Platelet Count, ADAMTS13 Activity, von Willebrand Factor Level and Survival in Patients with Colorectal Cancer: 5-Year Follow-up Study.

Distant metastasis is a major cause of colorectal cancer-related death, but the mechanism of tumour progression is not fully understood. There is growing evidence of an interaction between tumour cells and platelets which may influence tumour progression and metastasis formation. Quality and quantity of von Willebrand factor may regulate the interaction between tumour cells and platelets.

Circulating mitochondrial stress 70 protein/mortalin and cytosolic Hsp70 in blood: Risk indicators in colorectal cancer.

Mitochondrial mortalin and cytosolic Hsp70 are essential chaperones overexpressed in cancer cells. Our goals were to reproduce our earlier findings of elevated circulating levels of mortalin and Hsp70 in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with a larger patient cohort, to compare death risk assessment of mortalin, Hsp70, CEA and C19-9 and to assess their prognostic value in various CRC stages. Mortalin, Hsp70, CEA and CA19-9 levels were determined in sera of 235 CRC patients enrolled in the study and followed up 5 years after surgery.

Long-Term Survival and Apolipoprotein A1 Level in Chronic Heart Failure: Interaction With Tumor Necrosis Factor α -308 G/A Polymorphism.

Background: Apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1), a major constituent of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), has antiinflammatory and antioxidative properties and plays a prognostic role in chronic heart failure (CHF). Despite increased tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) levels being linked to worse outcome of HF, the results are ambiguous about the association of functionally active 308 promoter polymorphism of the TNFα gene. The aims of our study were to investigate the association of ApoA1 and TNFα levels with mortality and to evaluate potential interaction between these factors and TNFα -308 polymorphism.

Copeptin (C-terminal pro arginine-vasopressin) is an independent long-term prognostic marker in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Background: The level of copeptin, a stable fragment of pro-arginine-vasopressin (AVP), correlates with disease severity. It is an established, short-term prognostic marker for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFREF). We aimed to examine the association between copeptin and long-term mortality.

Association of ficolin-3 with severity and outcome of chronic heart failure.

Background: Inflammatory mechanisms involving complement activation has been shown to take part in the pathophysiology of congestive heart failure, but the initiating mechanisms are unknown. We hypothesized that the main initiator molecules of the lectin complement pathway mannose-binding lectin (MBL), ficolin-2 and ficolin-3 were related to disease severity and outcome in chronic heart failure.

Methods And Results: MBL, ficolin-2 and ficolin-3 plasma concentrations were determined in two consecutive cohorts comprising 190 patients from Hungary and 183 patients from Norway as well as controls.

Elevated extracellular HSP70 (HSPA1A) level as an independent prognostic marker of mortality in patients with heart failure.

Predicting the survival of a patient with heart failure (HF) is a complex problem in clinical practice. Our previous study reported that extracellular HSP70 (HSPA1A) correlates with markers of heart function and disease severity in HF, but the predictive value of HSP70 is unclear. The goal of this study was to analyze extracellular HSP70 as predictive marker of mortality in HF.

Complement anaphylatoxin C3a as a novel independent prognostic marker in heart failure.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate complement activation in a heart failure cohort. Based on their powerful biological activity, we hypothesized that the levels of anaphylatoxin C3a are related to pathological signs and outcomes in heart failure.

Design, Setting And Patients: Complement activation products C3a and SC5b9 were determined in 182 consecutive CHF patients (single centre, prospective cohort study), with a left ventricular ejection fraction <45%.

Serum soluble E-selectin and NT-proBNP levels additively predict mortality in diabetic patients with chronic heart failure.

Background: Neuroendocrine activation with endothelial dysfunction is a key pathophysiological process in chronic heart failure (CHF). Although increased soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin) levels predict adverse events in several forms of cardiovascular disease, there are only scarce data on its predictive value in CHF. The aim of our study was to investigate whether sE-selectin is a useful predictor of mortality in CHF patients and whether its predictive power is additive to that of NT-proBNP.

Red cell distribution width in heart failure: prediction of clinical events and relationship with markers of ineffective erythropoiesis, inflammation, renal function, and nutritional state.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to independently validate the recent observations on the predictive role of red cell distribution width (RDW) for outcomes in chronic heart failure and to provide epidemiologic data on the biological correlates of RDW in heart failure (HF). Understanding the mechanism underlying this observation is unclear, largely hampered by the lack of epidemiologic studies demonstrating factors that are associated with anisocytosis in cardiovascular diseases.

