Advances in Medicine and Medical Research

This book focuses on issues in clinical practice and research that are of general interest. The articles primarily focus on understanding the pathogenic mechanisms of diseases, their prevention, and therapy.

The topics addressed include cardiovascular regulation with regard to blood pressure and heart rate variability, and to coupling blood pressure changes with subarachnoid fluid oscillations. In addition, the book discusses recent advances in the diagnostics of and targeted molecular therapy for renal and pancreatic malignancies, growth disorders, vitamin D and calcium homeostasis in children in the context of neonatal urolithiasis, and neurosurgical interventions in multifarious age-related diseases of the vertebrae. Neuropsychological aspects of patients’ quality of life and of shaping medical staff’s attitude toward patients are also addressed.

The respective articles are intended to build a bridge between basic and clinical research. Further, the book enhances the current body of knowledge on diagnostics and patient treatment and offers valuable new perspectives on practical clinical issues. As such, it offers a unique resource for clinicians, family physicians, medical scholars, and professionals engaged in patient management.

Left Ventricular Strain and Relaxation are Independently Associated with Renal Cortical Perfusion in Hypertensive Patients

Arkadiusz Lubas, Robert Ryczek, Artur Maliborski, Przemyslaw Dyrla, Longin Niemczyk, and Stanislaw Niemczyk

Coupling of Blood Pressure and Subarachnoid Space Oscillations at Cardiac Frequency Evoked by Handgrip and Cold Tests: a Bispectral Analysis

Marcin Gruszecki, Yurii Tkachenko, Jacek Kot, Marek Radkowski, Agnieszka Gruszecka, Krzysztof Basinski, Monika Waskow, Wojciech Guminski, Jacek Sein Anand, Jerzy Wtorek, Andrzej F. Frydrychowski, Urszula Demkow, and Pawel J. Winklewski

Influence of Heart Rate, Age, and Gender on Heart Rate Variability in Adolescents and Young Adults

Mario Estévez-Báez, Claudia Carricarte-Naranjo, Javier Denis Jas-García, Evelyn Rodríguez-Ríos, Calixto Machado, Julio Montes-Brown, Gerry Leisman, Adam Schiavi, Andrés Machado-García, Claudia Sánchez Luaces, and Eduardo Arrufat Pié

Hand-Foot Syndrome and Progression-Free Survival in Patients Treated with Sunitinib for Metastatic Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Jakub Kucharz, Monika Budnik, Paulina Dumnicka, Maciej Pastuszczak, Beata Kusnierz-Cabala, Tomasz Demkow, Katarzyna Popko, and Pawel Wiechno

Elastography in the Diagnosis of Pancreatic Malignancies

Przemyslaw Dyrla, Jerzy Gil, Stanislaw Niemczyk, Marek Saracyn, Krzysztof Kosik, Sebastian Czarkowski, and Arkadiusz Lubas

Factors Affecting Health-Related Quality of Life in Liver Transplant Patients

Anna Jagielska, Olga Tronina, Krzysztof Jankowski, Aleksandra Kozlowska, Katarzyna Okreglicka, Pawel Jagielski, Magdalena Durlik, Piotr Pruszczyk, and Aneta Nitsch–Osuch

Phagocytosis and Autophagy in THP-1 cells Exposed to Urban Dust: Possible Role of LC3–Associated Phagocytosis and Canonical Autophagy

A. Holownia, A. Niechoda, J. Lachowicz, E. Golabiewska, and U. Baranowska

Gender–Dependent Responses of Growth and Insulin–like Growth Factor–1 to Growth Hormone Therapy in Prepubertal Growth Hormone Deficient Children

Ewelina Witkowska–Sedek, Malgorzata Ruminska, Anna Majcher, and Beata Pyrzak

Vitamin D and Calcium Homeostasis in Infants with Urolithiasis

Agnieszka Szmigielska, Malgorzata Panczyk-Tomaszewska, Malgorzata Borowiec, Urszula Demkow, and Grazyna Krzemien

Morphometric Analysis of the Lumbar Vertebrae Concerning the Optimal Screw Selection for Transpedicular Stabilization

Jarek Dzierzanowski, Monika Skotarczyk, Zuzanna Baczkowska-Waliszewska, Mateusz Krakowiak, Marek Radkowski, Piotr Luczkiewicz, Piotr Czapiewski, Tomasz Szmuda, Pawel Sloniewski, Edyta Szurowska, Pawel J. Winklewski, Urszula Demkow, and Arkadiusz Szarmach

Stress and Dehumanizing Behaviors of Medical Staff toward Patients

Alicja Glebocka

Biological and Social Determinants of Maximum Oxygen Uptake in Adult Men

Stanislaw B. Nowak, Andrzej Jopkiewicz, and Pawel Tomaszewski