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BackgroundNeointima forming after stent implantation consists of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in 90%. Growth factors TGF-β1, PDGFB, EGF, bFGF and VEGF-A play an important role in VSMC proliferation and migration to the tunica intima after arterial wall injury. The aim of this paper was an analysis of functional polymorphisms in genes encoding TGF-β1, PDGFB, EGF, bFGF and VEGF-A in relation to in-stent restenosis (ISR).Materials and Methods265 patients with a stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) hospitalized in our center in the years 2007–2011 were included in the study. All patients underwent stent implantation at admission to the hospital and had another coronary angiography performed due to recurrence of the ailments or a positive result of the test assessing the coronary flow reserve. Angiographically significant ISR was defined as stenosis >50% in the stented coronary artery segment. The patients were divided into two groups–with angiographically significant ISR (n = 53) and without significant ISR (n = 212). Additionally, the assessment of late lumen loss (LLL) in vessel was performed. EGF rs4444903 polymorphism was genotyped using the PCR-RFLP method whilst rs1800470 (TGFB1), rs2285094 (PDGFB) rs308395 (bFGF) and rs699947 (VEGF-A) were determined using the TaqMan method.ResultsAngiographically significant ISR was significantly less frequently observed in the group of patients with the A/A genotype of rs1800470 polymorphism (TGFB1) versus patients with A/G and G/G genotypes. In the multivariable analysis, LLL was significantly lower in patients with the A/A genotype of rs1800470 (TGFB1) versus those with the A/G and G/G genotypes and higher in patients with the A/A genotype of the VEGF-A polymorphism versus the A/C and C/C genotypes. The C/C genotype of rs2285094 (PDGFB) was associated with greater LLL compared to C/T heterozygotes and T/T homozygotes.ConclusionsThe polymorphisms rs1800470, rs2285094 and rs6999447 of the TGFB1, PDGFB and VEGF-A genes, respectively, are associated with LLL in patients with SCAD treated by PCI with a metal stent implantation.

The cause of the middle Miocene Badenian salinity crisis in the Central Paratethys is addressed by examining the palaeotemperature evolution of Badenian waters before and after the deposition of evaporites. Selected foraminifer taxa (Globigerinoides spp., Globigerina bulloides, and Uvigerina) characterizing, respectively, the near-surface, intermediate, and bottom layers of the water column, were studied in two boreholes of SW Poland. The d 18 O and d 13 C values for these taxa show distinct differences which can be explained by the temperature difference between surface and bottom waters during deposition. These values also show temporal changes corresponding to the water temperature evolution in the Badenian basin. Different and quickly changing environmental conditions have been inferred from changes in foraminifer assemblages. They explain why biostratigraphic subdivisions based on well-recognized assemblages are the most accurate approach for determining the biostratigraphy of middle Miocene deposits in the Central Paratethys. The results of isotopic studies indicate that evaporites occur in a part of the Badenian section that was characterized by the lowest temperatures in the studied sections.

PLR has potential predictive value in patients with SCAD, which has not been reported previously, but statistical significance disappears after adjusting for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and hemoglobin levels as a potential confounding variable.

BackgroundDespite the important roles of vascular smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells in atherosclerotic lesion formation, data regarding the associations of functional polymorphisms in the genes encoding growth factors with the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) are lacking. The aim of the present study is to analyze the relationships between functional polymorphisms in genes encoding basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF, FGF2), epidermal growth factor (EGF), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), platelet derived growth factor-B (PDGFB), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) and the severity of coronary atherosclerosis in patients with stable CAD undergoing their first coronary angiography.MethodsIn total, 319 patients with stable CAD who underwent their first coronary angiography at the Silesian Centre for Heart Diseases in Zabrze, Poland were included in the analysis. CAD burden was assessed using the Gensini score. The TaqMan method was used for genotyping of selected functional polymorphisms in the FGF2, PDGFB, TGFB1, IGF1 and VEGFA genes, while rs4444903 in the EGF gene was genotyped using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. The associations between the selected polymorphisms and the Gensini were calculated both for the whole cohort and for a subgroup of patients without previous myocardial infarction (MI).ResultsThere were no differences in the distribution of the Gensini score between the genotypes of the analyzed polymorphisms in FGF2, EGF, IGF1, PDFGB, and TGFB1 in the whole cohort and in the subgroup of patients without previous MI. The Gensini score for VEGFA rs699947 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in patients without previous myocardial infarction, after correction for multiple testing, was highest in patients with the A/A genotype, lower in heterozygotes and lowest in patients with the C/C genotype, (p value for trend = 0.013, false discovery rate (FDR) = 0.02). After adjustment for clinical variables, and correction for multiple comparisons the association between the VEGFA genotype and Gensini score remained only nominally significant (p = 0.04, FDR = 0.19) under the dominant genetic model in patients without previous MI.ConclusionsWe were unable to find strong association between analyzed polymorphisms in growth factors and the severity of coronary artery disease, although there was a trend toward association between rs699947 and the severity of CAD in patients without previous MI.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12872-016-0402-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Introduction: Obesity is often accompanied by low-grade inflammation. In recent years a few blood-based inflammatory markers-neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (dNLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyteto-monocyte ratio (LMR), and monocyte-to-high-density lipoprotein ratio (MHR)-have been identified. They have been proven to correlate well with established inflammatory markers such as hsCRP and have a prognostic value among others in patients with coronary artery disease, heart failure, and malignancies. The aim of the study was to find markers associated with obesity in young heathy adults. Material and methods: The study group included 321 young healthy adults aged 18-35 years (210 males and 111 females). Partial least squares regression analysis was used to find variables associated with body mass index (BMI). Analysed variables included complete blood count, lipid profile, sex hormone levels, acute-phase protein levels, and blood-based inflammatory markers. Results: Variables with the strongest association with BMI in the group of men were HDL% and apolipoprotein B, and in the group of women, HDL, HDL%, triglycerides, and MHR. Novel inflammatory markers were not associated with BMI, except MHR. We found significant (p < 0.001) correlations between novel biomarkers (NLR, dNLR) and hsCRP and fibrinogen levels in the group of subjects with obesity. Conclusions: Blood-based inflammatory markers significantly correlate with hsCRP and fibrinogen in young healthy adults with obesity, which may reflect the subclinical inflammation in this group of individuals.

Historic salt mines in Wieliczka and Bochnia are situated by the old trade road from Kraków to the east, in the region well known from salt-making from brines since the Neolith (ca. 3500 BC). In Bochnia the rock salt was discovered in 1248, whereas in Wieliczka production of the rock salt was confirmed in the town charter in 1290. At the end of the 13th century both mines were united into the Kraków Saltworks. In the 16th century it was the biggest production centre in Poland and one of the biggest in Europe. The rock-salt exploitation ended in Bochnia in 1990 and in Wieliczka in 1996. Both deposits are situated within the Miocene (Badenian-M4) folded strata of the salt-bearing complex, consisting of the Skawina Formation (at the bottom), the Wieliczka Formation (containing the evaporites), and the Chodenice beds (at the top). The Wieliczka deposit consists of the upper boulder deposit and the lower stratiform one. The boulder deposit was formed as a result of submarine flows in southern part of the evaporite basin. Both the boulder and the stratiform deposits were finally shaped by the overthrust movements of the Outer Carpathians.

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