Objective
This study was performed to assess the impact of risk factors on the presence and progression of coronary calcification in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Methods
We prospectively enrolled ...45 patients without cardiovascular or kidney disease. Coronary calcification was measured with multidetector computed tomography at baseline and 18 months. We also measured blood pressure; body mass index; serum levels of calcium, phosphate, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D; mineral bone density; and levels of alkaline phosphatase, parathormone, fetuin-A, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, albumin, homocysteine, lipids, HbA1c, and average preprandial and postprandial blood glucose at 18 months. Information about severe hypoglycemia and smoking was recorded. Spearman’s correlation coefficients were calculated. Multiple linear regression was used for the multivariate analysis.
Results
The median baseline calcium score was 63, and that at 18 months was 100. In the univariate analysis, albumin was significantly correlated with the baseline calcium score. Fetuin-A and postprandial glycemia were correlated with calcium score progression. In the multivariate model, postprandial glycemia and fetuin-A were independently associated with calcium score progression.
Conclusions
Fetuin-A and postprandial glycemia influence coronary calcification progression in patients with type 2 diabetes. The absence of some correlations could be due to pharmacological treatments for cardiovascular risk reduction.
The prevention and treatment of skin diseases remains a major challenge in medicine. The search for natural active ingredients that can be used to prevent the development of the disease and ...complement treatment is on the rise. Natural extracts of ginger and hemp offer a wide range of bioactive compounds with potential health benefits. This study evaluates the effectiveness of hemp and ginger extract as a supportive treatment for skin diseases. It reports a synergistic effect of hemp and ginger extract. The contents of cannabinoids and components of ginger are determined, with the highest being CBD (587.17 ± 8.32 µg/g) and 6-gingerol (60.07 ± 0.40 µg/g). The minimum inhibitory concentration for
(156.5 µg/mL),
(625.2 µg/mL) and
(78.3 µg/mL) was also analyzed. Analysis of WM-266-4 cells revealed the greatest decrease in metabolic activity in cells exposed to the extract at a concentration of 1.00 µg/mL. Regarding the expression of genes associated with cellular processes, melanoma aggressiveness, resistance and cell survival, a significant difference was found in the expression of
,
and
compared with the control (cells not exposed to the extract).
Imbalanced STAT5 phosphorylation in conventional and regulatory CD4 T cell subsets from SLE patients is related to their Bcl‐2 expression, homeostatic‐proliferation differences, and relapsing ...disease.
Activation of the STAT5 signaling pathway up‐regulates antiapoptotic protein Bcl2 and drives proliferation of autoreactive conventional CD4 T cells (Tcons). In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an increased T cell Bcl2 content and perturbed homeostasis of CD45RA−FOXP3hi activated regulatory T cells (aTregs) were described. We assessed Tcon/Treg subsets and phosphorylation of STAT5 (pSTAT5) in blood T cells from patients with SLE by using conventional and imaging flow cytometry. Forty‐one patients with SLE, 33 healthy controls, and 29 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were included. Long‐term monitoring was performed in 39 patients with SLE, which were followed longitudinally for up to 1000 d. Significantly increased Bcl2 protein content in T cells from patients with SLE was associated with IL‐7–dependent STAT5 activation, expressed as increased basal levels and nuclear localization of pSTAT5. pSTAT5 levels were significantly increased in the FOXP3 low‐expressing CD4+ T cell subsets but not in the aTreg subset, which was significantly decreased in patients with SLE. In contrast to aTreg, SLE Tcon displayed significantly increased pSTAT5 and Bcl2 levels. Moreover, the percentage of Tcon‐expressing proliferation marker Ki‐67 was significantly increased in patients with SLE and was positively correlated with CD4 T cell pSTAT5 levels. Finally, a subgroup of patients characterized by an increased Tcon–pSTAT5/aTreg–pSTAT5 ratio experienced a more aggressive‐relapsing disease course and displayed higher time‐adjusted cumulative CD4 T cell pSTAT5 levels during follow‐up, which were positively correlated with time‐adjusted cumulative disease activity. Our results indicate that imbalanced STAT5 phosphorylation, which is related to Bcl2 and Ki‐67 expression, may confer survival and proliferative advantage to Tcon over aTreg and could represent a possible marker of SLE disease severity.
Background: Student engagement (SE) in the curriculum is a positive indicator in the development of students deeply involved in their learning. It also has several benefits for the schools' level of ...educational innovation and quality assurance.
Method: In order to identify the most important pearls from the last decade of educational developments within the field of SE at the Faculty of Medicine University of Maribor, we searched through our school's archives, publications and research in the field of medical education.
Results: Three areas were identified as the most important SE complements: (i) peer teaching, (ii) school governance, and (iii) extracurricular activities. The paper highlights how many student-driven initiatives move from informal frameworks toward a formal structure, elective courses, and, in the end, compulsory components of the curriculum.
Discussion: As demonstrated by the three educational achievements at our school, fostering a high level of SE can lead to innovative curricular changes, benefit the whole school and enable students to deliver highly impactful extracurricular projects.
Summary
Background
Echocardiographically measured ejection fraction (EF) of the left ventricle (LV) is the most useful standard of the LV systolic function. Its limitations are poor delineation of ...the LV endocardium, pronounced regional disorders of contractility, dyssynchrony of the LV and in particular significant mitral regurgitation. The aim of this research is to evaluate the advantage of Doppler indices of left ventricular function such as index of acceleration of contraction of the LV (AccLV) over EF in patients with heart failure.
