The change in serum laminin (LN) level and its clinical significance in epithelial ovarian tumor were investigated. The LN levels in serum and ascites samples from 69 patients with epithelial ovarian tumor and 42 cases as control group before and after operation were analyzed by radioimmunoassay. The results showed that the serum LN levels in the patients with malignant tumors (157.85 +/- 14.37 ng/ml) were significantly higher than that in the control group (125.14 +/- 7.03 ng/ml) and in the patients with benign tumors (128.36 +/- 8.75 ng/ml) (both P < 0.01) before operation. The serum LN levels in the malignant group were decreased significantly after operation as compared with those before operation (P < 0.05). The serum LN levels in low-differentiated tumors was higher than those in moderate-differentiated tumors and high-differentiated tumors (P < 0.05). The LN levels in ascites (172.94 +/- 15.26 ng/ml) was significantly higher than in serum (161.34 +/- 6.59 ng/ml) (P < 0.05) in malignant tumors. The serum LN levels in the patients with lymph node metastasis (165.41 +/- 19.91 ng/ml) was obviously higher than those without lymph node metastasis (152.35 +/- 10.34 ng/ml) (P < 0.05). It was concluded that LN levels in serum and acistis were remarkably increased in malignant epithelial ovarian tumors, suggesting that LN might be one of important diameters reflecting tumor biological characteristics.
Ascitic Fluid/*metabolism ; Carcinoma/blood ; Carcinoma/metabolism ; Laminin/*blood ; Laminin/metabolism ; Ovarian Neoplasms/*metabolism ; Tumor Markers, Biological/*blood ; Tumor Markers, Biological/metabolism

No abstract availble.
Biological Markers/blood ; Cytokines/*blood ; Humans ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System/*metabolism ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome/*metabolism ; Pituitary-Adrenal System/*metabolism

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of exercise on plasma tryptophan (TRP) and free serotonin (f5-HT), whole blood-5-HT (WB-5-HT) and f5-HT/WB-5-HT ratio in Italian Saddle horses. Six clinically healthy Italian Saddle horses were subjected to a 450 meters obstacles course. Blood samples were collected from each horse by jugular venipuncture using vacutainer tubes with K3-EDTA at rest, immediately after exercise, and after 30 min. TRP, f5-HT and WB-5-HT were analyzed by HPLC. Immediately after exercise, statistically significant increases of f5-HT (p<0.001) and WB-5-HT (p<0.001) were observed. After 30 min, f5-HT and WB-5-HT decreased compared to immediately after exercise, but were still significantly higher than rest values (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively). A significant linear regression between f5-HT and WB-5-HT was observed during experimental conditions. f5-HT and WB-5-HT modifications after exercise suggest an important role of peripheral serotoninergic markers in response to physical activity. The possible source of extra serotonin detected after show jumping should be clarified by further investigation.
Animals ; Biological Markers/blood ; Female ; Horses/*blood/*metabolism ; Linear Models ; Male ; *Physical Conditioning, Animal/physiology ; Serotonin/*blood ; Tryptophan/blood

Myocardial infarction (MI) is the leading cause of death in the developed world. Biomarkers have an essential role in diagnosis, risk stratification, guiding management and clinical decision making in the setting of patients presenting with signs and symptoms of MI. Cardiac troponin (cTn) rose to prominence during the 1990s and has evolved to be the cornerstone for diagnosis of MI. The current criteria for MI diagnosis include a rise and/or fall in cTn with at least one value above the 99th percentile of the upper reference limit. Along with cTn, the natriuretic peptides B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and amino-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) have an important role in determining prognosis and guiding management. As assays for cTn have been evolved that are capable of reliably detecting smaller and smaller quantities in the blood, a dilemma has emerged as to how to use this new information. Several studies have attempted to answer this question and have shown that these lower concentrations of cTn have important prognostic significance and, more importantly, that intervention in these patients leads to improved clinical outcomes. New algorithms incorporating BNP, NT-proBNP, and more sensitive cTn assays hold promise for more rapid diagnosis or rule-out of MI, allowing for appropriate management steps to be initiated and more efficient and effective utilization of healthcare resources.
Biological Markers/*blood ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction/*diagnosis/metabolism ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain/blood ; Peptide Fragments/blood ; Prognosis ; Troponin/blood

