Publications by authors named "Agnieszka Szala-Pozdziej"
Introduction: Premature and low-birthweight infants are at especially high risk of perinatal complications, including impaired thermoregulation, infections and respiratory distress. Such adverse effects and the need for invasive procedures are associated with high mortality among preterms. This study focused on the influence of the innate immune system and tested the levels of collectins, collectin-10 (CL-10), collectin-11 (CL-11) and mannose-binding lectin (MBL) in preterm neonates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Ficolin-2 is a serum pattern recognition molecule, involved in complement activation the lectin pathway. This study aimed to investigate the association of ficolin-2 concentration in cord blood serum with complications related to premature birth.
Methods: 546 premature neonates were included.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) localised to the promoter region of the FCN2 gene are known to influence the concentration of ficolin-2 in human serum and therefore potentially have clinical associations. We investigated the relationships between SNPs at positions −986 (A > G), −602 (G > A), −64 (A > C) and −4 (A > G) and clinical complications in 501 preterms. Major alleles at positions −986 and −64 and A/A homozygosity for both polymorphisms were less frequent among babies with very low birthweight (VLBW, ≤1500 g) compared with the reference group (OR = 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFicolin-2 is regarded as an important innate immunity factor endowed with both lectin (carbohydrate recognition) qualities and ability to induce complement activation. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of the 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) polymorphisms with ficolin-2 expression and perinatal complications in preterm neonates. The sequencing analysis allowed us to identify six 3'UTR polymorphisms with minor allele frequency (MAF) >1%: rs4521835, rs73664188, rs11103564, rs11103565, rs6537958 and rs6537959.
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- Researchers studied the levels of ficolins and mannose-binding lectin (MBL) in 157 patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) compared to 267 healthy individuals.
- They found that ficolin-1 was significantly lower in AML patients, while ficolin-2, ficolin-3, and MBL were higher, with the highest MBL levels linked to a greater risk of severe infections.
- Genotyping suggested a specific genetic variant (G/G homozygosity) associated with the disease, and ficolins could serve as potential new biomarkers for diagnosing AML and distinguishing it from other blood cancers.
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- A study involving 312 patients with multiple myeloma and lymphomas assessed the levels of ficolins (immune proteins) and their genetic polymorphisms before and after high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation.
- Findings showed that multiple myeloma patients had significantly lower levels of ficolin-1 and ficolin-2 compared to healthy controls, suggesting a link to the disease itself rather than post-transplant complications.
- Genetic variations in the ficolin genes were more frequently found in cancer patients, with some polymorphisms associated with a higher risk of infections post-chemotherapy, especially in lymphoma patients.
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- * Higher numbers of certain genetic variants (MBL2 gene exon 1) were found in tuberculosis patients compared to healthy individuals, while some variations (SFTPA2 +26 C > A SNP) were less common in patients.
- * Increased levels of specific serum proteins, including ficolin-1, were seen in patients, suggesting ficolin-1 could be a potential marker to distinguish between tuberculosis patients and healthy individuals.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) refers to disorders associated with progressive inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal system. IBD consists of two major forms, Crohn's disease (CD), and ulcerative colitis (UC). IBD became a global disease in the 21 century.
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- - This study involved 312 patients with multiple myeloma and lymphomas undergoing high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation, examining the role of certain gene polymorphisms and serum concentrations of immune-related proteins.
- - Findings indicated that multiple myeloma patients had a higher prevalence of MBL deficiency genotypes, but this was not linked to hospital infections or recovery of white blood cells, although it correlated with more severe infections during follow-up.
- - Interestingly, high levels of MBL were associated with prolonged fever and some infections post-chemotherapy, while a notable association between a gene mutation and lymphoma was identified, and overall, the influence of MBL on infections in these patients remains conflicting.
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- * A study of 87 neonates with sepsis compared to controls found a higher frequency of low MBL genotypes in sepsis patients, but no notable differences in other lectin pathway or TLR receptor genes.
- * The findings indicate low serum MBL and ficolin-2 levels are associated with sepsis, while alterations in protein concentrations rather than inherited genetic factors may reflect the disease's progression.
We investigated MBL2 and MASP2 genotypes, serum MBL (mannose-binding lectin) levels and activities of its complexes with associated serine proteases (MASP-1, MASP -2), in relation to complications following cardiac surgery in 195 children. The incidence of SIRS was lower in patients carrying MBL2 A/O and O/O genotypes (p=0.024).
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