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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of death in the female population. The current study aimed to examine the relationship between CVD risk and novel endothelial dysfunction biomarkers [i.e., endocan, adiponectin and intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1] and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), respectively in a cohort of disease-free women of reproductive age. A total of 129 women were selected. Serum endocan, adiponectin and ICAM-1 were measured by a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and cITM was determined by ultrasound. Cardiovascular risk score (CVRS) was calculated. The lowest endocan (p for trend = 0.051) and adiponectin (p for trend = 0.040) levels were found in a group of subjects with the highest CVRS. The cIMT values were the highest in second tertile subgroups, with the highest 75th percentile in a third tertile CVRS group, while the lowest cIMT values were detected in the lowest CVRS tertile group (p for trend = 0.001). A significant positive correlation between cIMT and CVRS (ρ = 0.307, p < 0.001), and a negative correlation between adiponectin and endocan with CVRS, respectively (ρ = - 0.252, p = 0.004; ρ = - 0.179, p = 0.043) were observed, but only endocan retained the independent association with CVRS (p = 0.030) in the multiple linear regression analysis. Endocan could be useful diagnostic tool in the estimation of cardiovascular risk in young women., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The Schlafen 11 (SLFN11) protein has recently emerged as pivotal in DNA damage conditions, with predictive potential for tumor response to cytotoxic chemotherapies. Recent discoveries also showed that the programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) protein can be found on malignant cells, providing an immune evasion mechanism exploited by different tumors. Additionally, excessive generation of free radicals, redox imbalance, and consequential DNA damage can affect intestinal cell homeostasis and lead to neoplastic transformation. Therefore, our study aimed to investigate the significance of SLFN11 and PD-L1 proteins and redox status parameters as prognostic biomarkers in CRC patients. This study included a total of 155 CRC patients. SLFN11 and PD-L1 serum levels were measured with ELISA and evaluated based on redox status parameters, sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, and survival. The following redox status parameters were investigated: spectrophotometrically measured superoxide dismutase (SOD), sulfhydryl (SH) groups, advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), malondialdehyde (MDA), pro-oxidant–antioxidant balance (PAB), and superoxide anion (O2•–). The prooxidative score, antioxidative score, and OXY-SCORE were also calculated. The results showed significantly shorter survival in patients with higher OXY-SCOREs and higher levels of serum SLFN11, while only histopathology-analysis-related factors showed significant prognostic value. OXY-SCORE and SLFN11 levels may harbor prognostic potential in CRC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress is assumed to be the underlying feature of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). To our knowledge, the mutual involvement of redox status homeostasis parameters [i.e., advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), pro-oxidant-antioxidant balance (PAB), total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS) and oxidative-stress index (OSI)] and cardiometabolic biomarkers in subjects with NAFLD has not been examined yet. Accordingly, we aimed to investigate this potential relationship. A total of 122 subjects with NAFLD were compared with 56 participants without NAFLD. The diagnosis of NAFLD was confirmed by abdominal ultrasound. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters were measured. OSI, Castelli's Risk Index I (CRI-I) and Castelli's Risk Index II (CRI-II) were calculated. Univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analysis were used to test the predictions of oxidative stress and cardiometabolic markers, respectively for NAFLD. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to explore its mutual effect on NAFLD status. Significant positive associations of CRI-I, CRI-II, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and AOPP with NAFLD were found. PCA analysis extracted 3 significant factors: Oxidative stress-cardiometabolic related factor (i.e., triglycerides, AOPP, HDL-c and HbA1c)-explained 36% of variance; Pro-oxidants related factor (i.e., TOS and PAB)-explained 17% of variance; and Antioxidants related factor (i.e., TAS)-explained 15% of variance of the tested parameters. Moreover, binary logistic regression analysis revealed significant predictive ability of Oxidative stress-cardiometabolic related factor (p < 0.001) and Pro-oxidants related factor (p < 0.05) for NAFLD status. In addition to oxidative stress (i.e., determined by higher AOPP levels), dyslipidemia (i.e., determined by higher lipid indexes: CRI-I and CRI-II) and inflammation (determined by higher hsCRP) are independently related to NAFLD status. The mutual involvement of pro-oxidants (i.e., TOS and PAB), or the joint involvement of pro-oxidants (i.e., AOPP) and cardiometabolic parameters (i.e., HbA1c, triglycerides and HDL-c) can differentiate subjects with NAFLD from those individuals without this metabolic disorder. New studies are needed to validate our results in order to find the best therapeutic approach for NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study monitored markers of immunological and oxidative status in 9 male elite endurance athletes: ...O2max: 68 ± 11 ml⋅kg-1⋅min-1, age: 24 ± 2.5 years, and training loads: 128 ± 21 metabolic equivalents-h⋅wk-1 during a 3-month preparation period in winter (January-March). Self-rated state of moods evaluation (by Profile of Mood States questionnaire) was performed, and blood samples were collected at the beginning and end of the study. Spectrophotometric methods and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used for