Coagulation in familial hypercholesterolemic patients: effect of current hypolipidemic treatment and anticoagulants.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a relatively rare genetic disease associated with high serum cholesterol levels but also with abnormalities in blood coagulation. Novel pharmacotherapeutic approaches in FH including proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 antibodies (PCSK9Ab) are very efficient in decreasing cholesterol levels but their impact on coagulation in FH is not yet established. Therefore, we hypothesized that these novel antidyslipidemic drugs can positively impact blood coagulation due to their more potent effect on cholesterol.

Correlations among different platelet aggregation pathways in a group of healthy volunteers.

Platelet aggregation is a complicated process mediated by different signaling pathways. As the process is highly complex and apparently redundant, the relationships between these pathways are not yet fully known. The aim of this project was to study the interconnections among seven different aggregation pathways in a group of 53 generally healthy volunteers aged 20 to 66 years.

Evaluation of inflammatory biomarkers and vitamins in hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and post-COVID syndrome.

Objectives: Concentrations of neopterin, kynurenine and kynurenine/tryptophan ratios predict prognosis and the need for oxygen therapy in patients hospitalized for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the changes of these biomarkers early in the course of infection, the association with the prior coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination and therapeutic administration of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies, investigation of other potential biomarkers including neuropilin, 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine and 8-hydroxyguanosine in patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infection and an assessment of these biomarkers and vitamins A, E and D in patients with post-COVID syndrome.

Methods: Urine and blood samples were obtained on the 1st to the 4th day and 4th to 7th day from 108 patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

Lymphocyte subpopulations: a potential predictor of a response in patients with immune thrombocytopenia.

Objectives: Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune bleeding disorder caused by increased platelet destruction and altered production. Despite the well-described pathophysiological background of immune dysregulation, current treatment guidelines consist of monotherapy with different drugs, with no tool to predict which patient is more suitable for each therapeutic modality.

Methods: In our study, we attempted to determine differences in the immune setting, comparing the patients' responses to administered therapy.

Longevity and other practical benefits of monolithic silica columns in the analysis of samples with complex matrices.

At the turn of the millennium, the monolithic columns invoked new chances in HPLC. Even more than their organic polymer-based siblings, the inorganic silica-based monoliths targeted the territory of classical fully porous particle-packed columns, promising many benefits. Based on the number of published articles, the monoliths attracted academics just in the first few years after their introduction to the market.

Neopterin and kynurenine in serum and urine as prognostic biomarkers in hospitalized patients with delta and omicron variant SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Objectives: Currently, no biomarker or scoring system could clearly identify patients at risk of progression to a severe coronavirus disease (COVID)-19. Even in patients with known risk factors, the fulminant course cannot be predicted with certainty. Analysis of commonly determined clinical parameters (frailty score, age, or body mass index) together with routine biomarkers of host response (C-reactive protein and viral nucleocapsid protein) in combination with new biomarkers neopterin, kynurenine, and tryptophan, could aid in predicting the patient outcome.

Effective, convenient, and green sample preparation for the determination of retinol and retinol acetate in human serum using pipette tip microextraction.

An efficient sample preparation based on pipette tip microextraction that can be used for the analysis of retinol in human serum has been developed. Altogether, nine commercial pipette tips were compared based on recovery, sample volume, use of organic solvent, handling difficulty, duration of the preparation process, price, and greenness of the method. Retinol acetate was used as the internal standard.

Analysis of terbinafine in PLGA-based drug delivery systems by a fast and sensitive UHPLC-DAD method.

A novel ultra-high performance chromatography method with multichannel detection that allows fast, sensitive, and robust analysis of an antifungal drug terbinafine and its three main impurities β-terbinafine, ()-terbinafine, and 4-methylterbinafine in just 5.0 min has been developed. Analysis of terbinafine is important in pharmaceutical analysis since it enables the detection of its impurities at very low concentrations.

The Impact of Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 Monoclonal Antibodies with and without Apheresis on Platelet Aggregation in Familial Hypercholesterolemia.

Background And Aims: It is well known that elevated cholesterol is associated with enhanced platelet aggregation and patients suffering from familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) have a high risk of thrombotic cardiovascular events. Although decreasing cholesterol level is associated with attenuation of platelet hyperactivity, there are currently no data on the effect of convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 monoclonal antibodies (PCSK9ab) on platelet reactivity in FH. The aim of the study was to analyse the impact of different therapies including PCSK9ab on platelet aggregation in FH.

The Effect of 4-Methylcatechol on Platelets in Familial Hypercholesterolemic Patients Treated with Lipid Apheresis and/or Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin Kexin 9 Monoclonal Antibodies.

Elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels lead to atherosclerosis and platelet hyperaggregability, both of which are known culprits of arterial thrombosis. Normalization of LDL cholesterol in familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is not an easy task and frequently requires specific treatment, such as regularly performed lipid apheresis and/or novel drugs such as proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9 monoclonal antibodies (PCSK9Ab). Moreover, a high resistance rate to the first-line antiplatelet drug acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) stimulated research of novel antiplatelet drugs.

Biomarkers of Inflammation and Progression During Immunotherapy in Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Background/aim: Biomarkers that would identify patients unlikely to respond to immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) remain an unmet medical need.

