Gdańsk Medical University

About: Gdańsk Medical University is a education organization based out in Gdańsk, Poland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 4893 authors who have published 11216 publications receiving 260523 citations.

Prevalence and clinical characteristics of patients with true resistant hypertension in central and Eastern Europe: data from the BP-CARE study.

Abstract: Objective Scanty information is available on the clinical characteristics of resistant hypertension in Central and East European countries. The Blood Pressure (BP) control rate and CArdiovascular Risk profilE (BP-CARE) study allowed us to assess the prevalence and the main clinical features of resistant hypertension in this population. Design and method The study was carried out in 1312 treated hypertensive patients living in nine Central and East European countries. Results Four hundred and twenty-three patients had apparent resistant hypertension, of whom 168 had pseudo-resistant hypertension (noncompliant/white-coat) and 255 were true treatment-resistant hypertension patients (TRH). Clinical BP values in TRH amounted to 157.4±16.9/91.8±10.0 mmHg despite the daily use of 3.6±0.7 drugs. Their 24-h BP values were 149.5±16.5/97.5±9.8 mmHg. Compared to controlled hypertensive patients (n=368) and uncontrolled nonresistant hypertensive patients (n=521), TRH were older with a greater prevalence of women. They showed a higher rate of previous cardiovascular events and a very high cardiovascular risk profile. Estimated glomerular filtration rate was significantly lower in TRH as compared to controlled hypertensive patients and uncontrolled nonresistant hypertensive patients. Overall, target organ damage was more frequently detected in TRH than in controlled hypertensive patients and uncontrolled nonresistant hypertensive patients. The factor most frequently associated with TRH was severity of hypertension followed by age, total cholesterol, BMI and history of heart failure. Conclusions The present study provides evidence that the prevalence of TRH in Central and East European countries is similar to that found in Western Europe and USA. It also shows the very high cardiovascular risk of TRH and the elevated association of this condition with obesity, renal failure, organ damage and history of cardiovascular events.

Interstitial deletion of the short arm of chromosome 3 as a primary chromosome abnormality in carcinomas of the breast.

Abstract: Interstitial deletions of the short arm of chromosome 3 were found in short-term cultures of five breast carcinomas (of 41 breast cancers with clonal aberrations analyzed by us during the same period). They were the only clonal structural change in three tumors; in the remaining two, the clone with 3p– coexisted with seemingly unrelated clones that had other structural and numerical aberrations. The deletions were identical, del(3)(p12p14), in four cases. The fifth tumor seemed to have a smaller deletion, interpreted as del(3)(p13p14). Our findings constitute karyotypic evidence that 3p deletions are relatively common in breast carcinomas and concur with the molecular genetic detection of loss of heterozygosity in this chromosome arm. The fact that the deletions were found as solitary changes indicates that loss of genetic information from 3p loci is an early, possibly primary, event in tumorigenesis. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Dual, enzymatic and non-enzymatic, function of ecto-5'-nucleotidase (eN, CD73) in migration and invasion of A375 melanoma cells.

Abstract: Ecto-5'-nucleotidase (eN, CD73) mediates extracellular adenosine production from 5'-AMP. Non-enzymatic functions of eN have also been reported. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of ecto-5'-nucleotidase in aggressive melanoma behaviour. Analysis of the involvement of eN in adhesion, migration and invasion revealed eN functions unknown to date. We found that following eN blockade by concanavalin A, the strength of adhesion to different ECM proteins was not altered, but at the same time the invasion ability of the cells was decreased. On the other hand, knocking down eN in melanoma cells did not influence cell invasion but abolished their migration on tenascin C (TnC). Ecto-5'-nucleotidase seems to fulfil a more distinct role as a receptor than as an enzyme in the cell interaction and mobility on TnC. Ecto-5'-nucleotidase activates also focal adhesion kinase and enhances the formation of complexes upon cell adhesion to TnC. All these observations prove that an eN-TnC complex is involved in cell migration and invasion and thus in the regulation of melanoma progression.