), 1313 (22.4%), 614 (10.5%) and 390 (6.6%) patients with pneumonia, COPD, URTI, acute bronchitis and asthma, respectively. The mean daily concentrations of NO2 (25.9 (1.7-89.7) μg/m3), O3 (47.1 (4.7-135.4) μg/m3) and PM10 particles (25.7 (4.6-146.6) μg/m3) were below the legally defined thresholds. Among other results, the occurrence of respiratory diseases showed positive Spearman's correlation with the values of air humidity (days 0-3, r=0.15 to 0.19), PM10(days 0-3, r=0.10 to 0.13) and NO2 concentrations (day 0, r=0.11), and negative correlation with the values of air temperature (days 0-3, r=-0.36 to -0.34), pressure (day 0, r=-0.10) and O3 concentrations (days 0-3, r=-0.21 to -0.22) (p<0.05 all). In conclusion, the occurrence of respiratory diseases showed correlation with weather conditions and air pollutants despite the legally permitted values in the region with a humid continental climate.