Lithuanian University of Health Sciences

Predictors of Early Mortality After Open Aorto-Iliac Reconstruction in Patients with Aortoiliac Occlusive Disease: An Observational Cohort Study

Background and Objectives: Open aorto-iliac reconstruction (AIR) for aorto-iliac occlusive disease (AIOD) remains a high-risk procedure due to multifocal atherosclerosis affecting coronary, cerebrovascular, and renal arterial beds. This study aimed to identify factors independent...

Personalized Prediction of Cutaneous Melanoma Risk Based on Polymorphism of the Genes Related to Skin Aging, Phenotypic Characteristics, and Sun Exposure in Lithuania

Background/Objectives: This is the first study in Eastern Europe to integrate skin and iris phenotypic characteristics with selected polymorphisms in genes related to skin aging, melanogenesis and skin pigmentation, and inflammatory regulation in relation to cutaneous melanoma (C...

Translation and Validation of the 5-Item Dry Eye Questionnaire into Lithuanian

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to translate and validate the Lithuanian version of the 5-Item Dry Eye Questionnaire (DEQ-5). Methods: The original English DEQ-5 was translated and adapted into Lithuanian according to guidlines. A total of 40 Lithuanian-speaking adults wi...

Altered contractile responses to angiotensin II and cholinergic stimulation in colonic circular smooth muscle from patients with diverticular disease

Background Abnormal circular smooth muscle contractility is considered a key factor in the pathogenesis of diverticular disease (DD), contributing to increased intraluminal pressure and diverticulum formation. Altered cholinergic responsiveness of colonic smooth muscle has previo...

Association between injury severity and recovery of objective functional measures following adolescent lateral ankle sprain: a secondary cohort analysis

Background/objectives Lateral ankle sprain (LAS) is common in adolescents, but the extent to which structural injury severity is associated with recovery of objective functional measures remains unclear. This study explored the association between Grade I–III injury severity and...

Early structured rehabilitation following open retromuscular incisional hernia repair: a prospective randomized controlled trial

Incisional hernias remain a common postoperative problem for general surgeons. In recent years, early postoperative rehabilitation has gained increasing attention as a potential strategy to enhance recovery following abdominal wall reconstruction. This study aimed to evaluate whe...

The Paradox of Medical Education: Lifestyle and the Sense of Self-Efficacy and Locus of Health Control Among Medical Students in the Eastern Borderlands of the European Union

Abstract Aim This cross-sectional study evaluated health behaviors, diet, physical activity, and psychological determinants (self-efficacy, life satisfaction, health locus of control) among medical and health sciences students across seven EU borderland countries to investigate t...

Responsible Ownership and Welfare Indicators for Dogs and Cats in Rural Lithuania: Self-Reported Practices and In-Person Assessment

Dogs and cats are increasingly regarded as companion animals and family members, but companionship requires more than affection: it also entails responsibility for their health, reproduction, housing and behavioural needs. Responsible ownership and welfare in rural Baltic and Eas...

IL33 gene polymorphisms and circulating IL-33 levels in pituitary adenoma: a case–control study

Abstract Pituitary adenoma (PA) is common intracranial tumor in which inflammatory mechanisms may contribute to tumor development and progression. Interleukin-33 (IL-33), an immune-related cytokine, has been implicated in tumor-associated inflammation; however, its role in pituit...

Hospitalisation in cirrhosis is linked to distinct gut microbiome structural and functional profiles: a multinational metagenomic study

Background Hospitalisations represent major clinical events in cirrhosis, yet prediction based on clinical variables alone remains limited. Objective Given the role of the gut microbiome in disease progression, we evaluated whether gut metagenomic profiles are associated with 90-...

Interest in geriatric medicine training among health and social care professionals: the roles of experience and attitudes. Findings from the online survey of the COST Action PROGRAMMING 21122

Abstract Background The growth of ageing populations is increasing the requirement for professionals trained to care for older adults. Aims To explore factors associated with interest in further training in geriatrics across health and social care professionals. Methods The COST...

Introducing saliva as an analytical sample in higher education through an interdisciplinary blended-learning programme

Saliva is an emerging analytical sample increasingly supported by scientific evidence as a viable alternative or complement to serum or plasma in both human and veterinary medicine. Despite its demonstrated potential, its inclusion in higher education curricula within human and a...

Specialty choice and educational experiences among medical students in Lithuania: a cross-sectional study

Understanding medical students’ perspectives is important for improving medical education and student well-being. This cross-sectional study examined medical education from the student perspective by describing motivations, concerns, perceived study difficulty, and satisfaction a...

Quality and concordance of international paediatric sepsis guidelines: a cross-sectional appraisal from the SENTINEL International study

Objectives To evaluate the methodological quality of hospital-specific paediatric sepsis clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) from sites participating in an international study using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) tool and to assess the consi...

Primary Non-Adherence to Electronic Prescriptions in Lithuania, 2018–2024: Nationwide Prevalence, Factors, and Regional Variation

Background/Objectives: Primary non-adherence occurs when a prescribed medicine is never collected, preventing treatment from the beginning. Despite non-adherence being a widespread problem, most evidence comes from Western European and North American systems, and the Baltic regio...

Lipopolysaccharide and cytokine levels differ by disease severity in major depressive disorder

Abstract Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) lacks established biological markers, although immune dysregulation and gut-derived inflammation have been implicated in a subset of patients; however, their diagnostic utility across levels of depression severity and impact of...

Metabolic and Physiological Associations with LMD-Based Enteric CH4 Concentration in Early Lactation Dairy Cows: A Multivariate Approach with Parity-Specific Insights

Understanding cow-level factors associated with enteric methane (CH4) is important for precision-based methane mitigation in dairy systems. This study evaluated associations between laser methane detector (LMD)-based CH4 concentration, relative CH4 concentration-based indices, bi...

Milvexian with Antiplatelet Therapy after Acute Coronary Syndrome Event

BackgroundPatients are at increased risk for recurrent ischemic events after an acute coronary syndrome event. Milvexian, an oral factor XIa inhibitor, may reduce the risk of major adverse clinical events with minimal bleeding risk. MethodsIn this phase 3, randomized, placebo-con...

Beyond Swelling: Clinical Insights into the Diagnosis and Management of Hereditary Angioedema

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of severe, non-pitting edema, most commonly caused by a deficiency or dysfunction of C1 esterase inhibitor (C1-INH), resulting in excessive bradykinin production. HAE subtypes differ accord...

Effectiveness of oxidative therapies in mature oral biofilms: A systematic review and meta-analysis

To evaluate the antimicrobial activity of oxidative therapies in disrupting and reducing mature oral biofilms (≥ 48 h) and to assess treatment effects across different oxidative modalities. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Twe...