Phenotypic correlations between monocytes and CD4+ T cells in allergic patients.

Despite widely acknowledged contributions of innate and adaptive immune systems to the pathogenesis of allergic diseases, mutual interactions occurring in vivo between components of those two systems have not been studied in sufficient detail. Here, we wished to investigate whether phenotypic features of monocytes and CD4+ T cells in allergic patients are reciprocally related. Therefore, we recruited 50 untreated house dust mite-sensitive allergic rhinitis patients and 29 non-atopic healthy individuals and performed comprehensive simultaneous flow cytometric analysis of mutual correlations between levels of CD14, CD16, CD163, CD206, CD124 (IL-4R), CD210 (IL-10R) and CD25, CD124, CD127 (IL-7R), CD210, ICOS expression on monocytes and CD4+ T cells, respectively.

Lower proportions of CD4+CD25(high) and CD4+FoxP3, but not CD4+CD25+CD127(low) FoxP3+ T cell levels in children with autoimmune thyroid diseases.

The essence of autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) is loss of tolerance of own tissues caused by malfunction of T lymphocytes, which affects the production of antibodies reacting with particular cell structures and tissues. Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) take part in the regulation of immune response and play a leading role in developing immune tolerance through active suppression. The aim of the study was to estimate the expression of CD4+CD25(high), CD4+CD25+CD127(low)FoxP3(+) and CD4+ FoxP3 T cells in patients with Graves' disease (GD) (n = 24, median age 15.

[Evaluation of CD4+CD161+CD196+ and CD4+IL-17+ Th17 cells in the peripheral blood of young patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease].

Introduction: Up till now, altered balance of Th1 and Th2 immune cells has been postulated to play an important role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD). However, recent studies on thyroid diseases suggest a new role for Th17 (T helper 17) cells that have been classified as a new lineage, distinct from Th1, Th2 and Treg cells. Despite wide interest, the role of Th17 cells in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases is still being debated.

Relationship between circulating endothelial progenitor cells and endothelial dysfunction in children with type 1 diabetes: a novel paradigm of early atherosclerosis in high-risk young patients.

Objective: The low number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) has emerged as a biomarker of cardiovascular (CV) risk in adults. Data regarding EPCs in paediatric populations with CV risk factors are limited. The aim of the study was to estimate the EPC number and its relationship with vascular function and structure in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).

High frequency of BRCA1 founder mutations in Polish women with nonfamilial breast cancer.

Possession of a BRCA1/2 mutation increases risk of contralateral breast and ovarian cancer recurrence and may have an impact on health management decisions, such as imaging screening, preventive surgical interventions and systemic therapies. A hospital-based study was conducted to assess the frequency and spectrum of pathogenic germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in Polish women with familial and nonfamilial breast cancer. Genomic DNA was extracted from 1581 women with breast cancer and from 2225 healthy individuals.

[Hyponatremic hypervolemia in heart failure--the hot spot for vasopressin receptor antagonists?].

Dilutional hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte disorder occurring in heart failure (HF). The relation between hyponatremia and increased morbidity and mortality is widely evidenced. Treatment of this condition is circumscribed by strict correlation of electrolyte and water balance, though.

HCV coinfection possibly promotes left ventricular dysfunction development: analysis of brain natriuretic peptide serum levels in HCV/HIV-coinfected and HIV-monoinfected patients.

Objective: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been already linked to possible myocarditis and cardiomyopathy development. The brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a sensitive biomarker of left ventricular dysfunction. The present study aimed to evaluate the potential risk of cardiac injury in HIV-infected and HCV/HIV-coinfected patients with or without antiretroviral (ARV) therapy by comparing BNP serum levels in the groups studied.

Identification of a late onset Alzheimer's disease candidate risk variant at 9q21.33 in Polish patients.