S100A8 and S100A9 are major leukocyte proteins, known as damage-associated molecular patterns, found at high concentrations in the synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A heterodimeric complex of S100A8/A9 is secreted by activated leukocytes and binds to Toll-like receptor 4, which mediates downstream signaling and promotes inflammation and autoimmunity. Serum and synovial fluid levels of S100A8/A9 are markedly higher in patients with RA than in patients with osteoarthritis or miscellaneous inflammatory arthritis. Serum levels of S100A8/A9 are significantly correlated with clinical and laboratory markers of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, rheumatoid factor, and the Disease Activity Score for 28 joints. Significant correlations have also been found between S100A8/A9 and radiographic and clinical assessments of joint damage, such as hand radiographs and the Rheumatoid Arthritis Articular Damage score. In addition, among known inflammatory markers, S100A8/A9 has the strongest correlation with total sum scores of ultrasonography assessment. Furthermore, baseline levels of S100A8/A9 are independently associated with progression of joint destruction in longitudinal studies and are responsive to change during conventional and biologic treatments. These findings suggest S100A8/A9 to be a valuable diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for RA.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid/*blood/pathology/radiography ; Arthrography ; Biological Markers/blood ; Calgranulin A/*blood ; Calgranulin B/*blood ; Humans ; Joints/pathology ; Synovial Fluid/metabolism

BACKGROUND/AIMS: An impaired oxidative/antioxidative status plays an important role in the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of the novel marker ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) and albumin-adjusted IMA (Adj-IMA) in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) and look for the associations of these with the total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidative stress index (OSI). METHODS: Forty patients with CRC (19 females and 21 males; mean age, 56.5+/-2.1 years) and 39 age- and sex-matched healthy people (22 females and 17 males; mean age, 56.0+/-1.7 years) were included in this study. Serum levels of IMA, TAS, and TOS were analyzed, and the OSI was calculated. RESULTS: Serum IMA, TOS, and OSI levels were significantly higher in patients with CRC than in controls (p<0.0001), whereas TAS levels were significantly lower in CRC patients (p=0.03). There was no significant difference in serum Adj-IMA levels between groups (p=0.32). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the oxidative/antioxidant status was impaired in favor of oxidative stress in CRC patients. This observation was not confirmed by IMA measurement. Further studies are needed to establish the relationship between IMA and oxidative stress parameters in CRC and other cancers.
Antioxidants/metabolism ; Biological Markers/blood ; Case-Control Studies ; Colorectal Neoplasms/*blood ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Oxidants/blood ; Oxidative Stress ; Prospective Studies ; Serum Albumin/metabolism ; Tumor Markers, Biological/*blood

PURPOSE: The serum levels of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) have recently been shown to be correlated highly with disease activity in patients with intestinal Behcet's disease (BD). However, it remains unclear whether sTREM-1 levels reflect endoscopic activity in intestinal BD. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation of sTREM-1 levels with endoscopic activity in intestinal BD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 84 patients with intestinal BD were enrolled. Endoscopic activity was compared with sTREM-1 levels as well as other laboratory findings, including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP). RESULTS: sTREM-1 levels were significantly increased in intestinal BD patients compared with controls (37.98+/-27.09 pg/mL vs. 16.65+/-7.76 pg/mL, p=0.002), however, there was no difference between endoscopically quiescent and active diseases (43.53+/-24.95 pg/mL vs. 42.22+/-32.68 pg/mL, p=0.819). Moreover, serum sTREM-1 levels did not differ in terms of number, shape, depth, size, margin, or type of ulcer in patients with intestinal BD. However, mean ESR and CRP levels in patients with active disease were significantly higher than those in patients with quiescent disease (p=0.001, p<0.001, respectively). In addition, endoscopic activity scores for intestinal BD were correlated significantly with both CRP levels (gamma=0.329) and ESR (gamma=0.298), but not with sTREM-1 levels (gamma=0.166). CONCLUSION: Unlike CRP levels and ESR, serum sTREM-1 levels were not correlated with endoscopic activity in patients with intestinal BD.
Adult ; Behcet Syndrome/*blood/*pathology ; Biological Markers/blood ; Blood Sedimentation ; C-Reactive Protein/metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Intestinal Diseases/*blood/*pathology ; Male ; Membrane Glycoproteins/*blood ; Receptors, Immunologic/*blood

