Epicardial adipose tissue and idiopathic deep venous thrombosis: an association study.

Objective: Epicardial fat (EpiF) reflects abdominal visceral adiposity and visceral fat plays an important role in the development of an unfavorable metabolic and atherosclerosis risk profile. An increased cardiovascular risk has been evidenced in patients with deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Advancing age is characterized by alterations of body fat mass and function In this study we studied the association between EpiF, DVT, age, obesity and other atherosclerosis risk factors.

Concomitant evaluation of flow-mediated vasodilation and epicardial fat thickness in idiopathic deep venous thrombosis.

Flow mediated vasodilation (FMD) evaluates the endothelium-dependent vasodilation, is a reliable marker of arterial endothelial dysfunction and is related to coronary artery disease. Visceral fat predicts an unfavorable cardiovascular and metabolic risk profile in humans and echocardiographic assessment of epicardial fat (EF) is a reliable marker of visceral adiposity. We measured the FMD and EF thickness in 77 subjects, 38 without idiopathic deep vein thrombosis (DVT) (mean age 65.

Altered expression of the clock gene machinery in kidney cancer patients.

Background And Aim: Kidney cancer is associated with alteration in the pathways regulated by von Hippel-Lindau protein and hypoxia inducible factor α. Tight interrelationships have been evidenced between hypoxia response pathways and circadian pathways. The dysregulation of the circadian clock circuitry is involved in carcinogenesis.

Clock genes and clock-controlled genes in the regulation of metabolic rhythms.

Daily rotation of the Earth on its axis and yearly revolution around the Sun impose to living organisms adaptation to nyctohemeral and seasonal periodicity. Terrestrial life forms have developed endogenous molecular circadian clocks to synchronize their behavioral, biological, and metabolic rhythms to environmental cues, with the aim to perform at their best over a 24-h span. The coordinated circadian regulation of sleep/wake, rest/activity, fasting/feeding, and catabolic/anabolic cycles is crucial for optimal health.

Time-related dynamics of variation in core clock gene expression levels in tissues relevant to the immune system.

Immune parameters show rhythmic changes with a 24-h periodicity driven by an internal circadian timing system that relies on clock genes (CGs). CGs form interlocked transcription-translation feedback loops to generate and maintain 24-h mRNA and protein oscillations. In this study we evaluate and compare the profiles and the dynamics of variation of CG expression in peripheral blood, and two lymphoid tissues of mice.

Arterial endothelial dysfunction and idiopathic deep venous thrombosis.

Recent epidemiological studies have highlighted higher risk of subsequent development of atherosclerotic disease in patients with deep venous thrombosis (DVT). We evaluated the Flow Mediated Dilation (FMD) looking for arterial endothelial dysfunction, predictive for future ischaemic cardiovascular events, in patients with idiopathic DVT. FMD was measured in the brachial artery in 60 subjects with idiopathic DVT (age 60.

Alteration of circadian rhythmicity of CD3+CD4+ lymphocyte subpopulation in healthy aging.

The CD4+ T helper/inducer and the CD8+ T suppressor/cytotoxic are major lymphocyte subsets that play a key role in cell-mediated immunity. Aging-related changes of immune function have been demonstrated. The purpose of this study is to analyze the dynamics of variation of these specific lymphocyte subsets in the elderly.

A timetable of 24-hour patterns for human lymphocyte subpopulations.

Specific lymphocyte cell surface molecules involved in antigen recognition and cell activation present different circadian patterns, with peaks and troughs reflecting a specific time-related compartment of immune cell function. In order to study the dynamics of variation in expression of cytotoxic lymphocyte cell surface molecules that trigger immune responses, several lymphocyte cell surface clusters of differentiation (CD) and antigen receptors, analyses were performed on blood samples collected every 4 h for 24 h from eleven clinically-healthy men. Assays for serum melatonin (peaking at night) and cortisol (peaking near awakening) confirmed 24-h synchronization of the subjects to the light-dark schedule.

Chronodisruption in lung cancer and possible therapeutic approaches.

A customary temporal organization of physiological functions and biological processes is necessary to maintain body homeostasis and an altered body time structure may favour carcinogenesis. There is growing evidence that GH stimulates cancer growth, IGF1 may have a role in carcinogenesis and cancer promotion, GH-IGF1 axis, TRH, TSH, thyroxine, melatonin and cortisol modulate immune cell function and the immune system is often dysfunctional in patients with malignancies. The aim of our study was to evaluate GH-IGF1 axis, hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis, melatonin, cortisol, lymphocyte subsets and IL2 in lung cancer patients.

Comparison of circadian characteristics for cytotoxic lymphocyte subsets in non-small cell lung cancer patients versus controls.

Lymphocyte subsets are major cellular components of the adaptive immune response and in most cases show 24-h (circadian) variations in health. In order to determine overall levels and circadian characteristics of cytotoxic natural killer (NK) and T and B lymphocyte subsets, blood samples were collected every 4 h for 24 h from eleven male controls (C) without neoplastic disease and nine men with untreated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and analyzed for 3 hormones (melatonin, cortisol, and interleukin 2 [IL2]) and for 11 lymphocyte subpopulations classified by cell surface clusters of differentiation (CD) and antigen receptors. Circadian rhythmicity for each variable was evaluated by ANOVA and 24 h cosine fitting and groups compared.

