The effect of l-arginine supplementation and surgical trauma on the frequency of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and T lymphocytes in tumour and blood of colorectal cancer patients.

Purpose: l-arginine (L-arg) deficiency causes immunosuppression, but it is unknown if L-arg supplementation in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients restores immune system activity. Our objective was to investigate the effect of L-arg supplementation on the frequency of monocytic (M) and polymorphonuclear (PNM) myeloid-derived suppressor cells (M-MDSCs and PMN-MDSCs, respectively).

Methods: We enrolled 65 CRC patients (34 males, 31 females) aged 69 ​± ​10 years into a prospective, randomised, double-blind study.

Impact of diet and synbiotics on selected gut bacteria and intestinal permeability in individuals with excess body weight - A Prospective, Randomized Study.

Overweight and obese individuals may have leaky intestinal barrier and microbiome dysbiosis. The aim of this study was to determine whether body mass reduction with diet and synbiotics in an adult person with excess body mass has an influence on the gut microbiota and zonulin concentration. The study was a single blinded trial.

Association between different types of plant-based diets and leptin levels in healthy volunteers.

Leptin is an important factor regulating appetite and energety metabolism; disturbances in its signaling are related to adiposity and contribute to the excessive body fat. About a third of the human population is overweight or suffers from obesity, as well as from associated medical conditions. It is well established that vegetarian, especially vegan, diet is very effective in lowering BMI and body fat, thus, plant-based diets are associated with a lower risk of obesity.

Protein-energy wasting and asymmetric dimethylarginine in peritoneal dialysis patients.

Cardiovascular (CVS) morbidity and mortality in the peritoneal dialysis patients (PD) is 10-30-fold higher than in the general population. A relatively low level of adiponectin and a higher level of leptin are important predictors of vascular complications as well as CVS events in PD patients. The asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, is an important risk factor of CVS morbidity and mortality.

Fasting and postprandial acyl and desacyl ghrelin and the acyl/desacyl ratio in obese patients before and after different types of bariatric surgery.

Introduction: The mechanism underlying beneficial outcomes of bariatric surgery still remains unclear. Especially little is known about hormonal and metabolic changes induced by the novel bariatric procedure mini gastric bypass (MGB).

Aim: To evaluate pre- and post-prandial changes in both ghrelin isoforms in obese patients without diabetes and cardiovascular complications treated with MGB, sleeve gastrectomy (SG) or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery.

Iron status and dietary iron intake in vegetarians.

Background: Iron is one of the nutrients that require special consideration in a plant-based diet. The widespread belief is that meat is the best source of iron and a vegetarian diet increases the risk of its deficiency. This conviction has been the subject of analysis in a growing number of scientific reports.

Analysis of Outcomes of the Nutritional Status in Patients Qualified for Aortic Valve Replacement in Comparison to Healthy Elderly.

Severe aortic stenosis (AS) is associated with the reduction of muscle mass and may be associated with deterioration of nutritional status. Furthermore, malnourished cardiac patients are characterized by a higher risk of postoperative complications and mortality. The aim of this study was the evaluation and comparison of nutritional status, appetite and body composition in older people with severe aortic stenosis before aortic valve replacement and healthy elderly volunteers.

Fasting and post-prandial peptide YY levels in obese patients before and after mini versus Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

BACKGROUNDː The mechanisms underlying the metabolic effect of surgical treatment for morbid obesity are still unclear. Furthermore, the hormonal and metabolic response to the promising and less-invasive version of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), i.e.

Aliskiren attenuates oxidative stress and improves tubular status in non-diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease-Placebo controlled, randomized, cross-over study.

Purpose: Pharmacological inhibition of the renin-angiotensin-aldosteron system (RAAS) may have a beneficial impact on proteinuria and chronic kidney diseases (CKD) progression. Despite recent progress by means of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB), there is still no optimal therapy which can stop progression of the nephropathy. Recently introduced aliskiren is the first orally bioavailable direct renin inhibitor approved for the treatment of hypertension.

Evaluation of 12-lipoxygenase (12-LOX) and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) as prognostic markers in prostate cancer.

