DOI: 10.3897/jbcr.e184759

Authors: Yordanka Yamakova, Viktoria Ilieva

Abstract: Introduction: It is well known that sleep-related breathing disorders like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) decrease quality of life and increase morbidity and mortality. OSA patients with good adherence to nighttime CPAP report improvement of their daily functioning, social interactions, emotional functioning, daytime sleepiness, and other symptoms. In OHS, both CPAP and non-invasive ventilation (NIV) show improvement in quality of life if prescribed accurately.Methods: We recruited 60 newly diagnosed obese patients with OSA and divided them into two groups: isolated – iOSA (n = 32) and OHS-OSA (n = 28). The health-related quality of life of all subjects was measured at baseline and after 3 months of treatment via the Interviewer Administered version of the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire.Results: The baseline EQ-5D value of the iOSA group (Median: 0.836; IQR: 0.113) was significantly higher than that of the OHS-OSA overlap syndrome (Median: 0.67; IQR: 0.209) (p < 0.001). Three months after treatment, both groups had increased their EQ-5D value significantly: The iOSA group from median: 0.836 with IQR: 0.113 to median:1 with IQR: 0 (p < 0.001), and the OHS-OSA group from median: 0.67 with IQR: 0,209 to median: 0.874 with IQR: 0.137 (p < 0.001) respectively. When we compared the EQ-5D values after treatment between the two groups, we observed the same statistically significant difference as before treatment (p < 0.001).Conclusion: NIV therapy makes a huge difference in the HRQoL of OHS-OSA patients, though it does not reach a subjective perception of full health like in subjects with iOSA.

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DOI: 10.3897/jbcr.e168703

Authors: Mihail Georgiev, Kamelia Tsvetanova

Abstract: Genital carcinomas in women, such as endometrial and cervical carcinoma, remain one of the main reasons for death in women worldwide due to malignant tumours, and while the treatment options are relatively established today, the progression rate of the disease is still at high levels. Cytokines have been found to have a significant impact on the development and progression of these diseases, with pro-inflammatory factors such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) influencing the tumour’s growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis. The anaesthetics used during surgical treatment for these tumours have proven effects on the serum levels and local expression of cytokines in experimental settings. However, the results for propofol, which is the commonest choice for inducing anaesthesia, remain unclear in clinical settings, though the anti-cancer properties of propofol have been reported in specific carcinoma cell lines.

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