N-3 fatty acids as resolvents of inflammation in the A549 cells

Background Fatty acids and their derivatives are one of the most crucial inflammation mediators. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of polyunsaturated fatty acids as eicosanoids precursors on the A549 cell line. Methods Cells were incubated with 40 μM of arachidonic, eicosapentaenoic or docosahexaenoic acid for 24 h, then activated with LPS. Fatty acids content in the cell membranes were determined using gas chromatography. COX-2, cPGES and FP-receptor quantities were determined by Western blot. 8-Isoprostane F2α concentrations were determined by EIA. Maresin and protectin D1 contents were analyzed by UHPLC/MS-TOF method. Results Significant differences in membrane fatty acids and levels of 8-isoPGF2α in the activated cells were detected. Elevated expression of COX-2 and FP-receptor was observed in cells treated with AA and activated with LPS. Moreover, compared to AA and AA + LPS groups, cells incubated with EPA, DHA, EPA + LPS and DHA + LPS showed decreased expression of COX-2, cPGES and FP-receptor. In cells incubated with EPA or DHA and activated with LPS maresin and protectin D1 were detected. Conclusions The results of the study have revealed the pro-inflammatory properties of AA, while the EPA and DHA had the opposite, resolving effect. Interestingly, FP-receptor inhibition by EPA and DHA demonstrated the unique role of the FP-receptor as a potential target for antagonists, in the diseases of inflammatory character. This study provides new information about n-3 fatty acids and their pro-resolving mediators, which can be used in the process of developing new anti-inflammatory drugs

Geldanamycin and its derivatives inhibit the growth of myeloma cells and reduce the expression of the MET receptor

licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/). Reproduction is permitted for personal, noncommercial use, provided that the article is in whole, unmodified, and properly cited. Received: 2014.01.31; Accepted: 2014.03.19; Published: 2014.05.31 Introduction. Geldanamycin (GA) is an ansamycin antibiotic that exhibits potent anti-neoplastic properties. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of GA and its derivatives on the growth and invasiveness of myeloma cell lines and CD138+ cells derived from the bone marrow of patients with multiple myeloma. Materials and methods. We evaluated cell proliferation, survival, apoptosis, cell cycle of my

The association of the IL−1β−31IL-1\beta-31 polymorphism and the development of neuroinfections

Introduction. Inflammation of the meninges can have various clinical courses, from mild, self-limiting in some viral neuroinfections to severe, sometimes ending in death. The pro-inflammatory cascade and defects in the inhibitors of the inflammatory response play an important prognostic role. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the genes encoding cytokines, influence the severity of the inflammatory response. Aim. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of selected polymorphisms of proinflammatory cytokines $IL-1\beta$, $TNF-\alpha$ and IL-8 on the development of neuroinfections. Material and Methods. We evaluated the laboratory results of 30 patients treated for bacterial and viral meningitis and compared those to 30 healthy volunteers. The following 4 variants were analyzed for occurrence of genetic polymorphism in patients with meningitis versus the control group: $IL-1\beta$ 3953, $IL-1\beta-31$, $TNF-\alpha$ -308, and IL-8 781. Then, we assessed the association between these genetic polymorphisms and the inflammatory response during the course of meningitis. Results and Conclusions. We observed that polymorphism of the $IL-1\beta-31$ signifi cantly differs between patients and healthy subjects, the $IL-1\beta$ -31AA polymorphism existed only in healthy individuals (p < 0.001). The WBC count was dependent on the $TNF-\alpha$ -308 polymorphism with a statistically signifi cant difference (p = 0.021) occurring among persons with variants AA and AG. In conclusion the study showed that the presence of the AA genotype of $IL-1\beta-31$ polymorphism may have a protective effect on the development of meningitis. This polymorphism was not observed in any patient with meningitis

Delay in diagnosis and treatment of patients with cases of imported malaria in Poland : one center’s experience

