Association between Nfr2, HO-1, NF-kB Expression, Plasma ADMA, and Oxidative Stress in Metabolic Syndrome.

Endothelial dysfunction is one of the major factors in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome (MetS), and its molecular mechanisms are not completely understood. The present study aimed to examine the connection between nuclear factor2-related factor2 (Nrf2), nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), and plasma asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in people with MetS. Participants in the study were as follows: with MetS ( = 30) and without MetS (Control) ( = 14).

Circulating sRANKL, Periostin, and Osteopontin as Biomarkers for the Assessment of Activated Osteoclastogenesis in Myeloma Related Bone Disease.

The hallmark of multiple myeloma is myeloma related bone disease. Interactions between myeloma plasma cells (MPCs), stromal cells, and the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment play a critical role in the pathogenesis of MBD. Bone remodeling is severely dysregulated with the prevalence of osteoclast activity.

Dynamics of Bone Disease Biomarkers Dickkopf-1 and Sclerostin in Patients with Multiple Myeloma.

Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) and sclerostin are essential Wnt/β-catenin pathway inhibitors, playing an important role in multiple myeloma bone disease (MBD). We aimed to examine the serum DKK-1 and sclerostin variations in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients at diagnosis and in the course of therapy, including autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). This study included 41 NDMM-patients and 33 controls.

Vitamin D Status in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and Heart Failure - Is there a Link?

Background: The disturbed pleiotropic functions of vitamin D are related to numerous chronic non-skeletal diseases. The role of vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency in cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is controversial. Therefore, the aim was to study the vitamin D status in CVD patients and to reveal possible relationships with CVD risk factors.

Adenosine Deaminase as a Useful Biomarker for Diagnosis and Monitoring of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a multifactorial immunologically mediated disorder characterized by repeated cycles of exacerbations and remissions. Diagnosis and monitoring of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) as common types of IBD require the usage of unpleasant invasive methods such as colonoscopy and cross-sectional imaging. Development of a non-invasive biomarker panel including different inflammatory parameters for evaluation of various aspects of gut inflammation and disease course is a priority task.

Circulating uncarboxylated matrix Gla protein in patients with atrial fibrillation or heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Context: Circulating uncarboxylated matrix Gla protein (ucMGP) is possibly related to coronary arterial calcification (CAC) in cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the relationships between circulating ucMGP, CVD pathology and CAC and its interplay with CVD risk factors.

Materials And Methods: ucMGP was measured in 99 CVD-patients.

Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels in Bulgarian patients with prostate cancer: a pilot study.

Background: The antiproliferative effect of the active form of vitamin D on cancer cells and its ability to induce cell differentiation and suppression of tumor-induced angiogenesis in the last decade has provoked enormous research for the elucidation of its role in the prevention of different types of cancer and in slowing down the malignancy progression. The aim of the present pilot study was to determine the circulating 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD) levels in Bulgarian prostate cancer (PCa) patients and to investigate their relationship with various determinants associated with the severity and progression of the disease.

Methods: A total of 53 male patients (mean age 67.

Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in Bulgarian patients with chronic hepatitis C viral infection.

Aims: The present pilot study aimed to determine vitamin D status in Bulgarian patients with chronic HCV infection in respect to the severity of liver disease and response to interferon-ribavirin therapy.

Methods: The study encompassed 296 patients: 161 males (54.4%) aged 42.

Correlation between the in vitro antioxidant activity and polyphenol content of aqueous extracts from Bulgarian herbs.

The water phase antioxidant activity of extracts from 23 Bulgarian medicinal plants was studied in relation to their polyphenol content in comparison with mate, black tea, honeybush and rooibos foreign species. Antioxidant activity was measured by the ABTS (2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) cation radical decolorization assay, and the total polyphenol content was assayed according to the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Five Bulgarian plant extracts exhibited higher antioxidant activity than that of mate, which is 21.