Introduction: mental health has been one of the most important issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic; mental disorders can be exacerbated by isolation during lockdowns or online learning. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between non-clinical (early) symptoms of depressed moods, personality traits, and coping strategies, as well as whether the learning mode (online versus hybrid) differentiates the experiences of these early symptoms and coping strategies. Methods: 114 university students aged 19 to 34, whose education model was changed from stationary to hybrid or online due to COVID-19 restrictions, participated in the study. The participants completed the online questionnaire, which consisted of two sections: (1) demographic questions to characterize the subjects and 44 questions based on the literature review. (2) Mini-COPE Inventory. Results: the study showed that the fully online study mode has a negative impact on the mental health of students; hybrid students are more likely to use active and positive coping strategies, which effectively help to control negative thoughts and/or reduce negative mental states. Conclusions: the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant psychological effects that will extend to coming years; therefore, implementing systemic psychological care is of utmost importance.

The risk assessment for carotid atherosclerotic lesions involves not only determining the degree of stenosis but also plaque morphology and its composition. Recently, carotid contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) has gained importance for evaluating vulnerable plaques. This review explores CEUS’s utility in detecting carotid plaque surface irregularities and ulcerations as well as intraplaque neovascularization and its alignment with histology. Initial indications suggest that CEUS might have the potential to anticipate cerebrovascular incidents. Nevertheless, there is a need for extensive, multicenter prospective studies that explore the relationships between CEUS observations and patient clinical outcomes in cases of carotid atherosclerotic disease.

Obesity remains a pandemic of the 21st century. While there are many causes of obesity and potential treatments that are currently known, source data indicate that the number of patients is constantly increasing. Neural mechanisms have become the subject of research and there has been an introduction of functional magnetic resonance imaging in obesity-associated altered neural signaling. Functional magnetic resonance imaging has been established as the gold standard in the assessment of neuronal functions related to nutrition. Thanks to this, it has become possible to delineate those regions of the brain that show altered activity in obese individuals. An integrative review of the literature was conducted using the keywords ““functional neuroimaging” OR “functional magnetic resonance “OR “fmri” and “obesity” and “reward circuit and obesity” in PubMed and Google Scholar databases from 2017 through May 2022. Results in English and using functional magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate brain response to diet and food images were identified. The results from functional magnetic resonance imaging may help to identify relationships between neuronal mechanisms and causes of obesity. Furthermore, they may provide a substrate for etiology-based treatment and provide new opportunities for the development of obesity pharmacotherapy.

The availability of imaging methods has enabled increased detection of kidney lesions, which are a common clinical problem. It is estimated that more than half of patients over the age of 50 have at least one undetermined mass in the kidney. The appropriate characterization and diagnosis of lesions imaged in the kidney allows for proper therapeutic management. Previously, contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been used in their extended diagnosis. However, the limitations of these techniques, such as radiation exposure, renal toxicity, and allergies to contrast agents, must be considered. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is increasingly being used as an examination to resolve interpretive doubts that arise with other diagnostic methods. Indeed, it can be considered both as a problem-solving technique for diagnosing and distinguishing lesions and as a technique used for observation in preservative treatment. Evaluation of the enhancement curve over time on CEUS examination can help to differentiate malignant renal cell carcinoma (RCC) subtypes that should be resected from benign lesions, such as oncocytoma or angiomyolipoma (AML), in which surgery can be avoided. It allows for distinguishing between benign and malignant tumors, renal and pseudotumors, and solid and cystic tumors. Therefore, with recent advances in ultrasound technology, CEUS has emerged as a fast, reliable, and cost-effective imaging tool in the preoperative evaluation and diagnosis of solid renal masses.

Mechanizm działania leków przeciwpsychotycznych (LPP) wiązany jest głównie ze zmianami w układzie dopaminergicznym. Zastosowanie LPP prowadzi równocześnie do zmian stężenia metabolitów szlaku kynureninowego (m. in. kwasu kynureninowego – KYNA, 3-hydroksykynureniny – 3-OHKYN, kynureniny – KYN), szlaku związanego z transmisją glutaminianergiczną. Wzrost poziomu KYNA w określonych partiach ośrodkowego układu nerwowego skutkuje zahamowaniem neurotransmisji glutaminianergicznej. Farmakologiczne podnoszenie poziomu KYNA wywołuje efekt podobny do występującego po ketaminie lub fencyklidynie (niekompetycyjnym antagoniście receptora NMDA) dotyczący wzrostu aktywności neuronów dopaminergicznych szlaku mezolimbicznego, ale również redukcji uwalniania dopaminy w obszarze kory prefrontalnej. Najnowsze wyniki badań potwierdzają możliwość predykcji skuteczności leczenia przeciwpsychotycznego na podstawie zmian stężenia metabolitów szlaku kynureninowego. Stwierdzono istnienie istotnych związków: 1) w schizofrenii pomiędzy redukcją objawów psychopatologicznych i zmianami stężenia 3-hydroksykynureniny oraz zmianami w zakresie wskaźnika KYNA/3-OHKYN oraz KYN/KYNA, 2) w manii pomiędzy wartościami stężenia tryptofanu i redukcją objawów manii uzyskaną w wyniku zastosowanego leczenia przeciwpsychotycznego. W pracy przedstawiono także możliwości modyfikacji szlaku kynureninowego, które budzą ogromne nadzieje na ich kliniczne wykorzystanie w przyszłości jako punkty uchwytu dla działania nowych LPP.

In this review we attempt to collate the existing scientific evidence regarding the possible role of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease (PD), as well as to investigate the impact of PD/parkinsonism on the clinical course of the viral infection itself. Since etiology of PD is not completely understood, various studies suggest different potential links between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and PD. Suggested connections include, among others, similar prodromal symptoms, renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system involvement, or gut microbiome dysbiosis participation. Despite the initial assumptions that, as a mainly elderly population suffering from rigidity of respiratory muscles, impairment of cough reflex, and dyspnea, PD patients would be more susceptible to viral infection, and would experience a more aggressive course of COVID-19, the published scientific reports contain mutually exclusive data that require further investigation and meta-analysis.