Search

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality worldwide. The World Health Organization has presented alarming data stating that in 2019, 17.9 million people globally died due to cardiovascular diseases, constituting 32% of all deaths. Despite increasingly advanced pharmacological and procedural treatment methods for these diseases, there is still a quest for new therapeutic possibilities that promise even greater efficacy and safety. The overriding purpose of this study is to provide an insight into the traditional uses of species from the Apiaceae and Rosaceae families as well as to systematize knowledge regarding their scientifically proven cardiovascular activities (animal studies and clinical trials). The review is intended to indicate knowledge gaps for future studies concerning plants used in traditional medicine but without scientific research. As a result, various plant species from both Apiaceae and Rosaceae family have been collected and described based on their study that has proven their effectiveness and uses in cardiovascular diseases. Most of these plants have a hypotensive effect, followed by anti-hyperlipidemic, vasorelaxant, antithrombotic, and diuretic activity. These are the mechanisms that contribute to various cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack, coronary heart disease, hypertension, and stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a case of coronary wire entrapment and unraveling during a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedure for a chronically occluded right coronary artery. The patient, a 65-year-old woman with a history of cardiovascular disease, had a wire filament left in her ascending aorta after an unsuccessful PCI. The article describes the challenges faced in retrieving the filament and presents a technique using a large snare to retrieve the unraveled wire from the aorta. The authors emphasize the importance of proper preparation for PCI procedures and highlight the risks and considerations involved in snaring the wire. [Extracted from the article]

New psychoactive substances continue to appear on the drug market, and alpha-pyrrolidinoisohexanophenone (α-PiHP) is one of the most popular cathinone derivatives. In this article, we report a case of death caused by α-PiHP. Based on the toxicological results of the studied case along with autopsy, histopathological findings and crime-scene information, fatal intoxication with α-PiHP was accepted as the final cause of death. α-PiHP and its metabolite (OH-α-PiHP) were detected and quantified in all postmortem materials (blood collected from the heart, the femoral vein and the dural venous sinuses; vitreous humor; cerebrospinal fluid; cerebral cortex; brainstem; cerebellum; bile; liver; kidney; heart; pancreas; spleen; thyroid gland; lung; adipose tissue; stomach and intestine). To date, this is the first case of determination of α-PiHP and its metabolite in postmortem specimens. In our opinion, α-PiHP and its metabolite concentration database can be helpful in the interpretation of fatal cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider a Cauchy problem for a two-dimensional model of chemotaxis and we show that large time behavior of solution is given by a multiple of the heat kernel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Currently, among new psychoactive substances, cathinone derivatives constitute the biggest group, which are mainly classified into N-alkylated, 3,4-methylenedioxy- N-alkylated, N-pyrrolidinyl, and 3,4-methylenedioxy- N-pyrrolidinyl derivatives. These derivatives are actively being subjected to minor modifications at the alkyl chains or the aromatic ring to create new synthetic cathinones with the goal of circumventing laws. In this review, the new synthetic cathinones that have appeared on the illegal drug market during the period 2014-2017 are highlighted, and their characterization by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry is presented. Methods: Various key words were used to conduct an extensive literature search across a number of databases, specifically for synthetic cathinones that emerged between 2014 and 2017. Results: More than 30 new cathinone derivatives were discovered. The preexisting parental compounds for the new derivatives are also referenced, and their mass spectral data are compiled in a table to facilitate their identification by forensic toxicologists. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the most current review presenting new synthetic cathinones. Political authorities should take measures to implement and enforce generic scheduling (comprehensive system) laws to control the diversely modified synthetic cathinones. Supplementing the existing databases with new findings can greatly facilitate the efforts of forensic toxicologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last decade, a substantial growth in new psychoactive substances (NPS) has been recorded. Within this group, a considerably fast-growing sub-group is represented by the opioids, which are based on modifications of the fentanyl structure. In this study, identification and analytical characterization of a new fentanyl derivative, 4-fluorobutyrfentanyl (1-((4-fluorophenyl)(1-phenethylpiperidin-4-yl)amino)butan-1-one, 4-FBF), is described. Apart from the seized powder, 4-FBF was also identified in the e-cigarette liquid secured in Case 1. The concentration of the compound in the liquid was 35 mg/mL. The main component of the liquid was glycerol, and nicotine was also present. This substance was detected in seized material that originated from the illegal drug market in Poland. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this report presents the first two analytically confirmed cases of fatal intoxication associated with 4-FBF. Case 1 was a 26-year-old male drug user who was found dead at home. Case 2 was a 25-year-old female, occasional user of NPS and drugs, who was also found dead at home. The concentrations of 4-FBF in blood were 91 and 112 ng/mL and in urine 200 and 414 ng/mL. The concentrations of 4-FBF in liver and kidney were 902 and 411 ng/g, and 136 and 197 ng/g, for Case 1 and Case 2, respectively. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Recently, there has been an increase in the consumption of designer drugs, substances aimed at producing psychoactive, energizing, euphoric or anesthetic effects. Designer drugs are substitutes of actual narcotics, whose possession is banned under Polish law according to the Act of 29 July 2005. The latest reports suggest that the number of synthetic psychoactive substances is increasing. In the span of 2012, a total of 28 new synthetic cannabinoids were discovered in member states of the European Union. Synthetic psychoactive substances appear in different forms on the market: tablets (often very colourful and interestingly-shaped), seeds, dried product (sprayed with synthetic substance and redried), crystals or powder. The way of application is greatly diverse, and depends on the form in which a drug is produced and dispensed. The methods of intoxication include smoke inhalation (oftentimes blends are smoked), intranasal or oral application, placing crystals on the eye, or injection. Said methods correspond, with varying degrees, to invoking different psychotic effects, such as agitation, panic attacks, paranoia, hallucinations, overall irritation, and aggression. Various cardiovascular effects, such as tachycardia or increase in blood pressure, may follow as well. However, the primary influence is on the nervous system, inhibiting the reuptake of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, noradrenalin and dopamine, and leading to their increased concentration at the presynaptic cleft, which in turn causes feelings of agitation and pleasure. The knowledge regarding the strength, toxicity, and metabolism of designer drugs is yet sparse. The same pertains to the knowledge regarding the handling of overdose cases., (© 2016 MEDPRESS.)

