Platelet size has been demonstrated to reflect platelet activity and seems to be a useful predictive and prognostic biomarker of cardiovascular events. It is associated with a variety of prothrombotic and proinflammatory diseases. The aim is a review of literature reports concerning changes in the mean platelet volume (MPV) and its possible role as a biomarker in inflammatory processes and neoplastic diseases. PubMed database was searched for sources using the following keywords: platelet activation, platelet count, mean platelet volume and: inflammation, cancer/tumor, cardiovascular diseases, myocardial infarction, diabetes, lupus disease, rheumatoid arthritis, tuberculosis, ulcerative colitis, renal disease, pulmonary disease, influencing factors, age, gender, genetic factors, oral contraceptives, smoking, lifestyle, methods, standardization, and hematological analyzer. Preference was given to the sources which were published within the past 20 years. Increased MPV was observed in cardiovascular diseases, cerebral stroke, respiratory diseases, chronic renal failure, intestine diseases, rheumatoid diseases, diabetes, and various cancers. Decreased MPV was noted in tuberculosis during disease exacerbation, ulcerative colitis, SLE in adult, and different neoplastic diseases. The study of MPV can provide important information on the course and prognosis in many inflammatory conditions. Therefore, from the clinical point of view, it would be interesting to establish an MPV cut-off value indicating the intensity of inflammatory process, presence of the disease, increased risk of disease development, increased risk of thrombotic complications, increased risk of death, and patient’s response on applied treatment. Nevertheless, this aspect of MPV evaluation allowing its use in clinical practice is limited and requires further studies.

BackgroundThe participation of inflammation in the progression of cancer for many years have been the subject of research.MethodsIn the 19th century, there was evidence that an acute inflammation may inhibit the development of cancer. However, chronic inflammation affects the progression of the disease.ResultsToday, it is known that inflammation and cancer use similar mechanisms of development such as severe cell proliferation or angiogenesis. It has been shown that prolonged presence of inflammatory cells and factors in the tumor microenvironment can accelerate its growth and inhibit apoptosis of transformed cells.ConclusionIn this article we present a brief history of the discovery mechanisms and potential links between acute and chronic inflammation and cancer.

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In the study performed in a group of patients infected with T. gondii, we evaluated Th2 humoral response (IL-5, IL-6, IL-10) and Th1 cell response (IL-12, TNF-α). The study objective was to assess the effect of T. gondii on chosen indices of the immune response. The study involved 52 women infected with T. gondii (aged 18–42 years) prior to antiparasitic treatment. In all the patients, we found IgM (index >0.7) and IgG which exceeded 300 IU/ml. The control group (C) consisted of 40 healthy women aged 18–46 years. In the study group (T) and in the control group (C), the levels of IgE, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, and TNF-α were determined. In our study, T. gondii patients had twofold higher levels of IL-5 and IL-6 as compared to healthy subjects, which seems to confirm the presence of an inflammatory state. We found the level of IL-10 to be fivefold higher in the course of toxoplasmosis than in healthy controls. The levels of IL-12 and TNF-α were comparable to those observed in healthy controls. The study has revealed that patients infected with T. gondii show increased production of the humoral response cytokines, whereas the generation of the cell response cytokines remains unchanged.

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The spot (random) urine protein to creatinine ratio (P/C ratio) is an alternative, fast and simple method of detecting and estimating the quantitative assessment of proteinuria. The aim of the work was to review the literature concerning the usefulness of spot urine P/C ratio evaluation in the diagnosis of proteinuria in the course of kidney disease, hypertension, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, immunological diseases, diabetes mellitus, and multiple myeloma, and in the diagnosis of proteinuria in children. We searched the PubMed and Google Scholar databases using the following keywords: proteinuria, spot urine protein to creatinine ratio, spot urine P/C ratio, protein creatinine index, PCR (protein to creatinine ratio), P/C ratio and methods, Jaffe versus enzymatic creatinine methods, urine protein methods, spot urine protein to creatinine ratio versus ACR (albumin to creatinine ratio), proteinuria versus albuminuria, limitations of the P/C ratio. More weight was given to the articles published in the last 10-20 years. A spot urine P/C ratio >20 mg/mmol (0.2 mg/mg) is the most commonly reported cutoff value for detecting proteinuria, while a P/C ratio value >350 mg/mmol (3.5 mg/mg) confirms nephrotic proteinuria. The International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy recommends a P/C ratio of 30 mg/mmol (0.3 mg/mg) for the classification of proteinuria in pregnant women at risk of preeclampsia. A high degree of correlation was observed between P/C ratio values and the protein concentration in 24-h urine collections. The spot urine P/C ratio is a quick and reliable test that can eliminate the need for a daily 24-h urine collection. However, in doubtful situations, it is still recommended to assess proteinuria in a 24-h urine collection. The literature review indicates the usefulness of the spot P/C ratio in various disease states; therefore, this test should be available in every laboratory. However, the challenge for the primary care physician is to know the limitations of the methods used to determine the protein and creatinine concentrations that are used to calculate the P/C ratio. Moreover, the P/C ratio cutoff used should be determined in individual laboratories because it depends on the patient population and the laboratory methodologies.