Difference in the Standard and Novel Lipid Profile Parameters Between Patients With Alzheimer's Disease and Vascular Dementia Stratified by the Degree of Cognitive Impairment.

Background: Lipids and lipoproteins are significantly involved in maintaining structural and functional components of the human brain and neurons, but their role in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD) remains unclear. Objective: The aim of the present study was to explore the differences in the standard and novel lipid profile parameters in patients with AD and VD, stratified by the degree of cognitive impairment (CI). Methods: Present study included 66 patients with AD, 50 patients with VD, and 60 control subjects. For an evaluation of the global cognitive function the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test was used. In order to distinguish patients with VD from those with AD the Hachinski ischemic score was used. Plasma total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein -cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TG) levels were determined using standard enzymatic colorimetric techniques, whereas the Friedewald formula was used to calculate low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. The non-traditional lipid indices such as TG/HDL-C, TC/HDL-C, and LDL-C/HDL-C ratio were separately calculated. The differences between the groups were analyzed with the Kruskal Wallis test followed by the Mann-Whitney test or with ANOVA followed by the Tuckey posthoc test. Results: Results of the conducted study have found that the patients in AD group with moderate CI and patients in AD group with severe CI exhibited significantly lower levels of serum TC, TG, LDL-C, VLDL-C, Non- HDL-C, atherogenic index, TG/HDL-C, TC/HDL-C and LDL-C/HDL-C compared to cognitively normal control subjects. Moreover, patients in VD group with severe and moderate CI had significantly lower level of TG compared to control group of subjects. Our results have also shown that patients in AD group with moderate CI had significantly lower level of TC, TG, LDL-C, Non-HDL-C, atherogenic index, TG/HDL-C, TC/HDL-C compared to VD patients with moderate CI. In addition, patients in AD group with severe CI had significantly lower level of TC, LDL-C, Non-HDL-C and TC/HDL-C compared to VD patients with severe CI. Conclusion: The results of this study have shown dysregulation of lipid metabolism in AD and VD patients with different degree of CI. In both moderate and in severe CI, patients with AD had lower levels of majority of standard and novel lipid parameters compared to patients with VD. Further larger prospective studies are required to elucidate the accuracy of standard and novel lipid parameters in the assessment of different degree of CI in AD and VD.

Traditional and Non-traditional Lipid Profiles in Bosnian Patients with Probable Alzheimer's Disease and Vascular Dementia.

Background: Conflicting data exist on traditional lipid profiles in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD), whereas scarce number of studies evaluated non-traditional lipid profiles in patients with AD and VD. Studies have shown that ethnic background may affect lipid profile. Objective: The aim of the present study was to conduct comparative assessment of traditional and non-traditional lipid profiles in Bosnian patients with AD and VD. Methods: A controlled, cross-sectional study was performed with 66 patients with AD, 50 patients with VD, and 60 control subjects. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test was used for an evaluation of the global cognitive function. The Hachinski ischemic score was used to distinguish patients with VD from those with AD. Plasma total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein -cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TG) levels were determined using standard enzymatic colorimetric techniques, whereas the Friedewald formula was used to calculate low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. The non-traditional lipid indices such as TG/HDL-C, TC/HDL-C, and LDL-C/HDL-C ratio were separately calculated. The differences between the groups were analyzed with ANOVA followed by the Tuckey posthoc test or with the Kruskal Wallis test followed by the Mann-Whitney test. Results: Results of the present study have shown that patients in AD group had significantly lower level of TC, TG, LDL-C, VLDL-C, Non-HDL-C and significantly lower atherogenic index compared to the control group (CG) and compared to the VD patients. Significant difference in values of TG and VLDL-C was observed between VD and the CG, whereas no significant difference in values of TC, LDL-C, atherogenic index and Non-HDL-C was observed between these two groups. Our results have also shown that TG/HDL-C, TC/HDL-C, and LDL-C/HDL-C ratios were significantly lower in AD patients compared to the VD and CG. Moreover, TG/HDL-C ratio was significantly lower in VD compared to the CG. However, a significant difference in TC/HDL-C and LDL-C/HDL-C was not observed between VD and the CG. Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study it can be deduced that there is a difference in traditional and non-traditional lipid profiles between AD and VD patients of Bosnian descent. Obtained results suggest that lipids are decreased in AD and in VD to a certain extent. However, since there is an inconsistence in literature whether there is an association between cholesterol and cognition, large prospective studies are required to elucidate this controversy.

