Background: Single Digit Modality Test (SDMT) has been claimed to be one of the most sensitive tests to measure attention and information processing speed in multiple sclerosis (MS). Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and usefulness of three brief, easy-to-administer, and repeatable tests: SDMT, Digit Span Forward (DSF), and Digit Span Backward (DSB) in MS patients (MSp), and compare the results with those of healthy volunteers (CON). We were hoping to identify the most sensitive test that would be used in clinical practice on a regular basis. In addition, we tried to identify the metabolic background of the cognitive setting using the advanced radiological method, Mescher-Garwood (MEGA)-edited 1H - Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H - MRS). Methods: 22 relapsing MSp and 23 age-, education-, and gender-matched CON were enrolled. In MSp, clinical disability was evaluated using Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). The SDMT, DSF, and DSB tests were used in all participants. They also underwent a 1H - MRS brain examination. In addition to N-Acetyl-Aspartate (tNAA), Myoinositol (mIns), and Choline (tCho), and Creatine (tCr) containing compounds were also evaluated GABA and Glutamate-Glutamine (Glx) ratios. Results: CON were superior to MSp in results of all neurocognitive tests. The DSB was found to be the most sensitive test to identify MSp. The SDMT in MSp correlated with inflammatory and degenerative metabolites in the thalamus, hippocampus, and corpus callosum. A correlation between increased Glx- and GABA-ratios and SDMT was found. Unlike the SDMT, the DSF and DSB showed correlations with inflammatory metabolites in the caudate nucleus and hypothalamus. DSF correlated with GABA-ratios in hippocampus. Conclusion: Our study confirms efficacy of DSF and DSB tests in evaluating working memory cognitive impairment in MSp, showing an association of the tests with specific brain metabolites.

In this paper, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and usefulness of three brief, easy-to-administer, and repeatable tests, namely SDMT, Digit Span Forward (DSF), and Digit Span Backward (DSB) in MS patients (MSp), and compared the results with those of healthy volunteers (CONs). We were hoping to identify the most sensitive test that could be used regularly in clinical practice. In addition, we tried to identify the metabolic background of the cognitive setting using the advanced radiological method, Mescher–Garwood (MEGA)-edited 1H Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-MRS). A total of 22 relapsing MSp and 22 CONs were enrolled. The SDMT, DSF, and DSB tests were used on all participants. The patients also underwent a 1H-MRS brain examination. In addition to N-Acetyl-Aspartate (tNAA), Myoinositol (mIns), Choline (tCho), and Creatine (tCr) were also evaluated GABA and Glutamate–Glutamine (Glx) ratios. CONs were superior to MSp in the results of all neurocognitive tests. The DSB was found to be the most sensitive test for identifying MSp. The SDMT in MSp correlated with inflammatory and degenerative metabolites in the thalamus, hippocampus, and corpus callosum. A correlation between increased Glx- and GABA-ratios and SDMT was found. Unlike the SDMT, the DSF and DSB showed correlations with inflammatory metabolites in the caudate nucleus and hypothalamus. DSF correlated with GABA ratios in the hippocampus. Our study confirms the efficacy of DSF and DSB tests in evaluating working memory cognitive impairment in MSp, showing an association of the tests with specific brain metabolites.

Background/Objectives: Cervical cancer is a common malignancy in women worldwide, closely associated with persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Epigenetic mechanisms, particularly promoter methylation, may contribute to tumour progression. This pilot study aimed to analyse the promoter methylation patterns and gene expression of selected genes (DNMT, BCL2, CDH1, CD8A, MUC1, ALCAM). The goal was to identify associations between promoter hypermethylation, gene expression, and HPV infection in cervical swab specimens obtained from patients with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (SILs), high-grade SILs, or squamous cell carcinomas. Methods: A total of 81 cervical swab samples from Slovak participants were included in the study. DNA methylation and gene expression profiling was performed using real-time PCR (qPCR) and pyrosequencing. Results: BCL2 expression was significantly reduced across all lesion grades. CD8A expression was slightly elevated in low- and high-grade SILs, particularly in HPV-positive samples. MUC1 showed variability with lesion grade. No statistically significant differences in DNA methylation were observed across groups stratified by HPV status, community state type, and lesion grade. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that BCL2 downregulation and gene activity variability influenced by the vaginal microbiome may play a role in cervical lesion progression. These results highlight potential non-invasive biomarkers for monitoring cervical lesions.