parameters' determination. The level of concanavalin A (ConA)-stimulated interferon-γ (IFN-γ) from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was increased (562 [147-852] vs. 1,097 [451-1842] pg⋅ml-1, p = 0.013). Also, the level of transforming growth factor-1 (TGF-β1) in serum was elevated (2.5 [1.4-5.1] vs. 7.2 [4.9-8.2] ng⋅ml-1, p = 0.015). There was no change in the level of peptidoglycan (PGN)-stimulated interleukin (IL)-10 from PBMCs. There were no significant changes in PBMCs proliferation/viability on stimulation with ConA and PGN during the study. No changes in superoxide dismutase, prooxidative-antioxidative balance, total oxidant status (TOS), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were observed along the study. Total antioxidant status (TAS) was increased (910 ± 174 vs. 1,090 ± 102 µmol⋅L-1, p = 0.018), and activity of paraoxonase (PON1) was decreased (523 ± 295 vs. 335 ± 183 U⋅L-1, p = 0.003) at the end of the study. Advanced oxidation protein products were increased (25 ± 7.9 vs. 42 ± 7.6 µmol⋅L-1, p = 0.011). The self-rated sense of vigor significantly declined (20 ± 2.1 vs. 14 ± 3.4, p = 0.045). In conclusion, 3 months of regular training in winter induced prominent changes in cytokines, biomarkers of oxidative stress, and antioxidative enzyme activity. These changes might increase susceptibility of athletes to disease and muscle damage and consequently lead to performance reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background We evaluated the qualitative characteristics of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles in metabolically healthy and unhealthy overweight and obese subjects. Methods The study involved 115 subject individuals classified as metabolically healthy and unhealthy, as in overweight and obese groups. Commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits were used to measure oxidized HDL (OxHDL) and serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations. Lipoprotein subfractions were separated using nondenaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Results An independent association was shown between increased OxHDL/HDL-cholesterol ratio and the occurrence of metabolically unhealthy phenotype in the overweight and obese groups. The OxHDL/HDL-cholesterol ratio showed excellent and acceptable diagnostic accuracy in determination of metabolic health phenotypes (overweight group, AUC = 0.881; obese group, AUC = 0.765). Accumulation of smaller HDL particles in metabolically unhealthy subjects was verified by lipoprotein subfraction analysis. SAA concentrations did not differ significantly between phenotypes. Conclusions Increased OxHDL/HDL-cholesterol ratio may be a potential indicator of disturbed metabolic health in overweight and obese individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. The study was designed to evaluate associations between symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), inflammation, and superoxide anion (O2...) with endothelial function and to determine their potential for screening of endothelial dysfunction in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and renal transplant (RT) recipients. Materials and Methods. We included 64 CKD and 52 RT patients. Patients were stratified according to brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD). Results. Logistic regression analysis showed that high SDMA and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were associated with impaired FMD in CKD and RT patients, after adjustment for glomerular filtration rate. The ability of inflammation, SDMA, and O2... to detect impaired FMD was investigated by receiving operative characteristic analysis. Hs-CRP (area under the curves (AUC) = 0.754, P = 0.001), IL-6 (AUC = 0.699, P = 0.002), and SDMA (AUC = 0.689, P = 0.007) had the highest ability to detect impaired FMD. SDMA in combination with inflammatory parameters and/or O2... had better screening performance than SDMA alone. Conclusions. Our results indicate a strong predictable association between hs-CRP, SDMA, and endothelial dysfunction in CKD patients and RT recipients. The individual marker that showed the strongest discriminative ability for endothelial dysfunction is hs-CRP, but its usefulness as a discriminatory marker for efficient diagnosis of endothelial dysfunction should be examined in prospective studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is significant problem in children with congenital heart disease (CHD) who undergo cardiac surgery. The economic impact of a biomarker-based diagnostic strategy for AKI in pediatric populations undergoing CHD surgery is unknown. The aim of this study was to perform the cost effectiveness analysis of using serum cystatin C (sCysC), urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) and urine liver fatty acid-binding protein (uL-FABP) for the diagnosis of AKI in children after cardiac surgery compared with current diagnostic method (monitoring of serum creatinine (sCr) level). Materials and methods: We developed a decision analytical model to estimate incremental cost-effectiveness of different biomarker-based diagnostic strategies compared to current diagnostic strategy. The Markov model was created to compare the lifetime cost associated with using of sCysC, uNGAL, uL-FABP with monitoring of sCr level for the diagnosis of AKI. The utility measurement included in the analysis was quality-adjusted life years (QALY). The results of the analysis are presented as the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Results: Analysed biomarker-based diagnostic strategies for AKI were cost-effective compared to current diagnostic method. However, uNGAL and sCys C strategies yielded higher costs and lower effectiveness compared to uL-FABP strategy. uL-FABP added 1.43 QALY compared to current diagnostic method at an additional cost of $8521.87 per patient. Therefore, ICER for uL-FABP compared to sCr was $5959.35/QALY. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the use of uL-FABP would represent cost effective strategy for early diagnosis of AKI in children after cardiac surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]