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Journal Article 2012; 33(5): 559-564 PubMed PMID: 23090276 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Asthma:blood, Biomarkers:blood, Body Mass Index, Child, Female, Humans, Hypersensitivity:blood, Male, Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase:blood, Obesity:blood, Severity of Illness Index,.   

OBJECTIVES: Very little is known about the role of adipokines in atopic asthma in children. Studies about the potential role of novel proinflammatory adiopcytokine - visfatin are lacking.

DESIGN AND SETTING: In this cross-sectional study serum visfatin (VISF) levels were measured in 89 asthmatic out-patients (61 boys and 28 girls aged 7.0-17.0 years) and in 33 healthy children.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Among examined asthmatics 59 (19 girls and 40 boys) had normal weight and 30 (9 girls and 21 boys) were obese. Serum VISF was evaluated using standard ELISA tests and the results were analysed in relation to body weight, asthma severity, and gender were analysed.

RESULTS: The mean serum levels of visfatin were significantly (p<0.001) lower both in obese (2.13±0.07npg/ml) and non-obese asthmatic children (2.05±0.06 npg/ml) than in healthy children (2.57±0.07 pg/ml) regardless of gender. After stratifying by gender, there was a significant decrease (p<0.001) in visfatin levels in obese asthmatic girls (2.30±0.08 ng/ml) and asthmatic girls with normal weight girls (2.21±0,09 ng/ml) compared with girls from control group (2.69 ±0.06 ng/ml). In obese asthmatic boys and non-obese asthmatic boys also significantly lower (p<0.01) mean values of visfatin (2.03±0.06 ng/ml and 1.9±0.06 pg/ml respectively) were observed than in control boys (2.391±0.09 ng/ml). No relationships between examined adipokine levels and asthma severity, spirometric parameters, degree of allergic sensitization, BMI, were observed.

CONCLUSION: Visfatin is not potential biomarker in atopic asthma in children and further studies evaluating the possible role of this proinflammatory adipokine in childhood atopic asthma pathogenesis are needed....

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Case Reports 2011; 32(2): 154-157 PubMed PMID: 21552196 Citation  Keywords:  Alkaline Phosphatase:metabolism, Biomarkers:metabolism, Female, GPI-Linked Proteins:metabolism, Humans, Infant, Low Birth Weight, Infant, Newborn, Isoenzymes:metabolism, Placenta:enzymology, Placental Insufficiency:blood, Predictive Value of Tests, Pregna.   

OBJECTIVE: Clinical case of extremely elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzyme detected in the 3rd trimester of gestation, the diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, delivery and puerperium are presented. The paper also offers a review of the currently available bibliographical data of the issue.

METHODS AND RESULTS: The case presents a 23-year-old secundipara with clinical problems in her 3rd trimester, namely a generalized pruritus. The gestation had signs of asymmetrical fetal hypotrophy induced by placental insufficiency. Laboratory tests showed elevated (as much as a 10.5-fold increase) values of alkaline phosphatase enzyme, 94.05% of which was placental isoenzyme. The patient also had clinical symptoms of a preterm delivery. The spontaneous delivery occurred in 36 week of gestation. The postpuerperium values of alkaline phosphatase returned to normal.

CONCLUSION: The authors point out the potential relationship between elevated placental isoenzyme of alkaline phosphatase levels and placental insufficiency and the onset of a preterm delivery....

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Journal Article 2011; 32(2): 127-132 PubMed PMID: 21552192 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Alkaline Phosphatase:blood, Bone Density Conservation Agents:therapeutic use, Calcitonin:therapeutic use, Diphosphonates:therapeutic use, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Osteitis Deformans:blood, Pain:blood, Retrospectiv.   

: The authors addressed the role and the management of pain in Paget's disease by a retrospective study. The objectives were: to assess the presence of pain in Paget's disease; to look for a relationship between pain and the levels of total alkaline phosphatase (total ALP); to verify if the most commonly used drugs in Paget's disease, calcitonin and bisphosphonates, were able to reduce the pain and the levels of total ALP. The study analyzed 107 Italian patients with Paget's disease who were hospitalized at the same Institute between 1970 and 2010; all patients affected by severe arthritis were excluded. From the analysis of the clinical records it emerged that as many as 85% of patients had pain and that total ALP was also increased in most of the patients with pain in comparison with patients without pain. The clinical and metabolic effects of different therapies were then assessed: many patients had not received any specific therapy (58%), others had been treated with calcitonin (25%) and others with bisphosphonates (17%). In fact, the patients treated with bisphosphonates had significantly lower levels both of pain and total ALP. The authors hypothesize that the pain in Paget's disease has a primary origin and is correlated to the degree of bone metabolic hyperactivity. Finally, treatment with bisphosphonates appeared to be the most appropriate treatment, having been able to control both the pain and the metabolic hyperactivity....