Association of biomarkers of inflammation and HLA-DRB1 gene locus with risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis in females.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease causing chronic inflammation of the joints. Multiple factors, including HLA-DRB1 gene variants, influence the susceptibility to RA. The HLA-DRB1 gene is part of a family of genes called the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex. In this study, we compared the inflammatory biomarkers values, including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP), between patients with RA and healthy control group of females of the Public Institution Health Centre of Sarajevo Canton. In addition, we estimated the frequencies of the HLA-DRB1 gene variants and their association with the risk for RA development in females. The haematological and biochemical tests were completed on automated analyzers. To assess the association between the HLA-DRB genes and the risk of RA in females, low-resolution genotyping of the HLA-DRB1, DRB3, DRB4, and DRB5 gene loci was performed by the sequence-specific polymerase chain reaction method (PCR-SSP). ESR and CRP were the most sensitive acute-phase reactants in females with RA and there was a correlation between ESR and CRP values in RA patients. There was significantly positive association between of the HLA-DRB1*03, *04, *08, *10, *11, and *14 variants and elevated values of ESR in RA patients, but negative between HLA-DRB1*03, *13 and *15 alleles and elevated CRP values. Furthermore, our results confirm genetic susceptibility to RA in a female population to the members of the HLA-DRB1*04 and *03 allelic groups, the DRB1*04/DRB1*04 and DRB1*03/DRB1*04 genotypes, and the DRB1*04-DRB4* or DRB1*03-DRB3* haplotypes, which, therefore, represent risk factors for the development of this disease. According to our results, the DRB1*01/DRB1*15 and DRB1*07/DRB1*16 genotypes and the HLA-DRB5 gene locus represent a protective factor for RA. The presence of specific HLA-DRB1 gene variants increases the risk of developing RA, while other variants provide protection against disease. Therefore, HLA typing could be helpful in the prediction of RA development and establishing and confirming a definitive diagnosis of autoimmune diseases in some subjects. A strong association with the higher levels of ESR and CRP could be used to establish definitive diagnosis and introduce of early treatment of RA to prevent the occurrence of RA symptoms.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte Ratio and Its Relation with Markers of Inflammation and Myocardial Necrosis in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Inflammation plays an important role in atherosclerosis which is the primary cause of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) that encompasses acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and unstable angina (UA). OBJECTIVE: To investigate and characterize white blood cells (WBC) count, differential blood count in peripheral blood and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients by the type of ACS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The cross-sectional study included 100 patients with ACS (50 males, 50 females), aged 41 to 91 years, classified into two groups: AMI group (n=50) and UA group (n=50). Patients were hospitalized at the Clinic for Heart Diseases, University Clinical Center of Sarajevo. From patients' medical histories the following data were obtained: WBC, neutrophil, eosinophil and basophil granulocytes count, monocyte and lymphocyte count, levels of high sensitive troponin I (hsTnI), creatine kinase MB (CK-MB) and C-reactive protein (CRP). The results were analyzed using software package SPSS, version 19.0. RESULTS: Average WBC count, neutrophil granulocytes, and monocytes were significantly higher in AMI group than in UA group (p = 0.001, p < 0.0005, p = 0.03, respectively). Eosinophil count was significantly lower in patients with AMI (p = 0.022). NLR was significantly higher in AMI group in relation to patients with UA (p = 0.001). Significantly higher values of hsTnI and CK-MB were established in patients with AMI. NLR correlated significantly positive with the values of hsTnI, CK-MB, CRP, WBC and neutrophil count, and significantly negative with lymphocyte count. CONCLUSION: Average values of NLR were significantly higher in patients with AMI in relation to patients with UA, indicating the importance of this inflammatory marker in discrimination of clinical forms of ACS. A positive correlation was established between NLR and markers of myocardial necrosis, and between NLR and CRP, indicating the importance of NLR in the assessment of the extent of the myocardial lesion and in inflammation intensity assessment in ACS.

