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Reviews
Adrenal insufficiency - causes and laboratory diagnosis
Tomas Brutvan, Jana Jezkova, Marcela Kotasova, Michal Krsek
Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub. 2025, 169(2):73-81 | DOI: 10.5507/bp.2024.033 
This article provides an overview of the causes of adrenocortical insufficiency, characteristic laboratory findings, and hormonal examinations including stimulation tests used in diagnostics. Attention is given to factors that may influence the results of hormonal examinations as well as to individual methods of laboratory determination. A special section within the article is dedicated to the use of plasma cortisol determination using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), drawing on our own experiences.
Meta-analysis study on anesthetic sedation recovery and onset times in pediatric and elderly patients undergoing CT and MRI
Qiong Zhao, Fei Meng, Huimei Han, Lili Han
Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub. 2025, 169(2):82-90 | DOI: 10.5507/bp.2024.034
This meta-analysis offers a comprehensive evaluation of anesthesia effectiveness, comparing dexmedetomidine and propofol, in pediatric and elderly patients undergoing CT and MRI procedures. It highlights original findings from a meta-analysis of 15 studies, demonstrating that anesthesia significantly improves patient compliance and reduces motion artifacts, thereby enhancing image quality. The study also underscores quicker sedation onset with dexmedetomidine but finds no notable differences in sedation duration between the drugs. Despite these promising results, the high heterogeneity in outcomes calls for further research to refine anesthesia strategies for optimal patient care
Original papers
Serum neurofilament light chain in response to probiotics in bi-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial (CleverAge Biota)
Lenka Fialova, Ales Bartos, Marta Kalousova, Libuse Noskova, Miroslava Zelenkova, Michaela Slukova, Tomas Zima
Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub. 2025, 169(2):91-97 | DOI: 10.5507/bp.2024.032
Brain function could be influenced by probiotics through gut microbiota. For the first time, the effect of probiotics was assessed by monitoring the concentrations of the neurodegeneration biomarker neurofilament light chains (NfL) in a well-defined group of community-dwelling individuals. A three-month intervention with original probiotics was not reflected in a reduction of serum NfL concentrations. Monitoring serum NfL concentrations did not show significant axonal degeneration at a three-month interval in community-dwelling elderly without probiotic intervention.
Two de novo UBR1 variants in trans as a cause of Johanson-Blizzard syndrome
Lukas Strych, Tomas Zavoral, Pavla Komrskova, Tomas Vanecek, Ivan Subrt
Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub. 2025, 169(2):98-106 | DOI: 10.5507/bp.2025.005
The authors confirmed Johanson-Blizzard syndrome in a Czech proband by identification and characterization of two novel causal variants in the UBR1 gene (NM_174916.3), c.3482A>C and c.3509+6T>C. Using RNA and in silico analysis, they revealed that the splice site variant c.3509+6T>C induced the removal of a very rare non-canonical GC-AG intron and that the missense variant c.3482A>C altered a highly conserved zinc-coordinating histidine in the zinc-stabilized domain RING-H2. Although the variants were found in trans, neither was detected in the parents. To the best of their knowledge, the authors report the first molecular confirmation of JBS in the Czech Republic and the first identification of two de novo causal variants in two alleles.
Association of the combined parameters including the frequency of primary cilia, PD-L1, Smoothened protein, membranous β-catenin and cytoplasmic β-catenin expression with the outcome of patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma
Aneta Rozsypalova, Blanka Rosova, Alzbeta Filipova, Dimitar Hadzi Nikolov, Renata Chloupkova, Igor Richter, Roman Zachoval, Radoslav Matej, Bohuslav Melichar, Tomas Buchler, Josef Dvorak
Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub. 2025, 169(2):107-115 | DOI: 10.5507/bp.2024.005
The PD-L1, Smoothened protein and β-catenin expression were evaluated in 104 clear cell renal cell carcinoma patients (ccRCC). All studied tumor samples were acquired from nephrectomy specimens. An indirect immunohistochemistry was used. Median overall survival (OS) was significantly better in patients with lower PD-L1 expression (≤5%), Smoothened protein expression (<5%) or cytoplasmic β-catenin expression (≤75%) than in patients with higher expressions of these biomarkers (P<0.001, P=0.047, and P<0.001, respectively). Membranous β-catenin showed an opposite effect with its lower expression (≤75%) being associated with longer OS (P=0.020). The present study provides the first data on the potential association and combined prognostic significance of frequency of primary cilia, PD-L1, Smoothened protein and β- catenin expression with the outcome in ccRCC.
