ABSTRACT
Evaluation serum lipids, lipoprotein [a], apolipoprotein A1, apolipoprotein B and total antioxidant status [TAS] in syrian patients with beta-thalassemia major. This study was carried out at Damascus University [Biochemical Laboratories of Medicine and Pharmacy Colleges], Syria between May 2002 and April 2003. This study included 30 patients with beta-thalassemia major, aged between 1.5 and 16-years. All patients had undergone regular blood transfusions and iron chelation therapy [through thalassemia center, Damascus, Syria]; also 30 control subjects matched for age were studied. Serum total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, apolipoprotein A1 [apo A1], apolipoprotein B [apo B], lipoprotein [a] [Lp[a]] and total antioxidant status [TAS] were determined. Blood samples were withdrawn after at least 12-hours of patients fasting and before the blood transfusion. beta-thalassemia major patients had significantly lower total cholesterol [TC], high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C] and lower density lipoprotein [LDL-C] compared with control [P<0.0001, P<0.0001, P<0.003]. While serum triglyceride [TG] and lipoprotein [a] [Lp[a]] levels were higher in b-thalassemia patients than in controls [P<0.0001]. The reduction was significant [P<0.0001], in apolipoprotein A1 [apo A1] but not significant [P=0.537] in apo B serum levels, in patients compared to control subjects. Total antioxidant status [TAS] values were lower in beta-thalassemia major patients than in controls. The results might suggest that beta- thalassemia may represent an interesting metabolic model: anemia, an activated macrophage system and defective liver function seem interrelated to the final serum lipoprotein pattern. This suggests that antioxidants counteract lipid peroxidation processes and have a protective effect against oxidative damage of red cells of beta-thalassemia patients
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , beta-Thalassemia/therapy , Lipids/blood , Lipoproteins/blood , Antioxidants/metabolism , Blood Transfusion , Cholesterol/blood , Triglycerides/blood , Reference ValuesSubject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Oxidative Stress , Anemia/enzymology , /enzymology , Inflammation/enzymology , Cardiovascular Diseases/enzymology , Vitamin EABSTRACT
Leptin, the product of the ob gene, is a hormone secreted by adipocytes. This study aimed to measure serum concentrations of leptin in normal - weight subjects [body mass index between 18 and 25] and obese subjects [body mass index greater than or equal to 30]. It is designed to support an important role for leptin in human metabolism and obesity. One hundred lean subjects aged [33.16 +/- 12.47] years and 193 obese subjects aged [38.6 +/- 13.5] years, and 73 obese non-insulin dependent diabetes aged [51.9 +/- 9.6] years were included in the study, where as obesity was defined as a body mass index greater than or equal to 30 serum leptin concentrations were measured using a newly developed radioimmunoassay. The mean +/- SD serum leptin concentrations were 25.99 +/- 15.4 ng per milliliter in the obese subjects and 5.84 +/- 5.27 ng per milliliter in the normal weight subjects [P = 0.001]. Serum leptin concentrations in specimens from lean and obese adults correlated directly with body mass index [body mass index; Kg/m[2]] [r = 0.74, P = 0.001]. Correlations were significantly improved by separating results by gender [men r = 0.85, women r = 0.72;P = 0.001]. These findings showed large differences between leptin concentrations in normal and obese subjects; a progressive increase in leptin concentration with increasing body mass index. These results strongly support an important role for leptin in human metabolism and obesity. Leptin may simply reflect the size of adipose tissue stores