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the regulatory T cells in cord blood of appropriate for gestational age (AGA) neonates with those of small for gestational age (SGA) neonates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Umbilical cord blood was collected upon labor in 108 healthy full-term (between 37 and 41 gestational weeks) neonates, who were born between November 2010 and April 2012. Among them, 77 samples were obtained from AGA neonates, and 31 samples were obtained from SGA neonates. Regulatory T cells and lymphocyte subsets were determined using a flow cytometer. Student's t-test for independent samples was used to compare differences between AGA and SGA neonates. RESULTS: Regulatory T cells in cord blood were increased in the SGA group compared with normal controls (p=0.041). However, cytotoxic T cells in cord blood were significantly decreased in the SGA group compared with normal controls (p=0.007). CONCLUSION: This is the first study to compare the distribution of lymphocyte subsets including regulatory T cells in cord blood between AGA neonates and SGA neonates.
Biological Markers/metabolism ; Female ; Fetal Blood/*immunology ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn/*blood ; Infant, Small for Gestational Age/*blood ; Lymphocyte Count ; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/metabolism ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/*metabolism

PURPOSE: Cathepsin K is a potent collagenase implicated in human and animal atherosclerosis-based vascular remodeling. This study examined the hypothesis that serum CatK is associated with the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2011 and December 2012, 256 consecutive subjects were enrolled from among patients who underwent coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention treatment. A total of 129 age-matched subjects served as controls. RESULTS: The subjects' serum cathepsin K and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were measured. The patients with CAD had significantly higher serum cathepsin K levels compared to the controls (130.8+/-25.5 ng/mL vs. 86.9+/-25.5 ng/mL, p<0.001), and the patients with acute coronary syndrome had significantly higher serum cathepsin K levels compared to those with stable angina pectoris (137.1+/-26.9 ng/mL vs. 102.6+/-12.9 ng/mL, p<0.001). A linear regression analysis showed that overall, the cathepsin K levels were inversely correlated with the high-density lipoprotein levels (r=-0.29, p<0.01) and positively with hs-CRP levels (r=0.32, p<0.01). Multiple logistic regression analyses shows that cathepsin K levels were independent predictors of CAD (odds ratio, 1.76; 95% confidence interval, 1.12 to 1.56; p<0.01). CONCLUSION: These data indicated that elevated levels of cathepsin K are closely associated with the presence of CAD and that circulating cathepsin K serves a useful biomarker for CAD.
Aged ; Biological Markers/blood ; C-Reactive Protein/metabolism ; Cathepsin K/*blood ; Coronary Artery Disease/*blood/metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

PURPOSE: Cathepsin K is a potent collagenase implicated in human and animal atherosclerosis-based vascular remodeling. This study examined the hypothesis that serum CatK is associated with the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2011 and December 2012, 256 consecutive subjects were enrolled from among patients who underwent coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention treatment. A total of 129 age-matched subjects served as controls. RESULTS: The subjects' serum cathepsin K and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were measured. The patients with CAD had significantly higher serum cathepsin K levels compared to the controls (130.8+/-25.5 ng/mL vs. 86.9+/-25.5 ng/mL, p<0.001), and the patients with acute coronary syndrome had significantly higher serum cathepsin K levels compared to those with stable angina pectoris (137.1+/-26.9 ng/mL vs. 102.6+/-12.9 ng/mL, p<0.001). A linear regression analysis showed that overall, the cathepsin K levels were inversely correlated with the high-density lipoprotein levels (r=-0.29, p<0.01) and positively with hs-CRP levels (r=0.32, p<0.01). Multiple logistic regression analyses shows that cathepsin K levels were independent predictors of CAD (odds ratio, 1.76; 95% confidence interval, 1.12 to 1.56; p<0.01). CONCLUSION: These data indicated that elevated levels of cathepsin K are closely associated with the presence of CAD and that circulating cathepsin K serves a useful biomarker for CAD.
Aged ; Biological Markers/blood ; C-Reactive Protein/metabolism ; Cathepsin K/*blood ; Coronary Artery Disease/*blood/metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged