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The authors report on a 40-year-old female patient with pain, paresthesias and hypesthesias involving the distal parts of the lower extremities. Standard electromyography revealed no abnormalities, while the assessment of thermal and pain sensation and electrophysiologic evalu­ation of autonomic function suggested severe small (autonomic and somatic) nerve fibre neuropathy. The diagnosis was supported by morphologic findings. The peripheral neuropathy was … Preberite več >>

Subarachnoid blockade is defined as a temporary interruption of nerve impulse transmission produced by injecting of a local anesthetic into the subarachnoid space. The only reason for the clinical effects of subarachnoid anaesthesia on the cardiovascular system is a preganglionic sympathetic block, which affects all the haemodynamic parameters determining the blood pressure. The decrease in blood pres­sure following subarachnoid blockade … Preberite več >>

Extracorporeal circulation used in aor­tocoronary bypass graft operations for the past 30 years has several adverse effects, including ARDS, coagulation disturbances, embolism and neurologic deficits. These operations have become very expensive even for the developed countries. Invasive procedures, e.g. balloon dilatation, coronary stents, coronary rotational and laser angioplasty, have failed to reduce the cost of treatment in these patients. Minimally … Preberite več >>

Detecting early stages of ovarian cancer is a difficult task because of the absence of characteristic signs in this phase of the dis­ease. The tumor is most frequently found on ultrasound examination. In the early phase of ovarian cancer the tumor marker CA125 usu­ally is not increased. Larger tumors, which are characteristic of advanced stages of the disease, can be … Preberite več >>

Down syndrome is the most common individual cause of mental retardation in children. Prenatal screening for Down syndrome, based on the maternal age, has been practised in Slovenia since 1981. Between 1987 and 1994, Down syndrome was diagnosed prenatally in merely 17% of infants. In 1995, triple-marker testing for the second trimester prenatal diag­nosis of Down syndrome was introduced. Using … Preberite več >>

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) belongs to the family Retroviridae and subfamily Oncovirinae. HTLV-I has an outer envelope consisting of a lipid bilayer and two types of glycoproteins – gp21 and gp46. HTLV-I viral genome is a positive single stranded mol­ecule of RNA. It containes structural (gag, pol and env) and regulatory (tax… Preberite več >>

The patient with acute myocardial infarction must receive oxygen, Aspirin^® and analgesia with morphine as soon as possible. In most patients, gliceryl trinitrate is also indi­cated. The doctor should reassure the patient and give him/her a brief explanation of the illness. Upon arrival to the hospital, only the most impor­tant investigation should be done before mak­ing the decision about … Preberite več >>

Tick-borne encephalitis is the most important human central nervous system virus infection in Europe. The virus is maintained in nature by a cycle involving reservoirs (small mammals, deer) and vector (ticks). Tick-borne encephalitis occurs in endemic areas, which vary in activity. The purpose of the study was to determine the species and frequency of tick-borne encephalitis infection among small mammals … Preberite več >>

The mechanism of action of the actino­porins, substances from the sea anemone Actinia equina, is by cation selective pore formation in the cellular membranes that consequently cause cell lysis. The aim of the present study was to inves­tigate the mechanism of the toxicity of actinoporin equinatoxin I. In in vivo experiments the measurements of ECG (lead I), respiratory activ­ity … Preberite več >>

Assessment of spontaneous body movements of newborns from video recordings is a diagnostic method that has not yet been introduced in Slovenia. Spontaneous move­ments of neurologically damaged newborns have been evaluated in order to determine if such movement distinguishes newborns at high risk for possible neurological impairment from healthy ones. The differences in movements between these two categories of newborns … Preberite več >>