OBJECTIVE To study immunological markers and compare these markers with standard measures for the clinical and immunological follow up of vasculitis activity in hepatitis C virus (HCV) associated cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis (CV). METHODS Serial serum samples from eight patients with newly diagnosed HCV associated CV were followed during interferon alpha treatment induced remission of the CV....

BACKGROUND The metabolic syndrome (MS) is associated with insulin resistance (IR), a systemic low-grade inflammatory state and endothelial dysfunction. These disorders may arise at a very early age in obese children. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between endothelial dysfunction and both IR and inflammation in prepubertal obese children. METHODS AND RESULTS Von Willebrand fa...

Correspondence to: Prof. Brunello Wüthrich, Allergy Unit, Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zurich, Gloriastrasse 31 CH–8091 Zurich (Switzerland) Dear Sir, We read with interest the letter by Yamada et al. [1]. Our experience is in contrast with the results of the Japanese colleagues. In fact, we have published in the January 1994 issue of Allergy [2] that the measurement of solubl...

BACKGROUND Most investigations of novel biomarkers for prediction of cardiovascular disease pertain to coronary artery disease. Few large-scale prospective studies have critically assessed plasma-based factors as predictors of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and comparative data between individual biomarkers and lipid levels are sparse, especially among women. METHODS AND RESULTS We evalua...

BACKGROUND Cell adhesion molecules and endothelial growth factors have an important role in the infiltrating of rheumatoid synovium with mononuclear cells, leading to the initiation and progression of the disease. OBJECTIVE To investigate whether the serum profile of soluble adhesion molecules and of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is associated with the histological appearance of r...

A marked influx of inflammatory cells occurs into the airways of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), which may contribute to the development of lung injury. Leukocyte-endothelial adhesion molecules play a crucial role in the recruitment of inflammatory cells, and soluble forms of these molecules have been shown to increase in several inflammatory diseases. By using a capture ELISA, we determine...

BACKGROUND Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy-specific disorder of widespread vascular endothelial dysfunction that occurs after twenty weeks of gestation. OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to compare maternal circulating levels of endothelial dysfunction mediators, including the vascular actions of adrenomedullin (AM) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), the angiogenic factor of s...

Plasma levels of three soluble inducible adhesion molecules, namely: intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) and endothelial leucocyte adhesion molecule-1 (sELAM-1) or sE-selectin and the pro-inflammatory cytokine, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were measured in well-defined clinical groups of children with severe and uncomplicated mala...

Although the mechanisms causing recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) remain frequently speculative, recent evidence indicates that a specific uterine immune-endocrine network plays a pivotal role in the continuation of pregnancy. We have recently demonstrated that an adhesion molecule of the immune system, named intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, is markedly expressed at both protein and...

BACKGROUND It was to study the effect of atorvastatin, pioglitazone and their combination on plasma levels of adhesion molecules in patients with hypertension or stable angina or both. METHODS It was an open-label, randomized parallel-group study. Forty-five atorvastatin-naive patients with hypertension or stable angina or both, were randomized to receive either atorvastatin (19 patients; 10 ...