Methods: One hundred ninety-five patients (145 men, 50 women) with systolic HF were enrolled and followed up for a median of 14.

Levels of von Willebrand factor antigen and von Willebrand factor cleaving protease (ADAMTS13) activity predict clinical events in chronic heart failure.

Decreased activity of ADAMTS13, the von Willebrand factor (VWF) cleaving protease, was recently reported in cardiovascular diseases and in hepatic failure. Chronic heart failure (CHF) is characterised by abnormalities of left ventricular function accompanied by the failure of the liver and dysregulation of endothelial activation. Therefore, the aim of our study was to measure ADAMTS13 activity in CHF, and determine the prognostic value of VWF and ADAMTS13 on major clinical events in CHF.

Structural polymorphisms in the mannose-binding lectin gene are associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Objective: To investigate the possible association between polymorphisms of the mannose-binding lectin gene (MBL2) and susceptibility to juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Methods: We performed a case-control association study including 118 Hungarian patients with JIA and 118 sex-matched healthy controls. MBL genotyping for the 3 mutant structural alleles at codons 54 (B), 57 (C), and 52 (D) in exon 1 and the promoter polymorphisms at position -550 (HL) and -221 (YX) were carried out by real-time PCR allelic discrimination.

Association between estrogen receptor alpha gene polymorphisms and early restenosis after eversion carotid endarterectomy and carotid stenting.

Objective: Our aim was to identify the role of PvuII and XbaI polymorphisms of the ESR1 (estrogen receptor alpha) gene in the occurrence of early restenosis after carotid endarterectomy and carotid artery stenting.

Methods: In a non-randomized prospective study we analysed blood samples from 172 patients (105 men) with severe stenosis of the internal carotid artery, using the PCR-RFLP method. Patients were treated either by carotid endarterectomy (n=82) or carotid artery stenting (n=90), and were followed-up by ultrasonography with a median follow-up time of 12 months (7.

Increased plasma von Willebrand factor antigen levels but normal von Willebrand factor cleaving protease (ADAMTS13) activity in preeclampsia.

The activity of ADAMTS13, the von Willebrand factor (VWF) cleaving protease is low in several conditions, including HELLP (haemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count) syndrome. As HELLP syndrome develops in most cases on the basis of preeclampsia, our aim was to determine whether plasma ADAMTS13 activity is decreased in preeclampsia. Sixty-seven preeclamptic patients, 70 healthy pregnant women and 59 healthy non-pregnant women were involved in this case-control study.

Nutritional form for the elderly is a reliable and valid instrument for the determination of undernutrition risk, and it is associated with health-related quality of life.

Undernutrition is a common problem associated with clinical complications such as impaired immune response, reduced muscle strength, impaired wound healing, and susceptibility to infections; therefore, it is an important treatment target to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with chronic diseases and aging. The aim of the present study was to apply a reliable and valid instrument for the determination of undernutrition risk in an in-hospital patient population and to describe possible associations between risk of undernutrition and some aspects of health-related quality of life in patients with chronic diseases. Fifty-six adult patients with different chronic diseases were interviewed with NUFFE questionnaire and the EQ-5D.

Strong complement activation after acute ischemic stroke is associated with unfavorable outcomes.

Objective: According to data from animal models, complement activation plays a major role in the brain injury after acute ischemic stroke. Scarce findings are, however, available on the detection of complement activation products in stroke patients.

Methods: We have measured plasma levels of the five complement activation products (C1rC1sC1inh, C4d, C3a, C5a and SC5b-9) in samples of 26 patients with ischemic stroke upon admission.

Interaction of serum 70-kDa heat shock protein levels and HspA1B (+1267) gene polymorphism with disease severity in patients with chronic heart failure.

Background: Circulating heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) is present in the circulation of healthy individuals and in patients with various disorders, including chronic heart failure (CHF). However, the source and routes of release of Hsp70 is only partially characterised in clinical samples.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to study the clinical and biological correlates of Hsp70 in a CHF population and, for the first time, to investigate the association of HspA1B (also known as Hsp70-2) +1267 alleles with serum Hsp70 levels.

Early complement activation follows eversion carotid endarterectomy and correlates with the time of clamping of the carotid artery.

Background: Complement activation plays an important role in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. The objective of the present study was to detect the presence and mechanism of complement activation in patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy (CEA).

Methods: Complement activation products C1rsC1-inhibitor, C4d, C3a and SC5b-9 and concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured in samples serially taken from 16 patients with eversion CEA and 10 with carotid artery stenting (CAS) in the first 24h post-surgery/intervention.