BACKGROUND Circulating advanced glycated end-products (AGEs) including pentosidine accumulating in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients due to retention and increased formation are thought to contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Here we evaluated factors linked to increased plasma pentosidine and its association with mortality in patients with different stages of CKD and undergoing diff...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the potential role of anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) antibodies on some renal functions and release of vasoregulatory peptides using nitric oxide synthase deprived pregnant rats. METHODS This study was carried out at King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from December 2011 to November 2012. Forty female Wi...

tory form of arthritis. It is known that the activity of daily living is constrained by joint pain, and that joint function can become severely affected with long-term RA. Also, the average life span of RA patients is reported to be shorter than that of healthy people, based on the apparent increase in diseases of the cardiovascular system in RA patients. Further, it was recently reported that ...

We previously demonstrated that safflower seed extract (SSE) and its major antioxidant constituents, serotonin hydroxycinnamic acid amides, suppressed LDL oxidation in vitro, decreased plasma autoantibody titres to oxidized LDL and attenuated atherosclerotic lesion formation in apoE-deficient mice. In this report, we examined whether SSE, rich in serotonin derivatives, could affect markers of o...

OBJECTIVE Investigate the role of homocysteine (Hcy), Th17-related cytokines, and adhesion molecules in the inflammatory state seen in the sickle cell anemia (SCA). METHODS We studied the Hcy, interleukin (IL)-17, and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) cytokine levels of 62 SCA patients, as well as the expression levels of inflammatory and endothelial activation markers. RESULTS We found ...

BACKGROUND Inflammation is implicated in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality in end-stage renal failure (ESRF). Its importance in early renal disease is yet to be defined. METHODS Serum levels of systemic and vascular inflammatory markers in early IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and control subjects were measured and related to renal function and vascular risk factors. A parallel study in type ...

OBJECTIVE Because male sex is an independent risk factor for the severity of atherosclerosis, it is possible that androgens may be proatherogenic. There is evidence that sex hormones, particularly estrogens, regulate (or modulate) inflammation, a process integral to atherogenesis. Because levels of serum inflammatory markers predict cardiovascular outcomes, we prospectively assessed the effects...

The respective abundance of circulating endothelial cells and endothelial progenitor cells may reflect the balance between vascular injury and repair. As pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) can share features of pulmonary remodelling, we postulated that the two disorders might be associated with different types of pulmonary endothelial...