Susanne Brix Pedersen

Plasma ceramide levels are altered in low and normal birth weight men in response to short-term high-fat overfeeding

Low birth weight (LBW) individuals have an increased risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes compared with normal birth weight (NBW) individuals. We hypothesised that LBW individuals exhibit an increased fatty acid flux into lipogenesis in non-adipose tissue with a resulting accumulation of lipotoxic lipids, including ceramides, in the blood. Therefore, we measured fasting plasma levels of 27 ceramides in 18 young, healthy, LBW men and 25 NBW controls after an isocaloric control diet and a 5-day high-fat, high-calorie diet by HPLC-HRMS. LBW men did not show elevated plasma ceramide levels after the control or high-fat, high-calorie diet. An increased fatty acid oxidation rate in these individuals during both diets may limit ceramide synthesis and thereby compensate for a likely increased fatty acid load to non-adipose tissue. Interestingly, LBW and NBW men decreased d18:0–18:1/d18:1–18:0 and d18:1–24:2/d18:2–24:1 levels and increased the d18:0–24:1a level in response to overfeeding. Plasma d18:0–24:1a and total ceramide levels were positively associated with the fasting blood glucose level and endogenous glucose production after the control diet, and the total ceramide level was in addition positively associated with hepatic insulin resistance. Further studies are needed to determine if lipotoxicity contributes to insulin resistance in LBW individuals.

Breast milk IL-1β level associates with development of eczema during early childhood

Maggina, P; Megremis, S; Papaevangelou, V; Taka, S; Makrinioti, C-N; Tsolia, M; Papadopoulos, NG 2nd Pediatric Clinic, Allergy & Clinical Immunology Department, National & Kapodestrian University of Athens, ‘P & A Kyriakou’ Children’s Hospital, Athens, Greece; University of Manchester, Institute of Human Development, Manchester, United Kingdom; National & Kapodestrian University of Athens, 3rd Pediatric Clinic, General University Hospital Attikon, Athens, Greece

Identification of A Novel Immunoregulatory Signaling Pathway Exploited by Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Dendritic Cells

Background: HCV is a leading cause of chronic liver diseases, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver fibrosis and the end-stage of liver fibrosis, ‘Cirrhosis, represent the final common pathway of virtually all chronic liver diseases. During this process different biochemical markers associated with connective tissue turnover are released into the blood for example increased level of procollagen III N-terminal (PIII-NP), decreased serum level of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP1), increased levels of 7S fragment of type IV collagen, hyaluronic acid, gelatinase A, and tissue inhibitor metalloproteinases. Methods: This study was carried out on 50 patients with evidence of chronic hepatitis C, they were (42) male and (8) female. All cases were selected from out patient clinic of the hepatology unit of research institute for tropical medicine.the patients were divided according to the stage of fibrosis into 5 groups from F0 to F4 according to metavir stage.serum. MMP-1, MMP-2 and HA levels determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. Results: Our retrospective study determines serum level of Metalloproteinase -1(MMP-1), Metalloproteinase -2 (MMP-2), and Hyaluronic acid (HA) as non invasive markers of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C and to correlate their serum levels with the stage of fibrosis assessed by histopathological staging of liver biopsy. HA level increased significantly with progression of fibrosis whereas Serum level of MMP-1 and MMP-2 had no statistical significant change with progressive fibrosis. Conclusions: serum level of HA can be used as an independent predictor of significant fibrosis, while other studied markers are dependent predictors of significant fibrosis.

High-Mannose Glycosylation of Infectious HIV-1 gp120 and Immune Regulation in Human Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells

Background: HCV is a leading cause of chronic liver diseases, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver fibrosis and the end-stage of liver fibrosis, ‘Cirrhosis, represent the final common pathway of virtually all chronic liver diseases. During this process different biochemical markers associated with connective tissue turnover are released into the blood for example increased level of procollagen III N-terminal (PIII-NP), decreased serum level of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP1), increased levels of 7S fragment of type IV collagen, hyaluronic acid, gelatinase A, and tissue inhibitor metalloproteinases. Methods: This study was carried out on 50 patients with evidence of chronic hepatitis C, they were (42) male and (8) female. All cases were selected from out patient clinic of the hepatology unit of research institute for tropical medicine.the patients were divided according to the stage of fibrosis into 5 groups from F0 to F4 according to metavir stage.serum. MMP-1, MMP-2 and HA levels determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. Results: Our retrospective study determines serum level of Metalloproteinase -1(MMP-1), Metalloproteinase -2 (MMP-2), and Hyaluronic acid (HA) as non invasive markers of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C and to correlate their serum levels with the stage of fibrosis assessed by histopathological staging of liver biopsy. HA level increased significantly with progression of fibrosis whereas Serum level of MMP-1 and MMP-2 had no statistical significant change with progressive fibrosis. Conclusions: serum level of HA can be used as an independent predictor of significant fibrosis, while other studied markers are dependent predictors of significant fibrosis.