Novel cytokines: IL-27, IL-29, IL-31 and IL-33. Can they be useful in clinical practice at the time diagnosis of lung cancer?

There are several antiproliferative and angiogenic factors, recently have been discovered (IL-27, IL-29, IL-31 and IL-33), but they have not been tested yet in lung cancer patients. The aim of this pilot study was to assess the clinical usefulness of determination of IL-27, IL-29, IL-31 and IL-33 in advanced stages of lung cancer. Patients and Methods: The study included 45 patients (38 males; mean age 62 years; 45 with advanced NSCLC). Serum and BALF cytokine concentrations were evaluated by ELISA method before chemotherapy. The comparative groups consisted of patients with sarcoidosis (BBS, n = 15), hypersensivity pneumonitis (HP, n = 8) and healthy subjects (n = 15). Results: The serum IL-29 levels were higher in NSCLC patients than in the sarcoidosis group. However, serum IL-27, IL-31 and IL-33 did not differ markedly between: NSCLC, BBS, HP and the control group. Concentrations of IL-29 and IL-31 in BALF did not differ significantly between investigated groups. In all groups levels of IL-27 and IL-29 are significantly higher in serum than in BALF. Concentrations of IL-31 in BBS, HP and control groups tended to higher in BALF than in serum. These differences were significantly in NSCLC patients. Patients in stage IIIB of NSCLC had higher serum levels of IL-29 than these in stage IV. Lung cancer patients with partial remission (PR) after chemotherapy had significantly higher concentration of IL-27 in BALF than patients with SD. However, patients with SD had higher levels of IL-29 in BALF than patients with PD. A negative correlation was found between serum IL-31 levels before therapy and time to progression of NSCLC. Conclusion: Determination of IL-27, IL-29 and IL-31 in serum and BALF can be useful in clinical practice, but their practical significance needs further studies

Network analysis of coronary artery disease risk genes elucidates disease mechanisms and druggable targets

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified over two hundred chromosomal loci that modulate risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). The genes affected by variants at these loci are largely unknown and an untapped resource to improve our understanding of CAD pathophysiology and identify potential therapeutic targets. Here, we prioritized 68 genes as the most likely causal genes at genome-wide significant loci identified by GWAS of CAD and examined their regulatory roles in 286 metabolic and vascular tissue gene-protein sub-networks ("modules"). The modules and genes within were scored for CAD druggability potential. The scoring enriched for targets of cardiometabolic drugs currently in clinical use and in-depth analysis of the top-scoring modules validated established and revealed novel target tissues, biological processes, and druggable targets. This study provides an unprecedented resource of tissue-defined gene-protein interactions directly affected by genetic variance in CAD risk loci

Oral health-related quality of life in patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis

Ewa Rodakowska,1 Magdalena Wilczyńska-Borawska,2 Justyna Fryc,3 Joanna Baginska,4 Beata Naumnik5 1Department of Restorative Dentistry, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland; 2Department of Social and Preventive Dentistry, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland; 3Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland; 4Department of Dentistry Propaedeutics, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland; 5I Department of Nephrology and Transplantation with Dialysis Unit, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland Aims: The aims of the study were to determine oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients and to estimate which scale describing OHRQoL, Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) or Geriatric/General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI), was more useful in this particular group. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted by means of a census survey. The Polish versions of OHIP-14 and GOHAI were used to assess OHRQoL. The oral examination included decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMF-T) Index; Oral Hygiene Index simplified; Plaque Index and Gingival Index. In the statistical analysis, the Kruskal–Wallis test, Mann–Whitney U test, Pearson’s χ2 test and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients were used as appropriate. Results: The final sample consisted of 72 patients (mean age 63.2±15.2 years). The mean duration of HD treatment was 43.8 months. The mean number of teeth was 10.9. The majority of participants (81.9%) were dentate; only 22.2% of the respondents had >20 teeth. Among the dentate subjects, 44.1% wore removable dental prostheses (60.7% women). The most prevalent items for GOHAI (mean 14.71; SD 7.21) were uncomfortable to swallow, discomfort when eating and unhappy with appearance. The most prevalent items for OHIP-14 (mean 8.87; SD 10.95) were uncomfortable to eat foods, and diet has been unsatisfactory. The internal reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) was 0.637 for GOHAI and 0.918 for OHIP-14. Chewing problems were significantly related to GOHAI (p=0.001) and OHIP-14 (p<0.001) scales. Higher OHIP-14 scores were significantly associated with dental treatment needs (p=0.029) and poor self-rated oral status (p=0.001). Conclusion: The HD patients had an unsatisfactory oral status, but using only OHRQoL scale was insufficient to capture all their oral health problems. The scales did not fully reflect poor oral health in HD patients. The oral problems were not a major concern for this group of patients, which could indicate the adaptation to impaired oral health or a change in health priorities. Regular dental examinations together with the assessment of OHRQoL in HD patients are required for a comprehensive patients’ state. In our study, more variables were significantly related to the OHIP-14 scale than to the GOHAI scale. Thus, the OHIP-14 scale may be more useful in assessing OHRQoL in HD patients. Keywords: oral health-related quality of life, OHIP-14, GOHAI, hemodialysis, OHRQo

Using proton-pump inhibitors among hemodialysis patients - single academic dialysis center’s preliminary experience

Introduction: Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) are a class of drugs which decrease gastric acid production, their overuse is becoming increasingly common. Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate medical indications for PPIs in a cohort of prevalent hemodialysis (HD) patients and their awareness about the medical effects of these drugs. Materials and methods: The study was performed in 78 HD patients enrolled in a chronic dialysis program in a single academic dialysis unit. The study was based on medical history obtained from the patients (survey about drugs they take with intention of revealing PPIs, indications for the treatment, their awareness of the mechanism of action of these drugs).Results: 46 patients (59%) took or have been taking PPIs. Almost half (49%; n=22) had no clear medical indications for the drugs. Prescription of PPIs without medical indications was more common among nephrologists (27%), when compared with gastroenterologists (5%; p<0.05). Only 29% (n=13) of patients taking PPIs were aware of the mechanism of action of the drugs. Conclusions: Results of this study reveal the problem of PPI overuse among HD patients. Gastroenterologists usually prescribed PPIs according to medical indications. Lack of patients’ knowledge about the indications for PPI therapy is overwhelming