Serum Uric Acid Could Differentiate Acute Myocardial Infarction and Unstable Angina Pectoris in Hyperuricemic Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Serum uric acid (SUA) is the final product of purine metabolism in humans. AIM: The present study aimed to identify a potential association between serum UA and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) levels and to find out whether uric acid could differentiate patients presenting with the acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and unstable angina pectoris (UAP) in hyperuricemic and normouricemic acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. METHODS: Eighty ACS patients, aged 50-83 years, were enrolled in the study, 40 of them presenting with AMI and 40 with UAP. Frequency of patients with serum uric level over threshold for hyperuricemia was investigated and two groups of patients were formed such as hyperuricemic and normouricemic groups (A and B groups, respectively) independently of type of ACS. Those groups of patients were also subjected to cTnI measurement. RESULTS: Levels of SUA are associated with the type of ACS in the hyperuricemic ACS patients (AMI versus UAP, 499(458-590), 425(400-447) mmol/L, p=0.007, respectively). Uric acid correlated significantly with cTnI, moderate positively in the group A (rho=0.358, p=0.038) and moderate negatively in the group B (r=-0.309, p=0.037) of ACS patients. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that cTnI and age were independently associated with the SUA levels in the group A of ACS patients. CONCLUSIONS: Serum uric acid differentiates AIM and UAP patients in hyperuricemic group of acute coronary syndrome. Therefore it can be used as nonspecific parameter for evaluation of the myocardial lesion extent only in hyperuricemic ACS patients. This is supported by finding that cTnI along with age predicts SUA level in hyperuricemic ACS patients.

Association of Parental Age and the Type of Down Syndrome on the Territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

BACKGROUND: Advanced paternal and/or maternal age is a classic risk factor for Down syndrome. The aim of the study was to investigate the frequency of Down syndrome types in children and its association with maternal and paternal age in Bosnia and Herzegovina. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The cross sectional, observational study included 127 children, 49 girls and 78 boys, aged 1-180 months suspected to have Down syndrome, admitted to the Centre for Genetics, Faculty of Medicine University of Sarajevo, for cytogenetic analysis and differential diagnosis of Down syndrome during the period from January 2010 to May 2015. Standard method of 72 hours cultivation of peripheral blood lymphocytes has been applied. The accepted level of statistical significance was p<0.05. STUDY RESULTS: The most common type of Down syndrome was standard trisomy (86.6%), comparing to translocation and mosaicism (7.1%; 6.3%, respectively). The highest frequency of Down syndrome cases was in mother and father's group from 30-39 years old (57; 57 children, respectively) compared to mother and father's groups with younger than 30 (44; 29, respectively) and 40 and older (26; 41, respectively). The significant difference was found in maternal age between translocation and mosaicism groups (p=0.036). Difference between parental years and type of Down syndrome was significant when Standard trisomy 21 and translocation (p=0.045), as well as mosaicism and translocation (p=0.036), were compared. CONCLUSION: The most common type of Down syndrome was standard trisomy 21, with highest occurrence in parents from 30 to 39 years old. Parents were the youngest in translocation group. Obtained results suggest that multidisciplinary approach to identifying the trigger for trisomy appearance and the influence of maternal age is required.

An assessment of correlation between serum asymmetric dimethylarginine and glycated haemoglobin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Studies that investigated an association between asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have given discordant results. The aim of this study was to determine and compare serum ADMA concentration in patients with T2DM and healthy controls, and to assess correlation between ADMA and HbA1c in patients with T2DM. Serum ADMA concentration was determined by ELISA method with the use of ADMA ® - ELISA kit (DLD Diagnostics, Hamburg, Germany) and HbA1c levels were determined by an immunoturbidimetric method in 60 patients with T2DM and 60 healthy individuals matched for age and sex. Results have shown that mean serum ADMA concentration was significantly higher in T2DM patients (1.54±0.06 µmol/L) compared to mean serum ADMA concentration (0.62±0.02 µmol/L; p<0.0001) in healthy subjects. A significant, positive, correlation between serum ADMA concentration and HbA1c levels was observed (r=0.494; p<0.01) in T2DM patients. Our results suggest that there is an association between endothelial dysfunction and glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Possible explanation for obtained results may be oxidative stress that is increased in conditions of hyperglycaemia and it also promotes endothelial dysfunction. Larger, longitudinal studies are required that will evaluate relation between metabolic abnormalities and increased ADMA levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Association of mannose-binding lectin 2 (mbl2) gene heterogeneity and its serum concentration with osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

