Superoxide Dismutase Isoenzymes Gene Expression in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease.

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the most important causes of mortality and morbidity in wide world population. Dyslipidemia, inflammation and oxidative stress may contribute to disruption of endothelium structure and function, atherosclerosis and CAD. Our study was aimed to determine whether Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD) and Mn superoxide dismutase (Mn SOD) gene expression could be modulated by oxidative stress in CAD patients.

Assessment of hypertension chronic care model: Pacic application in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate patients' attitudes towards hypertension treatment according to the chronic care model and to assess the implementation of hypertension clinical guidelines in family medicine. The cross-sectional study was carried out in two randomly selected primary health care centers (Bijeljina and Prijedor), respectively in Bosnia and Herzegovina, covering the period between March and April 2016. This study sample consists of 791 respondents with hypertension purposing to measure specific actions and quality of care for hypertensive patients.

The relationship between causative microorganisms and cardiac lesions caused by infective endocarditis: New perspectives from the contemporary cohort of patients.

Background: The etiology of infective endocarditis (IE) is changing. More aggressive forms with multiple IE cardiac lesions have become more frequent. This study sought to explore the relationship between contemporary causative microorganisms and IE cardiac lesions and to analyze the impact of multiple lesions on treatment choice.

Association of adenylate cyclase-associated protein 1 with coronary artery disease.

Background: Adenylate cyclase-associated protein 1 (CAP1) is a recently identified receptor for human resistin. As resistin has been related to CAD development and progression and CAP1 has never been evaluated in CAD, the aim of this study was to determine its peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) mRNA in patients with CAD, and resistin plasma concentration, PBMCs resistin and CD36 mRNA, considering resistiǹs ability to stimulate CD36 expression in vitro.

Materials And Methods: This case-controlled study included 27 healthy subjects (CG) and 66 patients requiring coronary angiography.

Can non-cholesterol sterols and lipoprotein subclasses distribution predict different patterns of cholesterol metabolism and statin therapy response?

Background: Cholesterol homeostasis disorders may cause dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis progression and coronary artery disease (CAD) development. Evaluation of non-cholesterol sterols (NCSs) as synthesis and absorption markers, and lipoprotein particles quality may indicate the dyslipidemia early development. This study investigates associations of different cholesterol homeostasis patterns with low-density (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL) subclasses distribution in statin-treated and statin-untreated CAD patients, and potential use of aforementioned markers for CAD treatment optimization.

Higher circulating resistin protein and PBMCs resistin mRNA levels are associated with increased prevalence of small dense LDL particles in coronary artery disease patients.

Recent in vitro experiments have indicated that human resistin increases the number of lipoprotein particles secreted by the human hepatocytes and also influences their quality, in terms of generating more proatherogenic lipid particles. The aim of this study is to investigate associations of plasma resistin and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) resistin messenger RNA (mRNA) levels with different prevalence of small, dense low-density lipoprotein particles (sdLDL) in patients with indications for coronary angiography. This study included 65 patients requiring coronary angiography.

Association of Serum Pentraxin-3 and High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein with the Extent of Coronary Stenosis in Patients Undergoing Coronary Angiography.

Background: We compared factors of inflammation - high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and pentraxin-3 (PTX3), and we explored their relationship with coronary artery disease (CAD). Also, we tested the usefulness of hsCRP and PTX3 in the risk assessment of coronary stenosis development and the diagnostic ability of these biomarkers to detect disease severity.

Methods: The study group consisted of 93 CAD patients undergoing coronary angiography.

Circulating resistin protein and mRNA concentrations and clinical severity of coronary artery disease.

Introduction: Previous studies have implicated a strong link between circulating plasma resistin and coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) resistin mRNA and its plasma protein concentrations between the patients with CAD of different clinical severity.

Material And Methods: This study included 33 healthy subjects as the control group (CG) and 77 patients requiring coronary angiography.

Are decreased AdipoR1 mRNA levels associated with adiponectin resistance in coronary artery disease patients?

