Hypoglycemia associated with non-islet cell tumors.

UNLABELLED: Tumor hypoglycemia is rare but life-threatening medical condition which may be associated with insulinoma and non-islet cell tumors (mainly of mesenchymal origin). The pathogenesis is connected with abnormal processing of insulin-like growth factor-2 (IGF-2) precursor and production of pathognomic "big" IGF-2 - incompletely processed posttranslational precursor of IGF-2, which is responsible for hypoglycemia. Other typical laboratory features include low level of fasting glucose and C-peptide, low IGF-1 and increased IGF-2 : IGF-1 ratio. Although paraneoplastic hypoglycemia is often present in patients with already diagnosed malignancy, it is necessary to consider this possibility in patients having unclear and inexplicable hypoglycemia. The adequate treatment can significantly reduce the symptoms and improve the quality of life.    KEYWORDS: tumor hypoglycemia, non-islet cell tumor, insulin-like growth factor.

[Indicators of inflammation in patients with coronary atherosclerosis - role of usCRP in diagnosis and disease progression prediction]. / Indikátory zápalu u pacientov s koronárnou aterosklerózou - úloha usCRP v diagnostike a predikcii prognózy ochorenia.

Atherosclerosis is being nowadays defined as chronic subclinical inflammatory disease. Recently published clinical and laboratory studies have shown that subclinical inflammation represents main role in initiation of creation, in progress and destabilization of atherosclerotic plaque. Screening including traditional cardiovascular risk factors fails in identification in more than 50% of individuals with later development of acute coronary syndrome. According to above mentioned reason indicators are being searched for, which would be usable to monitor the activity of atherosclerotic process. According to role of subclinical inflammatory process in pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, the determination of C-reactive protein using ultrasensitive method is being showed as perspective marker. Ultrasensitive C-reactive protein represents a strong, independent predictor of future cardiovascular events in apparently heal-thy individuals and has also prognostic utility in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Predictive capacity of C-reactive protein determination is independent of traditional risk factors and offers prognostic advantage as opposed to determination of lipids alone. The paper provides a review of currently available knowledge of possibilities for utilization of C-reactive protein laboratory assessment, as the main representative of acute phase proteins, in monitoring of creation and severity of coronary atherosclerosis, in possibilities of the disease prognosis determination and prediction of its acute complications, and also in prediction of prognosis in patient with already existing acute complication.

[The value of ECG assessment in pulmonary embolism diagnostics]. / Význam hodnotenia EKG v diagnostike plúcnej embólie.

Acute pulmonary embolism is one of the most frequent and risky cardiovascular diseases. Despite accessability of different examinig methods and rich clinical experience, pulmonary embolism is demanding disease especially in diagnostics. The reason might be in clinical picture, that is not typical everytime and leads to incorrect choice of diagnostic methods, that delay the disease assessment. Regarding this, precise evaluation of every each symptom and basal, resp. supplemental examinations is important step to rapid and right assessment of this diagnose.