Undiagnosed arterial hypertension in the inhabitants of Jaworzno

Background The data of the WOBASZ (National Multicentre Health Survey in Poland) revealed considerable regional differences regarding the prevalence of arterial hypertension. The differences between Polish Provinces might be due to undiagnosed cases of hypertension. The aim of the study was to determine the proportion of Jaworzno inhabitants with undiagnosed hypertension. Another aim was to define the characteristics of this group. Material and methods Letters of invitation were sent to 1.500 Jaworzno inhabitants aged 35–55 years. These potential study participants received medical care from their family doctors but had not been treated for cardiovascular diseases. The group comprised 780 participants (513 women and 267 men aged 46.7 } 4.3 and 45.6 } 4 years). Blood pressure, BMI, lipidogram and glucose levels were obtained as well as data on cigarette smoking, physical activity and family history of hypertension. Results Arterial hypertension was diagnosed in 107 women (21%) and 128 men (47.9%). The proportion of obese or overweight women and men was 76.6% and 79.7%, respectively and was higher than the respective values (43% and 51.8%) in normotensives. Abnormalities of lipid metabolism were also more frequent in hypertensive participants. The proportions of hypertensive women and men with at least one abnormal lipid parameter were comparable and amounted to 83.2% and 85.2%, respectively. These values were significantly higher than in normotensive female (37.8%) and male (42.4%) participants. Conclusion Even 48% of men and 20% of women aged 35–55 years of Jaworzno’s non-treated population may have undiagnosed arterial hypertension; the majority of them are obese or overweight

Diagnostic accuracy of liquid biopsy in endometrial cancer

Background: Liquid biopsy is a minimally invasive collection of a patient body fluid sample. In oncology, they offer several advantages compared to traditional tissue biopsies. However, the potential of this method in endometrial cancer (EC) remains poorly explored. We studied the utility of tumor educated platelets (TEPs) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) for preoperative EC diagnosis, including histology determination. Methods: TEPs from 295 subjects (53 EC patients, 38 patients with benign gynecologic conditions, and 204 healthy women) were RNA-sequenced. DNA sequencing data were obtained for 519 primary tumor tissues and 16 plasma samples. Artificial intelligence was applied to sample classification. Results: Platelet-dedicated classifier yielded AUC of 97.5% in the test set when discriminating between healthy subjects and cancer patients. However, the discrimination between endometrial cancer and benign gynecologic conditions was more challenging, with AUC of 84.1%. ctDNA-dedicated classifier discriminated primary tumor tissue samples with AUC of 96% and ctDNA blood samples with AUC of 69.8%. Conclusions: Liquid biopsies show potential in EC diagnosis. Both TEPs and ctDNA profiles coupled with artificial intelligence constitute a source of useful information. Further work involving more cases is warranted.publishedVersio

Multi-Elemental Analysis of Hair and Fingernails Using Energy-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (ED XRF) Method Supported by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP MS)

This work compared the multi-element analysis of human hair and nails using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP MS) with an easy, fast, cheap, non-destructive method using energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence (ED XRF). The ICP MS-based method was more sensitive (over 30 elements could be quantified) and costly (requiring more time, samples, and chemicals). The EDX-based method required laboratory and certified reference materials made of hair for instrument calibration. It was less sensitive (16 elements could be quantified: S, Si, Ca, Br, Fe, Cu, Cr, Mg, Si, K, Mn, Ni, Zn, Se, Sr, Pb), but it allowed us to replace troublesome grinding with the dissolution of keratin-based material with an alkalic agent (tetramethylammonium hydroxide, TMAH) and the formation of stable-for-days pellets. This method is simple, enables automation, and, due to the modification of wells in the autosampler of the EDX system via the immersion of home-designed inserts, it requires smaller amounts of biological material and binder (down to 70 mg instead of 500 mg required by commercially available instrument) to perform analysis. It was concluded that the EDX-based method offers complementary selectivity and sensitivity to ICP MS with the possibility of sample reuse for further analysis

Ultra-Marathon-Induced Increase in Serum Levels of Vitamin D Metabolites: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose: While an increasing number of studies demonstrate the importance of vitamin D for athletic performance, the effects of any type of exercise on vitamin D metabolism are poorly characterized. We aimed to identify the responses of some vitamin D metabolites to ultra-marathon runs. Methods: A repeated-measures design was implemented, in which 27 amateur runners were assigned into two groups: those who received a single dose of vitamin D3 (150,000 IU) 24 h before the start of the marathon (n = 13) and those (n = 14) who received a placebo. Blood samples were collected 24 h before, immediately after, and 24 h after the run. Results: In both groups of runners, serum 25(OH)D3, 24,25(OH)2D3, and 3-epi-25(OH)D3 levels significantly increased by 83%, 63%, and 182% after the ultra-marathon, respectively. The increase was most pronounced in the vitamin D group. Body mass and fat mass significantly decreased after the run in both groups. Conclusions: Ultra-marathon induces the mobilization of vitamin D into the blood. Furthermore, the 24,25(OH)2D3 and 3-epi-25(OH)D3 increases imply that the exercise stimulates vitamin D metabolism

Dolichols of the fern Matteucia struthiopteris.

