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Obestatin is a 23 amino acid peptide, isolated from the rat stomach. Obestatin and ghrelin are both encoded by the same gene. Obestatin is derived from preproghrelin and plays a functional role in the regulation of energy balance, foot intake, obesity and metabolic syndrome. Obestatin inhibits thirst in rat and alters sleep and is able to cross the blood-brain barrier. So far it has been thought that the GPR 39 receptor is the major modulator in food intake, but recently a survey appeared indicating that it only plays a supportive role. Most of the experiments regarding ghrelin and obestatin are conducted on animal models. It is supposed that obestatin and ghrelin are not independent factors modifying the body's energy economy, but rather elements of a more complicated system requiring a lot of research to understand and describe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competing Interests: None

Pheochromocytoma of the adrenal gland secreting catecholamines is a relatively rare endocrinological cause of secondary arterial hypertension, usually developing in people aged between 40 and 50, more often in women than in men. Each accidentally diagnosed lesion in adrenal glands is an incidentalom0a. Incidentalomas are most commonly benign tumours: adenomas, adipomas and angiomas; less often they are of a malignant or metastatic character. Establishing the character of the lesion and its hormonal activity is of crucial diagnostic significance. Diagnostics of pheochromocytoma covers marking the urine output of catecholamines and their metabolites, as well as marking serum amine concentration. Possible treatment of hormonally active lesions includes their surgical removal. This thesis presents the case of a young female suffering from arterial hypertension for several years, including organ complications, who was diagnosed with pheochromocytoma selectively secreting dopamine.

Popliteal artery thrombosis may present as a complication of an osteochondroma located in the vicinity of the knee joint. This is a case report of a 26-year-old man with symptoms of the right lower extremity ischaemia without a previous history of vascular disease or trauma. Plain radiography, magnetic resonance angiography and Doppler ultrasonography documented the presence of an osteochondrous structure of the proximal tibial metaphysis, which displaced and compressed the popliteal artery, causing its occlusion due to intraluminal thrombosis..The patient was operated and histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of osteochondroma.

Primary aldosteronism is common cause of secondary hypertension. As a result of high blood pressure it can lead to severe complications, including aortic dissection. We would like to present a case of 40 year-old patient who had resistant hypertension despite administration of multiple drugs. During diagnosis primary aldosteronism was found, complicated by aortic dissection. After introducing the appropriate treatment we managed to significantly reduce the cardiovascular risk.

Hypertension associated with fibromuscular dysplasia of renal artery is the most common form of secondary hypertension among young patients. In this article we present a case of a 27-year-old patient, with drug-resistant hypertension. Stenosis of right renal artery and small right kidney were found on ultrasonography, angio-CT and angiography. There was no sign of renal atrophy therefore we performed percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. After the procedure we observed a decrease in blood pressure and no need to use hypertensive medication. Diagnosis and treatment of this condition are discussed.

Severe liver function disorders in late pregnancy are relatively rare but extremely dangerous, as they may quickly develop into a fulminant disease and become a life-threatening disorder for the mother and the fetus. In the following study we have reported a case of a previously healthy woman with severe liver disorder in the third trimester of pregnancy. On the basis of anamnesis, differential diagnosis, typical course and complications of the disease, and proper response to intensive supportive medical therapy, we diagnosed an acute fatty liver of pregnancy. The diagnosis was based on clinical presentation and laboratory abnormalities. Owing to timely intervention and adequate supportive care management, this severe complication of a pregnancy has had a successful outcome for both the mother and the child.

Background: Chronic occupational or environmental exposure to small doses of lead results in cardiovascular disorders: arterial hypertension, lipid metabolism disturbances and exacerbation of free radical processes. Each of these changes determines an independent cardiovascular risk factor. The aim of this study was to estimate the cardiovascular risk among the employees exposed to lead in crystal glassworks during the coming 10 years., Materials and Methods: A group of 153 persons convinced of their good health status were eligible for the study. A questionnaire was used as a study tool, physical, biochemical and toxicological (free erythrocyte protoporphyrins and lead level in whole blood) studies were performed and the cardiovascular risk factor (SCORE) was individually estimated., Results: Compared to the general population, the increased rate of arterial hypertension, as well as numerous cases of lipid disturbances were revealed., Conclusions: Workers occupationally exposed to lead should have the cardiovascular risk factor (SCORE) individually estimated. In view of the higher incidence of hypertension in this population, a special attention should be paid to the detection of this pathology and the efficiency of this disease treatment should be controlled. It is necessary to initiate program of individualized actions to decrease so called hard end-points like stroke, myocardial infarct and sudden death.

Spa health care became a medical discipline just as the development of other sciences created sufficient grounds for it. The basic and oldest method of spa treatment is balneotherapy. Among the medicinal waters, those with radon arouse the most controversy, these being the source of ionizing radiation. Radon is the one of the most important natural sources of radiation on earth. The exact mechanism of radon's effect on the human body is not completely understood. The hormesis theory is the best explanation of the advantageous biological effect of ionizing radiation in low doses. Radon significantly influences free oxygen radical transformations, nucleic acid repair, immunological processes, etc. It is a rare gas and does not react chemically with any compound in the body. It is known that radon is effective in treating chronic pain syndromes, endocrine disorders, and diseases of the circulatory and respiratory systems.