For those surviving encephalitis, the influence on daily life of patients and their relatives may be substantial. In contrast, the prognosis after aseptic meningitis (ASM) is considered good. In this prospective study in patients with encephalitis (n = 20) and ASM (n = 46), we show that both groups experienced reduced Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) at two months after discharge, and that ...

Background - Gut microbiota alterations have been reported in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, with reduced alpha diversity and altered microbiota composition related to respiratory failure. However, data regarding gut microbiota and mortality are scarce.<p> <p>Methods - Rectal swabs for gut microbiota analyses were collected within 48 h after hospital admission (baseline; n = 123) and three-month ...

<p><i>Background</i>: Elevated interleukin-6 (IL-6) and complement activation are associated with detrimental effects of inflammation in coronary artery disease (CAD). The complement anaphylatoxins C5a and C3a interact with their receptors; the highly inflammatory C5aR1, and the C5aR2 and C3aR. We evaluated the effect of the IL-6 receptor (IL-6R)-antagonist tocilizumab on the expression of the ...

Rationale - Inflammation is present in several conditions associated with risk of venous thromboembolism. The gut microbiome might be a source of systemic inflammation and activation of coagulation, by translocation of lipopolysaccharides from gram-negative bacteria to the systemic circulation.<p> <p>Objective - To investigate whether a vancomycin-induced shift of the gut microbiome in a gram-negative ...

<p><i>Objective</i> Bile acids (BAs) are now recognized as signaling molecules and emerging evidence suggests that BAs affect cardiovascular function. The gut microbiota has recently been linked to the severity of heart failure (HF), and microbial metabolism has a major impact on BA homeostasis. We aimed to investigate the pattern of BAs, and particularly microbiota-transformed (secondary) BAs, in ...

A potential relationship between dysregulation of immune/inflammatory pathways and cognitive impairment has been suggested in severe mental illnesses (SMI), such as schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar (BD) spectrum disorders. However, multivariate relationships between peripheral inflammatory/immune-related markers and cognitive domains are unclear, and many studies do not account for inter-individual ...

Objectives: Biomarkers for diagnosis and therapy efficacy in tuberculosis (TB) are requested. We have studied biomarkers that may differentiate between active and latent TB infection (LTBI), the influence of HIV infection and changes during anti-TB chemotherapy. Methods: Thirty-eight plasma cytokines, assessed by multiplex and enzyme immunoassays, were analyzed in patients with active TB before ...

Aims/hypothesis: Activation of inflammatory pathways is involved in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. On the basis of its role in vascular inflammation and in metabolic disorders, we hypothesised that the TNF superfamily (TNFSF) member 14 (LIGHT/TNFSF14) could be involved in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. <p>Methods: Plasma levels of LIGHT were measured in two cohorts of ...

Background: In approximately 20% of patients with thoracic aortic aneurysms or dissections a heritable thoracic aortic disease (HTAD) is suspected. Several monogenic connective tissue diseases imply high risk of aortic disease, including both non-syndromic and syndromic forms. There are some studies assessing inflammation and extracellular matrix remodeling in patients with non-hereditary aortic ...

Background: <br>Elevated levels of osteoprotegerin, a secreted tumor necrosis factor–related molecule, might be associated with adverse outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease. We measured plasma osteoprotegerin concentrations on hospital admission, at discharge, and at 1 and 6 months after discharge in a predefined subset (n=5135) of patients with acute coronary syndromes in the PLATO ...