Metodija Sekulovski

Lozenetz University Hospital, Sofia, Bulgaria · Clinic of anesthesiology and intensive care

Many patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) experience a loss of effectiveness to biologic therapy (i.e., anti-TNF therapy, etc.). Therefore, in addition to the adverse effects of the treatment, these patients also face failure to achieve and maintain remission. Immunogenicity, the process of production of antibodies to biological agents, i...

Our genetic background has not changed over the past century, but chronic diseases are on the rise globally. In addition to the genetic component, among the critical factors for many diseases are inhabitants of our intestines (gut microbiota) as a crucial environmental factor. Dysbiosis has been described in liver diseases with different etiologies...

Although abundant data confirm the efficacy and safety profile of the developed vaccines against COVID-19, there are still some concerns regarding vaccination in high-risk populations. This is especially valid for patients susceptible to thrombotic or bleeding events and hesitant people due to the fear of thrombotic incidents following vaccination....

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract may be a significant entrance or interaction site for SARS-CoV-2; therefore, the gut mucosal immune system participates in virus interaction as a first-line physical and immunological defense, leading to GI involvement and symptoms. This review focuses on the GI symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection while pro...

(1) Although new imaging methods for examining the GIT with high diagnostic capabilities were introduced, the improvement and implementation of safe, efficient, and cost-effective approaches continue, and GIT diseases are still challenging to diagnose; (2) Methods: We aim to show the possibilities of computed tomography (CT) colonography for early...

Pregnancy with SARS-CoV-2 infection can raise the risk of many complications, including severe COVID-19 and maternal–fetal adverse outcomes. Additionally, endothelial damage occurs as a result of direct SARS-CoV-2 infection, as well as immune system, cardiovascular, and thrombo-inflammatory reactions. In this narrative review, we focus on endotheli...

Dietary imbalance and overeating can lead to an increasingly widespread disease - obesity. Aesthetic considerations aside, obesity is defined as an excess of adipose tissue that can lead to serious health problems and can predispose to a number of pathological changes and clinical diseases, including diabetes; hypertension; atherosclerosis; coronar...

Although the chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the end of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a global health emergency, the disease is still a global threat. To be able to manage such pandemics in the future, it is necessary to develop proper strategies and opportunities to protect human life. The data on the SARS-Co...

Pancreatic islet transplantation is a minimally invasive procedure aiming to reverse the effects of insulin deficiency in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) by transplanting pancreatic beta cells. Overall, pancreatic islet transplantation has improved to a great extent, and cellular replacement will likely become the mainstay treatment. We review...

Въздушно-капковият път на разпространение на SARS-CoV2 инфекцията позволява капчици респираторни секрети да засегнат таргетния орган като проникнат през носната лигавица, конюнктивата или устната кухина. Освен продромалните симптоми на заболяването като придружаващи оплаквания се докладват и също дразнене в очите и зачервяване, което прави конюнкти...

Although pneumomediastinum is an uncommon consequence of COVID-19 pneumonia, some occasional episodes of spontaneous pneumothorax and/or pneumomediastinum in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients have been described with different outcomes. In the context of COVID-19 pandemic, pneumomediastinum may occur directly due to SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis (rupture of p...

While severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) quickly spread across the globe, our understanding of its pathogenic mechanisms evolved. Importantly, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is now considered a syndromic multisystem inflammatory disease involving not only the respiratory system but also the cardiovascular, excretory,...

BACKGROUND Hospitalized and severely ill coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients necessitate prophylactic or therapeutic anticoagulation to minimize the risk of thrombosis at different sites. Life-threatening bleeding complications include spontaneous iliopsoas hematoma, peritoneal bleeding, and extra-abdominal manifestations such as intracran...

Intravenous administration of immunoglobulins has been routinely used for more than 60 years in clinical practice, developed initially as replacement therapy in immunodeficiency disorders. Today, the use of intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIGs) is embedded in the modern algorithms for the management of a few diseases, while in most cases, their appli...

INTRODUCTION: Bilateral peripheral block (TAP - block) is usually performed under ultrasonography (US) guidance in the plane between the inner oblique abdominal muscle and the transversal abdominal muscle, and it aims to block the thoracoabdominal nerves from Th6 to L1 by infiltrating local anesthetic. TAP block is effective tool of managing pain c...

Managing a pandemic is a difficult task. Pandemics are part of the dynamics of nonlinear systems with multiple different interactive features that co-adapt to each other (such as humans, animals, and pathogens). The target of controlling such a nonlinear system is best achieved using the control system theory developed in engineering and applied in...

The emergence of the novel SARS-CoV2 virus, proclaimed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a culpable agent for the pandemic situation, caught the scientific and medical communities off guard. One of the most common complications following pulmonary disease is represented by gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, especially ischemic damage. Inflamm...

Introduction: Neurofibromatosis includes a group of genetic diseases that cause tumors affecting nerve tissue. They are primarily benign, but in certain cases (3–5%) may undergo malignant transformation. Both the central and peripheral nervous systems can be affected. This results in their extremely diverse clinical manifestation—from mild cases to...

Abstract Lung transplantation (LT) is a life-saving therapeutic procedure that prolongs survival in patients with end-stage lung disease. Furthermore, as a therapeutic option for high-risk candidates, single LT (SLT) can be feasible because the immediate morbidity and mortality after transplantation are lower compared to sequential single (double)...

Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is a rare inherited disorder and includes a spectrum of diseases with one main molecular feature – mutations in genes leading to poor telomere maintenance, shortening of telomere length and thus to dysfunction of the protective ends of the chromosomes [1]. Clinically DC characterized by [2]: progressive multisystemic i...

INTRODUCTION: Bilateral ultrasound-guided peripheral block (TAP - block) in the plane between the inner oblique abdominal muscle and the transversal abdominal muscle – TAP plane, is a regional anesthesia technique by infiltration of a local anesthetic, provides analgesia for operations involving the anterior abdominal wall. The analgesic effectiven...

Among multiple parameters, applied in the immunologic monitoring of transplantation, the levels of serum soluble CD30 (sCD30) and peripheral regulatory T cells (Tregs) are very promising. These are relatively new biomarkers, considered to reflect immune activation and tolerance in solid organ transplantation. Results are shown here from a prelimina...

In some cases, spontaneous inhibition of immunological reactivity in transplantation, which is responsible for the graft rejection, has been observed, a phenomenon mediated by a specific T cell population defined as regulatory T cells (Tregs). This mini-review discusses the impact of Treg cells on the in initiation and maintenance of operational to...