Gaucher's disease if one of the most frequent, among extremely rare, lysosomal storage diseases. It is the autosomal recessive inherited metabolic disorder, which can present in three main clinical forms. Type 1 - the most benign, in a not-neuropathic form, and types 2 and 3, both in neuropathic form, which manifest serious neurological symptoms., Aim: The aim of the study was to draw attention to the late diagnosing of Gaucher's disease in the Polish population and to popularize the knowledge about this ultra-rare disease., Case Reports: Having analyzed the cases of our patients, we have concluded that the diagnosis of Gaucher's disease type 1 is often made with a time delay of up to several years. The lack of deeper knowledge about the disease and its symptoms among the physicians was found a main reason for this time lag. The disease is usually not taken into consideration in difference diagnosis due to its "ultra-rare" character. Furthermore, the course of the disease is usually occult with no spectacular symptoms, whereas the frequently occurring chronic weakness and bone pains are not treated as serious pathology., Conclusions: Early diagnosis of the Gaucher's disease gives patients the chance of an appropriate, effective substitutive therapy, as well as recovery of organ disturbances.

The issue of sudden deaths due to acute pentedron poisoning is presented in the report. The analysis included three cases autopsied. Biological material were delivered to the Toxicological Laboratory ToxLab placed in Katowice, during the autopsy were subjected to chemical-toxicological analysis. Analysis of blood samples in the first case present concentration of the pentedrone were 385 ng/ml, and present the concentration of delta- 9-tetrahydrocannabinol were 2.6 ng/ml. Analysis of blood and urine samples in the next case present pentedrone concentrations were 280 ng/ml i 255 ng/ml. Analysis of blood samples in the third case present concentration of the pentedrone were 340 ng/ml.

Natriuretic peptides compose the group of neurohormones produced by the myocardium in response to its walls stretching caused by the volume or pressure overload. They restrain the sodium kidney reabsorbtion, thus increasing the diuresis and natriuresis. They also participate in blood pressure, initial load as well as the water-mineral balance regulation. The main representatives of this group are ANP (atrial natriuretic peptide) and BNP (brain netriuretic peptide). With regard to slow dynamics of the serum levels changes, the measurements of BNP play an important role in cardiological diagnotics. Its serum concentration raises in these cardiovascular diseases that are connected with the left ventricle overload. So it can be treated as a specific left ventricle dysfunction marker, whereas its high concentrations correlate with the functional class according to NYHA. It also can be used in risk stratification in patients with the acute coronary syndrome and pulmonary embolism, as well as helping to differentiate the pulmonary and cardiac causes of acute dyspnoea. The serum level of NT-proBNP (N-terminal propeptide of brain natriuretic peptide) is also the independent predictive factor of the recurrence of atrial fibrillation after the restoring the sinus rhythm.