The aim of the present study was to investigate if circulating adiponectin levels and the expression of AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) are altered in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients, with and without significant stenosis, compared to healthy patients. The present study included 69 patients with presenting symptoms of CAD (26 patients with significant stenosis and 43 patients without significant stenosis). The control group (CG) consisted of 33 healthy patients.

Factor analysis of risk variables associated with iron status in patients with coronary artery disease.

Objectives: Epidemiological evidence concerning the role of iron, a lipid peroxidation catalyst, in atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease (CAD) is inconsistent.

Design And Methods: Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the potential clustering of variables known to be associated with CAD using data from 188 patients with angiographically-approved disease. The resulting factors were then tested for their association with serum ferritin and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) as indicators of body iron status.

Smaller HDL particles are associated with absence of obstructive coronary artery disease in stable angina pectoris patients.

Background: A research on novel cardiovascular risk factors is mainly focused on patients with clinically verified coronary artery disease (CAD), while less is known about their presence in symptomatic patients, but without angiographically proven occlusion of coronary arteries. The aim of this study was to compare plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) size and subclasses in stable angina patients with and without significant obstructive CAD.

Methods: LDL and HDL subclasses were analysed in 100 stable angina patients with ≥50% of obstruction and 40 patients with less than 50% of luminal narrowing, as assessed by coronary angiography.

Two rare conditions in an Eisenmenger patient: left main coronary artery compression and Ortner's syndrome due to pulmonary artery dilatation.

The left-main coronary artery extrinsic compression due to enlarged pulmonary artery has been described in several case series. Ortner's syndrome is also a rare condition in some cardiovascular disorders. There have been no reports about these two rare conditions in the same patient.

Knowledge and occupational exposure to blood and body fluids among health care workers and medical students.

Introduction: Health workers and medical students are at occupational risk of blood-borne diseases during the accidents, that is, via percutaneous injury or entry of blood or body fluids through the mucosa or injured skin.

Objective: to review and analyze the knowledge, attitudes and perception of risks of bloodborne diseases of the clinical course students and health workers as well as the frequency of accidents.

Material And Methods: Cross-sectional study was carried out among the students of the Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade, and health workers of the Clinical Center of Serbia.

[Intramural haematoma and penetrating aortic ulcer--outcome and treatment modalities: report of four cases].

Introduction: Intramural haematoma (IMH) and penetrating aortic ulcers (PAU) are the frequent cause of acute aortic syndrome that is disclosed with a rising frequency due to the development of new diagnostic methods. Different symptoms contribute to clinical misdiagnosis, while changeable locations and unpersuasive diameter can lead the radiologists to underestimate such changes. The outcome of PAU and IMH differs, and for the time being there are no data on prognostic factors.

PON1 status is influenced by oxidative stress and inflammation in coronary heart disease patients.

Objectives: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) associated paraoxonase 1 (PON1) is an essential component of HDLs' capability to protect low-density lipoproteins (LDL) from oxidative modification and thus to limit the atherosclerotic process. The aim of the current study was to investigate the association between oxidative stress status, indices of inflammation and PON1 status parameters.

Design And Methods: We determined the relationship between the oxidative stress status, inflammatory markers and PON1 status parameters in 261 middle-aged subjects: 156 coronary heart disease (CHD) patients and 105 CHD-free subjects (as the control group).

Does simultaneous determination of LDL and HDL particle size improve prediction of coronary artery disease risk?

Background: Alterations in plasma lipoprotein subclass distribution affect the risk for coronary artery disease (CAD). However, it is unclear whether the determination of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) phenotypes may or may not improve the ability to predict CAD development.

Methods: Polyacrylamide gradient (3-31%) gel electrophoresis was used to simultaneously determine size and distribution of lipoprotein subclasses in 181 CAD patients and 178 controls.

Lipid and inflammatory markers for the prediction of coronary artery disease: a multi-marker approach.

Background: Many studies have investigated the clinical accuracy of single lipid and inflammatory markers. In contrast, few have evaluated their potential for the detection of CAD using a multi-marker approach.

