The association of a panel of biomarkers with the presence and severity of carcinoid heart disease: a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: Metastatic neuroendocrine tumors secrete serotonin and other vasoactive substances that are responsible for carcinoid syndrome and carcinoid heart disease. We sought to evaluate the discriminatory utility of diagnostic biomarkers in determining the presence and severity of carcinoid heart disease in patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Patients And Methods: A cross-sectional study of patients with neuroendocrine tumors with documented liver metastases and/or carcinoid syndrome between April 2009-October 2012 in 5 tertiary referral centers.

Circulating biomarkers in neuroendocrine tumors of the enteropancreatic tract: application to diagnosis, monitoring disease, and as prognostic indicators.

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are difficult to diagnose. Their symptoms may be vague or intermittent, and are frequently associated with much more common diseases; many of the tumors may be asymptomatic. Therefore, diagnosis can be delayed for some years.

Circulating markers for endocrine tumours of the gastroenteropancreatic tract.

The diffuse endocrine system (DES) includes a wide range of secretory cells that may be the source of tumours. Gastroenteropancreatic endocrine (GEP) tumours arising within the DES secrete a variety of peptides and amines that are found in the circulation and are responsible for the syndromes associated with these tumours. In this review, the most common tumours of the GEP tract are outlined and the circulating products of these tumours identified.

Increased tachykinin levels in induced sputum from asthmatic and cough patients with acid reflux.

Background: Acid reflux may aggravate airway disease including asthma and chronic cough. One postulated mechanism concerns a vagally-mediated oesophageal-tracheobronchial reflex with airway sensory nerve activation and tachykinin release.

Aim: To test the hypothesis that patients with airways disease and reflux have higher airway tachykinin levels than those without reflux.

Plasma concentrations of glucagon-like peptide-2 in adult patients with treated and untreated coeliac disease.

Background: Coeliac disease is a common chronic inflammatory enteropathy characterized by villous atrophy and crypt hyperplasia in the small intestine. The mechanism of the intestinal damage in coeliac disease remains unclear. Glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-2 is an enterotrophic peptide that causes crypt hyperplasia and intestinal cell proliferation.

Endobronchial adenosine monophosphate challenge causes tachykinin release in the human airway.

Background: Adenosine 5 monophosphate (AMP) has been shown to cause bronchoconstriction and a sensation of chest tightness when inhaled by asthmatic subjects. This response is attenuated after repeated inhalation of bradykinin, suggesting that AMP may act in part by the release of neuropeptides.

Objective: This study examined neuropeptide release in the human airway after endobronchial AMP challenge.

Soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (sFlt-1) is increased throughout gestation in patients who have preeclampsia develop.

Objective: This study was undertaken to analyze prospectively circulating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its soluble receptor, (s) Flt-1, throughout normotensive and preeclamptic pregnancies and to assess the importance of these proteins in the development of preeclampsia.

Study Design: In this longitudinal cohort study, serum samples were collected from recruited subjects throughout pregnancy at 12, 20, 30, and 37 weeks and in the 24 hours before and after delivery. Subjects were divided retrospectively into normotensive and preeclamptic groups.

Gastrin: an analytical review.

The gastric hormone gastrin is produced in multiple forms that vary in their biological properties. In this analytical review, the strategies available for the assay of different gastrins in plasma are considered. Except for research purposes, it is seldom necessary or even desirable to employ assays that are specific for an individual molecular form of gastrin.