Although malignant ascites (MAs) are known to contribute to various aspects of ovarian cancer progression, knowledge regarding their role in the adhesion of cancer cells to normal peritoneal cells is incomplete. Here, we compared the effect of MAs and benign ascites (BAs) on the adhesion of A2780 and OVCAR-3 cancer cells to omentum-derived peritoneal mesothelial cells (PMCs) and peritoneal fibroblasts (PFBs). The results showed that MAs stimulated the adhesion of A2780 and OVCAR-3 cells to PMCs and PFBs more efficiently than did BAs, and the strongest binding occurred when both cancer and normal cells were exposed to the fluid. Intervention studies showed that MAs-driven adhesion of A2780 cells to PMCs/PFBs depends on the presence of TGF-β1 and HGF, whereas binding of OVCAR-3 cells was mediated by TGF-β1, GRO-1, and IGF-1. Moreover, MAs upregulated α5β1 integrin expression on PFBs but not on PMCs or cancer cells, vimentin expression in all cells tested, and ICAM-1 only in cancer cells. When integrin-linked kinase was neutralized in PMCs or PFBs, cancer cell adhesion to PMCs and PFBs decreased. Collectively, our report shows that MAs may contribute to the early stages of ovarian cancer metastasis by modulating the proadhesive interplay between normal and cancer cells.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) not only leads to disability due to joint changes, but also significantly shortens the life expectancy of patients, mainly due to more frequent occurrence of heart attacks and strokes. Accelerated atherosclerosis in these patients is caused, among other factors, by high homocysteine (HCY) concentration in blood. Numerous studies have shown that treatment with vitamin B significantly reduces the concentration of HCY in blood, but does not reduce the risk of heart diseases. Recent studies have shown, however, that folic acid (FA) administration reduces the risk of stroke by 10–20%. Due to the fact that in patients with RA strokes are more frequent than in the general population and hyperhomocysteinemia (HHCY) is often found, determination of HCY concentration in blood is advisable, and in persons with HHCY it is recommended to use FA in primary and secondary stroke prevention.

tion, compared to 3.9% in 2013 [3]. In the general population, cardiovascular mortality in Poland in 2013 was about 46%, in people over 65 years of age 53%, and in those over 80 years of age more than 80% [4]. Hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases: coronary heart disease, heart failure, and stroke [5]. Hypotensive treatment in very elderly patients significantly reduces the frequency of cardiovascular incidents and total mortality [6][7][8]. According to the WOBASZ II study, 43% of the Polish population aged 19-99 years suffers from hypertension, more often men than women (43.7% vs. 40.4%) [9, 10].

A 40-year-old female patient was admitted to the Department of Hypertensiology because of worsening blood pressure (BP) control lasting for about 4 months. The woman had been treated for hypertension (HT) for 17 years. During multiple previous visits to the clinic, secondary causes of HT were excluded and no features of organ damage were found. A daily urine collection was performed several times to detect elevated levels of methoxycatecholamines. The examinations were performed during the stay in the Clinic when there were elevated values of blood pressure registered both by traditional measurements and by continuous ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). A computed tomography scan showed normal adrenal glands. Scintigraphy with DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) labelled with technetium-99m radioisotope ( 99m Tc-DTPA) did not show any foci of increased tracer uptake, neither in the adrenal glands, nor ectopically located. Doppler ultrasound of the renal arteries did not show any abnormalities. In repeated echocardiographic examinations no increase of heart cavities or wall thickness was found, and left ventricular mass index was within normal range. No features of hypertensive angiopathy were found in periodically repeated funduscopies. Despite changes in the hypotensive treatment regimen and a significant escalation of pharmacological treatment, there were difficulties in achieving normal BP values. Resistant hypertension was diagnosed. The patient reported

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): The WOBASZ II project was financed by the resources available to the Minister of Health as part of the POLKARD National Program to Equalise Accessibility to Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Treatment for 2010–2012, the goal of which was to monitor the epidemiological situation in Poland in the field of cardiovascular diseases. Cyclically, new guidelines are developed to prevent cardiovascular diseases (CVD). But unfortunately their implementation in clinical practice is poor. The aim of the study was 1)  to evaluate the awareness of CVD prevention principles in a representative sample of adult residents of Poland with diagnosed hypertension (HT); 2) to investigate the prevalence of modifiable CVD risk factors such as obesity, hyperlipemia, smoking, low physical activity, excessive intake of sodium, insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption in the daily diet, and to determine the extent to which recommendations for CVD prevention are implemented in everyday practice; 3) to evaluate how knowledge of CVD risk factors affects the control of HT. The study covered 2783 individuals with diagnosed HT. 72,2% knew the term ‘risk factor’. Spontaneously listed risk factors for CVD: HT 36,8%, smoking 43,3%, overweight and obesity 28,5%, unhealthy food 30,9%, increased cholesterol level 25,3%, and low physical activity 25,1%. Complications that can be caused by untreated HT, were listed by 72,6% to be a stroke, heart diseases by 57,8%, atherosclerotic lesions in the arteries by 17,7%, kidney disease by 9,5%, and vision disorder by 9,2%. Prevention methods other than medication were listed by more physical activity 38,8%, reduction of body weight in overweight people 45,5%, stop smoking 43,7%, conducting a regular lifestyle 42,1%, limiting fat intake 38,3%, restrictions on drinking alcohol 37,5%, daily consumption of vegetables and fruits 20,6%. No prevention method has been mentioned by 10,5% of patients. 73.2% declared knowledge of the upper limits of the correct blood pressure (BP), but only 10.2% gave the correct values. Overweight was found in 39% of patients, obesity in 36.7%, smoking in 21.3%, low physical activity (<30 min 4-7/week) in 33.4%, sodium intake >1.5g/day in 58.0%, low (<200g/day) consumption of fruits in 84.1%, and vegetables in 70.6%. Controlled BP was only found in 23% and controlled hyperlipidemia only in 11.2% of subjects. During medical visits, about 9.2% of patients did not receive any recommendations for pharmacological treatment even if their BP did not reach the therapeutic goal. Knowledge about CVD risk factors [hypercholesterolemia OR 1,63; HT 1,53; low physical activity 1,24, overweight and obesity 1,23, knowledge about complications of HT [stroke or cerebral ischemia 1,77, heart disease 1,52, nephropathy 1,51, atherosclerosis 1,48, retinopathy 1,38, knowledge about non-pharmacological treatment like regular consumption of vegetables and fruits 1,33 increases the chance of achieving BP control. The knowledge about CVD risk factors and possible complications of HT in patients with HT is low. Factors that have a significant impact on a BP control are: knowledge of CVD risk factors, possible complications of HT and the recommendations given during visits about increasing physical activity and a healthy diet, as well as home and office BP measurements.