Circulating monocyte populations as biomarker for abdominal aortic aneurysms: a single-center retrospective cohort study.

Background: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) development is driven by inflammation, in particular myeloid cells, which represent attractive biomarker candidates. Yet to date, the maximum aortic diameter is the only clinically applied predictor of AAA progression and indicator for surgical repair. We postulated that aortic inflammation is reflected in a systemic change of monocyte populations, which we investigated regarding marker potential in AAA diagnosis and prognosis.

Diagnostic Utility of a Combined MPO/D-Dimer Score to Distinguish Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm from Peripheral Artery Disease.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and peripheral artery disease (PAD) share pathophysiological mechanisms including the activation of the fibrinolytic and innate immune system, which explains the analysis of D-dimer and myeloperoxidase (MPO) in both conditions. This study evaluates the diagnostic marker potential of both variables separately and as a combined MPO/D-dimer score for identifying patients with AAA versus healthy individuals or patients with PAD. Plasma levels of MPO and D-dimer were increased in PAD and AAA compared to healthy controls (median for MPO: 13.

Diphtheria fusion protein therapy of chemoresistant malignancies.

Patients with widespread cancer respond initially to combination chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and/or radiotherapy, but most relapse with chemoresistant disease. Novel methods of killing resistant neoplastic stem cells are needed. One such approach is therapy with targeted toxins composed of tumor cell selective ligands covalently linked to group I peptide toxins (group II and III peptide toxins act on the cell surface).