Karol Kaminski

• MD PhD
• Professor (Full) at Medical University of Białystok

Background: The Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest and safest diets for preventing chronic diseases. The primary objective of this study was to assess the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the occurrence of prediabetes in a representative population of Bialystok, Poland. Prediabetes is a condition chara...

Introduction: Testosterone plays an important role in men's health. Objectives: To assess the total testosterone (tT) and free testosterone (fT) serum concentrations in men and to investigate their association with anthropometric parameters. Methods: The cross-sectional population-based survey was conducted among 701 men aged 20-64 years old i...

Glucose metabolism disturbances and especially type 2 diabetes (T2D) are key risk factors of cardiovascular disease. Most recent epidemiological analyses suggest that they may affect more than 40% of the adult population in European countries. Biomarkers for the development of atherosclerosis in patients with T2D or prediabetes are not yet fully el...

Background Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) represents a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Electrocardiography (ECG) is a commonly used diagnostic tool for LVH, however, its accuracy and sensitivity are limited. Purpose The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of ECG indices in the diagnosis of...

Introduction The new ESC guidelines on cardiovascular (CV) prevention were published in 2021. Guidelines compile and assess existing evidence to support healthcare professionals in recommending the most effective management approaches for patients with specific conditions. Their purpose is to aid healthcare providers in making informed decisions du...

This study examines demographic and attitudinal determinants of belief in COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs in Poland and their impact on psychological well-being, social functioning, and adherence to public health measures over one year. A cross-sectional study with a retrospective component was conducted one year after the pandemic outbreak (N = 1000)....

Introduction Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a significant cause of mortality worldwide. Preventive programs are trying to reduce the burden of the disease. Recent advances in metabolomics profiling open a new avenue for developing complementary CVD evaluation strategies. Objectives The aim of the study was to investigate whether a metabolomic pro...

Introduction: Metabolite profiling can lead to novel discoveries in cardiovascular disease (CVD) physiology. Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate whether a metabolomic profile is associated with mortality in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: The study group consisted of 170 participants with CAD hospitalized...

Introduction Extracranial and intracranial tumors are a diverse group of malignant and benign neoplasms, influenced by multiple factors. Given the complex nature of these tumors and usually late or accidental diagnosis, minimally invasive, rapid, early, and accurate diagnostic methods are urgently required. Metabolomics offers promising insights in...

Background: In pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), there is still a need for new prognostic markers to precisely identify patients before clinical deterioration. We investigated the right ventricle cardiac power index (RV CPI) as a tool to assess RV function. We also hypothesized that hemodynamic changes occurring in PAH assessed with the RV CPI...

Aims/Purpose: To investigate serum expression of inflammatory and neurotrophic factors in glaucoma patients. Methods: We investigated the serum expression of 92 inflammatory and neurotrophic factors in glaucoma patients. The study group consisted of 26 glaucoma patients and 192 healthy subjects based on digital fundography. Results: Patients with g...

Background: There is limited knowledge about the current guidelines implementation in the every-day clinical practice. Aims: To describe risk factors management in patients with coronary artery disease through lifestyle modifications and the use of drug therapies in order to provide an objective assessment of the implementation of the current gu...

Background and aims: Lower Extremity Artery Disease (LEAD) is a predictor of atherosclerotic plaques in other locations and significantly increases the risk of death from cardiovascular events. This study aimed to identify cardiology patient subpopulations that should undergo Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) measurement. Methods: A total of 800 patients...

Objective: To identify the COVID-19 impact on well-being/mental health, coping strategies and risk factors in adolescent worldwide. Method: Anonymous online multi-national/language survey in the general population (representative/weighted non-representative samples, 14-17years), measuring change in well-being (WHO-5/range=0-100) and psychopathology...

COVID-19 is severe respiratory and systemic disease with complex pathogenesis and many clinical symptoms, including symptoms from respiratory system, immunology system, cardio-vascular system, haematopoietic system and neurological system. Severe character of the disease is associated with occurrence of respiratory failure, septic shock, multiple o...

Background The hypothesis that not only diagnosed diabetes (DM), but also milder dysglycemia may affect the development of atherosclerosis still requires further study. In our population-based study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of prediabetic state on preclinical atherosclerosis and whether it may affect the cardiovascular risk (CVR) in the gen...

There is no multi-country/multi-language study testing a-priori multivariable associations between non-modifiable/modifiable factors and validated wellbeing/multidimensional mental health outcomes before/during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, studies during COVID-19 pandemic generally do not report on representative/weighted non-probability sample...

