Serum levels of total p-cresylsulphate are associated with angiographic coronary atherosclerosis severity in stable angina patients with early stage of renal failure

Objectives. Prehypertension is an early stage of hypertension that is characterized by inflammatory factors. Inflammation also plays an essential role in the development of coronary atherosclerosis (CAS). The present study evaluated the NALP3-inflammasome and its related genes,NLRP3,NOD2, andCARD8, using SNP linkage and gene haplotypes in prehypertensive patients.Methods. A total of 576 patients with prehypertension and suspected coronary heart disease (CHD) were enrolled. According to coronary angiography, patients were divided into two groups: arterial stenosis <50% of the diameter (control) and arterial stenosis >50% of the diameter (case). Fifteen polymorphisms in theNOD2,NLRP3, andCARD8genes were analyzed, and serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured.Results. When comparing allele frequencies, none of these 15 SNPs inNOD2,CARD8, andNLPR3genes showed a significant difference using multiple logistic regression. However, the CTACATAA (p=0.0064) and CCACATAG (p=0.0126) haplotypes of theNOD2gene SNPs were significantly different between cases and controls.Conclusions. Although our study excludes a significant association of selected SNPs in these genes with CHD in prehypertension patients, this work suggests that the CTACATAA and CCACATAG haplotypes were associated with CHD in theNOD2locus. This work suggests that the CTACATAA and CCACATAG haplotypes were associated with CHD in prehypertension patients in theNOD2locus.

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Thrombomodulin is upregulated in the kidneys of women with pre-eclampsia

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-85040-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Cleo C. L. van Aanhold ◽

Manon Bos ◽

Katrina M. Mirabito Colafella ◽

Marie-Louise P. van der Hoorn ◽

Ron Wolterbeek ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Glomerular Filtration ◽

Early Stage ◽

Vascular Inflammation ◽

Angiogenesis Inhibitor ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Glomerular Filtration Barrier ◽

Soluble Thrombomodulin ◽

Filtration Barrier ◽

Glomerular Endothelium

AbstractThe endothelial glycoprotein thrombomodulin regulates coagulation, vascular inflammation and apoptosis. In the kidney, thrombomodulin protects the glomerular filtration barrier by eliciting crosstalk between the glomerular endothelium and podocytes. Several glomerular pathologies are characterized by a loss of glomerular thrombomodulin. In women with pre-eclampsia, serum levels of soluble thrombomodulin are increased, possibly reflecting a loss from the glomerular endothelium. We set out to investigate whether thrombomodulin expression is decreased in the kidneys of women with pre-eclampsia and rats exposed to an angiogenesis inhibitor. Thrombomodulin expression was examined using immunohistochemistry and qPCR in renal autopsy tissues collected from 11 pre-eclamptic women, 22 pregnant controls and 11 hypertensive non-pregnant women. Further, kidneys from rats treated with increasing doses of sunitinib or sunitinib in combination with endothelin receptor antagonists were studied. Glomerular thrombomodulin protein levels were increased in the kidneys of women with pre-eclampsia. In parallel, in rats exposed to sunitinib, glomerular thrombomodulin was upregulated in a dose-dependent manner, and the upregulation of glomerular thrombomodulin preceded the onset of histopathological changes. Selective ETAR blockade, but not dual ETA/BR blockade, normalised the sunitinib-induced increase in thrombomodulin expression and albuminuria. We propose that glomerular thrombomodulin expression increases at an early stage of renal damage induced by antiangiogenic conditions. The upregulation of this nephroprotective protein in glomerular endothelial cells might serve as a mechanism to protect the glomerular filtration barrier in pre-eclampsia.

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Serum surfactant protein D in COVID-19 is elevated and correlated with disease severity

BMC Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1186/s12879-021-06447-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ming Tong ◽

Ying Xiong ◽

Chen Zhu ◽

Hong Xu ◽

Qing Zheng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acute Phase ◽

Early Stage ◽

Recovery Period ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Surfactant Protein ◽

