The problem of installation of dental implants in atrophied distal mandibular aspects is extremely relevant. From the point of view of classical twostage implantation, the height deficiency of the alveolar process, due to the topographic proximity of the inferior alveolar nerve, requires the use of so called short or ultra-short implants or vertical augmentation of bone tissue using autologous, allogeneic, xenogeneic materials. Moreover, the installation of classical cylindrical or bullet-shaped implants is possible only in the presence of sufficient width of the alveolar process laterally or medially to the mandibular canal. The invention of single-piece cone-shaped implants of different lengths and diameters has allowed to realize the idea of their installation “bypassing” the inferior alveolar nerve, minimizing or avoiding the need for additional surgery to increase bone volume.
This work demonstrates our own approach to the rehabilitation of patients with dentition defects in the distal mandible by precise analysis of computed tomography scans of patients and the installation of implants “bypassing” the inferior alveolar

 Introduction. Pathology of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is one of the urgent problems of modern maxillofacial surgery. In the early stages following cartilage damage, the loss of proteoglycans and collagen mesh disorder leads to functional disorders and diffculties in daily life. The aim of the present work was to diagnose the damage to cartilage and bone components of TMJ in traumatic fractures of the mandibular condylar process (MCP), and to study the correlation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results and biochemical parameters in dynamics. Materials and methods. 22 males with traumatic condylar fractures were considered for the study. All patients underwent MRI upon admission, for 30 and 180 days after the treatment. To study the degree of bone and cartilage damage of TMJ, the levels of pyridinoline (PID) and deoxypyridolin (DPID) were determined by fluorescent immunoassay in the urine samples of patients, both before the treatment and after 21, 30 and 180 days. Results and discussion. Upon admission after MRI, only 22.73±9.14% of the subjects showed damaged joint surfaces while, on the 30th day - 31.82 ± 10.16% and on the 180 day - 40.91±10.73%. Biochemical studies performed in the frst days after injury showed an increased PID in all patients and increased levels of DPID in 20 patients, with average values of 150.82±10.73 and 37.00±2.22 nmol/mmol creatinine, respectively. Conclusions. MRI offers good analysis of all structures in joints, being able to detect damage to the articular cartilage only when present, and less suitable for detecting cartilage disorders as a disease stage, which precedes the lesion. Instead, tissue markers of PID and DPID bone destruction can be used to diagnose lesions of cartilage structures in very early stages and make predictions on the disease and its treatment. 

Background: The tendency of premature infants to develop an excessive inflammation in the intestines can lead to morbidities such as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) or sepsis. Lactoferrin theoretically can downregulate the intestinal inflammatory status of preterm newborns. In a randomized study, we investigated the effect of enteral bovine lactoferrin (bLF) supplementation on fecal calprotectin (FC) levels in premature infants.

Methods: The study included 26 preterm neonates with a gestational age of ≤ 32 weeks and a birthweight of ≤1500 g. All babies were aged less than 72 h and tolerating minimal enteral feeds. Eleven infants were receiving bLF at a dose of 100 mg/day with enteral feeds until postmenstrual age (PMA) of 36 weeks (lactoferrin group), 15 infants were receiving standard medical care (control group). Stool samples were collected twice: during the first 7 days of life (before administration of bLF) and at PMA of 36 weeks. FC measurements were done with an ELISA method.

Results: The baseline characteristics of the groups were not different. The initial median (IQR) FC level was lower in the lactoferrin group, but the difference was not statistically significant (264.9 (211.0–689.4) vs. 413.5 (274.2–800.0) μg/g, respectively, p > 0.05). At PMA of 36 weeks, FC concentrations increased in the lactoferrin group (p > 0.05) but were not different as compared to the control group (631.1 (232.0–800.0) vs 274.7 (144.8-599.6) μg/g, respectively, p > 0.05). Initial FC concentrations were higher in infants with early-onset sepsis (EOS) (rS = 0.44; p < 0.05) but did not correlate with the incidence of NEC or late-onset sepsis (LOS). FC levels were not significantly different in patients with NEC or LOS compared to infants without these morbidities, both initially and at PMA of 36 weeks. Supplementation with bLF did not affect the incidence of either NEC or sepsis.

Conclusions: Daily enteral intake bLF at a dose of 100 mg until PMA of 36 weeks was associated with the increase of FC levels but this effect was not statistically significant. FC levels during the first week of life do not predict the development of NEC or LOS but might be an additional tool for diagnosing EOS.

INTRODUCTION
Invasive mechanical ventilation (MV) remains a widely used respiratory support for the sickest very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants. However, prolonged exposure to this invasive treatment can be associated with adverse outcomes. It is essential to establish the factors which influence the duration of MV. The study aimed to determine the factors affecting the duration of MV in VLBW infants.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Data obtained from a prospectively created computer database were used in a retrospective cohort study. The database included information about 1,086 VLBW infants < 32 weeks of gestation who were intubated and mechanically ventilated at any time during their hospital stay at Lviv Regional Clinical Hospital between January 2010 and December 2020.
RESULTS
The infants had a mean (SD) gestational age of 27.6 (2.2) weeks and birth weight of 1,007 (262) g. 43% of them were delivered by cesarean section, 26% from multiple pregnancies, 58% were intubated and ventilated at birth, and 49% were treated with surfactant. Severe intraventricular hemorrhages (IVH) occurred in 179 (16%), periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) in 60 (6%), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in 135 (12%), and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in 41 (4%) infants. In 49 (5%) cases, the BPD was severe. 678 (62%) patients survived until discharge. The median (IQR) duration of endotracheal MV was 47 (10-103) hours. BPD (rS = 0.32, p < 0.05), severe BPD (rS = 0.418, p < 0.05), pneumothorax (rS = 0.06, p = 0.05), severe IVH (rS = 0.255, p < 0.05), PVL (rS = 0.15, p < 0.05), sepsis (rS = 0.087, p < 0.05), NEC (rS = 0.088, p < 0.05), antibiotic therapy duration (rS = 0.168, p < 0.05), and smaller gestational age (rS = -0.118, p < 0.05) were reliably associated with longer duration of MV in VLBW infants.
Based on a one-way analysis of covariance, only severe BPD (F = 20.898, p < 0.0001) and PVL (F = 5.989, p < 0.05) significantly and independently increased the duration of MV.
CONCLUSIONS
Severe lung injury and brain injury are the main factors affecting the duration of MV in our 10-year cohort of VLBW infants.

Development and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) after radical nephrectomy remains an extremely pressing contemporary issue.
Postoperative changes of the ultrasound resistance index (RI) in the contralateral kidney not affected by the tumor after surgical treatment of RCC, as well as correlations between changes in IR and in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) remain far from being comprehensively investigated.
The RI changes in the parenchyma of the intact (unaffected by the tumor) kidney before and after surgical treatment for RCC, and establishing correlations between RI changes and creatinine-dependent GFR remain unexplored issues.
Objective. To assess the correlation between RI and GFR in the kidney not affected by the RCC before and after radical nephrectomy.

Materials and methods. The study enrolled 49 patients. Group I included 37 patients with an initial diagnosis of RCC (on the right), Stage III of the disease, and without signs of chronic renal failure (GFR was ≥ 90 ml/min/1.73 m2).
In patients with RCC, six months after surgery, the RI increase in the contralateral kidney unaffected by the tumor was significantly associated with a significant reduction in GFR. Thus, RI can be potentially used to predict the development of CKD in this patient population.