Purpose Shoulder pain and weakness are common symptoms in athletes who play sports connected with overhead throwing. Suprascapular neuropathy may be one of the reason of such signs.The aim of the study was to find out if ultrasound examination of the shoulder in athletes reveals signs of suprascapular neuropathy. Methods This was a cross-sectional study in which 67 professional volleyball, handball and rugby players of polish teams without shoulder disorders, which have played sport for 10 or more years, were included. An ultrasound examination of both shoulders was performed. Excluding criteria were recent shoulder and/or neck trauma and neurological disorders. Results No ultrasound signs of suprascapular neuropathy were seen in any player. The only finding was enthesopathy of supraspinatus muscle and this finding was connected with athletes’ age, type of sport and with dominant hand. It had statistical significance with p-value respectively 0.01 for athletes’ age, 0.0208 for sport type and 0.03 for dominant hand. Conclusions Ultrasonography should not be used as the screening examination of shoulders in athletes, but it can sometimes be an additional tool to help to diagnose shoulder disorders. © 2020 Barbara Igielska-Bela et al., published by De Gruyter.Background The relationship between electrocardiographic evaluation and circadian blood pressure (BP) variation in young and middle-aged hypertensive patients remains unknown. Methods A total of 171 hypertensive patients were included in the study. First, patients were divided into a young and middle-aged group and an elderly group. The two groups were then separately classified into three subgroups on the basis of circadian variation of BP as dippers, non-dippers and reverse-dippers. The electrocardiographic evaluation was calculated from 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG). Results QTc intervals were shortest in the dippers and longest in the reverse-dippers in the young and middle-aged group (QTc dipper 416.53±18.37ms; non-dipper 438.30±29.71ms; reverse-dipper 444.93±25.47ms; for dipper vs non-dipper, and dipper vs reverse-dipper P less then 0.05). QTc interval was found to be an independent risk factor for the non-dipper BP pattern (Odds ratio 1.049; 95% CI 1.01-1.089; P=0.012) and reverse-dipper BP pattern (Odds ratio 1.051; 95% CI 1.007-1.098; P=0.023) in young and middle-aged hypertensive patients. No significant differences in other ECG parameters were found among the three subgroups in the young and middle-aged group. Conclusion Our study suggested that QTc interval might serve as a risk factor for non-dipper BP pattern and reverse-dipper BP pattern in young and middle-aged hypertensive patients. © 2020 Liyuan Yan et al., published by De Gruyter.Hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), also known as Rendu-Osler-Weber syndrome, is a rare autosomal dominant vascular disorder. Patients with HHT may present with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations from epistaxis to clinically significant arteriovenous malformations (AVM) in the lungs, liver, brain and spine. The diagnosis of HHT is based on clinical criteria. There is a long diagnostic delay of nearly 3 decades since disease onset. The treatment is based on various types of haemostasis. There is ongoing research with potential therapies which may prevent and decrease the severity of epistaxis. Thalidomide may be an effective treatment to decrease the bleeding symptoms of patients with HHT. © 2020 Melania Mikołajczyk-Solińska et al., published by De Gruyter.Aim This study aims to explain the role and mechanism of lncRNA LINC00152 in esophageal cancer. Methods The 30 pairs of esophageal cancer and adjacent normal tissues were collected and measuring the lncRNA LINC00152 expression by ISH and RT-qPCR assay. In the next cell experiment, Eca 109 and Kyse 150 cells were divided into 3 groups NC group were treated with non-treatment; BL group were transfected with empty vector and lncRNA group were transfected with lncRNA LINC00152. selleck products The cells proliferation were measured by MTT assay; the cells apoptosis and cell cycle were evaluated by flow cytometry. The relative proteins expressions were measured by WB assay. Results Compared with NC groups, the cell proliferation rate of lncRNA groups were significantly suppressed (P less then 0.05, respectively); the cell apoptosis and G1 phase rates were significantly enhanced in the lncRNA groups (P less then 0.05, respectively). In the proteins expressions, the EGFR, PI3K and AKT proteins expressions of lncRNA group were significantly inhibited and the P21 proteins expressions were significantly stimulated in the lncRNA groups compared with those of NC groups in Eca 109 and Kyse 150 cells. Conclusion The lncRNA LINC00152 had anti-tumor effects on esophageal cancer in the Eca 109 and Kyse 150 cells, the mechanisms were relative with EGFR pathway. © 2020 Yan Ding et al., published by De Gruyter.Matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) plays an important role in inflammatory and pathological processes by enabling the inflow of leukocytes to the site of infection or tissue damage. MMP-9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1) have been described as potential prognostic biomarkers in various clinical settings. The aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of plasma levels of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 as well as the MMP-9/ TIMP-1 ratio in predicting the outcome in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). The study included 56 critically ill patients with multiple organ failure. Plasma levels of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 were determined on hospitalization day 1, 2, 3 and 7. Nineteen (35.7%) patients died. The level of TIMP-1 was statistically significantly higher on day 1 and 7 of hospitalization in non-survivors, as compared to survivors (p=0.01). A statistically significant positive correlation was found between MMP-9 and TIMP-1. The MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio was comparable in both groups during of observation (0.62 on day 1). The MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio was positively correlated with the level of lactate and negatively correlated with platelet count. Likewise, TIMP-1 was positively correlated with the level of lactate. The level of MMP-9 was higher in the non-survivor group only on day 7 of observation. In conclusion, although TIMP-1 and MMP-9 concentrations were higher in non-survivors and the MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio was related to some parameters of critical illness, further research is needed to verify whether they can serve as reliable biomarkers for early prognostication of ICU patients. © 2020 Izabela Duda et al., published by De Gruyter.