Gangliosides are multifunctional molecules, abundantly expressed in renal cell membrane but also in sera of patients with renal disease. The aim of this study was to quantify the serum levels of sialic acid-ganglioside in patients diagnosed with diabetes for an eventual biomarker stratification of patients with renal complications. We included 35 diabetic patients without metabolic complications, 35 patients with diabetic nephropathy, 35 non-diabetic individuals. We found that sialic acid ganglioside serum level was significantly increased in patients with diabetic nephropathy compared to the level obtained in patients with uncomplicated diabetes and to non-diabetic controls. A statistically significant positive correlation was obtained between serum levels of sialic acid gangliosides, HbA1c, and serum creatinine in patients with diabetes without complications. Moreover positive correlation was found between sialic acid ganglioside and blood glucose, HbA1c, urea, creatinine, microalbuminuria in patients with diabetic nephropathy. We can conclude that serum sialic acid-gangliosides are statistically increased in diabetic nephropathy positively correlated with microalbuminuria.
Oxidative stress is caused by an imbalance between the production of pro-oxidants and the capacity of a biological system of rapid detoxification of free radicals. In this paper the level of pro-oxidants and antioxidants was quantified in patients with psoriasis vulgaris. The results of this study show that the level of oxygen reactive species dramatically increases and the physiologic antioxidant mechanisms are inefficient in patients with psoriasis vulgaris. These findings re-confirm that oxidative stress has a destructive and pathogenic potential in psoriasis.
Background. Malignant melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer with a rapidly increasing incidence rate. In contrast to other tumors, the role of sex steroid hormones in the initiation and progression of melanoma remains unclear.Objective. To assess the interaction between the content and composition of gangliosides and sex steroid hormones 17βestradiol (E2) and testosterone (T) in malignant melanoma.Patients and methods. The analysis included 45 melanoma patients (age 28-86; 14 men, 15 non -pregnant women in mid follicular phase and 16 postmenopausal women) and 46 healthy controls. Serum levels of gangliosides (GM1-3, GD1 a,b ,2,3, GT1b, GQ1b), estradiol, testosterone measured in serum by chromatographic and immunochemiluminescence methods were correlated with sex and age.Results. Steroid hormones levels showed no differences between groups (p>0.05), while total gangliosides in normal serum were significantly lower than total ganglioside concentrations determined in melanoma samples (18.63 ± 3.17 mg/dL versus 74.82 ± 34.56 mg/dL) (p<0.05). There were no differences related to sex or age within groups regarding total gangliosides levels. Gangliosides pattern in melanoma patients compared to control showed lower GM3, higher GD3, lower GM3/GD3 ratio, increased GD2 levels, and no significant variation of GM1, GM2, GD1a, GT1b gangliosides. There is a positive correlation between estradiol levels and total gangliosides concentration both in non-pregnant premenopausal and postmenopausal melanoma patients. GM3 is negatively correlated with estradiol levels in melanoma group, GT1b and O-Acetyl GD3 concentrations are positively correlated with estradiol levels in women with melanoma. Testosterone levels showed no significant correlation with the content and pattern of gangliosides in melanoma patients.Conclusions. The correlations between content and composition of gangliosides and estradiol in melanoma suggest a possible role of these molecules in melanoma behavior.
PTH-independent hypercalcaemia has a low prevalence in SCC patients. Hypercalcaemia is correlated with susceptibility to develop metastases in SCC. A possible mechanism is PTHrp hypersecretion by malignant keratinocytes.
Non-melanoma skin cancer is one of the most common of all cancers and the incidence has increased in the last years as a result of many factors including increased tanning, life style and possible global climate change. Inflammation plays an important role in cancer development and is frequently evaluated by serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. PTGS2 -765C allele coding for COX-2 has been found to be associated with lower plasma levels of CRP. The objectives of this study are: evaluation of the association between PTGS2 -765G>C polymorphism and the occurrence of non-melanoma skin cancer, the relationship between this polymorphism and cyclooxygenase-2 activity in skin tissue, as well as the correlation with serum CRP levels in patients with non-melanoma skin cancer. We used PCR-RFLP technique to explore -765G>C PTGS2 gene polymorphism, colorimetric analysis for cyclooxygenase-2 activity in skin tissue and immunoturbidimetric assay for CRP serum levels in 174 patients with non-melanoma skin cancer [54 patients with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and 120 patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)] and 80 healthy subjects. PTGS2 -765G>C polymorphism failed to show an association with non-melanoma skin cancer risk. We observed a significant increase in COX-2 activity in SCC and BCC patients compared to control tissue (0.58 ± 0.11 and 0.63 ± 0.09 U/mg protein, respectively vs. 0.16 ± 0.01 U/mg protein). BCC and SCC intra-group analysis showed lower COX-2 activity in C-allele carriers versus non-carriers (p < 0.001 and p < 0.0001, respectively). In BCC and SCC patients with GG genotype, CRP level is significantly increased compared to control group (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0001, respectively). Intra-group comparison of CRP levels showed significantly lower CRP levels in patients carrying C-allele compared to GG homozygotes in BCC (p = 0.0001) and SCC patients (p < 0.0001). PTGS2 -765G>C polymorphism failed to show an association with non-melanoma skin cancer risk. Regarding prognostic indicators, no consistent association emerged between PTGS2 -765G>C polymorphism and COX-2 activity or CRP levels.
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