Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) belongs to the family of neurotrophins, which are growth factors with trophic effects on neurons. BDNF is the most widely distributed neurotrophin in the central nervous system (CNS) and is highly expressed in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus. Its distribution outside the CNS has also been demonstrated, but most studies have focused on its effects in neuropsychiatric disorders. Despite the advances in medicine in recent decades, neurological and psychiatric diseases are still characterized by high drug resistance. This review focuses on the use of BDNF in the developmental assessment, treatment monitoring, and pharmacotherapy of selected diseases, with a particular emphasis on epilepsy, depression, anorexia, obesity, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s disease. The limitations of using a molecule with such a wide distribution range and inconsistent method of determination are also highlighted.

A disorder of sex development (DSD) is defined as a congenital condition in which development of chromosomal, gonadal, or anatomical sex is atypical. Swyer syndrome is an example of 46,XY DSD with a female phenotype. It usually becomes apparent in adolescence with delayed puberty and amenorrhoea....

Patients suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD) are particularly placed at risk of multiorgan complications. One of them is malnutrition, which adds up to a higher mortality factor among them. This study was designed to determine the usefulness of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and irisin assays in the assessment of CKD development. The study group included 28 children with CKD at stages 2-5 treated conservatively. The outcome of our study revealed decreased serum BDNF and irisin levels in CKD patients, whereas urine concentrations were increased for BDNF and decreased for irisin, comparing to healthy controls. There was a positive correlation between anthropometric measures and urine BDNF concentration, as well as anthropometric measures and both serum and urine irisin levels in the study group, however no dependence of the tested markers on the stage of CKD was observed. In recent years, a role of myokines was described as vital for maintaining metabolic homeostasis therefore we suspect a potential role of these multifaceted markers in detecting malnutrition in CKD children.

Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) is a chronic glomerular disease in children, characterized by severe proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, and/or presence of edema and hyperlipidemia. The pathogenesis, however, has not been yet established. The clinical course of the disease is characterized by frequent relapses. Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine, that apart from its involvement in the immune system, was found to be playing a vital role in various cells’ functioning, including renal tissue. It is desirable to look for new predictors of INS. Our study aimed to evaluate IL-15 as a potential marker in the early diagnosis of the disease. The cohort participating in the study consisted of patients hospitalized in Clinical Hospital No. 1 in Zabrze, from December 2019 to December 2021, including study group with INS (n = 30) and control group (n = 44). Results: The concentration of IL-15 in both serum and urine was significantly elevated in patients with INS, compared to healthy controls. The cytokine might serve as a marker of the disease, however, further research on larger study groups is needed.

Background. Renal cysts, according to their etiology, can be divided into genetic and acquired cysts. This is of great importance in patients with cystic kidney disease with a possible poor prognosis to identify markers of early kidney damage. Objectives. The objective of this study was to evaluate the concentration of serum and urine liver-type fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) in children with kidney cysts. Material and methods. The study was conducted on a group of 39 children with kidney cysts including 20 subjects with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Results. Serum and urine L-FABP concentration in children with renal cysts was significantly higher compared to the controls, regardless of the underlying type of cystic degeneration, number of cysts and gender. Also, serumand urinary IL-6 concentration was significantly higher than in the control group. There was a significant negative correlation between serum L-FABP concentration and standard deviation score (SDS) for diastolic blood pressure (DBP). A significant negative correlation was found between serum IL-6 concentration and systolic blood pressure (SBP), DBP and mean arterial pressure (MAP) values as well as SDS for SBP and DBP. In addition, a significant positive correlation was found between urinary IL-6 concentration and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Conclusions. Higher concentration of L-FABP in serum and urine in children with kidney cysts indicates the early damage to the renal parenchyma, detectable before the onset of hypertension and other organ damage. Significantly higher serum and urinary IL-6 levels in children with cystic kidney disease compared to healthy children may suggest the role of this cytokine in chronic kidney disease development.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive condition which still leads to significant morbidity and mortality among patients at all ages. Its proper management should be focused on slowing down the disease sequelae, as well as establishing an early diagnosis and treatment of its complications. Eotaxin is a potent, selective eosinophil chemoattractant, which is reported to have an impact on various kidney diseases. Nevertheless, data regarding the potential correlation between eotaxin and CKD in a pediatric population is still scarce. This study aims to assess the concentration of eotaxin in children with CKD and evaluate potential correlations with selected biochemical markers and disease occurrence. Both serum and urine eotaxin concentrations were markedly higher in children with CKD compared to healthy controls. Moreover, Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves have shown that serum eotaxin and urine eotaxin levels demonstrated high sensitivity and high specificity for the allocation of patients to the study and control groups. The authors advanced a thesis that eotaxin might serve as a marker of CKD occurrence in a pediatric population. Such a research design is innovative, since it has not been analyzed in the literature yet. However, further studies are required.