The aim of the study was to detect prevalence of MBL2 exon 1 (codons 52, 54 and 57) genetic polymorphism in postmenopausal women in Bosnia and Herzegovina and its possible role as genetic risk factor for susceptibility to occurrence of osteoporosis in this study group. Also, we investigated association between MBL serum concentrations and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Genetic codons' variations were determined by PCR-RFLP and MBL in serum was measured by ELISA method in 75 postmenopausal women (37 with osteoporosis and 38 apparently healthy, non-osteoporotic women serving as a control). Serum MBL levels were not significantly different between osteoporosis and control group (492 (37-565.1) and 522.6 (477-559.4) ng/mL respectively, p=0.206). Genotype frequencies were not significantly different (p=0.997) between the studied groups of postmenopausal women. Genotype frequencies A/A, A/0 and 0/0 in osteoporosis group were 0.576; 0.405; 0.018 and in control group 0.562; 0.412; 0.026, respectively. Frequencies of A and 0 allele were 0.78 and 0.22 in osteoporosis and 0.77 and 0.23 in control group. The results do not suggest association of functional polymorphism of MBL2 gene and MBL serum concentration with osteoporosis in postmenopausal females.

B-type natriuretic peptide and adiponectin releases in rat model of myocardial damage induced by isoproterenol administration.

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and adiponectin play important role in the cardiovascular homeostasis regulation. We investigated BNP and adiponectin serum levels followed by isoproterenol (ISO) administration to rats and explored the relationship between them. Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) blood level was used as biochemical evidence of myocardial damage development. Adult male Wistar rats (average body weight 273.33 ± 21.63 g) were distributed into groups: control group received saline (n=6) and ISO groups (n=12) treated with ISO (subcutaneous single dose 100 mg/kg of rat body weight). ISO group was divided into two groups according to the time of BNP, adiponectin and cTnI determination: ISO I (n=6; 2 hours after ISO administration); ISO II (n=6; 4 hours after ISO administration). Blood for determination of parameters was taken from rat abdominal aorta. BNP, adiponectin and cTnI were determined by ELISA method. Data were statistically analysed by using SPSS version 13 computer program. P value less 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Blood BNP and adiponectin were lower at 2 hours after ISO administration in comparison with control group (p=0.004 for BNP and p=0.174 for adiponectin). Four hours after ISO administration, we have noted significant elevation of both parameters compared to ISO I group (p=0.004 for BNP; p=0.02 for adiponectin). Test of correlation have showed significant relation between their blood levels during experimental period (rho=0.577; p=0.01). BNP and adiponectin are not simple indicators of myocardial damage development. They have possible associated and additive effects in cardiovascular homeostasis regulation.

Education of medical biochemists in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In this paper we would like to briefly introduce readers to the situation in the field of laboratory medicine in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a focus on training in the field of medical biochemistry. As in some of neighboring countries, term Medical biochemist is the usual name for the Clinical biochemist or Clinical chemist in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite the difficult period through which the profession had passed in the last two decades, laboratory work, particularly clinical biochemistry, has managed to retain the necessary quality and keep pace with the developed world. In post war period, Society of Medical Biochemists of Bosnia and Herzegovina held regular meetings each year as a part of "life long learning" process, where both scientific and vocational lecturers presented their work. A single law on the state level would provide us with more defined and precise answers, such as: who can get a specialization, how long should last the training for medical biochemistry specialists (duration in years). This law should be in consent with the program described in EC4 or other documents given by the EFCC (European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine) and IFCC (International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine).

Heart-type fatty acid-binding protein and its relation with morphological changes in rat myocardial damage model induced by isoproterenol.

We have investigated heart type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) rat serum values at different time point following subcutaneous (s.c) isoproterenol (ISO) administration and their correlation with severity of myocardial lesion. Thirty adult, male, Wistar rats were used for this study. Six rats per group were treated with a single dose of either ISO (ISO groups, dose 100 mg/kg, s.c.) at different time point (30', 60', 120', 240') or with saline (control group). Serum H-FABP was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and histological analysis was performed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) method of staining. The first serum H-FABP increase was obtained 30' following ISO administration, but maximal value was reached after 240'. Myocardial histological changes were time-dependent and correlated with serum H-FABP values (p<0.001). The results of the study suggest that H-FABP is sensitive marker for acute rat myocardial injury and its possible inclusion in myocardial injury screening studies in rats.

Is γ-glutamyl transferase activity a potential marker of left ventricular function during early postmyocardial infarction period?

