The Declaration of Helsinki is a set of ethical principles to be followed by scientists involved in medical research with humans or human cells and tissues. This Declaration defines how scientific research should be planned, carried out, documented, analysed, and published. We summarise and discuss some ethical issues related to publishing original articles, including clinical trials, review papers, and case reports based on the seventh revision of the Declaration of Helsinki. The principles of the Declaration of Helsinki refer most strongly to the publication of medical research results, in particular clinical trials, as original articles. Such papers must meet several ethical requirements, especially the study protocol transparency and the presentation of the results. For case reports, the bioethical aspects related to their publication are twofold - they must include informed and voluntary consent and the confidentiality of study participants. The review papers are of the least bioethical concern. However, whether patients' agreements with specific studies are valid if the data are used in meta-analyses is uncertain. Adherence to ethical policies and standards helps to ensure the highest possible quality of scientific publications. Responsibility for compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki lies not only with the authors preparing their manuscripts but also with the editorial board and reviewers, who must evaluate the ethical soundness of the submitted papers. The additional guidelines for the different types of studies facilitate the implementation of the Declaration principles.

Background: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a WHO grade 4 glioma and the most common malignant primary brain tumour. Recently, there has been outstanding progress in the treatment of GBM. In addition to the newest form of GBM removal using fluorescence, three-dimensional (3D) imaging, tomoradiotherapy, moderate electro-hyperthermia, and adjuvant temozolomide (post-operative chemotherapy), new developments have been made in the fields of immunology, molecular biology, and virotherapy. An unusual and modern treatment has been created, especially for stage 4 GBM, using the latest therapeutic techniques, including immunotherapy and virotherapy. Modern oncological medicine is producing extraordinary and progressive therapeutic methods. Oncological therapy includes individual analysis of the properties of a tumour and targeted therapy using small-molecule inhibitors. Individualised medicine covers the entire patient (tumour and host) in the context of immunotherapy. An example is individualised multimodal immunotherapy (IMI), which relies on individual immunological tumour-host interactions. In addition, IMI is based on the concept of oncolytic virus-induced immunogenic tumour cell death. Summary: In this review, we outline current knowledge of the various available treatment options used in the therapy of GBM including both traditional therapeutic strategy and modern therapies, such as tomotherapy, electro-hyperthermia, and oncolytic virotherapy, which are promising treatment strategies with the potential to improve prognosis in patients with GBM. Key Messages: This newest therapy, immunotherapy combined with virotherapy (oncolytic viruses and cancer vaccines), is displaying encouraging signs for combating GBM. Additionally, the latest 3D imaging is compared to conventional two-dimensional imaging.

Autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs) are chronic autoimmune disorders that cause impaired immunoregulation, leading to specific immune responses against thyroid antigens. Graves’ disease (GD) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) are the major forms of AITDs. Increasing evidence suggests a possible role of microbiota alterations in the pathogenesis and progression of AITDs. This systematic review was designed to address the following question: “Is microbiota altered in patients with AITDs?” After screening the selected studies using the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 16 studies were included in this review (in accordance with PRISMA statement guidelines). A meta-analysis revealed that patients with HT showed significantly higher values of diversity indices (except for the Simpson index) and that patients with GD showed significant tendencies toward lower values of all assessed indices compared with healthy subjects. However, the latter demonstrated a higher relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria at the phylum level and thus Prevotella and Bifidobacterium at the genus level, respectively. Thyroid peroxidase antibodies showed the most significant positive and negative correlations between bacterial levels and thyroid functional parameters. In conclusion, significant alterations in the diversity and composition of the intestinal microbiota were observed in both GD and HT patients.

Many studies have shown that cigarette smoking exerts multiple effects on the thyroid gland. Smoking seems to induce changes in thyroid function tests, like decrease in TSH and increase in thyroid hormones. However, these alterations are usually mild. In addition, tobacco smoking may also play a role in thyroid autoimmunity. Many studies have confirmed a significant influence of smoking on Graves' hyperthyroidism and particularly on Graves' orbitopathy. Here, smoking may increase the risk of disease development, may reduce the effectiveness of treatment, and eventually induce relapse. The role of smoking in Hashimoto's thyroiditis is not as well established as in Graves' disease. Nonetheless, lower prevalence of thyroglobulin antibodies, thyroperoxidase antibodies and hypothyroidism were found in smokers. These findings contrast with a study that reported increased risk of hypothyroidism in smokers with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Moreover, cigarette smoking increases the incidence of multinodular goitre, especially in iodine-deficient areas. Some studies have examined cigarette smoking in relation to the risk of thyroid cancer. Interestingly, many of them have shown that smoking may reduce the risk of differentiated thyroid cancer. Furthermore, both active and passive smoking during pregnancy might modify maternal and foetal thyroid function. This review evaluates the current data concerning the influence of cigarette smoking on thyroid gland, including hormonal changes, autoimmunity and selected diseases. These findings, however, in our opinion, should be carefully evaluated and some of them are not totally evidence-based. Further studies are required to explain the effects of smoking upon thyroid pathophysiology.

Vitamin D (VitD) deficiency has garnered significant attention in contemporary medical research. Although the canonical biological activity of VitD manifests itself mainly in the regulation of calcium-phosphorus metabolism, recent studies show that, thanks to the presence of numerous receptors, VitD may also play an important role in regulating the immune system. VitD deficiency has been demonstrated to impact autoimmune disease, coeliac disease, infections (including respiratory/COVID-19), and patients with cancer. Recent studies also show that VitD plays a significant role in autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs). Many studies have shown a correlation between low VitD levels and chronic autoimmune thyroiditis – Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT), Graves’ disease (GD), and postpartum thyroiditis (PPT). This review article, therefore, describes the current state of knowledge on the role of VitD in AITDs, including HT, GD, and PTT.