AIM To review the existing literature on the role and significance of intestinal transglutaminase 2 immunoglobulin A deposits (TG2 deposits) in patients with overt celiac disease (CD), potential celiac disease (PCD), and other autoimmune or gluten-related conditions. METHODS We conducted a systematic review of studies published in English, evaluating presence and characteristics of TG2 deposi...

OBJECTIVE Molecular epidemiology studies have lately been focused on occupational cancer associated with exposure to chemical carcinogens in work environment. Measuring serum levels of tumour markers ie. the substances produced in transformed cells, is a modern method used in the prevention or early detection of cancer. A two-year observation study was constructed to investigate the relationshi...

BACKGROUND Heart rate turbulence (HRT) has been proposed as a candidate marker of altered autonomic tone, and some studies showed its prognostic value for both cardiac death (CD) and sudden death. Nevertheless, HRT is not currently used in the clinical practice. METHODS AND RESULTS We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the predictive value of HRT for the end points of total mo...

OBJECTIVE Novel echocardiographic techniques, such as speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) and tissue Doppler imaging, are sensitive tools for assessing left ventricular (LV) performance. LV global longitudinal strain (GLS), assessed by STE, is a sensitive marker of myocardial systolic function. Cardiovascular complications in patients with Cushing's disease (CD) determine a higher mortality...

In Crohn's disease (CD), clinical symptoms correspond poorly to inflammatory disease activity. Biomarkers, which reflect the level of intestinal inflammation are considered to enable effective monitoring of disease activity. The present study evaluated the role of serum pentraxin 3 (PTX3) as a marker of disease activity in patients with CD. Serum PTX3 levels were determined using an enzyme-link...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Although numerous studies have implicated TLR5, or its ligands, bacterial flagellins, in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD), genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have not reported associations with the TLR5 gene. We aimed to examine potential CD-associated TLR5 variants and assess whether they modified inflammatory responses to bacterial flagellins. METHODS A...

We have measured the concentration of cartilage-derived retinoic-acid-sensitive protein (CD-RAP) in synovial fluid (SF) from the knees of 49 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and 79 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in order to investigate the correlation between the type of joint disease and level of CD-RAP. The mean concentration of CD-RAP in synovial fluid was significantly higher in OA than in...

Background. Syndecan-1 (SDC-1), a member of the family of heparan sulfate proteoglycans, plays an important role in the resolution of inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between SDC-1 and disease activity in Crohn's disease (CD). Methods. Serum samples of 54 patients with CD and 30 healthy controls were obtained. First, SDC-1 levels of the CD patients were compared to...

INTRODUCTION    Oxidative stress is considered to be one of the mechanisms responsible for gluten toxicity, but its role in celiac disease (CD) remains unclear. OBJECTIVES    The aim of the study was to evaluate oxidative imbalance in the pathomechanism of CD by determining the concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) and selected antioxidant parameters. PATIENTS AND METHODS    The study involved 19...

BACKGROUND & AIMS In most cases celiac disease (CD) is successfully treated with a gluten-free diet (GFD). However, some patients become refractory to the GFD. Refractory CD (RCD) patients have an increased risk for developing enteropathy associated T-cell lymphoma and early diagnosis is therefore of importance. Currently, RCD diagnosis relies on endoscopy and adequate serological markers are l...