relation between the serum hepatocyte growth factor and carotid atherosclerosis in Egyptian patients with essential hypertension

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the serum hepatocyte growth factor [HGF] and carotid intima media thickness [IMT] in Egyptian hypertensive and non-hypertensive subjects. The study revealed a highly significant increase in serum HGF and IMT in hypertensive patients compared with non-hypertensive subjects. There was a significant positive correlation between the carotid IMT and the mean duration of hypertension, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, smoking, age, sex, serum total cholesterol, serum triglycerides, serum low density lipoprotein and serum HGF, with significant negative correlation with serum high density lipoprotein in hypertensive patients. In hypertensive patients, there was a significant positive correlation between serum HGF and age, sex, mean duration of hypertension, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, smoking, serum total cholesterol, serum triglycerides, serum low density lipoprotein and IMT, with a significant negative correlation with serum high density lipoprotein. Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors are recommended to be used in the treatment of hypertension as they improve endothelial dysfunction by stimulating the local production of hepatocyte growth factor leading to inhibition of neointimal formation

Plasma endothelin-1 levels in patients with cirrhosis and their relationship to the severity of cirrhosis

This study focused on the possible role of endothelin-1 [ET-1] in the pathogenesis of portal hypertension and also its relation with the degree of liver affection. The plasma levels of ET-1 were measured in 10 healthy control subjects and 80 patients with cirrhosis and they were correlated with various clinical and laboratory parameters. There was a significant elevation of ET-1 in all patients with cirrhosis compared with the control group [14.59 +/- 3.57 pg/ml vs. 4.2 +/- 0.34 pg/ml, respectively]. The highest level of ET-1 was obtained in the group of cirrhotic patients with ascites. Plasma ET-1 levels were significantly elevated in cirrhotic patients with bleeding esophageal varices [12.21 +/- 0.45 pg/ml] compared with those without [10.03 +/- 0.37 pg/ml]. Plasma ET-1 level was positively correlated with total and direct bilirubin, ALT, AST, PT and serum creatinine. The plasma level of ET-1 was negatively correlated with albumin and PC. It was concluded that plasma ET-1 is elevated in liver cirrhosis in a disease stage-dependent manner, which may have diagnostic and prognostic values and may be used as a marker for the progression of the disease

Plasma endothelin-1 levels in patients with type II diabetes mellitus with vascular complications

The aim of this study was to evaluate plasma endothelin-1 [ET-1] levels in patients with non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus [NIDDM] and its relation to the presence of diabetic vascular complications. The study was conducted on 40 patients with NIDDM with fatty liver and divided into 2 groups. Group 2 [G2] consisted of 20 patients with NIDDM associated with hypertension. Group 3 [G3] consisted of 20 patients with NIDDM with various diabetic vascular complications. Twenty of apparently healthy subjects, age and sex matched, served as a control group [G1]. The results showed that the plasma ET-1 concentration was significantly highly increased in the two patients' groups compared with the control group and was significantly highly increased in group 2 compared with group 3. Plasma ET-1 was positively correlated with the duration of diabetes mellitus, fasting blood glucose, postprandial blood glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein and serum urea and negatively correlated with high density lipoprotein. It was concluded that ET-1 might represent a new marker of diabetes related vascular damage