Methods
We performed a prospective observational study. We included 45 patients with known chronic heart failure and 76 healthy subjects. We performed standard echocardiographic measurements. AccLV was calculated by the following formula: AccLV = Vmax LVOT/dt × EDV cm/s
2
ml. Vmax LVOT represents the maximum velocity during ejection in the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT), dt stands for the interval from the beginning of the LV contraction to the achieved Vmax LVOT, EDV represents end-diastolic volume of the LV.
Results
Between patients and healthy subjects we observed statistically significant differences in mean EF values (65.4 ± 6.7 % vs. 38.6 ± 18.0 %;
p
< 0.001) and of AccLV (12.1 ± 2.88 cm/s
2
ml vs. 4.4 ± 2.1 cm/s
2
ml;
p
< 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed higher area under the curve values for AccLV in comparison to EF (0.996 vs. 0.897). In the patient group we observed more important correlation between AccLV index and the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classes (
r
= − 0.657;
p
< 0.001), than between EF and the NYHA classes (
r
= − 0.539;
p
< 0.001).
Conclusions
We could distinguish with higher accuracy between healthy subjects and patients with heart failure LV by calculated AccLV in comparison to EF. AccLV values correlated with NYHA functional classes in patients with heart failure better than EF values.
Modern stem cell therapy: approach to disease Zemljic, Mateja; Pejkovic, Bozena; Krajnc, Ivan ...
Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift,
12/2015, Letnik:
127, Številka:
Suppl 5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Summary
Various types of stem cells exist, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Considering the current available evidence, important preclinical and clinical studies regarding the ...therapeutic potential of stem cells, stem cell therapy might be the important strategy for tissue repair. The development of stem cell therapy for tissue repair has primarily relied on stem cells, especially mesenchymal stem cells. Multilineage differentiation into all of the described cells are considered as important candidates for a range of diseases like neurological diseases, cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal cancer and genetic defects, as well as for acute and chronic wounds healing and pharmaceutical treatment. We review the properties and multipotency of stem cells and their differentiation potential, once cultured under specific growth conditions, for use in cell-based therapies and functional tissue replacement.
Summary Introduction The precise vascular anatomy of posterior lower leg skin is not well understood. Despite being a potential donor site for sural artery perforator flaps, this region is rarely ...used and underestimated. The aim of this study was to provide exact preoperative planning for medial and lateral sural artery perforator flap harvest. Methods An anatomical study on 16 cadaveric lower legs was performed to determine the number and location of all medial and lateral sural artery perforators in relation to five fixed points (medial and lateral maleolus, calcaneus, medial and lateral condyle). A Duplex study on 32 lower legs determined the number and location of dominant medial and lateral sural artery perforators in relation to same anatomical points. Results of the two studies were correlated. Results A total of 234 perforators were found in the anatomical (134) and Duplex studies (100). A dominant lateral sural artery perforator was found in 9.4% of all lateral perforators in 31% of dissected legs. A dominant medial sural artery perforator was found in 37% of all medial perforators in 94% of legs. The difference in the number of dominant medial and lateral perforators was significant ( p < 0.001) in the anatomical study, while no significant difference was found in the Duplex study ( p = 0.920). Conclusion The anatomical study showed relative unreliability of sural region regarding number of dominant perforators. Therefore, harvest of medial and particularly lateral sural artery perforator flap is unsafe without preoperative perforator mapping. No significant difference in location of dominant perforators was found between Duplex and anatomical studies. Duplex proved reliable for planning of sural artery perforator flaps due to high precision in detecting location of dominant perforators.
In murine systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), aberrant regulation of interferon (IFN)-alpha-STAT1 signaling and perturbed homeostasis of CD4
FOXP3
regulatory T cells (Tregs) were described. In the ...present study, STAT1 signaling and circulating Treg subsets were assessed by flow cytometry in 39 SLE patients and their potential association with disease course was examined during long-term follow-up. Levels of STAT1 protein as measured by median fluorescence intensity (MFI) were significantly increased in SLE CD4 T cells when compared with rheumatoid arthritis patients and healthy controls and were positively correlated with disease activity. The highest STAT1 MFI was found in CD45RA
FOXP3
-activated Treg (aTreg) subset, which demonstrated the highest STAT1 phosphorylation responses among SLE CD4 T cells and significant decrease in proliferation marker Ki-67 expression after IFN-alpha stimulation. Percentage of Ki-67
aTregs was significantly decreased in SLE patients and was negatively correlated with CD4 T cell STAT1 MFI. A subgroup of SLE patients characterized by lower aTreg counts experienced more severe relapsing disease course during 1,000 days of follow-up. Mean CD4 T cell STAT1 MFI in follow-up samples from SLE patients was negatively correlated with mean of follow-up aTreg counts. Our findings indicate that augmented STAT1 signaling may be involved in perturbed aTreg homeostasis, which could represent a possible marker of SLE disease severity.
Summary
Apoptosis, autophagy and necrosis are three distinct functional types of the mammalian cell death network. All of them are characterized by a number of cell’s morphological changes. The ...inappropriate induction of cell death is involved in the pathogenesis of a number of diseases.
Pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases (ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease) includes an abnormal immunological response to disturbed intestinal microflora. One of the most important reason in pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory disease and subsequent multiple organ pathology is a barrier function of the gut, regulating cellular viability. Recent findings have begun to explain the mechanisms by which intestinal epithelial cells are able to survive in such an environment and how loss of normal regulatory processes may lead to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
This review focuses on the regulation of biological pathways in development and homeostasis in IBD. Better understanding of the physiological functions of biological pathways and their influence on inflammation, immunity, and barrier function will simplify our expertice of homeostasis in the gastrointestinal tract and in upgrading diagnosis and treatment.
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