Background: Cervical cancer remains the fourth most common malignancy among women worldwide. Despite vaccination and regular screening, new molecular biomarkers are needed for improved early detection and risk assessment. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in post-transcriptional regulation, and their dysregulation may contribute to cervical carcinogenesis. This study evaluated the expression of selected miRNAs in cervical swab samples and corresponding biopsies from women with various grades of cervical lesions and assessed their relationship with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Methods: A total of 72 cervical swab samples were included in this study, divided according to cytological severity: negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy (NILM, n = 15), atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US, n = 12), low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL, n = 19), and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL, n = 26). In a subset of patients, corresponding biopsy specimens were analysed for comparison. The association of miRNA expression with HPV infection status was also examined. miRNA expression was quantified by real-time PCR using commercially available assays. Results: To assess the relationship between miRNA expression, lesion severity, and HPV infection, fold change values were compared to the control group (NILM). No significant differences were observed in the ASC-US group (p > 0.05). In contrast, several miRNAs were significantly upregulated in the LSIL and/or HSIL groups, as well as in HPV-positive samples, indicating their association with both lesion progression and viral infection. Specifically, miR-17-5p, miR-26b-5p, miR-29a-3p, miR-103a-3p, miR-106a-5p, miR-146a-5p, miR-155-5p, and miR-191-5p showed increased expression (p < 0.05) compared with controls. The observed upregulation of miR-26b-5p, miR-106a-5p, and miR-146a-5p highlights their potential role in HPV-associated cervical carcinogenesis. Dysregulated miRNAs were enriched in pathways related to infectious diseases, various types of cancer, and cell adhesion processes. Conclusions: The gradual increase in specific miRNAs with lesion severity and HPV infection suggests their role in cervical carcinogenesis. The identified miRNAs may serve as promising non-invasive biomarkers for early detection and monitoring of HPV-associated cervical lesions.

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system, frequently associated with visual and oculomotor disturbances. Quantitative analysis of eye movements represents a non-invasive method for assessing central nervous system dysfunction beyond conventional imaging; however, the diagnostic and predictive value of oculomotor metrics remains insufficiently defined. Objectives: The aims of this study were to compare smooth pursuit gain and reflexive saccade parameters (latency, velocity, and precision) between individuals with MS and healthy controls, and to evaluate their ability to discriminate disease status. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 46 clinically stable patients with MS (EDSS ≤ 6.5) and 46 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Oculomotor function was assessed using videonystagmography under standardized conditions. Group differences across horizontal and vertical gaze directions were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models. Random forest models were applied to assess the discriminative performance of oculomotor parameters, with permutation-based feature importance and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: Patients with MS showed significantly reduced smooth pursuit gain across most horizontal and vertical directions compared with controls. Saccadic latency was significantly prolonged in all tested movement directions. Saccadic velocity exhibited selective directional impairment consistent with subtle medial longitudinal fasciculus involvement, whereas saccadic precision did not differ significantly between groups. A random forest model combining pursuit and saccadic parameters demonstrated only moderate discriminative performance between MS patients and controls (AUC = 0.694), with saccadic latency contributing most strongly to classification. Conclusions: Quantitative eye-movement assessment revealed widespread oculomotor abnormalities in MS, particularly reduced smooth pursuit gain and prolonged saccadic latency. Although the overall discriminative accuracy of oculomotor parameters was limited, these findings support their potential role as complementary markers of central nervous system dysfunction. Further longitudinal and multimodal studies are required to clarify their clinical relevance and prognostic value.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has limited effective therapeutic strategies. Statins inhibit 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase and may affect tumor cell fitness via the mevalonate pathway, mitochondrial function, and redox homeostasis. We systematically compared seven statins in patient-derived PDAC cell lines and related viability effects to mitochondrial, redox, cell-cycle, apoptotic, and metabolic responses. Statins were tested in three PDAC cell lines (PDAC-1/2/3) using MTT assays (5–20 µM; 24–120 h). Based on MTT responses, mechanistic profiling was performed after 72 h at 20 µM concentration using lipophilic statins, including apoptosis (Annexin V/7-AAD), cell-cycle distribution, mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm), intracellular ROS, and ¹H-NMR quantification of intracellular and extracellular metabolites. Statins reduced viability in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, with lipophilic statins more active than hydrophilic. PDAC-1 was highly sensitive, PDAC-3 intermediate, and PDAC-2 comparatively resistant. PDAC-1 and PDAC-3 showed G0/G1 accumulation, Δψm depolarization, reactive oxygen species (ROS) elevation, and Annexin V–positive apoptosis, whereas PDAC-2 (high basal ROS) showed ROS reduction and limited apoptosis despite Δψm loss. Metabolomics indicated reduced glucose and amino-acid utilization and lactate secretion while preserving line-specific metabolic fingerprints. PDAC cell lines display marked inter-tumoral heterogeneity in statin responses, supporting evaluation of statins as chemosensitizing adjuvants in functionally guided PDAC treatment strategies.