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Journal Article 2011; 32(1): 59-63 PubMed PMID: 21407159 Citation  Keywords:  Biopsy, Fine-Needle, Carcinoma, Female, Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic, Humans, Male, Neoplasm Staging, Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases:genetics, RNA, Messenger:metabolism, Thyroid Neoplasms:genetics,.   

INTRODUCTION: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common malignant tumor of the thyroid gland. The pathogenesis of PTC remains still mostly enigmatic, although PI3K/PTEN/AKT pathway has been proposed to play a role in development of PTC. Moreover, the significance of genetic analysis in the material from fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) in PTC patients has recently been demonstrated. Hereby, we present a study analyzing expression of PIK3CA in FNAB washouts of PTC and a comparison of the level of that expression with respective expression in postoperative PTC tissue. Furthermore, we have assessed correlation between tumor size, evaluated according to pTNM scale, and level of PIK3CA gene expression in postoperative PTC tissue.

METHODS: Total RNA was extracted by use of an RNeasy Micro Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) in FNAB material, and RNeasy Midi Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) in tissue material. The purity of total RNA was assessed by NanoDrop® ND-100 spectrophotometr. One hundred nanograms of total RNA were used in the first strand cDNA synthesis with TaqMan® Reverse Transcripton Reagents (Applied Biosystems, Branchburg, New Jersey, USA). The gene expression level of PIK3CA was analyzed by real-time PCR in the ABI PRISM ®7500 Sequence Detection System in the 21 (17 women, 4 men) FNAB and 20 (16 women, 4 men) postsurgical specimens of PTC. pTNM staging of PTC was assessed based on UICC classification.

RESULTS: Overexpression of PIK3CA was confirmed in FNAB washout specimens and in postoperative tissues of PTC, in comparison to macroscopically unchanged thyroid tissue. Furthermore, statistically significant differences in PIK3CA gene expression levels between both examined groups were not confirmed. Moreover, correlation between pTNM staging and level of PIK3CA gene expression in PTC samples was not found.

CONCLUSION: The genetic analysis of overexpression of PIK3CA in FNAB washout specimens may be equivalent of postsurgical PTC tissue. A possibility of its future clinical application in FNAB specimens - adequate or undetermined for cytological analysis - awaits for evaluation. The level of expression of PIK3CA is independent of primary thyroid tumour size, evaluated according pTNM scale....

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Journal Article 2010; 31(Suppl 2): 84-90 PubMed PMID: 21187824 Citation  Keywords:  Antioxidants:pharmacology, Apoptosis:drug effects, Caspase 3:metabolism, Cell Survival:drug effects, Computer Simulation, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Humans, In Vitro Techniques, Male, Neutrophils:cytology, Phosphorylation:drug effects, Protein Kina.   

OBJECTIVE: Pterostilbene, a naturally occurring phenolic derivative, exhibits various pharmacological effects, e.g. anti-cancerous, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic. Based on our previous study, we assessed the cellular and molecular effects of pterostilbene on human neutrophils and in cell free systems. Experimental and theoretical molecular descriptors of stilbene derivatives were also determined.

METHODS: We assessed the antioxidant properties of pterostilbene using cell free system and computational methods. The effect of pterostilbene on protein kinase C activation/phosphorylation was detected by special anti-phospho protein kinase C antibodies. Membrane associated changes determining the life span of neutrophils and human recombinant caspase-3 assay were examined.

RESULTS: Pterostilbene possessed comparable antioxidant properties as resveratrol in cell free system. Computational methods were used to establish the molecular characteristics of stilbene derivatives. The values of electronic parameters suggest a slight enhancement of electron donor properties of pterostilbene compared to resveratrol. Phosphorylation and thus activation of protein kinase C alpha/beta II in activated neutrophils was not decreased by pterostilbene. Pterostilbene in concentrations of 10-100 μM was found to inhibit the activity of human caspase-3 purified enzyme and did not influence cell viability significantly.

CONCLUSION: Pterostilbene, an analog of resveratrol, was identified as a good natural antioxidant compound. However, reducing the oxidative burst of human neutrophils during their activation in vitro with pterostilbene does not include protein kinase C phosphorylation pathway. Pterostilbene showed dose dependent activation/inhibition of caspase-3 enzyme activity....

