581. Exhausted natural killer cells in adult IgA vasculitisMatija Bajželj, Emanuela Senjor, Nika Boštic, Matjaž Hladnik, Snežna Sodin-Šemrl, Milica Perišić, Janko Kos, Alojz Ihan, Alojzija Hočevar, Andreja Nataša Kopitar, Katja Lakota, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Introduction. IgA vasculitis nephritis (IgAVN) manifests in up to 84% of adult patients with IgA vasculitis (IgAV) and is associated with an elevated risk of progression to chronic kidney failure. The underlying pathogenic mechanism of adult IgAVN in leukocytes remain largely uncharacterised. Although natural killer (NK) cells were investigated in paediatric IgAV, their specific role in the pathogenesis of adult IgAV has yet to be elucidated. Methods. RNA sequencing of leukocytes from adult IgAV patients and healthy controls (HC) was performed. NK cells’ cytotoxicity was assessed using calcein-AM stained K562 cells, and exocytosis was measured by LAMP-1/CD107a expression. Intracellular perforin and granzyme B were analyzed via flow cytometry, and cytokine secretion was measured by Luminex xMAP. Interferon-induced genes were validated with qPCR. Results. Principal component analysis (PCA) of leukocyte gene expression profiles distinguished IgAV patients from HC. Pathway enrichment analysis showed differences in patients’ subsets - Interferon signalling Reactome pathway was observed only in sample from patients with skin-limited IgAV (sl-IgAV) and was confirmed by increased expression of interferon-induced genes using qPCR. Only in samples from IgAVN patients enrichment of NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity KEGG pathway was found. NK cells from IgAVN patients showed significantly decreased cytotoxicity compared to samples from sl-IgAV patients (p = 2.53 × 10− 2). The % of CD107a+-NK cells significantly increased after stimulation in HC (p = 9.7 × 10− 3) and in sl-IgAV patient samples (p = 2.21 × 10− 2) while only a minor increase was observed in samples of IgAVN patients. IgAVN patients exhibited a decreased % of perforin+ NK cells compared to HC. Following phytohemagglutinin (PHA)/interleukin (IL)-2 stimulation, a significant reduction in intracellular perforin level was observed in HC (p = 2.53 × 10− 2), but not in IgAVN patients NK cells. Interferon (IFN)-ϒ and macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1β were significantly decreased in NK cell culture supernatants from IgAVN patients (p = 2.64 × 10− 2 and p = 2.65 × 10− 2 respectively). Conclusion. Patients with IgAVN exhibited impaired cytotoxic and immunomodulatory functions of NK cells, along with a marked absence of interferon signaling in PBMCs. Further studies are needed to confirm if discrimination of patient subsets based on leukocyte samples might be of clinical use and if deregulated NK function might contribute to the pathogenesis of nephritis in adult IgAV.
Keywords: immunoglobulin A, IgAVN, IgA vasculitis, RNA sequencing, kidney diseases, immunoglobulins, killer cells, adults
Published in DiRROS: 12.11.2025; Views: 194; Downloads: 77
 Full text (1,65 MB)
This document has many files! More... |
582. Associations of essential and non-essential trace elements’ levels in the blood, serum, and urine in women with premature ovarian insufficiencyTina Kek, Ksenija Geršak, Nataša Karas Kuželički, Dominika Celar Šturm, Darja Mazej, Janja Snoj Tratnik, Ingrid Falnoga, Milena Horvat, Irma Virant-Klun, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is poorly understood, with causes identified in only 25% of cases. Emerging evidence suggests links between trace elements (TEs) and POI. This study is the first to compare concentrations of manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), molybdenum (Mo), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) across urine, serum, and whole blood in women with POI compared to healthy controls (HC), aiming to explore their distribution and potential associations with POI. This cross-sectional-case-control study enrolled 81 participants (40 POI patients and 41 healthy controls) at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia. Blood and urine samples were collected to quantify basic biochemical parameters using standard clinical chemistry methods and concentrations of Mn, Cu, Zn, Se, Mo, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Participants also completed questionnaires on socio-demographics, medical history, lifestyle, and nutrition. Data was analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U test, Student's t-tests, Fisher exact test, logistic regression models adjusted on body mass index (BMI), age, hematocrit, and Kendall's tau correlation. Women with POI had significantly higher BMI and red blood cell (RBC) indices, including hemoglobin, hematocrit, and red cell distribution width (RDW), compared to controls. A larger proportion of POI patients resided in rural agricultural areas. Liver and kidney function assessments showed no significant differences between the groups. Adjusted models revealed that POI patients had significantly lower urinary levels of Cu, Zn, Se, Mo, Cd, Hg, and Pb than controls, while whole blood Mn levels were higher. Serum Cu levels were significantly elevated in POI patients, whereas Pb, Cd, and Hg were lower. No significant differences were observed for As. Correlation analysis showed several strong to moderate associations among TEs across biofluids, but only weak correlations were found between TEs and demographic or biochemical factors. This study suggests potential associations between TEs and POI in women. Notably, most TEs (Zn, Se, Cu, Mo, Cd, Hg, Pb) were significantly lower in the urine of the POI group, while Cu, Cd, Hg, and Pb showed significant differences in both urine and serum.