Late onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) accounts for about 95% of all Alzheimer's disease cases. While the APOE ε4 variant seems to have unparalleled influence on increased LOAD risk, it does not explain all of the heritability of LOAD. In this study, we present the application of a cost-effective, pooled DNA genome-wide association study (GWAS) to uncover genetic risk variants associated with LOAD in Polish women diagnosed with either mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or well-defined LOAD.

Platelet activation in acute pancreatitis.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the functional state of platelets in patients with mild acute pancreatitis and severe acute pancreatitis (S-AP).

Methods: The number of platelets and their morphological parameters were measured with Advia 2120. β-Thromboglobulin and platelet factor 4 concentrations were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method.

Limited significance of family history for presence of BRCA1 gene mutation in Polish breast and ovarian cancer cases.

It is estimated that about 5-10% of ovarian and 2-5% of all breast cancer patients are carriers of a germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation. Most families with detected BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation are qualified for molecular testing on the basis of family history of breast or ovarian cancers. The purpose of our study was to establish the frequency of positive family history of cancer in a series of Polish consecutive breast and ovarian cancer patients in two groups, with and without the BRCA1 gene mutations.

The anemia prevalence and the association between complete blood count analysis and renal function parameters in HIV-1-infected patients.

Objectives: To determine the anemia prevalence and the correlation between complete blood count (CBC) analysis and renal function parameters in HIV-1-infected population.

Methods: It was a single-center study set in Warsaw (Poland) over a 3-year period. The study was performed in 214 adult HIV-1- infected patients (180 males and 34 females, aged from 20 to 69 years old, mean age 39.

Immunofluorescent localization of thymidylate synthase in the development of Trichinella spiralis and Caenorhabditis elegans.

Localization of thymidylate synthase protein in Trichinella spiralis and Caenorhabditis elegans development was followed with the use of confocal microscopy, revealing similar expression patterns in both nematode species. In T. spiralis premature muscle larvae and C.

IL-6 and IL-13 in induced sputum of COPD and asthma patients: correlation with respiratory tests.

Background: IL-6 is strongly implicated in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). IL-13 is the well-documented central mediator in allergic asthma. IL-6 is attributed to the proinflammatory activities in COPD as well as asthma.

Plasma HIV-RNA is the key determinant of long-term antibody persistence after Yellow fever immunization in a cohort of 364 HIV-infected patients.

Background: In HIV-infected patients, data on immunogenicity of Yellow fever immunization are scarce, and there is conflicting evidence of the influence of CD4 T-cell count and plasma HIV RNA on neutralizing antibody titer (NT) after vaccine injection.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, NT was measured in all consecutive HIV outpatients who had previously received at least 1 injection of Yellow fever vaccine. Risk factors for vaccine failure (NT < 1:10) and magnitude of NT according to dates of HIV diagnosis and immunization were assessed by logistic regression and general linear models.

Allergen challenge differentially affects the number of circulating monocyte subsets.

Peripheral blood monocyte (PBM) subsets play different roles in inflammatory response and tissue remodelling. The aim of this study was to investigate how allergen challenge affects the number of circulating PBMs in Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp) allergic patients (Dp-APs). Among 34 Dp-APs challenged, in 22 patients significant bronchoconstriction was demonstrated [responders (Rs)], while in 12, only upper respiratory symptoms were seen [non-responders (NRs)].

Lack of evidence for increased level of circulating urothelial cells in the peripheral blood after transurethral resection of bladder tumors.

Purpose: Aggressive intervention against the bladder wall during transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURBT) causes damage and leakage from blood vessels to the bladder lumen. The aim of this study was to determine whether TURBT could increase the level of circulating urothelial cells.

Methods: Expression of tumor markers, discriminative for nucleated blood cells and urothelium, was evaluated by quantitative (q) RT-PCR on RNA isolated from peripheral blood samples of 51 patients who underwent TURBT for ≥cT1c bladder tumors.

Lipophilicity study of some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents and cephalosporin antibiotics: a review.