In carcinoma of prostate, a causative role of platelet 12-lipoxygenase (12-LOX) and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) for tumor progression has been firmly established in tumor and/or adjacent tissue. Our goal was to investigate if 12-LOX and/or PAI-1 in patient's plasma could be used to predict outcome of the disease. The study comprised 149 patients (age 70±9) divided into two groups: a study group with carcinoma confirmed by positive biopsy of prostate (n=116) and a reference group (n=33) with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

The concentration of 12-lipoxygenase in platelet rich plasma as an indication of cancer of the prostate.

Aim Of The Study: The aim of this study was to determine whether measuring concentrations of 12-LOX in platelet-rich plasma patients can:Differentiate between the group of patients with prostate cancer and healthy men.Correlate the degree of severity of the disease and the concentration of the enzyme.

Material And Methods: The study group comprised 88 men (40-88 years), including 54 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer.

L-carnitine and cancer cachexia. I. L-carnitine distribution and metabolic disorders in cancer cachexia.

Cancer cachexia (CC), a progressive loss of body mass, is associated with decreased energy production. Abnormally low levels of L-carnitine (LC) in skeletal muscle means that mitochondrial β-oxidation of long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) does not occur efficiently in patients with CC. We assessed the influence of CC on LC distribution and the effects of parenteral lipid emulsions on plasma LC levels and urinary excretion.

Aliskiren and perindopril reduce the levels of transforming growth factor-β in patients with non-diabetic kidney disease.

Background: It is highly likely that the rise in plasma prorenin and plasma renin during renin inhibitor treatment is induced at least as much by the fall in blood pressure (BP) as it is by the negative feedback of angiotensin II. This could potentially be harmful because high levels of renin and prorenin may stimulate the (pro)renin receptor, thus inducing profibrotic effects. To further understand this relationship, the influence of aliskiren on the urinary excretion of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and procollagen III N-terminal propeptide (PIIINP) was evaluated in patients with nondiabetic kidney diseases.

Influence of megestrol acetate on nutrition, inflammation and quality of life in dialysis patients.

Aim: Malnutrition is a common clinical problem in dialysis patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of megestrol acetate in malnourished dialysis patients. Thirty-two hypoalbuminemic dialysis patients took 160 mg of megestrol acetate daily for up to 6 months.

Ischemia-modified albumin as a biochemical marker in children with neuroblastoma and soft tissue sarcomas.

In this study, the levels of ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) in pediatric oncology patients with soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) and neuroblastoma (NB) were analyzed. To date, there have been no studies concerning IMA in these groups of patients. Ninety-nine children with STSs and NB were analyzed from 2006 to 2009, and 30 healthy children were also enrolled in the study.

The antioxidant status and response to therapy in children with soft tissue sarcomas and neuroblastoma.

Background: Antioxidant systems in cells maintain the proper homeostasis of reactive oxygen species, which at high concentrations can induce carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of ischemia-modified albumin (IMA), erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) as markers for prognosis in children with neuroblastoma (NB) and soft tissue sarcomas (STS), two cancer types for which reliable prognostic factors are needed.

Procedure: SOD, GSH-Px, and IMA were measured before and during responses to therapy assessment in 99 children with NB and STS and in 30 healthy controls.

Adipokines, endothelial dysfunction and nutritional status in peritoneal dialysis patients.

Objective: Adipokines such as leptin and adiponectin are adipocyte-specific secretory proteins that play important roles in the metabolic regulation of body weight, insulin resistance and cardiovascular complications. The relationship between the malnutrition-inflammation complex syndrome and high levels of some adipokines in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients is still unclear. An association between high body mass index (BMI) and improved survival in PD patients has also been proposed.

Neutrophil engagement and septic challenge in acute experimental pancreatitis in rats.

Aim: To investigate the influence of neutrophil adhesion molecule blockade with monoclonal antibody (MoAb CD11b) and E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration on experimental acute pancreatitis (AP).

Methods: AP was induced by four ip injections of cerulein (Cn) at 1-h intervals.