ABSTRACT
Background Gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) is associated with pathogenesis of various diseases such as coronary artery disease (CAD). GGT activity displays an essential role in the catabolism of glutathione which is reported as a major antioxidant. The aim of this study was to explore the association of GGT activity with obstruction severity of artery in 500 CAD patients. Results Our finding showed a significant association between serum GGT activity and CAD patients. In particular, the level of GGT in patients who had ≥50% obstruction was higher, compared to healthy and patients with less than 50% obstruction in their coronary arteries (the level of GGT in patients with at least one (1 SVD), two (2VD), three (3VD) coronary artery obstruction were 55.6 ± 9.7, 71.7 ± 12.7 and 84.7 ± 13.4, while these values in patients with negative angio or control group were 28 ± 10 and 17 ± 4.6). Furthermore, the activity of this marker was associated with increased the risk of CAD (Odd ratio of GGT in 3VD group: 2, 95%CI: 1.8–2.3), which was also related with HDL-C. Of note, the level of GGT was enhanced progressively with increasing the obstruction severity of arteries. Conclusion We demonstrate the prognostic value of serum level of GGT as a biomarker for predicting obstruction severity in patients with CAD.
ABSTRACT
Background: Behcet's disease [BD] is a multisystemic inflammatory vasculitis of unknown etiology, and vasculitis being its major pathological feature
Objectives: We studied the prevalence of microembolic signals [MES] in patients with diagnosis Behçet's disease. We also tried to determine the frequency of MES in BD patients with or without neurological involvement
Materials and Methods: This study enrolled 40 patients who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of International Study Group for BD during 2012 to 2013. Bilateral transcranial Doppler ultrasound of the middle cerebral arteries was performed by multigate method. MES were identified based on the criteria of International Consensus group on Microembolus Detection
Results: We found MES in none of our patients with BD. We measured intima-media thickness in all patients
Conclusion: It seems that in our population core histopathologic phenomenon to be other than MES andvasculiticphenomenonmay be implicated as a pathophysiologic factor for central nervous system involvement.The clarification of this subject needs further investigations on Iranian BD patients