Calcium, Phosphate, and Vitamin D Status in Patients with Sarcoidosis-Associations with Disease Activity and Symptoms.

Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease with a variety of presentations. One of the known symptoms are altered vitamin D metabolism and hypercalcemia. In our study, we aimed to assess associations between disease activity, inflammatory parameters, and vitamin D and calcium status. The secondary aim was to find any dependencies between calcium and vitamin D metabolism and fatigue and quality of life in patients with sarcoidosis. We enrolled 58 patients with sarcoidosis (47 classified as active disease, 11 classified as non-active) and compared them with 25 healthy volunteers. Calcium concentration was significantly higher in the study group than in healthy controls. It correlated with some inflammatory markers but not with vitamin D status. Not calcium nor vitamin D, but phosphate concentration correlated with life quality was assessed with the use of the Sarcoidosis Health Questionnaire. An association between phosphate concentration and fatigue was also noted, but it did not reach statistical significance. Calcium concentration was higher in patients with sarcoidosis, but it was not an indicator of the disease activity, while phosphate concentration was significantly lower in patients with active sarcoidosis.

Oxidative Biomarkers Associated with the Pulmonary Manifestation of Post-COVID-19 Complications.

INTRODUCTION: The role of mitochondria in post coronavirus disease 2019 (post-COVID-19) complications is unclear, especially in the long-term pulmonary complications. This study aims to investigate the association between post-COVID-19 pulmonary complications and mitochondrial regulatory proteins in the context of oxidative stress. METHODOLOGY: Patients who had recovered from COVID-19 were enrolled. According to the evidence of persistent interstitial lung lesions on computed tomography (CT), patients were divided into a long-term pulmonary complications group (P(+)) and a control group without long-term pulmonary complications (P(-)). We randomly selected 80 patients for investigation (40 subjects for each group). Biomarkers levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: The serum concentrations of mitochondrial regulatory proteins were significantly higher in the P(+) group, including PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1): 1.62 [1.02-2.29] ng/mL vs. 1.34 [0.94-1.74] ng/mL (p = 0.046); Dynamin-1-like protein (DNM1L): 1.6 [0.9-2.4] ng/mL IQR vs. 0.9 [0.5-1.6] ng/mL (p = 0.004); and Mitofusin-2 (MFN2): 0.3 [0.2-0.5] ng/mL vs. 0.2 [0.1-0.3] ng/mL IQR (p = 0.001). Patients from the P(+) group also had higher serum levels of chemokine ligand 18 (PARC, CCL18), IL-6, and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) cytokines than the P(-) group. The concentration of interferon alpha (IFN-α) was decreased in the P(+) group. Furthermore, we observed statistically significant correlations between the advanced glycation end product (sRAGE) and TNF-α (Pearson's factor R = 0.637; p < 0.001) and between serum levels of DNM1L and IFN-α (Pearson's factor R = 0.501; p = 0.002) in P(+) patients. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated concentrations of mitochondrial biomarkers in post-COVID-19 patients with long-term pulmonary complications indicate their possible role in the pathobiology of COVID-19 pulmonary sequelae. Oxidative stress is associated with the immune response and inflammation after COVID-19. TNF-α could be a promising biomarker for predicting pulmonary complications and may be a potential target for therapeutic intervention in patients with post-COVID-19 complications.

Leptin, resistin and fetuin a concentration as the potential useful biomarkers in stable COPD - An exploratory study.

Adipokines, which have pleiotropic activities, are known to be involved in inflammation as adipocytokines. The aim of the current study was to investigate selected adipocytokine levels in the serum of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD patients and healthy controls, to assess a potential association between the investigated biomarkers and selected parameters and to conduct receiving operating curve (ROC) analysis. Twenty-five COPD patients and 30 healthy controls were enrolled in the current study. Serum levels of adiponectin, leptin, resistin, chemerin and fetuin A were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Both leptin and resistin concentrations were significantly elevated in COPD patients and differentiated them from control subjects. Fetuin A levels were lower in COPD patients and may be related to the disease. Further studies in larger cohorts are needed to confirm the findings of this exploratory study.

Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 5 (RANTES) concentrations in the peripheral blood of patients with a depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Inflammation plays a role in the pathomechanism of depressive disorder. Cytokines interact with iodothyronine deiodinases (DIOs) that are involved in thyroid hormone (TH) metabolism. DIOs are known as modifiers of the inflammatory response. RANTES is a chemokine that has been detected in a wide range of inflammatory disorders, but is less studied in depression. We aimed to investigate the concentration of RANTES in patients with recurrent depressive disorder (rDD) and examine any potential correlation with other molecules, such as interleukins (ILs) and DIOs. METHODS: The levels of RANTES and other molecules associated with depressive disorder, including deiodinase type 1 (DIO1), interleukin (IL)1ß, and IL-6, were measured by enzymatic immune assay (ELISA) in the serum of 43 patients with depressive disorder and 36 controls. RESULTS: RANTES levels were higher in depressed patients than in controls. The level of RANTES was negatively correlated with the deiodinase type 1 (DIO1) level in women diagnosed with rDD. IL-1ß and IL-6 levels were significantly higher in depressed patients than in controls. IL-1ß was positively correlated with deiodinase type 3 (DIO3). A negative correlation between DIO1 and the number of depressive episodes in women with rDD was observed. CONCLUSION: With the observed elevated RANTES levels, increases in ILs concentrations, and a possible link between immune aspects and DIOa in patients with rDD, our study contributes to the current pool of knowledge about the complex aetiology of depression and suggests future studies focus on precision mechanisms that explain the link between TH-related molecules and immune molecules.