Alteration of hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis function in non-small-cell lung cancer patients.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis function in patients suffering from lung cancer. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), interleukin (IL)-2, and melatonin serum levels were measured in blood samples collected every 4 hours for 24 hours from 11 healthy participants (H; ages 35-53 years) and 9 patients suffering from non-small-cell lung cancer (C; ages 43-63 years). Relationships between hormone levels overall and over time of day were evaluated within and among groups.

Circadian aspects of growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor axis function in patients with lung cancer.

Background And Purpose: Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) promotes cell cycle progression and inhibition of apoptosis and may have a role in carcinogenesis and cancer promotion. Growth hormone (GH) stimulates IGF1 production in liver and other tissues. The aim of our study was to evaluate differences between healthy subjects and patients with lung cancer in the GH-IGF1 axis function.

Idiopathic deep venous thrombosis and arterial endothelial dysfunction in the elderly.

Arterial and venous thrombosis have always been regarded as different pathologies and epidemiological studies have examined the association between venous thrombosis and indicators of atherosclerosis and/or arterial thromboembolic events. We measured the flow-mediated dilation (FMD), a well-known marker of arterial endothelial dysfunction, in young-middle-aged and old-aged patients with and without unprovoked deep venous thrombosis (DVT). The aim of this study was to investigate whether DVT was a significant predictor for impaired FMD, considering all the patients and young-middle-aged (age < 65 years) and old-aged (age ≥ 65 years) patients separately.

Change of γδTCR-expressing T cells in healthy aging.

A mature T-cell lineage with the capacity to proliferate in response to receptor-mediated signals and to display non-major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-restricted cytolysis expresses a CD3-associated heterodimer made up of the protein encoded by the T-cell receptor (TCR) gamma-gene. We investigated the possible differences in lymphocyte subpopulations between healthy young-middle-aged and elderly subjects, focusing attention on γδ-TCR-expressing cells. The study was carried out on fifteen healthy young-middle-aged male subjects (age range 36-55 years) and fifteen healthy elderly male subjects (age range 67-79 years).

Stage dependent destructuration of neuro-endocrine-immune system components in lung cancer patients.

Background: Close relationships among the nervous, endocrine and immune system components maintain body homeostasis. Alteration of time-related prophile of variation of system components and loss of integrated function may favour the developing of cancer and may be aggravated in the presence of neoplastic disease. The aim of our study was to evaluate the prophiles of time-related variation of neuro-endocrine-immune system components in lung cancer patients.

Hypothalamus-hypophysis-thyroid axis function in healthy aging.

There is an increased frequency of dysthyroidism in elderly people. We investigated whether there are differences among healthy young middle-aged and elderly people in the 24 hour secretory profiles of TRH, TSH and free thyroxine. The study was carried out on fifteen healthy young, middle-aged subjects (range 36-55 years, mean age±s.

WITHDRAWN: Neuroendocrine axes function in healthy aging: Evaluation of predictive and manipulable blood serum indexes.

The Publisher regrets that this article is an accidental duplication of an article that has already been published, http://dx.doi.org/10.

Anti-tumor necrosis factor-α therapy and changes of flow-mediated vasodilatation in psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis patients.

For a long time, the endothelial covering of the vessels has been considered an inert surface. On the contrary, the endothelial cells are active and dynamic elements in the interaction between blood and tissues. The control of the vessel basal tone is obtained by the complex balance between the relaxing and contracting endothelial factors.

A possible mechanism for altered immune response in the elderly.

Background: Reciprocal influences and bidirectional connections among the nervous, endocrine and immune systems, mediated by shared neuroendocrine hormones, chemo/cytokines and binding sites contribute to the maintainment of body homeostasis. The hypothalamus-pituitary axis may play an immunomodulating role and influence cellular immune responses by releasing various hormones and neuropeptides into the blood with direct modulatory action on the immune effectors, or by regulating the hormonal secretion of peripheral endocrine glands. Aging is associated with changes in immune function.

Neuroendocrine-immune interactions in healthy aging.

Aim: The nervous, endocrine and immune systems are connected by shared neurotransmitters, hormones and cytokines. The function of these systems shows patterns of circadian rhythmicity and a number of age-related changes in the 24-h hormonal and non-hormonal rhythms have been found in older human beings. The aim of this study was to evaluate integration among the nervous, endocrine and immune systems in the elderly.

Aging related changes of circadian rhythmicity of cytotoxic lymphocyte subpopulations.

Background: Immunosenescence is a process that affects all cell compartments of the immune system and the contribution of the immune system to healthy aging and longevity is still an open question. Lymphocyte subpopulations present different patterns of circadian variation and in the elderly alteration of circadian rhythmicity has been evidenced. The aim of our study was to analyze the dynamics of variation of specific cytotoxic lymphocyte subsets in old aged subjects.

Circadian variations of cortisol, melatonin and lymphocyte subpopulations in geriatric age.

A number of age-related changes in the 24-hour hormonal and non-hormonal rhythms have been found in older human beings. Lymphocyte subpopulations present circadian variation of some of their subsets and this variation may influence magnitude and expression of the immune responses. Numerous interactions exist among the nervous, endocrine and immune systems, mediated by neurotransmitters, hormones and cytokines.