We aimed to determine the presence and distribution of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from urbanized and wild areas in Kaylaka Park (Bulgaria). A total of 546 ticks were collected over three years (2017–2019). The presence of Borrelia in 334 of the collected I. ricinus was detected by dark-field microscopy (DFM) and two nested PCRs (nPCR) targeting the borrelial 5S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer and Flagellin B (FlaB) gene. DFM was performed on a total of 215 ticks, of which 86 (40%) were positive. PCR was performed on 153 of the ticks. In total, 42.5% of the 5S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer and 49% of FlaB were positive. Considering as positive any single tick in which Borrelia sp. was detected regardless of the used method, the infection rate reached 37% (10/27) in the nymphs and 48.5% (149/307) in the adults (48.7% (77/158) females, 48.3% (72/149) males). The incidence of B. burgdorferi infection in I. ricinus did not differ statistically significantly between female, male, and nymph. This study provides evidence that Lyme disease spirochetes are present in various regions of Kaylaka Park with extremely high prevalence in their vectors.

Introduction: Podocalyxin (PCX) is an indicator of glomerular injury. Aside from the kidney, it is expressed in the endothelial cells of various organs. Echographic examinations are useful in assessing the alterations in cardiovascular structure and function during pregnancy.Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate PCX concentrations in preeclampsia (PE) and to investigate the existence of association between PCX levels and maternal echocardiographic and Doppler ultrasound parameters.Materials and methods: Fifty-five women with PE were examined. The mean age of patients was 24.9±6 years; and the mean age of the control group of 35 women with normal pregnancies was 24.7±5.4 years. ELISA was used to determine concentrations of PCX. Echocardiographic assessment of all subjects was performed. In addition, umbilical (UmA) and uterine (UtA) artery pulsatility indices (PI) were evaluated.Results: The levels of serum PCX in PE women were statistically significantly higher than those in women with normal pregnancy: 2.66±0.67 vs. 2.40±0.33 ng/ml (p=0.03). Cut-off value at 3 ng/ml was obtained for podocalyxin in order to discriminate between PE and healthy pregnancy. Logistic regression model was statistically significant: OR=3.226, (95% CI 1.084–9.599); (p=0.019). PCX correlated with systolic blood pressure (r=0.30; p=0.004), diastolic blood pressure (r=0.35; p=0.0007), UtA PI (r=0.30; p=0.004), UmA PI (r=0.21; p=0.047), IVS (r=0.32; p=0.002), and LVPWD (r=0.28; p=0.007).Conclusions: Healthy pregnant women with PCX levels above the cut-off value of 3 ng/ml are at a higher risk for developing preeclampsia. Elevated PCX levels indicate three times higher probability for PE development than women with values below the cut-off value. PCX might be a promising marker for diagnosis and prognosis of PE.

Introduction: Collagen type I is a major structural component of human uterus. Recent studies have found that collagen type I turnover is altered in preeclampsia and imbalance occurs between collagen synthesis and degradation processes. This acts as a stimulus for abnormal changes in the concentrations of collagen type I derived products in circulating blood. Aim: Having in mind the pathological collagen type I turnover in preeclampisa, the aim of the present study was to determine the levels of N-terminal propeptide of collagen type I (PINP), C-terminal propeptide of collagen type I (PICP): both markers of collagen type I synthesis and levels of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1): marker of collagen type I degradation in sera of women with early-onset preeclampsia. Materials and methods: Thirty-two patients with early-onset preeclampsia were examined. The mean age of the patients was 28.8±5.5 years; and the mean age of 22 age-matched healthy pregnant women was 28.5±6.0 years. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for measuring serum levels of PINP, PICP and MMP-1. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between levels of PINP, PICP and MMP-1 in the sera of women with preeclampsia and healthy pregnancies: 16.991 (15.41÷21.143) vs. 17.189 (15.805÷20.747) µg/L (KW=0.02; p>0.05), 10.929 (8.7÷13.937) vs. 11.474 (7.369÷11.932) µg/L (KW=0.026; p>0.05), and 2.097 (1.384÷2.923) vs. 2.589 (1.41÷4.533) µg/L (KW=0.238; p>0.05), respectively. There were statistically significantly higher number of patients from the preeclampsia group than healthy pregnant women with BMI≥25 (23/32 vs. 4/22) and abnormal UAD (18/32 vs. 2/22) (p<0.05). Conclusions: Our results did not show significant differences between serum levels of PINP, PICP and MMP-1 (markers of collagen type I turnover) in women with early-onset preeclampsia and healthy pregnancy. Further studies with more specific methods and larger sample size are required to assess changes in the serum levels of PINP, PICP and MMP-1 in early-onset preeclampsia.