Corticosteroid hormones in the treatment of lupus erythematosus

Corticosteroids are widely used in the treatment of acute systemic lupus erythematosus, while in the treatment of the chronic form of the disease, they are used little, and the method of treatment has not been developed.

Mid-Phase Hyperfluorescent Plaques Seen on Indocyanine Green Angiography in Patients with Central Serous Chorioretinopathy

(1) Indocyanine green angiography (ICG-A) shows the presence of mid-phase hyperfluorescent area in central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR). However, their exact meaning remains uncertain. (2) The clinical and multimodal imaging findings of 100 patients (133 eyes) with CSCR, including the enhanced-depth-imaging OCT (EDI-OCT), blue-light fundus autofluorescence (BAF), fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography (FA and ICG-A) findings were reviewed. Mid-phase hyperfluorescent plaques (MPHP) were defined as fairly well circumscribed hyperfluorescent regions during the midphase of the ICG-A. The association between MPHP and other clinical/imaging parameters was assessed using a multiple logistic regression analysis. (3) MPHP were detected in 59.4% of eyes with CSCR. The chronic form of the disease, the presence of irregular pigment epithelium detachments (PED) and the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) changes seen on FA were associated with the presence of MPHP in the multivariate analysis (p = 0.015; p = 0.018 and p = 0.002; respectively). OCT showed RPE bulges or PED in 98.7% of areas with MPHP and BAF showed changes in 57.3% of areas with MPHP. (4) MPHP were associated with a chronic form of CSCR and colocated with PED or RPE bulges. MPHP should be recognized as a sign of early RPE dysfunction before it is detected with BAF.

Evaluation of neutrophil functional activity for rhinosinusitis diagnosis

Bacterial rhinosinusitis (BRS) is a complicated form of rhinosinusitis, characterized by its acute course and tendency to chronicity. A significant role in pathogenetic mechanisms of HRS is played by functional state of neutrophils responsible for inflammation development at HRS. Investigation of neutrophils metabolic activity on external stimuli by chemiluminescence method in patients with acute and chronic forms of the disease will enable to develop method of differential diagnostics of BRS forms. The examination of 65 patients with BRS which were divided into patients with acute form (n=35) and chronic form of the disease (n=30) was carried out. The control group consisted of 30 healthy subjects. Functional activity of neutrophils was studied in whole blood by chemiluminescence with double stimulation (phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) and N-formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP). In patients with the acute form of BRS we found an increase in parameters of specific maximum intensity of neutrophils luminescence, light sum of spontaneous and stimulated luminol-dependent chemiluminescence and a decrease in time to maximum output. Patients with the chronic form of BRS revealed a decrease in the luminescence of spontaneous, stimulated neutrophil production and maximum luminescence intensity. On the basis of significant differences in chemiluminescence indices of neutrophils, a method of differential diagnosis of the BRS forms was developed. The results obtained testify to increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by neutrophils in the process of killing in patients with acute form of LRS and depletion of cell function and reserve in patients with the chronic form. Developed on the basis of the studied indicators method of diagnosing the forms of BRS by chemiluminescence will allow to differentiate acute and chronic forms of the disease, which will increase the effectiveness of treatment of patients.

Evaluation of CD8+ T cell subpopulations in paracoccidioidomycosis

Aim: We aimed to verify the frequency of CD8+ T cell subsets in patients with acute form and chronic form of paracoccidioidomycosis. Material & Methods: Mononuclear cells from paracoccidioidomycosis patients and healthy donors were isolated and phenotyped by flow cytometry. Dendritic cells were pulsed with Paracoccidioides brasiliensis yeast and co-cultures with lymphocytes. Cytokine production was measured by ELISA. Results: Acute form patients present a higher frequency of Tc1 and Tc10 cells, while chronic form patients have more Tc1 and Tc21 cells, compared with healthy controls. In vitro assays showed that P. brasiliensis induced polarization to the Tc17/Tc22 subsets. Conclusion: Our results suggest that CD8+ T cells can respond in a similar way to P. brasiliensis infection, regardless of the clinical presentation of the disease.

Risk factors for the formation of effusion in tympanic cavity and its clinical features in adults

Objectives to analyse the risk factors for developing effusion in the tympanic cavity in adults. Material and methods. We examined patients who were treated for otitis media with effusion (n=51) aged 18-70 years in the ENT department of the 11 Minsk City Clinical Hospital and the Gomel Regional Clinical Hospital during the 2018-2020 years. Results. The acute otitis media with effusion was significantly prevailing in patients of the age group 31-40 years, the chronic form predominated in people of 51-60 years old, and in all analyzed groups women dominated. In 81% of chronic inflammation of the paranasal sinuses the chronic form of otitis media with effusion prevails. Conclusion. The most frequent risk factors for the formation of the tympanic exudate were inflammatory diseases of the paranasal sinuses, pathology of the nasal cavity, predominantly female sex of working age. According to the research, it was reliably proved that smoking and rural or urban residence were not a risk factor for the formation of tympanic effusion.

Pararamosis: Disease of the Rubber Plantations

Pararamosis is a medical condition, described in the latex extracting areas of the Amazon (rubber tree regions), resulting from contact with the caterpillar of the Premolis semirufa moth. The disease can present itself in an acute form—similarly to other erucisms (injuries caused by moth larvae in humans)—or in a chronic form, typically characterized by the occurrence of changes in the joints of the hands. Because of its importance, in the context of tropical diseases, the objective of this article was to review the main facets of the disease, emphasizing the different pathogenic aspects of the interaction between the arthropod and man.

SCREENING OF PERSONS WITH LOW COMPLIANCE AMONG PATIENTS WITH INFILTRATIVE PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS

The aim of the study was to determine compliance in 260 newly diagnosed patients with infiltrative pulmonary tuberculosis using a screening test questionnaire developed by the authors. Low efficiency of treatment in patients with low compliance, the transition of the tuberculous process into a chronic form, the formation of drug resistance in them was established. The conclusion is made about the effectiveness of the developed technique for determining compliance in tuberculosis patients.

Hyperuricemia and Cardiovascular Implications

Gout is a painful disease that leads to inflammation and joint damage brought on by monosodium urate formation and deposition in joints. Multiple comorbidities are associated with gout, including and not limited to obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, vascular diseases and many other cardiovascular diseases. When the symptoms of gout are ignored or appropriate treatment is not prescribed, patients can develop a severe, chronic form of gout called tophaceous gout.

PLASMA FREE AMINO ACID PROFILES OF CATTLE INFECTED WITH TRYPANOSOMA VIVAX: A PRELIMINARY REPORT

EMACIATION and poor productivity have been recognised as some of the major features of the chronic form of bovine trypanosomiasis. However, the biochemical and nutritional bases of the Wasting and reduced growth rates of cattle with trypanosomiasis are yet to be adequately elucidated, such data may be needed, not only for the clinical management of the disease but also in the proper husbandry practice of cattle in endemic areas of trypanosomiasis for animal protein production.