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In a study involving men with castration-resistant prostate cancer and bone metastases, the alpha emitter radium-223 significantly prolonged survival, as compared with placebo, and was associated with fewer adverse events. More than 90% of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer have radiologic evidence of bone metastases, which are a major cause of death, disability, decreased quality of life, and increased treatment cost among these patients. 1 , 2 Unlike deaths from many other types of cancer, deaths from prostate cancer are often due to bone disease and its complications. 3 Current bone-targeted therapies have not been shown to improve survival, and the benefits derived from bisphosphonates, denosumab, and existing radioisotope treatments are primarily limited to pain relief and delay of skeletal events. 4 – 13 Radium-223 dichloride (radium-223) is a targeted alpha emitter that selectively . . .

The authors examined the influence of acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (neostigmine) on the in vitro reactivity of urinary bladder smooth muscle (UBSM) in guinea pigs. The aim of the present study was to determine the participation of pharmacokinetic properties of acetylcholine and carbachol in different UBSM reactivity to these mediators. In vitro method of organ baths was used and reactivity of UBSM strips to cumulative doses of acetylcholine and carbachol was tested before and after the incubation with neostigmine (10-4 mol.l-1). Neostigmine caused a significant increase of UBSM reactivity to acetylcholine. The UBSM reactivity to acetylcholine was significantly higher at concentrations of 10-5 and 10-4 mol.l-1 compared to carbachol at the same concentrations. These findings indicate that in addition to different mediator affinity to muscarinic receptors and to their different intrinsic activity, the pharmacokinetic properties of acetylcholine and carbachol also participate in UBSM reactivity.

The aim of the study was to perform phytosociological revision of the scree and ravine forest vegetation in Slovakia in order to identify i) basic vegetation units of vegetation according to their floristic composition, and ii) to find out the main environmental gradients affecting their compositional variability. Relevés originally assigned to broadly comprehended alliance Tilio platyphylli-Acerion (974 relevés) were used for the analyses. In order to select final dataset (527 relevés), formal criteria, such as tree layer cover >50%, relevé area of 200–500 m2 and presence at least two from six traditionally accepted diagnostic species of the alliance in Central Europe (Acer platanoides, Lunaria rediviva, Phyllitis scolopendrium, Polystichum aculeatum, Tilia platyphyllos and Ulmus glabra) were applied to the primal dataset. Altitude, aspect, slope, climatic characteristics (mean annual precipitation and air temperature), geological bedrock and Ellenberg indicator values (EIVs) were specified for each phytosociological relevé. We used modified TWINSPAN algorithm for classification, Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) for explanation of species composition-environmental relationships, and both ANOVA corrected using modified permutation test and Mann-Whitney U-test to test environmental differences at each step of division by numerical classification. Two alliances, Melico-Tilion platyphylli and Tilio platyphylli-Acerion were distinguished with three (Aceri platanoidis-Tilietum platyphylli, Scolopendrio-Fraxinetum and Seslerio heufleranae-Quercetum petraeae) and two (Mercuriali perennis-Fraxinetum excelsioris and Lunario redivivae-Aceretum pseudoplatani) associations, respectively. Besides the floristic composition, other important factors for differentiation of the associations were altitude and related climatic characteristics. The main environmental characteristics affecting the overall compositional variability of studied forests were EIVs for light, moisture, soil reaction and temperature. The complex syntaxonomical revision identified five floristically and ecologically clearly differentiated associations, what reduced the number to almost half of previously distinguished communities from the territory of Slovakia. Moreover, presented concept is at alliance level in accordance with recent European classification approach.