Depressive symptoms are highly prevalent and heterogeneous in women. Different brain structures might be associated with depressive symptoms and body composition in women with obesity/overweight and normal-/underweight, although the data is limited. The analysis included 265 women from Bialystok PLUS population study, untreated with antidepressive...

Aims The aim of this study was to determine the value of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and CardShock scoring systems in predicting the risk of in‐hospital, 30 day and 3 year mortality in patients with cardiogenic shock (CS). Methods This was a single‐centre observation...

Introduction: White matter hyperintensities, present in patients and asymptomatic individuals, have been previously shown to be associated with atherosclerosis risk factors like high blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia, smoking, and diabetes. Objectives: To assess the associations between white matter hyperintensities volume and cardiovascular...

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is associated with increases in morbidity and mortality worldwide. The mechanisms of how SARS-CoV-2 may cause cardiovascular (CV) complications are under investigation. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CV risk. Methods These are single-centre Bialy...

Background/Objectives: The need to conduct research on anxiety and depression in patients with coronary artery disease in connection with factors such as gender or implemented tertiary prevention is very important for drawing practical conclusions and, consequently, implementing new recommendations and procedures. The aim of the study was to attemp...

Background: The quality of life of patients with coronary heart disease is extremely important for their treatment. The aim of the study was to assess the quality of life of patients with coronary artery disease, considering education and compliance with medical recommendations regarding lifestyle changes, as well as the presence of selected cardio...

Positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MRI) hybrid imaging is now available for over a decade and although the quantity of installed systems is rather low, the number of emerging applications for cardiovascular diseases is still growing. PET/MRI provides integrated images of high quality anatomical and functional assessment obtained b...

Considering the frequency and severity of olfactory disorders associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, attention to the olfactory loss has expanded. The aim of our study was to assess of smell disturbances 6 months after COVID-19. The study population consisted of 2 groups: 196 Post-COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized because of COVID-19, control...

An athlete’s training aims to achieve the highest possible sports results by improving physical dispositions which lead to cardiac adaptive changes. The annual training cycle is divided into periods. The preparatory period begins with gradually increasing training intensity and volume until the competitive period occurs, when the athlete’s maximum...

The kynurenine pathway (KP) of tryptophan degradation includes several compounds that reveal immunomodulatory properties. The present study aimed to investigate the alteration in KP metabolites in young women with autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) and their associations with thyroid function. The thyroid function tests, antithyroid antibodies measuremen...

Background: Myocardial infarction (MI) remains a major burden for healthcare systems. Therefore, we intended to analyze the determinants of cost management of patients hospitalized for MI in Poland. Methods: Data on patients hospitalized and discharged with the diagnosis of acute MI were derived from the public payer claims database. Adult patie...

Introduction Glaucoma is the most common optic neuropathy and the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, which affects 3.54% of the population aged 40–80 years. Despite numerous published studies, some aspects of glaucoma pathogenesis, serum biomarkers, and their potential link with other diseases remain unclear. Recent articles have pr...

International studies measuring wellbeing/multidimensional mental health before/ during the COVID-19 pandemic, including representative samples for >2 years, identifying risk groups and coping strategies are lacking. COH-FIT is an online, international, anonymous survey measuring changes in well-being (WHO-5) and a composite psychopathology P-score...

Objectives Periodontitis (PD) can cause systematic inflammation and is associated with various metabolic processes in the body. However, robust serum markers for these relationships are still lacking. This study aims to identify novel circulating inflammation-related proteins associated with PD using targeted proteomics. Materials and methods We u...

Introduction: Progression of atherosclerosis is a result of systemic inflammation. Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) has been shown to be associated with atherosclerosis, but pathways that lead to this are still not fully elucidated. Hypothesis: CHIP may contribute to atherosclerosis by facilitating low-grade inflammatory respo...

Introduction: In pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) there is still a need for new prognostic markers to precisely identify the patients before clinical deterioration. We investigated cardiac power index (CPi) as a tool to assess right ventricular (RV) function and overall prognosis. Hypothesis: Hemodynamic changes occurring in PAH assessed with...

Background Age-related macular degeneration is the primary cause of irreversible blindness in developed countries, whereas the global prevalence of osteoporosis–a major public health problem–is 19.7%. Both diseases may coincide in populations aged >50 years, leading to serious health deterioration and decreased quality of life. Objectives This stu...

Presence of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in right ventricle insertion points (RVIPs) has been found in majority of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients and is often recognized as evidence of myocardial fibrosis. The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between LGE mass and myocardium metabolic activity in RVIPs using PET...

Background: Atherosclerotic plaques in carotid arteries (APCA) are a prevalent condition with severe potential complications. Studies continuously search for innovative biomarkers for APCA, including those participating in cellular metabolic processes, cell adhesion, immune response, and complement activation. This study aimed to assess the relati...