Keywords: premature ovarian insufciency, essential, non-essential trace elements, biofuids, reproductive health
Published in DiRROS: 12.11.2025; Views: 151; Downloads: 77
Full text (1,33 MB)
This document has many files! More... |
583. Teriparatide in sequental treatment of osteoporosis in a patient with spinal muscular atrophy : a case report and literature reviewMatej Rakuša, Lea Leonardis, Blaž Koritnik, Andrej Janež, Mojca Jensterle Sever, 2025, other scientific articles Abstract: We report the case of a female patient with spinal muscular atrophy type 3c, low bone mineral density and multiple fragility fractures, successfully treated with teriparatide. She sustained a vertebral fracture at age 35 years while treatment naïve, and additionally, one vertebral fracture as well as an intertrochanteric right hip fracture during the 5-year treatment with oral bisphosphonates. A sequential 2-year treatment with teriparatide followed by a one-year treatment with oral bisphosphonate risedronate resulted in an overall 11-year fracture-free period and stable bone mineral density. Teriparatide is an osteoanabolic medication that effectively reduces vertebral and nonvertebral fractures in postmenopausal, male and glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, particularly in individuals at very high risk of fracture. In the context of neuromuscular disease, teriparatide proved effective in the treatment of osteoporosis in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. In contrast, the data for patients with spinal muscular atrophy are lacking. Further studies are needed to assess its role in this population.
Keywords: spinal muscular atrophy, osteoporosis, fracture
Published in DiRROS: 12.11.2025; Views: 169; Downloads: 72
Full text (719,82 KB)
This document has many files! More... |
584. |
585. Nutritional composition of gluten-free labelled foods in the Slovenian food supplyŽiva Lavriša, Maša Hribar, Anita Kušar, Katja Žmitek, Igor Pravst, 2020, original scientific article Keywords: gluten-free foods, nutritional composition, food labelling, food supply
Published in DiRROS: 12.11.2025; Views: 443; Downloads: 82
Full text (580,04 KB)
This document has many files! More... |
586. |
587. Increased burden of rare variants in GWAS associated genes in familial multiple sclerosisAleksander Turk, Aleš Maver, Peter Juvan, Jelena Drulović, Sarlota Mesaros, Ivana Novaković, Nada Starčević-Čizmarević, Smiljana Ristić, Ivana Stanković Matić, Borut Peterlin, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated neurodegenerative disease affecting the central nervous system with many known genetic risk factors. Although genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified common genetic variants with small effects associated with MS, the role of rare variants with large effects in MS aetiology remains underexplored. We hypothesized that rare variants in MS-associated genes from GWAS studies (GWAS-associated genes) are more likely to contribute to familial MS (FMS) risk than to sporadic MS (SMS). Therefore, we aimed to assess the burden of rare, predicted pathogenic (RPP) variants in GWAS-associated genes in FMS and SMS patients compared to controls. Rare genetic variants in 111 GWAS-associated genes were assessed in 87 FMS, 89 SMS and 3866 control cases. We demonstrate that RPP variants were significantly overrepresented in the FMS cohort whereas their frequency was not increased in the SMS cohort compared to controls (p-values 5.27 × 10− 74 and 1.00, respectively). Six genes (ALPK2, ANKRD55, INTS8, IQCB1, JADE2, and MALT1) significantly contributed to the burden of RPP in the FMS group. We conclude that rare variants in genes identified by GWAS might contribute to the genetic predisposition of familial MS patients.
Keywords: multiple sclerosis, burden analysis, whole exome sequencing (WES), rare variants, rare pathological changes, candidate genes
Published in DiRROS: 12.11.2025; Views: 171; Downloads: 74
Full text (1,24 MB)
This document has many files! More... |
588. Impact of linseed variety, location and production year on seed yield, oil content and its compositionBarbara Čeh, Saša Štraus, Aleš Hladnik, Anita Kušar, 2020, original scientific article Keywords: Linum usitatissimum L., linseed, seed yield, nutrition quality, oil, field production, growth conditions
Published in DiRROS: 12.11.2025; Views: 160; Downloads: 82
Full text (1,37 MB)
This document has many files! More... |
589. |
590. Secondary parkinsonism associated with focal brain lesionsRok Berlot, Anđela Pavlović, Maja Kojović, 2024, review article Abstract: Focal imaging abnormalities in patients with parkinsonism suggest secondary etiology and require a distinctive clinical approach to diagnosis and treatment. We review different entities presenting as secondary parkinsonism associated with structural brain lesions, with emphasis on the clinical course and neuroimaging findings. Secondary parkinsonism may be due to vascular causes, hydrocephalus, space-occupying lesions, metabolic causes (including acquired hepatocerebral degeneration, diabetic uremic encephalopathy, basal ganglia calcifications, osmotic demyelination syndrome), hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury, intoxications (including methanol, carbon monoxide, cyanide, carbon disulfide, manganese poisoning and illicit drugs), infections and immune causes. The onset can vary from acute to chronic. Both uni-and bilateral presentations are possible. Rigidity, bradykinesia and gait abnormalities are more common than rest tremor. Coexisting other movement disorders and additional associated neurological signs may point to the underlying diagnosis. Neuroimaging studies are an essential part in the diagnostic work-up of secondary parkinsonism and may point directly to the underlying etiology. We focus primarily on magnetic resonance imaging to illustrate how structural imaging combined with neurological assessment can lead to diagnosis. It is crucial that typical imaging abnormalities are recognized within the relevant clinical context. Many forms of secondary parkinsonism are reversible with elimination of the specific cause, while some may benefit from symptomatic treatment. This heterogeneous group of acquired disorders has also helped shape our knowledge of Parkinson's disease and basal ganglia pathophysiology, while more recent findings in the field garner support for the network perspective on brain function and neurological disorders.
Keywords: MRI, diagnosis, lesion, parkinsonism, reversible, secondary
Published in DiRROS: 12.11.2025; Views: 147; Downloads: 64
Full text (595,24 KB)
This document has many files! More... |