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Journal Article 2010; 31(Suppl 2): 69-72 PubMed PMID: 21187819 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Carcinogens:pharmacology, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Humans, Leuzea, Male, Middle Aged, Neutrophils:drug effects, Oxidative Stress:drug effects, Phosphorylation:drug effects, Plant Extracts:pharmacology, Protein Kinase C:metabolism, Reactive.   

OBJECTIVE: Neutrophil leukocytes and macrophages represent professional phagocytic cells. When appropriately stimulated, they undergo dramatic physiological and biochemical changes resulting in phagocytosis, chemotaxis and degranulation with the activation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production known as the respiratory burst.

DESIGN: In this study we analysed the effect of a crystalline complex fraction of four N-feruloyl-serotonin isomers isolated from the seeds of Leuzea carthamoides on the mechanism of oxidative burst of human neutrophils in vitro.

RESULTS: N-feruloyl-serotonin (N-f-5HT) inhibited dose-dependently oxidative burst of human whole blood and isolated neutrophils in vitro stimulated with phorbol-myristate-acetate (PMA) as measured by luminol/isoluminol enhanced chemiluminescence.In isolated neutrophils stimulated with PMA, N-f-5HT was effective against extracellular as well as intracellular reactive oxygen species. Western blot analysis documented that N-f-5HT in concentrations of 10 and 100 µM significantly decreased PMA-induced phosphorylation of protein kinase C alpha/beta II.

CONCLUSION: The results suggest that N-f-5HT represents an effective naturally occurring substance with potent effect on the oxidative burst of human neutrophils and could be further investigated for its pharmacological activity against oxidative stress in ischaemia-reperfusion, inflammation and other pathological conditions....

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Case Reports 2010; 31(5): 594-596 PubMed PMID: 21173751 Citation  Keywords:  Acromegaly:complications, Adult, Bone Density Conservation Agents:administration & dosage, Diagnosis, Differential, Diphosphonates:administration & dosage, Female, Fibrous Dysplasia, Polyostotic:complications, Humans, Skull:diagnostic imaging, Somatostati.   

: We describe a female patient aged 43, who at the age of five was diagnosed with polyostotic fibrous dysplasia (FD). The patient was intermittently treated in our department since the age 33, for approximately 10 years, with intravenous bisphosphonates. At the age of 42 acromegaly was diagnosed incidentally, since clinical manifestations were poor, and, if present earlier, they had been related to FD. Only retrospectively, having biochemical confirmation of GH excess, we could relate them to acromegaly. Because of the involvement of the base of the skull there was no possibility of transphenoidal surgery. Long-acting somatostatin analogues were started, but no response was observed, with IGF-1 and GH being even higher during than before treatment. After the 37-year-history of FD, the occurrence of additional endocrine disorder enabled to make diagnosis of McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS) even in the absence of two out of three classical manifestations such as café-au-lait skin pigmentation and peripheral precocious puberty in the past medical history....

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Journal Article 2010; 31(1): 97-102 PubMed PMID: 20150879 Citation  Keywords:  Age of Onset, Case-Control Studies, Depressive Disorder:epidemiology, Female, Gene Frequency, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Genotype, Humans, Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins, Male, Memory Disorders:genetics, Phosphoproteins, Polymorphis.   

OBJECTIVE: Depression is a disease of multifactor background. Episodic memory dysfunction is one of depression characterising disturbances, which may lead to its onset and development. Memory processes are controlled by a number of extra- and intracellular mechanisms. KIBRA, a newly discovered protein, belonging to signal transduction proteins, participates in the control of episodic memory. The presented study was designed to assess correlation between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) T/C (rs17070145) of the KIBRA gene and the risk of recurrent depressive disorder (DD).

METHODS: The study was carried out in a group of 181 patients with recurrent DD and 149 healthy control subjects. Genotyping was conducted by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/restriction fragment length polymorphism (RLFP) method.

RESULTS: TThe obtained results have revealed no significant correlation between the studied polymorphism and recurrent DD. Obtained value of the disease odds ratio (ORdis) suggests that presence of T/T homozygote decreases risk of development of recurrent DD, but the result was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS: Following the results, it may be concluded that the studied polymorphism does not influence either the onset mechanism or the course of recurrent DD. Even if T/C polymorphism of the KIBRA gene induces memory disturbances, they may be unspecific and unselective for recurrent DD. Further studies on the genes, which control characteristic processes of DD and influence their course, are demanded and mostly justified....

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