Albumin is the main protein of blood plasma, lymph, cerebrospinal and interstitial fluid. The protein participates in a variety of important biological functions, such as maintenance of proper colloidal osmotic pressure, transport of important metabolites and antioxidant action. Synthesis of albumin takes place mainly in the liver, and its catabolism occurs mostly in vascular endothelium of muscle, skin and liver, as well as in the kidney tubular epithelium. Long-lasting investigation in this area has delineated the principal route of its catabolism involving glomerular filtration, tubular endocytic uptake via the multiligand scavenger receptor tandem—megalin and cubilin-amnionless complex, as well as lysosomal degradation to amino acids. However, the research of the last few decades indicates that also additional mechanisms may operate in this process to some extent. Direct uptake of albumin in glomerular podocytes via receptor for crystallizable region of immunoglobulins (neonatal FC receptor) was demonstrated. Additionally, luminal recycling of short peptides into the bloodstream and/or back into tubular lumen or transcytosis of whole molecules was suggested. The article discusses the molecular aspects of these processes and presents the major findings and controversies arising in the light of the research concerning the last decade. Their better characterization is essential for further research into pathophysiology of proteinuric renal failure and development of effective therapeutic strategies.

Background: Patients with heart failure (HF) are at high risk of unfavorable courses of COVID-19. The aim of this study was to evaluate characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients with HF. Methods: Data of patients hospitalized in a tertiary hospital in Poland between March 2020 and May 2021 with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were analyzed. The study population was divided into a HF group (patients with a history of HF) and a non-HF group. Results: Out of 2184 patients (65 ± 13 years old, 50% male), 12% had a history of HF. Patients from the HF group were older, more often males, had more comorbidities, more often dyspnea, pulmonary and peripheral congestion, inflammation, and end-organ damage biomarkers. HF patients had longer and more complicated hospital stay, with more frequent acute HF development as compared with non-HF. They had significantly higher mortality assessed in hospital (35% vs. 12%) at three (53% vs. 22%) and six months (72% vs. 47%). Of 76 (4%) patients who developed acute HF, 71% died during hospitalization, 79% at three, and 87% at six months. Conclusions: The history of HF identifies patients with COVID-19 who are at high risk of in-hospital complications and mortality up to six months of follow-up.

Modern medicine requires effective, continuous, and safe therapies, which largely depend on the targeted delivery and activity of the drug. This goal can be achieved by designing drug delivery systems with improved pharmacokinetic properties and enhanced drug transport to the affected tissue. Human serum albumin (HSA) is an attractive carrier for the synthesis of therapeutic nanoparticles, several of which have already been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The success of Abraxane as an effective treatment for metastatic breast cancer and non-small cell lung carcinoma, the application of Optison in ultrasound imaging, and the use of Nanocoll as an agent for SPECT diagnostics in sentinel node localisation confirm the strong potential of albumin-based systems. Further benefits are expected in patients with soft tissue cancers, as LadRx is seeking FDA marketing approval for Aldoxorubicin. The future of oncology lies in theranostics, which combines a tumour-localising factor on one platform with a drug targeting cancer cells and a factor that activates the cytotoxicity of the drug after it reaches the target tissue. This article presents recent advancements in albumin-based nanoparticles for drug delivery, targeting, and imaging. It also briefly discusses methods of synthesis and surface modification of albumin nanocarriers to enable targeted delivery to pathological sites. Finally, it outlines the latest approaches in multimodal theranostic platforms, highlighting albumin’s potential to improve cancer therapy.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) shows high incidence of thromboembolic events in humans. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate if anticoagulation prior to COVID-19 infection may impact clinical profile, as well as mortality rate among patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The study was based on retrospective analysis of medical records of patients with laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. After propensity score matching (PSM), a group of 236 patients receiving any anticoagulant treatment prior to COVID-19 infection (AT group) was compared to 236 patients without previous anticoagulation (no AT group). In 180 days, the observation we noted comparable mortality rate in AT and no AT groups (38.5% vs. 41.1%, p = 0.51). Similarly, we did not observe any statistically significant differences in admission in the intensive care unit (14.1% vs. 9.6%, p = 0.20), intubation and mechanical ventilation (15.0% vs. 11.6%, p = 0.38), catecholamines usage (14.3% vs. 13.8%, p = 0.86), and bleeding rate (6.3% vs. 8.9%, p = 0.37) in both groups. Our results suggest that antithrombotic treatment prior to COVID-19 infection is unlikely to be protective for morbidity and mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

Amyloid β peptides (Aβ) aggregating in the brain have a potential neurotoxic effect and are believed to be a major cause of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) development. Thus, inhibiting amyloid polypeptide aggregation seems to be a promising approach to the therapy and prevention of this neurodegenerative disease. The research presented here is directed at the determination of the inhibitory activity of ovocystatin, the cysteine protease inhibitor isolated from egg white, on Aβ42 fibril genesis in vitro. Thioflavin-T (ThT) assays, which determine the degree of aggregation of amyloid peptides based on fluorescence measurement, circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) have been used to assess the inhibition of amyloid fibril formation by ovocystatin. Amyloid beta 42 oligomer toxicity was measured using the MTT test. The results have shown that ovocystatin possesses Aβ42 anti-aggregation activity and inhibits Aβ42 oligomer toxicity in PC12 cells. The results of this work may help in the development of potential substances able to prevent or delay the process of beta-amyloid aggregation—one of the main reasons for Alzheimer’s disease.