<i>Aims</i> - The risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is increased in overweight and obese women potentially involving secreted mediators from adipose tissue. Our main aim was to evaluate if circulating adipokines and monocyte/macrophage markers were dysregulated in GDM and the influence body mass and indices of glucose metabolism had on this association. We further explored if early detection ...

Introduction: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) and mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) are chronic immune-mediated disorders complicated by vascular organ damage. The aim of this study was to examine the serum levels of the markers of neoangiogenesis: endostatin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), in our unselected cohorts of SSc and MCTD. Methods: Sera of SSc patients (N = 298) and MCTD ...

<i>Context</i> - Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) regulates high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels and interaction between glucose, and HDL metabolism is central in the development of diabetes.<p> <p><i>Objective</i> - We hypothesized that CETP levels would be regulated in diabetic pregnancies. We tested the hypothesis by evaluating CETP activity measured multiple times during ...

<i>Background</i> - The pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still incompletely understood, but it seems to involve immune activation and immune dysregulation.<p> <p><i>Objective</i> - We examined the parameters of activation of different leukocyte subsets in COVID-19–infected patients in relation to disease severity.<p> <p><i>Methods</i> - We analyzed plasma levels of ...

<p><i>Background</i>: The present study explored and compared the immediate responses in markers of inflammation and angiogenesis in maintenance heart transplant (HTx) recipients before, during and after sessions of high-intensity interval training (HIT) versus moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). The study aimed to explain some of the trigger mechanisms behind HIT in HTx recipients.</p> ...

<b>Background</b><br> Biomarkers may facilitate clinical decisions in order to guide antimicrobial treatment and prediction of prognosis in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We measured serum C-reactive protein, procalcitonin (PCT) and calprotectin levels, and plasma pentraxin 3 (PTX3) and presepsin levels, along with whole-blood white cell counts, at three time-points, and examined their association ...

<i>Background and aims</i> - We have previously found increased levels of the cysteine protease legumain in plasma and plaques from patients with carotid atherosclerosis. This study further investigated legumain during acute cardiovascular events.<p><p> <i>Methods</i> - Circulating levels of legumain from patients and legumain released from platelets were assessed by enzyme-linked-immunosorbent ...

<p><i>Background</i>: We hypothesized that circulating markers reflecting monocyte/macrophage and T cell activation are associated with increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI) in apparently healthy individuals.</p> <p><i>Methods</i>: Serum monocyte/macrophage and T cell activation markers soluble (s) CD163, sCD14, Gal3BP, sCD25 and sCD166 were analyzed by enzyme-immunoassay in a case-control ...

<i>Aims</i>: We investigated the dynamics, associations with patient characteristics, other biomarkers, and clinical outcomes of pentraxin 3 in acute coronary syndrome.<p><p> <i>Methods and results</i>: In multivariate analyses, pentraxin 3 measured in 5154 patients randomised in the Platelet Inhibition and Patients Outcomes (PLATO) trial (NCT00391872) was compared with leukocytes, high-sensitivity ...

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) patients have reduced gut microbial diversity compared to healthy controls. The reduced diversity is associated with gut leakage, increased systemic inflammation and ten “key” bacteria that capture the gut dysbiosis (dysbiosis index) in CVID. Rifaximin is a broad-spectrum non-absorbable antibiotic known to reduce gut leakage (lipopolysaccharides, LPS) in liver ...