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic created a significant crisis in global health. The aim of the study was to compare the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on self-rated health status and smoking and alcohol habits. The Bialystok PLUS cohort study was conducted in 2018–2022. A total of 1222 randomly selected city residents were examined and divide...

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has permanently changed the world. Despite having been a pandemic for nearly 3 years, the mid- and long-term complications of this disease, including endocrine disorders, remain unclear. Our study aimed to evaluate the lasting effects of COVID-19 on the endocrine system 6 months after initial infection...

A number of studies have been conducted on multimorbidity; however, there are different patterns in various countries, ethnicities and social groups. The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of multimorbidity (physical diseases) in the urban population in Poland. In this population-based study, we examined multimorbidity stratified by se...

Background: There is a raising awareness that heart failure (HF) is a highly heterogeneous, multiorgan syndrome with an increasing global prevalence and still poor prognosis. The comorbidities of HF are one of the key reasons for presence of various phenotypes with different clinical profile and outcome. Heterogeneity of skeletal muscles (SMs) qua...

Background This pilot study aims to identify and functionally assess pharmacovariants in whole exome sequencing data. While detection of known variants has benefited from pharmacogenomic-dedicated bioinformatics tools before, in this paper we have tested novel deep computational analysis in addition to artificial intelligence as possible approaches...

Background Recent studies revealed that alterations in glucose and lipid metabolism in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) are associated with disease severity and poor survival. However, data regarding the impact of diabetes mellitus (DM) on the prognosis of patients with IPAH remain scarce. The aim of our study was to determine that...

Metabolomics combined with machine learning methods (MLMs), is a powerful tool for searching novel diagnostic panels. This study was intended to use targeted plasma metabolomics and advanced MLMs to develop strategies for diagnosing brain tumors. Measurement of 188 metabolites was performed on plasma samples collected from 95 patients with gliomas...

Recent efforts to address heterogeneity among individuals at elevated risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D) have focused on metrics derived from oral glucose tolerance tests, body fat distribution, and hepatic fat content to subphenotype and stratify patients. A novel classification scheme identified six subphenotypes with significantly distinct risks of...

Periodontitis (PD), a widespread chronic infectious disease, compromises oral health and is associated with various systemic conditions and hematological alterations. Yet, to date, it is not clear whether serum protein profiling improves the assessment of PD. We collected general health data, performed dental examinations, and generated serum prote...

Background: Rehabilitation plays an important role in the management of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). An optimal rehabilitation model for CHF patients consisting of exercise training, breathing exercises and inspiratory muscle training has not yet been established. This prospective interventional pilot study assessed the safety and eff...

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): National Centre of Science. Background The long-term complications in the cardiovascular (CV) system that the acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may cause are not fully understood. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of a c...

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): National Centre of Science. Background The exploration for the impact of surviving a coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) on the cardiovascular system and cause-and-effect relationships is still a challenge for researchers. Purpose The aim of the st...

BACKGROUND Neurodegenerative and mental disorders significantly affect the manner of speaking, syntax, semantics and specific habits of word choice. Linguistic analysis can detect these disorders. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine whether speech analysis can be useful for screening test in neurology and psychiatry, due to the limited...

BACKGROUND The phenomenon of the rapid generation and spread of misinformation about the novel coronavirus COVID-19 during the pandemic was evident and attracted many researchers. However, there are more health-related topics polluting the Internet with misinformation that are not as widely studied. OBJECTIVE The aim of our experiment was to asses...

Background Although researchers extensively study the rapid generation and spread of misinformation about the novel coronavirus during the pandemic, numerous other health-related topics are contaminating the internet with misinformation that have not received as much attention. Objective This study aims to gauge the reach of the most popular medic...

This study was conducted in a representative sample of area residents aged 20–80 years old. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of classic risk factors of atherosclerosis in the studied population and to search for new risk factors in these patient subpopulations. A total of 795 people (mean age 48.64 ± 15.24 years, 45.5% male) were i...

Background PET/MRI hybrid imaging in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) provides important prognostic information identifying patients who might benefit from early therapy escalation, as right ventricle (RV) metabolic alterations are linked with hemodynamics and might precede clinical deterioration. Now, we hypothesize that adequate PAH therapy...

The COVID-19 pandemic shook up societies, leaving a stigma on the health and well-being of many individuals. How big this stigma was depended on individual factors, which researchers are now trying to relate. One aspect affecting well-being during the pandemic may have been religiosity. In our longitudinal study of a representative sample of Poles,...