Dolichols isolated from leaves of the fern Matteucia struthiopteris were present as a mixture of prenologues composed of 14 up to 20 isoprene units with Dol-16 dominating. They comprised approximately 0.004% of the fresh weight of fresh plant tissue and were accompanied by traces of polyprenols (Pren-14 up to Pren-17, Pren-16 dominating). Their structure was confirmed by electropray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). This is the first time that dolichols have been reported as dominating polyisoprenoid alcohols in plant photosynthetic tissue

Mental disorder in systemic lupus erythematosus

The systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a connective tissue disorder, being developed on the basis of the autoallergy. Clinical symptoms of SLE are connected not only with the occurrence of cutaneous exanthemata, but can also manifest itself with the row of symptoms on the part of internal organs, with haematologic distempers and symptoms about the neuropsychiatric character. The pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) is complicated and one tries to become clear her with the production of autoantibodies and with the postponement himself antigen–antibody complexes, what a succession is the cytotoxic damage of neurons, an irregular expression of inflammatory mediators and an influx of inflammatory cells, vascular distempers and an inclination to thrombuses. The entire frequency of the occurrence NPSLE is estimated on 56.3% patients with SLE. Most often mental disorders in patients with lupus erythematosus are mood disorder, anxiety disorder, cognitive disorders and consciousness clouding. An essential aspect there are also drug-induced mental trouble. In the therapeutic approach in the therapy of NPSLE about the slight activity of the disease and/or the slight degree of organ changes complies glucocorticoids in low doses and depending on needs medicines counterphobic, antidepressant, sometimes the valproic acid, the carbamazepine, the lamotrigine and anti-psychotic preparations. In the antithrombotic prophylaxis at ill from the risk population the acetylsalicylic acid complies.Toczeń rumieniowaty układowy (systemic lupus erythematosus, SLE) jest chorobą tkanki łącznej, rozwijającą się na podłożu autoimmunizacji. Objawy kliniczne SLE są związane z występowaniem nie tylko wykwitów skórnych, ale również dolegliwości ze strony narządów wewnętrznych, a także zaburzeń hematologicznych oraz o charakterze neuropsychiatrycznym. Patogeneza NPSLE (neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus) jest złożona, próbuje się ją wyjaśniać wytwarzaniem autoprzeciwciał oraz odkładaniem się kompleksów immunologicznych, czego następstwem jest cytotoksyczne uszkodzenie neuronów, jak również nieprawidłową ekspresją mediatorów zapalnych i napływem komórek zapalnych, zaburzeniami naczyniowymi i skłonnością do zakrzepów. Całkowita częstość występowania NPSLE jest szacowana na 56,3% pacjentów z SLE. Najczęściej występującymi zaburzeniami psychicznymi u chorych na toczeń rumieniowaty są zaburzenia nastroju, lękowe, poznawcze oraz świadomości. Istotnym aspektem są także polekowe zaburzenia psychiczne. W podejściu terapeutycznym wobec pacjentów z NPSLE o nieznacznej aktywności choroby i/lub nieznacznym stopniu zmian narządowych stosuje się glikokortykosteroidy w niskich dawkach oraz – w zależności od potrzeb – leki przeciwlękowe, przeciwdepresyjne, niekiedy kwas walproinowy, karbamazepinę, lamotryginę i preparaty przeciwpsychotyczne. W profilaktyce przeciwzakrzepowej u chorych z grupy ryzyka stosuje się kwas acetylosalicylowy

Pathway‑level mutation analysis in primary high‑grade serous ovarian cancer and matched brain metastases

Brain metastases (BMs) in ovarian cancer (OC) are a rare event. BMs occur most frequently in high-grade serous (HGS) OC. The molecular features of BMs in HGSOC are poorly understood. We performed a whole-exome sequencing analysis of ten matched pairs of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples from primary HGSOC and corresponding BMs. Enrichment significance (p value; false discovery rate) was computed using the Reactome, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway collections, and the Gene Ontology Biological Processes. Germline DNA damage repair variants were found in seven cases (70%) and involved the BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, RAD50, ERCC4, RPA1, MLHI, and ATR genes. Somatic mutations of TP53 were found in nine cases (90%) and were the only stable mutations between the primary tumor and BMs. Disturbed pathways in BMs versus primary HGSOC constituted a complex network and included the cell cycle, the degradation of the extracellular matrix, cell junction organization, nucleotide metabolism, lipid metabolism, the immune system, G-protein-coupled receptors, intracellular vesicular transport, and reaction to chemical stimuli (Golgi vesicle transport and olfactory signaling). Pathway analysis approaches allow for a more intuitive interpretation of the data as compared to considering single-gene aberrations and provide an opportunity to identify clinically informative alterations in HGSOC BM.publishedVersio

Diagnostic accuracy of liquid biopsy in endometrial cancer

Background: Liquid biopsy is a minimally invasive collection of a patient body fluid sample. In oncology, they offer several advantages compared to traditional tissue biopsies. However, the potential of this method in endometrial cancer (EC) remains poorly explored. We studied the utility of tumor educated platelets (TEPs) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) for preoperative EC diagnosis, including histology determination. Methods: TEPs from 295 subjects (53 EC patients, 38 patients with benign gynecologic conditions, and 204 healthy women) were RNA-sequenced. DNA sequencing data were obtained for 519 primary tumor tissues and 16 plasma samples. Artificial intelligence was applied to sample classification. Results: Platelet-dedicated classifier yielded AUC of 97.5% in the test set when discriminating between healthy subjects and cancer patients. However, the discrimination between endometrial cancer and benign gynecologic conditions was more challenging, with AUC of 84.1%. ctDNA-dedicated classifier discriminated primary tumor tissue samples with AUC of 96% and ctDNA blood samples with AUC of 69.8%. Conclusions: Liquid biopsies show potential in EC diagnosis. Both TEPs and ctDNA profiles coupled with artificial intelligence constitute a source of useful information. Further work involving more cases is warranted