Relationships among Oxidative Stress Markers, Life Style Factors and Biochemical Findings / 대한진단검사의학회지

BACKGROUND: In many studies, oxidative stress markers have been employed to serve as a measure of a disease process or to reflect oxidative status. These oxidative stress markers must have some degree of predictive validity, but full substantiation of this relation is still lacking. This paper presents data on levels of three biomarkers, oxidized low-density lipoproteins (LDL), carbonyl, and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and a number of life style factors associated with oxidative stress in healthy adults. METHODS: For 237 healthy adults aged 40-60 years, a number of life style factors, biochemical characteristics and oxidative status were evaluated. Markers of oxidative stress were measured by an ELISA method. RESULTS: Waist-hip ratio and use of vitamin supplement were associated with serum oxidized LDL (P<0.05). Body mass index and stress had a relationship (P<0.05) with protein carbonyl. Creactive protein was related to serum oxidized LDL (P<0.01). There was no correlation among three oxidative stress markers, oxidized LDL, carbonyl, and 8-OHdG. CONCLUSIONS: The oxidative stress markers used in this study could not be regarded as a general estimate of the healthy individual oxidative status. Further studies focusing on the development of biomarkers to reflect changes in the oxidative status under normal, non-pathological conditions in humans will be required.

Infection Rate of Chlamydia pneumoniae by Serological Antibody Test between Patients with Respiratory Symptoms and Control Group / 대한임상미생물학회지

BACKGROUND: To compare the infection rate of Chlamydia pneumoniae in patients with respiratory symptoms and control group, METHODS: we recruited 189 patients (149 adults and 40 pediatric patients) with respiratory symptoms and 197 controls (159 healthy adults and 38 pediatric patients without respiratory symptoms) visited Kyungpook National University Hospital from August 2002 to July 2003. A serological test was done by micro- immunofluorescence (MIF) method. Antibody titers of IgG (1:32 or more) indicate past infection of C. pneumoniae. A recent infection was defined as one in which there is a high titer of IgG antibody (1:512 or more) or a positive IgM antibody (1:16 or more) with a negative for rheumatoid factor. RESULTS: The past infection rate of C. pneumoniae in case group (65.6%) was not significantly higher than 61.4% in control group. The past infection rate of C. pneumoniae of male patients (62.0%) was not significantly higher than 58.7% in control group, and in female showed the same pattern, 70.4% in patients and 63.8% in control group. The recent infection rate of C. pneumoniae in patients (13.2%) was not significantly higher than 9.6% in control group. The recent infection rate of C. pneumoniae of male patients (10.2%) was not significantly higher than 5.4% in control group, and in female showed the same pattern, 17.3% of patients and 13.3% of control group. CONCLUSIONS: The recent infection rate of C. pneumoniae by IgG and IgM serological tests in patients with respiratory symptoms was not significantly higher than that in control group.