The last version of Red List was published already more than 10 years ago but the knowledge of the flora of Slovakia has substantially improved due to large-scale mapping projects and taxonomical research. Therefore an updated fifth edition of the Red List is presented in this paper. For evaluation, we accepted IUCN categories (ER, CR, EN, VU, NT, LC, DD, NA, NE) and criteria (A-D), which were used first time in the history of Slovak Red Lists of ferns and flowering plants. In total 1 218 taxa are listed (the complete list of taxa is given in Electronic Appendix 1), which is nearly 34 % of the total number of 3 619 native taxa and archaeophytes of the flora of Slovakia. More than 80 taxa (7 %) were not confirmed in the flora (66 Regionally Extinct, 17 Probably Regionally Extinct), 155 taxa are evaluated as Critically Endangered (13 %), 171 Endangered (14 %) and 201 taxa are regarded Vulnerable (17 %). The largest group represent 347 taxa evaluated as Near Threatened (29 %), 162 taxa are assessed as Least Concern (13 %), 91 taxa are in category Data Deficient (7 %), and 8 taxa belong to categories of Not Evaluated and Not Applicable (1 %). In this Red List, 27 taxa are included as new for the flora of Slovakia and 14 taxa were rediscovered. Short history of Slovak Red lists of rare and threatened plants is also briefly mentioned.

A syntaxonomical revision of plant communities with dominant Pinus mugo in the Western Carpathians is presented. The data set of 341 relevés was examined and analysed using the detrended correspondence analysis and the cluster analysis. Major gradients and clusters were interpreted using Ellenberg’s indicator values. The major gradient in species composition was associated with available nutrients and moisture. The authors suggest distinguishing the dwarf pine stands of the supramontanous and subalpine belts of the Western Carpathians referred to the alliance Pinion mugo Pawłowski in Pawłowski et al. 1928 of the order Junipero-Pinetalia mugo Boşcaiu 1971 and the class Roso pendulinae-Pinetea mugo Theurillat in Theurillat et al. 1995, into three separate associations: the Cetrario-Pinetum mugo Hadač 1956, the Homogyno alpinae-Pinetum mugo (Sillinger 1933) nom. nov., and the Adenostylo alliariae-Pinetum mugo (Sillinger 1933) Šoltésová 1974. The authors also elucidated the unauthorized name of the association Vaccinio myrtilli-Pinetum mugo Hadač 1956, which is a younger homonym of the valid name of the association Vaccinio myrtilli-Pinetum montanae Morton 1927 that characterises the acidophilous dwarf pine stands on calcareous bedrocks in the Alps.

The cases of 23 men with mechanical urethritis due to insertion of foreign bodies into the urethra are presented. Seven patients had upper urinary tract infections and one died with gangrene of the genitalia and septicaemia.

The authors examined three urine specimens from each of 24 men with acute gonococcal urethritis. Gonococcal concentrations in urine were 7 X 10(3)/ml to 9 X 10(8)/ml in first samples, 1 X 10(2)/ml to 5 X 10(6)/ml in midstream samples, and, in the terminal samples from only 22 men, 8 X 10(4)/ml. A further 17 men with symptomless gonococcal urethritis were examined. Seven of them yielded 1 X 10(2)/ml to 2.5 X 10(5)/ml in first samples and 5 X 10(5)/ml in midstream samples, and only two yielded 5 X 10(1)/ml in final samples. All 24 men with acute gonococcal urethritis, and seven of the men with symptomless gonococcal urethritis who had yielded N gonorrhoeae in midstream urine samples, were examined by suprapubic puncture before morning voiding. Four of the 24 men with acute gonococcal urethritis were found to have infection that had ascended into the bladder.

The objective was to evaluate the importance of obstruction in unilateral hydronephrosis by using renal Doppler ultrasonography. A total of 19 infants were examined. It was revealed that patients of group with obstruction have in the affected kidney a higher mean resistive index [RI = 0.77 +/- 0.04] than in the healthy kidney [RI = 0.69 +/- 0.02] [p < 0.001]. In patients of group with nonobstructive dilatation this difference was not observed. In infants it is not possible to evaluate only absolute changes of the resistive index. It is much more useful to compare values of RI of both kidneys using the above indices. The determination of RI, RIR and delta RI can be helpful in distinguishing obstructed from non-obstructed hydronephrosis.