Scandinavian journal of clinical and laboratory investigation
-
Scand. J. Clin. Lab. Invest. · Jan 2009
Adiponectin as a biomarker of systemic inflammatory response in smoker patients with stable and exacerbation phases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Adiponectin is an adipose tissue-derived specific protein that has a role in energy homeostasis, that has a protective role against the development of insulin resistance and atherosclerosis and that exhibits anti-inflammatory properties. We investigated serum adiponectin as a biomarker of systemic inflammatory response and its relation with leptin, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and nitric oxide (NO) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. ⋯ Adiponectin may be a marker of low-grade systemic inflammatory response in COPD. A further rise in serum adiponectin in the exacerbation period denotes that this may also be a biomarker of the exacerbation phase as well as CRP and ESR.
-
Scand. J. Clin. Lab. Invest. · Jan 2009
Activity of selected enzymes in erythrocytes and level of plasma antioxidants in response to single whole-body cryostimulation in humans.
The influence of extremely low temperatures on the human body and physiological reactions is not fully understood. The aim of this research was to estimate the influence of a single exposure to cryogenic temperature (-130 degrees C), without subsequent kinesiotherapy, on the activity of the most crucial antioxidant enzymes in erythrocytes: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (R-GSSG), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione transferase (T-GSH). In the plasma, the concentrations of glutathione, uric acid, albumins and extra-erythrocyte haemoglobin as components of the non-enzymatic antioxidant system were evaluated. ⋯ We observed an increase in the concentrations of all the examined non-enzymatic antioxidants, especially extra-erythrocyte haemoglobin and uric acid, which had both increased further the day after cryostimulation. The results indicate that a single stimulation with cryogenic temperatures results in oxidative stress in a healthy body, but that the level of stress is not very high. It seems that in this case the most significant role in the antioxidant mechanisms is played by peroxidase.
-
Scand. J. Clin. Lab. Invest. · Jan 2009
Prognostic impact of hs-CRP and IL-6 in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation treated with electrical cardioversion.
The aim of this study was to assess the role of inflammatory processes in the development of atrial fibrillation (AF) and the prognostic impact of inflammatory markers in predicting long-term risk of AF recurrence after electrical cardioversion (CV). ⋯ Patients with AF had elevated levels of inflammatory markers. Low hs-CRP and IL-6 prior to CV are associated with a lower risk of AF recurrence after CV.
-
Scand. J. Clin. Lab. Invest. · Jan 2009
Determination of salivary cortisol by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
Late evening salivary cortisol concentrations are increasingly used as a screening test in suspected Cushing's syndrome partly because of easy sample collection. The cortisol immunoassays are prone to interference by cross-reacting steroids and therefore there is a need for improvement. The high specificity of an LC-MS assay provides a solution to the problem. ⋯ Our method is rapid, sensitive and simple to perform with a routine LC-MS/MS spectrometer.
-
Scand. J. Clin. Lab. Invest. · Jan 2009
Editorial Historical ArticleSixty years in the service of clinical chemistry.