Mean Value ◽

Multivariate Logistic Regression Model ◽

Surfactant Protein D ◽

Multivariate Logistic Regression ◽

Roc Curve Analysis

Abstract Background The serum surfactant protein D (SP-D) level is suggested to be a useful biomarker for acute lung injuries and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Whether the serum SP-D level could identify the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the early stage has not been elucidated. Methods We performed an observational study on 39 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients from The Fourth People’s Hospital of Yiyang, Hunan, China. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, correlation analysis, and multivariate logistic regression model analysis were performed. Results In the acute phase, the serum levels of SP-D were elevated significantly in severe COVID-19 patients than in mild cases (mean value ± standard deviation (SD), 449.7 ± 125.8 vs 245.9 ± 90.0 ng/mL, P<0.001), while the serum levels of SP-D in the recovery period were decreased dramatically than that in the acute phase (mean value ± SD, 129.5 ± 51.7 vs 292.9 ± 130.7 ng/ml, P<0.001), and so were for the stratified patients. The chest CT imaging scores were considerably higher in the severe group compared with those in the mild group (median value, 10.0 vs 9.0, P = 0.011), while markedly lower in the recovery period than those in the acute phase (median value, 2.0 vs 9.0, P<0.001), and so were for the stratified patients. ROC curve analysis revealed that areas under the curve of lymphocyte counts (LYM), C-reaction protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and SP-D for severe COVID-19 were 0.719, 0.833, 0.817, 0.837, and 0.922, respectively. Correlation analysis showed that the SP-D levels were negatively correlated with LYM (r = − 0.320, P = 0.047), while positively correlated with CRP (r = 0.658, P<0.001), IL-6 (r = 0.471, P = 0.002), the duration of nucleic acid of throat swab turning negative (r = 0.668, P<0.001), chest CT imaging score on admission (r = 0.695, P<0.001) and length of stay (r = 0.420, P = 0.008). Multivariate logistic regression model analysis showed that age (P = 0.041, OR = 1.093) and SP-D (P = 0.008, OR = 1.018) were risk factors for severe COVID-19. Conclusions Elevated serum SP-D level was a potential biomarker for the severity of COVID-19; this may be useful in identifying patients whose condition worsens at an early stage.

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Circulating miRNAs Are Associated with the Systemic Extent of Atherosclerosis: Novel Observations for miR-27b and miR-146

Diagnostics ◽

10.3390/diagnostics11020318 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 318

Author(s):

Tiago Pereira-da-Silva ◽

Patrícia Napoleão ◽

Marina C. Costa ◽

André F. Gabriel ◽

Mafalda Selas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lower Extremity ◽

Coronary Atherosclerosis ◽

Carotid Atherosclerosis ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

Circulating Mirnas ◽

Age And Sex ◽

Potential Biomarkers ◽

Atherosclerosis Severity

The mechanisms that regulate the systemic extent of atherosclerosis are not fully understood. We investigated whether the expression of circulating miRNAs is associated with the extent of stable atherosclerosis to a single territory or multiple territories (polyvascular) and with the severity of atherosclerosis in each territory. Ninety-four participants were prospectively recruited and divided into five age- and sex-matched groups: presenting no atherosclerosis, isolated coronary atherosclerosis, coronary and lower extremity atherosclerosis, coronary and carotid atherosclerosis, and atherosclerosis of the coronary, lower extremity, and carotid territories. The expression of six circulating miRNAs with distinct biological roles was assessed. The expression of miR-27b and miR-146 differed across groups (p < 0.05), showing a decrease in the presence of atherosclerosis, particularly in the three territories. miR-27b and miR-146 expression decreased in association with a higher severity of coronary, lower extremity, and carotid atherosclerosis. Polyvascular atherosclerosis involving the three territories was independently associated with a decreased miR-27b and miR-146 expression. Both miRNAs presented an area under the curve of ≥0.75 for predicting polyvascular atherosclerosis involving the three territories. To conclude, miR-27b and miR-146 were associated with the presence of severe polyvascular atherosclerosis and with the atherosclerosis severity in each territory. Both are potential biomarkers of severe systemic atherosclerosis.

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Acrolein produced from polyamines as one of the uraemic toxins

Biochemical Society Transactions ◽

10.1042/bst0310371 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 31 (2) ◽

pp. 371-374 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

K. Sakata ◽

K. Kashiwagi ◽

S. Sharmin ◽

S. Ueda ◽

K. Igarashi

Keyword(s):

Renal Failure ◽

Chronic Renal Failure ◽

Oxidase Activity ◽

Culture Medium ◽

Cellular Proliferation ◽

Amine Oxidase ◽

Early Stage ◽

Chronic Glomerulonephritis ◽

Toxic Compound ◽

Amine Oxidase Activity

It is well known that the addition of spermine or spermidine to culture medium containing ruminant serum inhibits cellular proliferation. This effect is caused by the products of oxidation of polyamines that are generated by serum amine oxidase. Among the products, we found that acrolein is a major toxic compound produced from spermine and spermidine by amine oxidase. We then analysed the level of polyamines (putrescine, spermidine and spermine) and amine oxidase activity in plasma of patients with chronic renal failure. It was found that the levels of putrescine and the amine oxidase activity were increased, whereas spermidine and spermine were decreased in plasma of patients with chronic renal failure. The levels of free and protein-conjugated acrolein were also increased in plasma of patients with chronic renal failure. An increase in putrescine, amine oxidase and acrolein in plasma was observed in all cases such as diabetic nephropathy, chronic glomerulonephritis and nephrosclerosis. These results suggest that acrolein is produced during the early stage of nephritis through kidney damage and also during uraemia through accumulation of polyamines in blood due to the decrease in their excretion into urine.

