Purpose: Bladder cancer (BC) is among the most frequent malignancies worldwide. Novel non-invasive markers are needed to diagnose and stage BC with more accuracy than invasive procedures like cystoscopy. To date, no study has identified urine metabolites characteristic of all BC stages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHemophilia A (HA) is a rare bleeding disorder caused by factor VIII (FVIII) deficiency due to various genetic mutations in the gene. The disease severity inversely correlates with the plasma levels of functional FVIII. The treatment of HA patients is based on FVIII replacement therapy, either following a prophylactic or on-demand regime, depending on the severity of the disease at diagnosis and the patient's clinical manifestations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThrombospondins are a family of matricellular proteins with a multimeric structure that is known to be involved in several biological and pathological processes. Their relationship with vascular disorders has raised special interest recently. Aortic aneurysms are related to the impairment of vascular remodeling, in which extracellular matrix proteins seem to play an important role.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRenal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the third most frequent urinary malignancy and one of the most lethal. Current diagnostic and follow-up techniques are harmful and unspecific in low-grade tumors. Novel minimally invasive markers such as urine microRNAs (miRNAs) are under study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBladder cancer (BC) is among the most frequent cancer types in the world and is the most lethal urological malignancy. Presently, diagnostic and follow-up methods for BC are expensive and invasive. Thus, the identification of novel predictive biomarkers for diagnosis, progression, and prognosis of BC is of paramount importance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBladder cancer (BC) is among the most frequent malignancies worldwide, being the most expensive cancer to treat and monitor and the most lethal urological cancer. Urine microRNAs (miRNAs) have been proposed as novel non-invasive biomarkers to early diagnose and monitor BC patients in order to avoid the performance of current aggressive diagnostic techniques. However, huge discrepancies arise among studies mainly due to the lack of standardization in the normalization, a crucial step in all miRNA studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAbdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a vascular disorder caused by a dilatation of the aortic diameter that can be potentially lethal in case of rupture. Molecular mechanisms underlying the development of AAA are complex and not completely understood. However, inflammation plays a pivotal role in AAA development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUpon activation, neutrophils release their content through different mechanisms like degranulation and NETosis, thus prompting thrombosis. The natural anticoagulant activated protein C (APC) inhibits neutrophil NETosis and, consequently, this may lower the levels of neutrophil activation markers in plasma, further diminishing the thrombotic risk exerted by this anticoagulant. We aimed to describe the status of markers of neutrophil activation in plasma of patients with venous thrombosis, their association with the thrombotic risk and the potential contribution of APC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVenous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common complication of cancer that severely increases morbidity and mortality. Patients with intracranial tumors are more likely to develop VTE than patients with cancers at other sites. Conversely, limited tools exist to identify patients with high thrombotic risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose Of Review: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the third most common urologic malignancy. First symptoms are usually unspecific and belated causing the stages to be high when diagnosed. As compensation, incidental detection of RCC by abdominal imaging techniques for other medical purposes is a reality that favours a decrease in the stage of new diagnosed tumours.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRenal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most lethal type of tumors and is twice more frequent in men than in women. Initial symptoms are unspecific and belated thus increasing mortality. Moreover, current diagnostic and monitoring tools are harmful for the patient and unspecific in low-grade tumors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe diagnostic specificity of prostate specific antigen (PSA) is limited. We aimed to characterize eight anti-PSA monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to assess the prostate cancer (PCa) diagnostic utility of different PSA molecular forms, total (t) and free (f) PSA and PSA complexed to α-antichymotrypsin (complexed PSA). MAbs were obtained by immunization with PSA and characterized by competition studies, ELISAs and immunoblotting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancer-associated venous thrombosis (VTE) increases mortality and morbidity. However, limited tools are available to identify high risk patients. Upon activation, neutrophils release their content through different mechanisms, thereby prompting thrombosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPresently, no data on the molecular basis of hereditary protein C (PC) deficiency in Spain is available. We analyzed the PC gene () in 109 patients with symptomatic PC deficiency and in 342 relatives by sequencing the 9 exons and their flanking intron regions. In 93 probands, we found 58 different mutations (26 novel).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aldo-keto reductase (AKR) superfamily comprises NAD(P)H-dependent enzymes that catalyze the reduction of a variety of carbonyl compounds. AKRs are classified in families and subfamilies. Humans exhibit three members of the AKR1B subfamily: AKR1B1 (aldose reductase, participates in diabetes complications), AKR1B10 (overexpressed in several cancer types), and the recently described AKR1B15.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Activated protein C (APC) is a major regulator of thrombin formation. Two major plasma inhibitors form complexes with APC, protein C inhibitor (PCI) and α-antitrypsin (αAT), and these complexes have been quantified by specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Also, complexes of APC with α-macroglobulin (αM) have been observed by immunoblotting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFmicroRNAs are promising biomarkers in biological fluids in several diseases. Different plasma RNA isolation protocols and carriers are available, but their efficiencies have been scarcely compared. Plasma microRNAs were isolated using a phenol and column-based procedure and a column-based procedure, in the presence or absence of two RNA carriers (yeast RNA and MS2 RNA).
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