Fat embolism and COVID-19 infection: autopsy and post-mortem laboratory findings in SARS-CoV-2 positive patients
Adriana Gavronova, Lukas Hamerlik, Margita Bartkova, Vaclav Svrchokryl, Veronika Kralikova, Katerina Vranova, Peter Ondra, Martin Dobias
Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub. 2025, 169(2):116-122 | DOI: 10.5507/bp.2024.014
During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients often died abruptly under the picture of circulatory and respiratory failure. The cause of this sudden deterioration remained hidden even after their death due to initial low number of the autopsies of COVID-19 positive patients. Fat embolism is a commonly overlooked cause of circulatory and respiratory failure, but it does not normally accompany viral infections and is therefore not standardly considered in their treatment. The authors present one of the first studies to relate these mechanisms based on microscopic examination with special staining of the specimens, shedding new light on the treatment of severe conditions of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Oxidative stress, microparticles, and E-selectin do not depend on HIV suppression
Katerina Havlickova, Svatava Snopkova, Miroslav Pohanka, Radek Svacinka, David Vydrar, Petr Husa Jr., Jirina Zavrelova, Filip Zlamal, Lenka Fabianova, Miroslav Penka, Petr Husa
Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub. 2025, 169(2):123-131 | DOI: 10.5507/bp.2024.002
High levels of oxidative stress, E-selectin, and microparticles are detected in HIV patients with and without ART. These abnormalities predisposed to the diseases associated with aging. There were no correlations between these biomarkers and viral suppression that is detected in peripheral blood. These results support the hypothesis that residual viremia in cellular reservoirs of various tissues is the key factor related to the premature aging of the immune system.
Determination of the prevalence and predictors of ventricular thrombus with assessment of the risk of systemic embolization to the CNS in patients after acute myocardial infarction using magnetic resonance imaging, echocardiography and cardiac markers - a prospective, unicentric, observational study
Stepan Hudec, Martin Hutyra, Jan Precek, Jan Latal, Radomir Nykl, Miloslav Spacek, Martin Sluka, Daniel Sanak, Zbynek Tudos, Dalibor Pastucha, Milos Taborsky
Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub. 2025, 169(2):132-139 | DOI: 10.5507/bp.2023.050
In this prospective, unicentric, observational study, the prevalence and predictors of left ventricular thrombus (LVT) formation after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were investigated. The study aimed to assess the role of transthoracic echocardiography, cardiovascular magnetic resonance and cardiac markers in predicting LVT and to determine the risk of systemic embolization to the central nervous system using brain MRA. In a cohort of seventy patients, the prevalence of LVT detected by TTE was 15.9% and by DE-CMR was 16.7%. LVT prevalence was particularly high in patients with anterior STEMI. However, there was no significant association between LVT detection and the occurrence of cardioembolic events. These findings provide valuable insights into the diagnosis, prediction, and potential risk factors of LVT following AMI.
Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer following vessel density correction at different IOP values
Jan Lestak, Martin Fus, Sarka Pitrova
Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub. 2025, 169(2):140-143 | DOI: 10.5507/bp.2024.001
In this study of early changes in glaucoma, the authors show that when the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) was reduced by correcting for vessel density (VD), there was a significant correlation between segments 5 (Superior Nasal) (r =-0.32, P<0.05) and 8 (Inferior Nasal) (r =-0.21, P<0.05) and degree of intraocular pressure. Use of this corrected RNFL from VD is a more appropriate method for detecting early changes in glaucoma. The above has been filed with the Patent and Invention Office under application number: PV 2023-234.
Macular pigment evaluation using dual-wavelength fundus auto-fluorescence imaging
Patrik Rajs, Ivana Liehneova, Zbynek Stranak
Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub. 2025, 169(2):144-148 | DOI: 10.5507/bp.2023.051
This study aimed to investigate changes in fundus autofluorescence in patients taking daily lutein oral supplements and to develop image processing methods for follow-up evaluations of the images. Dual wavelength fundus autofluorescence is a valuable technique for macular pigment evaluation in follow-up examinations, utilizing software image post-processing with commonly available hardware.