Ageing, sex, obesity, smoking and COVID-19 - truths, myths and speculations.

In early December 2019, in the city of Wuhan in Hubei Province, China, the first infections by a novel coronavirus were reported. Since then, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been spreading to other cities and countries becoming the global emerging epidemiological issue and quickly reaching the status of a pandemic. Multiple risk factors of disease severity and mortality have been identified so far. These include old age, male sex, smoking, and obesity. This concise narrative review highlights the important role of these factors in the pathobiology and clinical landscape of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). We especially focused on their significant role in disease severity and mortality. However, in spite of intensive research, most of the presented pieces of evidence are weak and need further verification.

Morphometric analysis of mitochondria in lymphocytes of patients with exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - pilot study.

Introduction: Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (ECOPD) are important events in the course of the disease, negatively influencing health status and disease progression. Therefore, there is a strong need for deeper understanding of the pathology of ECOPD to elaborate new therapeutic approaches and ameliorate prognoses. Contributions of mitochondria to pathobiology of COPD are still under investigation, although growing evidence suggests their important role in this disease. The aim of our study was to assess the morphometric parameters of mitochondria in lymphocytes of patients with ECOPD. Patients and methods: Lymphocytes were isolated from the peripheral blood of patients with COPD. Transmission electron microscopy was used to assess absolute number of mitochondria per cell, mitochondrial content, and morphometric parameters of individual mitochondria. We also counted indexes for elongation and interconnectivity. Results: Eighteen patients (9 with ECOPD and 9 in the stable period of the disease) were analyzed. We observed significantly lower length of mitochondrion (P=0.03) and significant decrease both in elongation (P=0.03) and interconnectivity indexes (P=0.04) in ECOPD patients. Conclusions: The morphometric parameters of mitochondria in lymphocytes derived from patients during the early period of ECOPD requiring hospitalization are altered in comparison to patients in the stable period of the disease. This suggests their contribution to pathobiology of ECOPD. These preliminary outcomes should be further validated in larger size samples.

Skin condition and its relationship to systemic inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND: The systemic (extrapulmonary) effects and comorbidities of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) contribute substantially to its burden. The supposed link between COPD and its systemic effects on distal organs could be due to the low-grade systemic inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the systemic inflammation may influence the skin condition in COPD patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty patients with confirmed diagnosis of COPD and a control group consisting of 30 healthy smokers and 20 healthy never-smokers were studied. Transepidermal water loss, stratum corneum hydration, skin sebum content, melanin index, erythema index, and skin temperature were measured with worldwide-acknowledged biophysical measuring methods at the volar forearm of all participants using a multifunctional skin physiology monitor. Biomarkers of systemic inflammation, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), were measured in serum using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. RESULTS: There were significant differences between COPD patients and healthy never-smokers in skin temperature, melanin index, sebum content, and hydration level (P<0.05), but not for transepidermal water loss and erythema index. No significant difference was noted between COPD patients and smokers in any of the biophysical properties of the skin measured. The mean levels of hsCRP and IL-6 in serum were significantly higher in COPD patients and healthy smokers in comparison with healthy never-smokers. There were significant correlations between skin temperature and serum hsCRP (R=0.40; P=0.02) as well as skin temperature and serum IL-6 (R=0.49; P=0.005) in smokers. Stratum corneum hydration correlated significantly with serum TNF-α (R=0.37; P=0.01) in COPD patients. CONCLUSION: Differences noted in several skin biophysical properties and biomarkers of systemic inflammation between COPD patients, smokers, and healthy never-smokers may suggest a possible link between smoking-driven, low-grade systemic inflammation, and the overall skin condition.

Assessment of leptin and resistin levels in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the most common chronic lung disease in the world. The increasing severity of inflammatory processes in the respiratory tract leads to exacerbation of COPD. This process may be associated with changes in the synthesis of adipokines, the peptides that participate in immune processes. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify more sensitive and specific laboratory markers useful in diagnosing inflammatory processes in patients with COPD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study involved 33 patients with COPD without exacerbation. During the previous year, 1 episode of exacerbation was reported in 15 patients and no exacerbations were reported in the remaining 18 patients. Serum concentrations of adipokines were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: In patients with COPD, we observed a 2-fold increase in leptin levels compared with healthy controls (18.8 ±10.2 ng/ml vs. 9.06 ±4.33 ng/ml; P = 0.042). Mean resistin levels in these patients were also 2-fold higher than those in controls (8.24 ±4.18 ng/ml vs. 3.58 ±1.51 ng/ml, respectively; P = 0.027). Significant positive correlations between C-reactive protein (CRP) and leptin as well as CRP and resistin levels were observed in patients with COPD (r = 0.75 and r = 0.83, respectively; P <0.05). Moreover, a statistically significant negative correlation between the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and resistin was noted in this group (r = 0.62; P <0.05). There was no correlation between FEV1 and leptin levels either in patients with COPD or in healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: A significant increase in leptin and resistin levels in patients with COPD may suggest that these adipokines are involved in the inflammatory process underlying the disease.