Differences in Salivary Cytokinome and Pathogen Load Between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Other Rheumatic Disease Patients.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disease with complex pathogenesis, is characterized by an immune imbalance reflected, e.g., in the disturbed cytokines' profile.

Urolithin A Ameliorates the TGF Beta-Dependent Impairment of Podocytes Exposed to High Glucose.

Increased activity of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) is a key factor mediating kidney impairment in diabetes. Glomerular podocytes, the crucial component of the renal filter, are a direct target of TGF-β action, resulting in irreversible cell loss and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Urolithin A (UA) is a member of the family of polyphenol metabolites produced by gut microbiota from ellagitannins and ellagic acid-rich foods.

Co-Infection in COVID-19 Patients: Virulence Genes and Their Influence on Respiratory Epithelial Cells in Light of Risk of Severe Secondary Infection.

Pandemics from viral respiratory tract infections in the 20th and early 21st centuries were associated with high mortality, which was not always caused by a primary viral infection. It has been observed that severe course of infection, complications and mortality were often the result of co-infection with other pathogens, especially . During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was also noticed that patients infected with had a significantly higher mortality rate (61.

Both biofilm cytotoxicity and monocytes' adhesion may be used as estimators of enterococcal virulence.

Our study aimed to identify markers of enterococci's virulence potential by evaluating the properties of strains of different sites of isolation. Enterococcal strains were isolated as commensals from faeces and as invasive strains from the urine and blood of patients from the University Clinical Centre, Gdańsk, Poland. Changes in monocytes' susceptibility to the cytotoxic activity of isolates of different origins and their adherence to biofilm were evaluated using a flow cytometer.

From the Friend to the Foe- Diverse Impact on the Human Immune System.

is a bacterium which accompanies us from the first days of our life. As a commensal it produces vitamins, metabolizes nutrients, and maintains intestinal pH. All of that happens in exchange for a niche to inhabit.