Background . Increasingly, Polish citizens are traveling to malaria endemic regions; thus, physicians, especially primary care physicians, should be educated to recognize and treat malaria. Diagnosis and treatment of malaria encounters many difficulties in Poland. Objectives . The aim of the study was to analyze malaria chemoprophylaxis, the time from first symptoms to hospitalization and the process of diagnosis and treatment of patients with malaria. Material and methods . The medical records of patients diagnosed with malaria, hospitalized between 2012 and 2016 in the Department of Infectious Diseases of the University Hospital, Cracow, Poland, were analyzed. Results . 37 subjects with a median age of 32 years (interquartile range IQR: 28–40), mostly returning from Africa (78%, n = 29), were studied. Proper chemoprophylaxis was used in 6 cases (16%). The median length of stay in malaria endemic countries was one month. Plasmodium falciparum was the most frequent species (74%). The mean time to treatment after symptom onset was 5 days (range: 1–27 days). Conclusions . The clinical presentation of malaria in the study group was usually typical. Diagnostic delay resulted from not taking malaria into consideration during the initial differential diagnosis of fever. Few travelers use chemoprophylaxis, hence the awareness of malaria in individuals who have traveled to endemic zones should be enhanced. In a patient presenting with fever, malaria should always be considered in a differential diagnosis if there is a history of travel to a malaria-endemic zone

Rheological properties of erythrocytes in patients infected with Clostridium difficile

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a bacterial infection of the digestive tract. Acute infections are accompanied by increased risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE). To date, there have been no studies of the rheological properties of blood during the course of digestive tract infections. The aim of our study was to examine the effects of CDI on red blood cell (RBC) rheology, specifically RBC deformability, RBC aggregation, and plasma viscosity. In addition, the activity of glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in RBC was studied. Our study group included 20 patients with CDI, 20 healthy persons comprised the control group. We examined the effects of CDI on the rheology of RBCs, their deformability and aggregation, using a Laser–assisted Optical Rotational Cell Analyzer (LORCA). Plasma viscosity was determined using a capillary tube plasma viscosymeter. Moreover, we estimated the activity of AChE and G6PD in RBC using spectrophotometric method. A statistically significant increase was found in the aggregation index, viscosity and activity of G6PD whereas the amount of time to reach half of maximum aggregation (t½) and the amplitude of aggregation (AMP) both showed statistically significantly decreases among patients with CDI compared to the control group. We also observed that the Elongation Index (EI) was decreased when shear stress values were low, between 0.3 Pa and 0.58 Pa, whereas EI was increased for shear stress in the range of 1.13 - 59.97 Pa. These observations were statistically significant. We report for the first time that acute infection of the gastrointestinal tract with Clostridium difficile is associated with abnormalities in rheological properties of blood, increased serum viscosity as well as increased aggregation of RBCs, which correlated with severity of inflammation. These abnormalities may be an additional mechanism causing increased incidence of VTE in CDI

Clostridium difficile infection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Clostridium difficile is a bacterium widely distributed in the human environment. In the last decade the incidence and severity of Clostridium difficile infection has grown, particularly in Europe and North America, making it one of the more common nosocomial infections. A group particularly susceptible to Clostridium difficile infection are patients with inflammatory bowel disease, especially those with involvement of the colon. This paper presents relevant data on Clostridium difficile infections in inflammatory bowel disease patients, including epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment

The Analysis of the Relationship between Multiple Myeloma Cells and Their Microenvironment

licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/). Reproduction is permitted for personal, noncommercial use, provided that the article is in whole, unmodified, and properly cited. Received: 2014.10.21; Accepted: 2014.12.13; Published: 2015.01.05 The bone marrow microenvironment plays a key role in the stimulation of growth and survival of multiple myeloma (MM) cells. We investigated whether membrane microfragments (MFBs) exert a stimulatory effect on mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) gene expression or differentiation. MSCs from patients with multiple myeloma (MMBM-MSCs) proliferated at a slower rate than MSCs from healthy volunteers (BM-MSCs), and fewer MMBM-MSCs adhered to the substrate as compared to BM-MSCs. Phenotypic analysis revealed that MMBM-MSCs and BM-MSCs differed significantly in terms of their CD166 and CXCR4 expressions. In conclusion, our comparative analysis of mes-enchymal cells from MM patients and healthy volunteers revealed differences in the genetic and phenotypic profiles of these two populations, their potential for osteodifferentiation, and ex-pression of surface antigens. Moreover, we showed that membrane MFBs may alter the genetic profile of MSCs, leading to disorders of their osteodifferentiation, and interact with the WN