Lipophilicity properties have long been considered a vital component of drug discovery and development, providing insight into the role of molecular properties in the biological activity of known and new compounds. An extensive survey of the literature published in analytical and pharmaceutical chemistry journals has been conducted. Separation, optical, electrochemical and calculation methods which were developed and used for determination of lipophilicity non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents and cephalosporin antibiotics in drugs and biological materials, have been reviewed.

Hepatitis A and hepatitis A virus/HIV coinfection in men who have sex with men, Warsaw, Poland, September 2008 to September 2009.

We describe the epidemiology and characteristics of hepatitis A among men who have sex with men (MSM)who had been hospitalised due to the infection in Warsaw, Poland, from September 2008 to September 2009. A total of 50 men were analysed; their median age was 28 years (range: 17–43). None had travelled to hepatitis A-endemic regions during the six months before hospitalisation nor had they been vaccinated against hepatitis A.

[Primary immune thrombocytopenia in a patient with sarcoidosis].

Sarcoidosis is a disease with a strongly variable clinical manifestation. It may be associated with various autoimmune diseases but hematological manifestations have rarely been observed. The prevalence of thrombocytopenia in patients with sarcoidosis has been estimated at 2%, about 1% of patients with thrombocytopenia have been diagnosed with sarcoidosis We present a case of sarcoidosis associated with primary immune thrombocytopenia of an abrupt and severe onset.

Role of cysteine amino acid residues in calnexin.

Calnexin is an endoplasmic reticulum protein that has a role in folding newly synthesized glycoproteins. In this study, we used site-specific mutagenesis to disrupt cysteine and histidine amino acid residues in the N- and P-domains of calnexin and determined whether these mutations impact the structure and function of calnexin. We identified that disruption of the N-domain cysteines resulted in significant loss of the chaperone activity of calnexin toward the glycosylated substrate, IgY, while disruption of the P-domain cysteines only had a small impact toward IgY.

Functional gene expression profile underlying methotrexate-induced senescence in human colon cancer cells.

Cellular functions accompanying establishment of premature senescence in methotrexate-treated human colon cancer C85 cells are deciphered in the present study from validated competitive expression microarray data, analyzed with the use of Ingenuity Pathways Analysis (IPA) software. The nitrosative/oxidative stress, inferred from upregulated expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and mitochondrial dysfunction-associated genes, including monoamine oxidases MAOA and MAOB, β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) and presenilin 1 (PSEN1), is identified as the main determinant of signaling pathways operating during senescence establishment. Activation of p53-signaling pathway is found associated with both apoptotic and autophagic components contributing to this process.

Analysis of Nefopam by TLC-densitometry. A Study of Degradation Mechanism in Solutions Under Stress Conditions.

A new, simple, selective, precise and accurate thin-layer chromatographic method for quantification of nefopam hydrochloride in formulations has been established and validated. TLC F254 silica gel plates in combination with a mixture of chloroform : methanol : glacial acetic acid (9 : 2: 0.1, v/v/v) as mobile phase were used.

Utility of laboratory tests in B-CLL patients in different clinical stages.

The study objective was to analyse the utility of laboratory tests performed in 30 patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) at different clinical stages. Laboratory tests included automated and microscopic assessment of peripheral blood and bone marrow counts as well as evaluation of leukaemic cells. Apart from the diagnostic and prognostic value of laboratory abnormalities such as clonal lymphocytosis with CD5+CD19+CD23+ phenotype, reduced erythrocyte parameters, thrombocytopenia or bone marrow infiltration by the neoplastic clone as well as low percentage of Gumprecht's shadows, low apoptotic activity of peripheral blood lymphocytes, and increased percentage of CD38- and ZAP-70 ± cells markedly correlate with the stage of disease progression.

Prevalence of the most frequent BRCA1 mutations in Polish population.

The purpose of our study was to establish the frequency and distribution of the four most common BRCA1 mutations in Polish general population and in a series of breast cancer patients. Analysis of the population frequency of 5382insC (c.5266dupC), 300T >G (p.