👤 César Del Castillo G

Lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] levels are closely related to the development of ischemic heart disease in international studies; however, the impact on the severity of coronary and cardiac involvement in our country has not been described. High levels of Lp(a) are associated with greater involvement of coronary disease and ventricular function compromise. Cross-sectional study among patients with ischemic heart disease admitted to a cardiac intensive care unit after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or after coronary angioplasty for chronic coronary syndrome. Lipid profile and Lp(a) measurements were performed within the first 24 hours of admission, and echocardiogram with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) measurement was performed within 5 days of admission. The magnitude of coronary disease (number of coronary arteries severely affected) and LVEF were evaluated in patients distributed according to Lp(a) levels considering a cut-off of 30 mg/dL and 50 mg/dL. One hundred and eighteen subjects were recruited, aged 65.9±20.2 years, 74.6% men, and 75% with ACS. Sixty patients (50.8%) were taking statins. Left anterior descending artery involvement was observed in 78.8%, with mean LVEF 49.9±17.5%, LDL 95.6±43.4 mg/dL (LDL >70 mg/dL in 69.4%), non-HDL 120.4±49.1 mg/dL, and Lp(a) 40.5±38.6 mg/dL. Lp(a) levels >30 mg/dL were detected in 42.3% and >50 mg/ dL in 27.9% of subjects. Lp(a) >30 mg/dL was associated with LVEF <40% (OR 2.6, p= 0.02), and values >50 mg/dL were related to LVEF <40% (OR 3.7, p= 0.03) and significant disease of 2 or more coronary arteries (OR 2.4, p= 0.04). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that Lp(a) levels >50 mg/dL were related to a higher risk of LVEF <40% (OR 3.8, p<0.01) and multivessel coronary disease (OR 2.8, p= 0.03). In patients with established coronary heart disease, elevated Lp(a) levels are associated with a greater severity of coronary involvement and a lower LVEF. Show less

to evaluate the expression of profibrotic markers TGF-1, MMP-9 and FGFR in the epithelium of proximal renal tubules in patients with urolithiasis depending on the composition of the nodule, as well as on the degree of decrease in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). complex examination of 17 patients with urolithiasis was carried out. Cockcroft-Gault formula for determining the glomerular filtration rate was used to estimate renal function, according to the results of which all patients were divided into 3 groups depending on the stage of GFR. Percutaneous nephrolithotripsy (PNLT) was performed according to the standard technique using laser treatment. The physical and chemical composition of the nodule was determined by polarization microscopy. All patients underwent morphological and morphometric study of nephrobiopsy specimens obtained at creation of puncture passage during PNLT in patients with nephrolithiasis. Immunohistochemical study was performed using profibrotic marker Anti-TGF beta 1 antibody (1:500, Abcam, UK), Anti-MMP-9 antibody (1:500, Abcam, UK), Anti-FGFR-1 1:50, Abcam, UK). Analysis of the results of morphological study revealed a correlation only between morphological manifestations of CPN progression and expression of profibrotic marker TGF-. The increase in TGF- expression is accompanied by more pronounced atrophic changes in the epithelium of proximal renal tubules, which indicates the triggering of tubulointerstitial fibrosis mechanisms and the role of this marker in the progression of chronic kidney disease in patients with urolithiasis. Show less

Among various epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related transcription factors (TFs), altered expression levels of Snail-1, Snail-2/Slug, Twist, and ZEB1 have shown a significant association in different cancers having a higher risk of metastasis. However, their role in the circulation of endometriosis patients is not well understood. Hence, the present study was designed to evaluate the crucial role of these TFs in defining the molecular pathogenesis for endometriosis progression and differentiation from control subjects. The qualitative and quantitative expression analysis of Snail-1, Snail-2/Slug, Twist, and ZEB1 were analyzed in peripheral blood samples of 75 different stages of endometriosis patients and compared with 50 control subjects. Total RNA was extracted and converted into complementary DNA (cDNA) for relative quantification of each gene transcript using SYBRGreen-based reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The Livak method of relative quantification was used for calculating the fold change in each TF compared with endogenous control. All four selected TFs showed significantly upregulated expression levels in endometriosis patients compared with control subjects. A three-fold increase was observed for Snail-1 (p = 0.0001), and a two-fold increase was observed for Snail-2 (p = 0.01), Twist (p = 0.0002), and ZEB1 (p = 0.001) in stage III and IV compared with stage I and II of endometriosis patients. The present study revealed that EMT-related TFs play a crucial role in the pathogenesis and differentiating different stages of endometriosis patients through expression analysis of specific molecular cascades using non-invasive tools. Show less