Malnutrition-inflammation-atherosclerosis syndrome is one of the causes of increased mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of the study was to assess the inflammation and nutritional status of patients in end-stage kidney disease treated with maintenance hemodialysis. The study included a group of 98 hemodialyzed patients with stage 5 CKD (38 women and 60 men). Albumin, prealbumin (PRE), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured in serum samples collected before mid-week dialysis. Fruit and vegetables frequency intakes were assessed with a questionnaire. CRP was above the reference limit of 5 mg/L in 53% of patients. Moreover, the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) indicated the co-occurrence of inflammation and protein calorie malnutrition in 11% of patients, and the presence of either inflammation or malnutrition in 25%. The questionnaire revealed that hemodialyzed patients frequently exclude fruit and vegetables from their diets. Nearly 43% of the interviewed patients declared frequently eating vegetables, and 35% declared frequently eating fruit, a few times per week or less. The most frequently selected fruit and vegetables had a low antioxidant capacity. The strict dietary restrictions in CKD are difficult to fulfill, and if strictly followed, may lead to protein-calorie malnutrition.

Aims. Diabetes is considered a state of increased oxidative stress. This study evaluates blood concentrations of selected markers of antioxidant defense in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods. The study included 80 type 2 diabetes patients and 79 apparently healthy controls. Measured markers included ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), γ‐glutamyltransferase (GGT) and uric acid serum, and plasma and/or hemolysate levels. Results. FRAP, uric acid, CRP, and GGT levels were significantly higher in patients with diabetes. Plasma and hemolysate GR was significantly higher whereas GPx activity was significantly lower in patients with diabetes. There were no significant differences in antioxidant defense markers between patients with and without chronic diabetes complications. Fasting serum glucose correlated with plasma GPx, plasma and hemolysate GR, FRAP, and serum GGT, and HbA1c correlated with serum GGT. Only FRAP and serum uric acid were significantly higher in obese (BMI > 30 kg/m²) patients with diabetes than in nonobese patients. Conclusions. Some components of antioxidant defense such as GR, uric acid, and GGT are increased in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, the whole system cannot compensate for an enhanced production of ROS as reflected by the trend toward decreased erythrocytes GSH.

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate total antioxidant capacity as well as levels of various enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, and oxidative stress markers in saliva of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and oral leukoplakia (OL). Material and methods: Twenty patients with OSCC, 20 patients with OL and 20 healthy subjects were enrolled into this prospective study. Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC), activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GR) as well as levels of total glutathione (tGSH), reduced glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), GSH/GSSG ratio, uric acid (UA), 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were estimated in saliva using appropriate biochemical methods. Results: The activity of SOD was significantly higher in OSCC group in comparison with OL and control groups. The levels of GSH were markedly lower in OSCC and OL patients as compared to the control group. Likewise, we found that GSH/GSSG ratio was markedly lower in the OSCC and OL groups. Levels of some biomarkers were influenced by clinical staging of OSCC and OL as well as by sociodemographic factors. Conclusions: The results of this pilot study suggest that salivary activity of SOD is higher in OSCC patients, whereas levels of GSH and GSH/GSSG ratio are lower in saliva of patients with OSCC and OL. Clinical staging of OSCC and OL, as well as some sociodemographic factors may also influence salivary antioxidant status.

Introduction: The aim of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic characteristics of selected inflammatory markers and the results of multiplication of their concentrations in the diagnosis and assessment of Crohn’s disease (CD) activity.Material and methods: We studied 49 patients with CD and 31 healthy controls. The CD patients were assigned to subgroups with active and inactive disease based on the Crohn’s Disease Activity Index score. Serum interleukins and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured using immunoassays.Results: Serum CRP and interleukins: IL-6, IL-17A, IL-23 were significantly higher in the CD group than in controls, with the best diagnostic performance for IL-23. Only serum IL-6 and CRP were significantly higher in active than in inactive disease, with the better performance of CRP. Multiplication results did not perform better than individual multipliers.Conclusions: Serum CRP may be useful in the assessment of CD activity and there is a need for introduction of IL-23 for the CD diagnosis.

Pregnancy and diabetes increase the risk of developing pathological conditions in the periodontium. Salivary biomarkers, such as matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), as well as antioxidants can be used as diagnostic indicators in monitoring periodontitis. The aim of the study was to assess the periodontal status of pregnant women with regard to the presence of diabetes. In addition, we aimed to assess antioxidant activity and the level of MMP-9 in saliva in order to establish the optimal noninvasive determinants of periodontitis. The study included 104 pregnant women: 35 patients had gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM); 30 patients had type 1 diabetes (T1D); and 39 patients did not have diabetes (the control group). The physical examination included the assessment of the approximal plaque index (API), the gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), the probing pocket depth (PPD), and clinical attachment loss (CAL). In the saliva study, MMP-9 concentration as well as the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) were measured. The pregnant patients with GDM and T1D had higher GI, BOP, PPD, and CAL scores than the control women (p < 0.0001, p = 0.0040, p = 0.0100, p = 0.0030, and p < 0.0001, p < 0.0009, p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, respectively). The T1D patients had higher API scores as compared to the control women (p = 0.0010). The patients with periodontitis had higher salivary MMP-9 levels than the patients without periodontitis (p = 0.0001). The salivary antioxidant levels and activity were comparable among the study groups. The determinants of periodontitis (p < 0.0001) were MMP-9 concentration (p = 0.0008) and oral hygiene (p = 0.0001). The concentration of MMP-9 was also a useful determiner of the presence of periodontitis (p < 0.0001). In the pregnant women with diabetes, we observed worse gingival conditions, deeper periodontal pockets and greater attachment loss in comparison with the women from the control group. The concentration of MMP-9 in saliva is a good predictor of periodontitis and might be a useful tool for diagnosing periodontitis.

Over 50% of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients die of cardiovascular disease. ESRD patients treated with maintenance hemodialysis are repeatedly exposed to oxidative stress. The aim of the study was to find the relationship between lifestyle factors, nutritional status, calcium-phosphate metabolism, and selected redox parameters such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), superoxide dismutase (SOD), uric acid (UA), and total antioxidant capacity expressed as ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). The study included 97 ESRD hemodialysis patients and 42 controls with no renal disease. Patients were asked to complete a questionnaire which gathered information on their physical activity, hours of sleep, smoking, and frequency of fruit and vegetable intake; the blood samples were then drawn before the midweek dialysis session. The ESRD patients had lower levels of GR, GPx, and SOD activity, a lower level of FRAP, and a higher UA concentration than the control group. The FRAP value decreased with age (ρ=−0.32, p=0.001); smokers had a significantly lower SOD activity in comparison to nonsmokers (p=0.03). In the ESRD patients, FRAP and UA correlated with both albumin (ρ=0.26, p=0.011; ρ=0.41, p=0.006, respectively) and prealbumin (ρ=0.34, p≤0.001; ρ=0.28, p=0.006, respectively), whereas UA, GR, GPx, and SOD correlated with calcium, UA, GR, and GPx with phosphate level. Based on the findings, there are weak associations between nutritional status and selected redox parameters in hemodialyzed patients. Further studies are needed to establish if diet modifications and adequate nutritional status can positively impact the antioxidant capacity in this group of patients.