Methods: The concentrations of lipid, lipoproteins, apolipoproteins, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and fibrinogen were measured by standard laboratory methods.

Correlation of oxidative stress parameters and inflammatory markers in coronary artery disease patients.

Objectives: In addition to many traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) development, enhanced oxidative stress and inflammation are serious conditions that may also be classified as novel risk factors. In the present study, we assessed the relationship between several parameters of oxidative stress status [malonaldehyde (MDA), superoxide anion (O(2)(-)) and plasma and erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities] with high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and fibrinogen as inflammation markers.

Design And Methods: Oxidative stress status parameters, inflammation markers and lipid status parameters were measured in 385 subjects [188 coronary heart disease (CHD) patients with angiographically diagnosed coronary artery disease (CAD), 141 patients with occlusion >50% in at least one major coronary artery (CAD+) and 47 patients with occlusion less than 50% (CAD-), and 197 CHD-free middle-aged subjects (the control group)].

Paraoxonase-1 (PON1) activity, but not PON1(Q192R) phenotype, is a predictor of coronary artery disease in a middle-aged Serbian population.

Background: Paraoxonase-1 (PON1) is a high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-associated serum enzyme that protects lipoproteins from oxidative modifications. Polymorphisms in the gene, including PON1Q192R, have been studied. However, inconsistencies regarding the above-mentioned polymorphism obscure its association with vascular disease.

Association of C-reactive protein with the presence and extent of angiographically verified coronary artery disease.

Prospective studies have demonstrated that markers of inflammation, such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and fibrinogen, predict future cardiovascular disease risk. However, the association between the hsCRP and fibrinogen levels and the extent of coronary stenosis in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) remains controversial. The aim of our case-control study was to assess the association of inflammatory markers with the occurrence and extent of CAD.

Lack of association between low HDL-cholesterol and elevated circulating cellular adhesion molecules in normolipidemic CAD patients and healthy subjects.

High plasma HDL-cholesterol (HDL-c) is a well-established protective factor in coronary artery disease (CAD). One of its potential protective mechanisms is the inhibition of the cytokine-induced upregulation of expression of cellular adhesion molecules (CAMs). High sCAM levels were found to be associated with low HDL-c in some studies performed mostly in hyperlipidemic subjects, but this association has not yet been investigated in CAD patients.

[Plasma and red blood cell superoxide dismutase activity in patients with different stages of essential hypertension].

It has been suggested that superoxide dismutase (SOD) plays an important role in endothelial dysfunction in essential hypertension (EH), by competing with nitric oxide for superoxide, thus influencing nitric oxide bioavailability. To answer the question of whether endothelial dysfunction is consequence of altered SOD expression we determined SOD activity in patients with different stages of EH. In this study 45 EH patients and 25 normotensive subjects were included.

Time course of erythrocyte antioxidant activity in patients treated by thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction.

The deleterious effects of free radicals in acute myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion are rather well known. However, the possibility that thrombolysis positively affects the recovery of blood antioxidant capacity in the later postinfarction period, and thus contributes to the better overall outcome of these patients, has not yet been investigated. We followed the time course of erythrocyte antioxidant activity in 45 patients with first acute myocardial infarction (AMI), who were treated with streptokinase.

Circulating transforming growth factor-beta1, lipoprotein(a) and cellular adhesion molecules in angiographically assessed coronary artery disease.

Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) is involved in different physiological and pathological processes, including atherogenesis. High plasma lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) concentration is an established independent risk factor that may interfere with the plasmin-mediated TGF-beta1 activation. Both Lp(a) and TGF-beta1 are thought to influence the expression of cellular adhesion molecules (CAMs), also involved in the process of atherogenesis.

[Tuberculous lymphadenitis of the cervical mediastinum].

Tuberculous lymphadenitis is an uncommon form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. We report on a case of isolated Cervicomediastinal tuberculous lymphadenitis without parenhimal involvement. A 49-year old woman was hospitalized with a four week history of night sweats and weight loss.