Relation of Biochemical Parameters with Flow-mediated Dilatation in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is one of the high cardiovascular (CV) situations. Endothelial dysfunction, which is a common finding in patients with MetS, is related with increased CV risk. In patients with MetS, the effect of the major CV risk factors, not included in the MetS definition, on endothelial dysfunction is not well known. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of major CV risk factors such as gender, smoking, family history, and biochemical parameters on endothelial dysfunction in patients with MetS.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The study was performed between December 2010 and August 2014. A total of 55 patients (15 females and 40 males) with MetS and 81 healthy controls (37 females and 44 males) with a body mass index <25 kg/m2 were enrolled in the study. Endothelial dysfunction was measured by flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), oxidative stress parameters; high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (e-NOS), nitric oxide, and cell adhesion markers; von Willebrand factor, and e-selectin. Platelet aggregation (endothelial adenosine diphosphate), total platelet count, and mean platelet volume were additionally analyzed and demographic parameters were explored. Student's t- test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and Chi-square test were used to analyze the results.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The fasting blood glucose (z= 3.52, P= 0.001), hs-CRP (z = 3.23, P= 0.004), ox-LDL (z = 2.62, P= 0.013), and e-NOS (z = 2.22, P= 0.026) levels and cardiac risk score (z = 5.23, P< 0.001) were significantly higher in patients with MetS compared with the control group. Smoking was correlated with decreased FMD (χ2 = 9.26, P= 0.002) in MetS patients but not in the control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Increased ox-LDL, hs-CRP, and e-NOS are likely to be a result of oxidative stress, a condition in which an imbalance occurs between the production and inactivation of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species. In addition, in patients with MetS, smoking is independently related to endothelial dysfunction.</p>

In vitro fertilization, levels of pro-inflammatory factors and lipid peroxidation

Infertility is a problem concerning 10-15% of the individuals in the fertile period. This study investigated effects of proinflammatory factors as well as lipid hydroperoxides [LPO] levels upon in vitro fertilization [IVF] success. In this prospective, non-randomized, controlled clinical study, sera obtained from 26 fertile [group-1], 26 infertile women before [group-2] and after [group-3] IVF treatment were analyzed. Leptin, leptin receptor, resistin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-alpha], and C-reactive protein [CRP] were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]. LPO was determined spectrophotometrically. Mann-Whitney U test, paired samples t test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test as well as Pearson correlation analysis by SPSS were performed for statistical analysis. TNF-alpha, resistin and LPO levels increased [P=0.020, P=0.003, P=0.001, respectively] in group-3 compared to group-2. A significant increase in LPO was noted both in group-2 and -3 compared to controls [P=0.000]. LPO were higher in non-pregnants than pregnants in group-2. For pregnants, significant correlations were observed between leptin and resistin in group-2 and TNF-a and leptin in group-3. None of these correlations were found for the women, who could not conceive. LPO, leptin-resistin correlation, associations with TNF-a may be helpful during the interpretation of IVF success rates

Evaluation of Advanced Oxidation Protein Products, Prooxidant-Antioxidant Balance, and Total Antioxidant Capacity in Untreated Vitiligo Patients

BACKGROUND: Vitiligo is a chronic, common disease of unknown etiology, and oxidative stress is suggested to have a role in its etiopathogenesis. OBJECTIVE: Advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs), prooxidant-antioxidant balance (PAB), and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were evaluated regarding their role in the pathogenesis of vitiligo as well as their relationship with clinical presentation and disease severity, and these parameters were compared with those of healthy controls. METHODS: The study included 53 patients with vitiligo and 20 healthy volunteers as the control group. AOPP level, PAB, and FRAP were determined by colorimetric methods. RESULTS: PAB and FRAP level were significantly higher in patients with vitiligo than in healthy controls (p<0.001). The AOPP levels in vitiligo patients were not statistically significantly higher than those in healthy controls. The Vitiligo Area Scoring Index positively correlated with disease duration (r(s): 0.531, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of AOPP and PAB status in vitiligo. PAB may be used as an indicator for oxidative stress in the etiopathogenesis of vitiligo. Our results show that these parameters may play a major role in the melanocyte damage observed in vitiligo. Further studies are required to confirm the mechanisms underlying this effect.

Association of fetuin A, adiponectin, interleukin 10 and total antioxidant capacity with IVF outcomes

Possible roles of anti-inflammatory factors as well as total antioxidative capacity in reproductive processes of women undergoing in vitro fertilization [IVF] are still being investigated and the contributions by some of them remain controversial. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between anti-inflammatory parameters and total antioxidative capacity [TAC] of the body during IVF. In this respect, adiponectin, interleukin-10 [IL-10], interleukin-1 receptor antagonist [IL-1RA], fetuin A and TAC analyses have been performed. In this prospective, non-randomized, controlled clinical study, sera obtained from 26 fertile [Group-1], and 26 infertile women before [Group-2] and after [Group-3] IVF treatment were analyzed. IL-1RA, IL-10, fetuin A, adiponectin and insulin were determined by ELISA. TAC was determined spectrophotometrically. Mann-Whitney U test, paired sample t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test as well as Pearson correlation analysis by SPSS were performed for statistical analysis. Clinical pregnancy and live birth rates were determined as 30.8% and 23.1%, respectively, in pregnant group. For the pregnant, significant indirect correlations were detected between fetuin A and adiponectin [r=-0.843; p=0.035] as well as IL-10 [r=-0.846; p=0.034] in Group 2. The correlation between adiponectin and IL-10 doubled in pregnant compared to non-pregnant [r=0.929; p=0.007 vs. r=0.478; p=0.033]. The correlations between fetuin A and TAC in pregnant were noted both in Group 2 [r=0.892; p=0.017] and Group 3 [r=0.875; p=0.022]. No correlation of fetuin A with these parameters was detected in non-pregnant group. Fetuin A, TAC, IL-10, adiponectin and their associations may be important from their predictive values for IVF success point of view. Parameters with anti-inflammatory or antioxidant property appear to improve pregnancy in women undergoing IVF