Introduction: Diabetes remains one of the top public health priorities. Over 6% of the world's population is affected by the diabetes type 2; however, a similar number of patients may be unaware of this diagnosis. Objectives: Our population-based study investigated the true prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes in the general population of a me...

Background: The Collaborative Outcome study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (COH-FIT; www.coh-fit.com) is an anonymous and global online survey measuring health and functioning during COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to test concurrently the validity of COH-FIT items and the internal validity of the co-primary outcome,...

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic caused the healthcare system to drastically reduce in-person visits and suddenly switch to telemedicine services to provide clinical care to patients. The implementation of teleconsultation in medical facilities was a novelty for most Polish patients. In Poland, the main telehealth services were provided in the...

The joint position paper by Polish Society of Hypertension, Polish Society for the Treatment of Obesity, Polish Lipid Association, Polish Association for Study of Liver, Polish Society of Family Medicine, Polish Society of Lifestyle Medicine, Division of Prevention and Epidemiology Polish Cardiac Society, “Club 30” Polish Cardiac Society, and Divis...

Background PET/MRI hybrid imaging in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) provides important prognostic information identifying patients who might benefit from early therapy escalation, as right ventricle (RV) metabolic alterations are linked with hemodynamics and might precede clinical deterioration. Now, we hypothesize that adequate PAH therapy...

Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a rare but progressive disease that leads to death. Modern drug treatment slows the progression of the disease and prolongs patients' lives, but often, even maximal treatment with parenteral prostacyclin does not prevent deterioration. In the case of inadequate clinical response to drug treatment, lung transplanta...

Background: The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the pulmonary function tests (PFT) in COVID-19 convalescents six months after recovery. Additionally, the research question was whether PFT should be performed routinely in post-COVID-19 patients. Methods: A total of 39 patients with a history of COVID-19 6 months prio...

In recent years, the importance of the gut microbiome in human health and disease has increased. Growing evidence suggests that gut dysbiosis might be a crucial risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine whether or not CAD is associated with specific changes in the gut m...

Introduction: PET/MRI hybrid imaging in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) provides new prognostic parameters, which identify the group of patients who potentially might benefit from early PAH therapy escalation. In previous study we confirmed that right ventricle (RV) metabolic alterations are linked with PAH hemodynamics and both precede clini...

Background Inflammatory processes play an important role in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) pathophysiology. We previously confirmed that in case of right ventricle (RV) failure, changes of cytokines' levels are correlated with myocardial metabolic and hemodynamic alterations observed in PET/MRI hybrid imaging. Presence of late gadolinium enh...

Psoriasis, vitiligo and lichen planus (LP) are autoimmune skin diseases associated with metabolic syndrome. Angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) is a member of angiopoietin-like proteins, which play an important role in lipid metabolism, and its serum concentration has been proposed as a biomarker of cardiometabolic complications, especially coronary arte...

Background: Obesity is a chronic disease with high prevalence in all age groups. Many overweight and obese people seem to be unaware of excess body weight. Aim: Analysis of people affected by the misperception of excess body weight and their eating behaviors simultaneously with selected health parameters. Methods: The study was conducted in 20...

In recent years, research has provided increasing evidence for the importance of inflammatory etiology in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) pathogenesis. This study assessed the profile of inflammatory cytokines in the serum of patients with AMD and coexisting glucose disturbances (GD). This prospective population-based cohort study addressed...

Zespół metaboliczny – czy słuszne jest jego wyodrębnienie? Współistnienie otyłości z podwyższonymi wartościami ciśnienia tętniczego, zaburzeniami gospodarki węglowodanowej oraz lipidowej, określane jako zespół metaboliczny (ZM), stanowi istotny problem zdrowotny i społeczny w Polsce. Celem prezentowanego dokumentu nie jest tworzenie odrębnej jednos...

We aimed to evaluate the clinical course and impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the rate of diagnosis and therapy in the complete Polish population of patients (pts) with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH-1134) and CTEPH (570 pts) treated within the National Health Fund program and reported in the national BNP-PL database. Updated records of 1...

Współistnienie otyłości z podwyższonymi wartościami ciśnienia tętniczego, zaburzeniami gospodarki węglowodanowej oraz lipidowej, określane jako zespół metaboliczny (ZM), stanowi istotny problem zdrowotny i społeczny w Polsce. Zaproponowano następującą definicję ZM: głównym kryterium jego rozpoznania jest otyłość oraz występowanie dwóch z trzech: po...

Atherosclerosis remains the leading cause of cardiovascular diseases and represents a primary public health challenge. This chronic state may lead to a number of life-threatening conditions, such as myocardial infarction and stroke. Lipid metabolism alterations and inflammation remain at the forefront of the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic cardiova...