Patients And Methods: In the present study, we have retrospectively evaluated the association between biomarkers of immune activation and outcome in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients treated with ICIs. The laboratory and clinical data of 79 consecutive patients with histologically confirmed mRCC treated with ICI-based immunotherapy have been analyzed.

Neopterin Levels in Periodontitis and after Nonsurgical Periodontal Therapy: Evaluation of Gingival Crevicular Fluid, Oral Fluid, Serum and Urinary Samples-A Case-Control Study.

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to the destruction of the tooth-supporting tissues with complex immune response. Neopterin (Np), secreted via activated macrophages, is considered a biomarker of cellular immunity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of periodontitis and nonsurgical periodontal therapy.

The Antiplatelet Effect of 4-Methylcatechol in a Real Population Sample and Determination of the Mechanism of Action.

A polyphenol-rich diet has beneficial effects on cardiovascular health. However, dietary polyphenols generally have low bioavailability and reach low plasma concentrations. Small phenolic metabolites of these compounds formed by human microbiota are much more easily absorbable and could be responsible for this effect.

Sex-Related Differences in Platelet Aggregation: A Literature Review Supplemented with Local Data from a Group of Generally Healthy Individuals.

The process of platelet aggregation is often influenced by several factors including sex and age. A literature review confirmed the existence of sex-related differences in platelet aggregation. Although 68 out of 78 papers found such differences, there are still some controversies regarding these differences, which can be due to multiple factors (age, trigger, concomitant disease, sample handling, etc.

Biological Properties of Vitamins of the B-Complex, Part 1: Vitamins B, B, B, and B.

This review summarizes the current knowledge on essential vitamins B, B, B, and B. These B-complex vitamins must be taken from diet, with the exception of vitamin B, that can also be synthetized from amino acid tryptophan. All of these vitamins are water soluble, which determines their main properties, namely: they are partly lost when food is washed or boiled since they migrate to the water; the requirement of membrane transporters for their permeation into the cells; and their safety since any excess is rapidly eliminated via the kidney.

Liquid chromatography method with tandem mass spectrometry and fluorescence detection for determination of inflammatory biomarkers in gingival crevicular fluid as a tool for diagnosis of periodontal disease.

The new ultra-high performance liquid chromatography method with tandem mass spectrometry and fluorescence detection allowing fast, selective, and high-throughput analysis of neopterin, kynurenine, tryptophan, and creatinine in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) has been optimized. Defining the pathophysiology of periodontal disease and identification of potential diagnostic test for active periodontitis remains a significant challenge in the field of oral disease diagnosis. Analysis of GCF provides a non-invasive means of evaluating the role of the host response in periodontal disease.

Mitochondrial Respiration of Platelets: Comparison of Isolation Methods.

Multiple non-aggregatory functions of human platelets (PLT) are widely acknowledged, yet their functional examination is limited mainly due to a lack of standardized isolation and analytic methods. Platelet apheresis (PA) is an established clinical method for PLT isolation aiming at the treatment of bleeding diathesis in severe thrombocytopenia. On the other hand, density gradient centrifugation (DC) is an isolation method applied in research for the analysis of the mitochondrial metabolic profile of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in PLT obtained from small samples of human blood.

Can early postoperative parenteral nutrition have some impact on postoperative inflammatory response intensity?

Background And Aims: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is currently the modern perioperative method of care for improvement of post-surgery patient condition and for minimising various postoperative complications. A question of some negative impact of early postoperative parenteral nutrition on postoperative inflammatory response intensity has not clear-cut answer yet. This pilot project was focused on the possible influence of early parenteral nutrition on the intensity of inflammatory postoperative response to operating trauma in surgical patients.

Vitamin K - sources, physiological role, kinetics, deficiency, detection, therapeutic use, and toxicity.

Vitamin K is traditionally connected with blood coagulation, since it is needed for the posttranslational modification of 7 proteins involved in this cascade. However, it is also involved in the maturation of another 11 or 12 proteins that play different roles, encompassing in particular the modulation of the calcification of connective tissues. Since this process is physiologically needed in bones, but is pathological in arteries, a great deal of research has been devoted to finding a possible link between vitamin K and the prevention of osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases.

Chromatographic method for the determination of inflammatory biomarkers and uric acid in human saliva.

Determination of concentration of biomarkers of the activation of immune system, uric acid, and creatinine in the saliva can be useful tool for the diagnosis and monitoring of early manifestations of diseases such as malignant, inflammatory, and periodontal disorders. We have developed and validated a high-performance liquid chromatographic method coupled with fluorescence and diode array detection for the separation and quantification of neopterin, tryptophan, creatinine, uric acid, and kynurenine in the human saliva. A separation of these analytes was achieved within 9 min by using second-generation monolithic stationary phase and elution with phosphate buffer.

Vitamin A Update: Forms, Sources, Kinetics, Detection, Function, Deficiency, Therapeutic Use and Toxicity.

Vitamin A is a group of vital micronutrients widely present in the human diet. Animal-based products are a rich source of the retinyl ester form of the vitamin, while vegetables and fruits contain carotenoids, most of which are provitamin A. Vitamin A plays a key role in the correct functioning of multiple physiological functions.