Publications by authors named "Beatriz A K van Spitzenbergen"

Background And Hypothesis: In patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), the lifespan of red blood cells (RBC) is often shortened, a condition attributed to the "uremic milieu." We reported recently that the uremic solute 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropionate (CMPF) shares structural similarities with Jedi1, a chemical activator of the mechanosensitive cation channel Piezo1, whose activation increases calcium influx into cells. Against this backdrop, we hypothesized that CMPF may induce premature RBC death (eryptosis) through prolonged CMPF-induced activation of Piezo1 located on RBC.

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Article Synopsis
  • COVID-19 causes hypercytokinemia, an imbalance of inflammatory cytokines, which complicates treatment, especially in severe cases.
  • A study tracked cytokine levels in SARS-CoV-2 patients over time, finding that elevated levels predicted mortality, particularly for IL-4 and IL-1β.
  • The research indicates that changes in levels of specific cytokines like IFN-γ and IL-6 are linked to patient outcomes, emphasizing the role of cytokine dynamics in predicting severe COVID-19 results.
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Oxidative stress (OS) is essential in uremia-associated comorbidities, including renal anemia. Complications experienced by hemodialysis (HD) patients, such as hypoxemia and uremic toxins accumulation, induce OS and premature death of red blood cells (RBC). We aimed to characterize reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and antioxidant pathways in HD-RBC and RBC from healthy controls (CON-RBC) and evaluate the role of uremia and hypoxia in these pathways.

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