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Relationship of C-reactive protein to presence and severity of coronary atherosclerosis in patients with stable angina pectoris or a pathological exercise test

Coronary Artery Disease ◽

10.1097/00019501-200205000-00003 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 151-154 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Josef Veselka ◽

Šárka Procházková ◽

Radka Duchoňová ◽

Ingrid Bolomová ◽

Tatʼána Urbanová ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Angina Pectoris ◽

Exercise Test ◽

Stable Angina ◽

Coronary Atherosclerosis ◽

C Reactive Protein ◽

Stable Angina Pectoris ◽

Reactive Protein ◽

Relationship Of

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Evaluation of serum ATX and LPA as potential diagnostic biomarkers in patients with pancreatic cancer

BMC Gastroenterology ◽

10.1186/s12876-021-01635-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jiang Chen ◽

Hongyu Li ◽

Wenda Xu ◽

Xiaozhong Guo

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Poor Prognosis ◽

Prognostic Value ◽

Potential Role ◽

Early Stage ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Diagnostic Efficacy ◽

Diagnostic Biomarkers ◽

The Poor

Abstract Background Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a devastating disease that has a poor prognosis and a total 5-year survival rate of around 5%. The poor prognosis of PC is due in part to a lack of suitable biomarkers that can allow early diagnosis. The lysophospholipase autotaxin (ATX) and its product lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) play an essential role in disease progression in PC patients and are associated with increased morbidity in several types of cancer. In this study, we evaluated both the potential role of serum LPA and ATX as diagnostic markers in PC and their prognostic value for PC either alone or in combination with CA19-9. Methods ATX, LPA and CA19-9 levels were evaluated using ELISA of serum obtained from PC patients (n = 114) healthy volunteers (HVs: n = 120) and patients with benign pancreatic diseases (BPDs: n = 94). Results Serum levels of ATX, LPA and CA19-9 in PC patients were substantially higher than that for BPD patients or HVs (p < 0.001). The sensitivity of LPA in early phase PC was 91.74% and the specificity of ATX was 80%. The levels of ATX, LPA and CA19-9 were all substantially higher for early stage PC patients compared to levels in serum from BPD patients and HVs. The diagnostic efficacy of CA19-9 for PC was significantly enhanced by the addition of ATX and LPA (p = 0.0012). Conclusion Measurement of LPA and ATX levels together with CA19-9 levels can be used for early detection of PC and diagnosis of PC in general.

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Abstract 2511: Impact of Olmesartan on Progression of Coronary Atherosclerosis; - A Serial Volumetric IVUS Analysis from the OLIVUS Trial -

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.118.suppl_18.s_735-a ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 118 (suppl_18) ◽

Author(s):

Atsushi Hirohata ◽

Hirosuke Yamaji ◽

Masaaki Murakami ◽

Eiki Hirose ◽

Keisuke Ohkawa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Angina Pectoris ◽

Stable Angina ◽

Coronary Atherosclerosis ◽

Coronary Plaque ◽

Stable Angina Pectoris ◽

Plaque Volume ◽

Receptor Blocking ◽

Percent Change ◽

Angiotension Ii

Prior intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) trials suggest slowing of coronary plaque progression with some medicines but have not shown convincing evidence of regression using angiotension-II receptor blocking agents (ARB). A prospective, double-blind, randomized, multicenter trial (Impact of OLmesartan on progression of coronary atherosclerosis; evaluation by IntraVascular UltraSound [OLIVUS]) was performed in 247 stable angina pectoris patients with native coronary artery lesions. When these patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention for culprit lesions, IVUS was performed in their non-culprit vessels (without angiographically documented coronary stenosis [<50%]). Patients were randomly assigned to receive 20 mg of Olmesartan or control, and treated with a combination of β-blockers, calcium channel blockers, diuretics, nitrates, glycemic control agents and/or statins per physician’s guidance. Patients already on ACE inhibitors or other ARBs were excluded. Serial IVUS examinations (baseline and 14-months follow-up) were performed to assess coronary plaque volume. Volumetric IVUS analyses (mean measured length:41.2 ± 8.7mm) included lumen (LV), plaque (PV), vessel volume (VV), percent plaque volume (% PV), percent change in total PV (PCPV) and percent change in % PV (PC%PV). At baseline, patient characteristics and all IVUS parameters were identical between the two groups. However, follow-up IVUS showed significantly decreased PCPV and PC%PV in the Olmesartan group, despite similar blood pressure (table ). In addition, multivariate analysis identified Olmesartan administration as one of the factors that decreased plaque volume (β-coefficient −0.29 (95%CI, −0.7 to 0.4), p<0.01). These observations suggest a positive role in potential plaque regression through the administration of Olmesartan, an angiotension-II receptor blocking agent, for patients with stable angina pectoris.

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