AIM: γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) is an independent prognostic marker for cardiac death and reinfarction in patients with coronary artery disease, but its clinical significance during early postmyocardial infarction period is unclear. PATIENTS & METHODS: This short-term prospective study included 40 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in whom we determined GGT activity, lipids, uric acid, homocysteine (Hcy), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and left ventricular (LV) function on admission and on day 5 following AMI. RESULTS: In AMI patients on admission, logGGT was associated with logHcy (r = 0.36), uric acid (r = 0.48) and CK-MB activity (r = -0.41). Uric acid remained an independent determinant of serum GGT activity on admission. Significant increase in GGT activity (77.7%) was observed following AMI. On day 5 serum logGGT was significantly associated with LV relative wall thickness (r = -0.37), LV end-diastolic diameter (r = 0.41) and LV fractional shortening (r = -0.36). In addition, a significant positive correlation was found between serum logGGT and loghsCRP (r = 0.41) and logHcy values (r = 0.395), but only LV end-diastolic diameter remained independently associated with serum GGT activity on day 5 following AMI. CONCLUSION: GGT is associated with oxidative/inflammatory markers and LV diastolic diameter suggesting its potential role in predicting LV dilatation and dysfunction during the early postmyocardial infarction period.

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) serum levels in rats after forced repeated swimming stress.

AIM: To estimate the effects of forced repeated swimming stress on BNP serum levels in rats. METHODS: Adult male Wistar rats weighting between 280-330 g were divided into two groups: control group (n = 8) and stress group (n = 8). Rats in the stress group were exposed to forced swimming stress daily, for 7 days. The rats were forced to swim in plastic tanks (90 cm wide, 120 cm deep) containing tap water (temperature ca. 25 degrees C). The depth of water was 40 cm. Duration of each swimming session progressively increased from 10 minutes on the first day to 40 minutes on days 6 and 7. Rats were sacrificed and blood was drawn from abdominal aorta for BNP analysis immediately after the last swimming session. B-type natriuretic serum level was determined by ELISA method using RAT BNP-32 kit (Phoenix Pharmaceutical Inc.). RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between mean BNP serum level in the stress group after the swimming period (0.81 +/- 0.14 ng/ml) as compared to the unstressed group of rats (0.8 +/- 0.08 ng/ml). After the swimming period mean body weight slightly decreased in the stress group in comparison with values before stress period (296.3 g vs. 272.8 g), but this difference was not statistically significant. The stress period had no influence on food intake in the stress rat group. CONCLUSION: The workload consisting of 40-minutes long swimming session is not sufficient to provoke BNP release from myocardium in rats.

Use of amino-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide as the parameter for long-term monitoring of water overload in patient with chronic kidney diseases.

AIM: To analyze usefulness of measurement amino-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide of (NT pro-BNP) as the one of parameters of water overload in patients with chronic kidney diseases. METHODS: A total number of 277 patients with chronic kidney diseases (CKD) were followed up in the period often years between January 2000 and July 2010. Patients with creatinine clearance of 60 ml/min or less were included in the study. Changes of creatinine clearance, and in last five years changes of NT pro-BNP were followed. Water overload was analyzed using chest x-ray in relation with concentration of NT pro-BNP in the blood. RESULTS: Decrease of clearance of creatinine ranged from average 54.7 ml/min in the first year to 14.6 ml/min in the fifth year of the monitoring. Average NT pro-BNP level in patients without any sign of water overload was 94 pg/ml (SD 21), mean value in those with Kerley lines was 231 pg/ml/L (SD 64), in those with clear signs of water overload but without pleural effusion it was 525 pg/ml (SD 223), and in those with water retention including pleural effusion it was 1606 pg/ml (SD 1134). Using test of multiple correlation a statistically significant correlation between X-ray signs of water overload and NT pro-BNP concentration was shown, p < 0.05. CONCLUSION: Measurement of NT pro-BNP was increased in the beginning of water overload in patients with CKD. Increased value of NT pro-BNP may be found earlier than any other signs of water overload. NT pro-BNP was a useful parameter in estimation of water overload in these patients.

Association of homocysteine with traditional and non-traditional risk factors in patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease.

AIM: To assess the association between total homocysteine (tHcy) and traditional and nontraditional risk factors in patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease (ASVD). METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 99 ASVD patients and 40 control subjects in whom we determined lipid profile, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), uric acid (UA) and tHcy. RESULTS: The median tHcy concentration was significantly higher in ASVD group compared to the controls ((18.7(13.65-24.45) vs. 11.48 (10.03-14.2) micromol/L (p < 0.001)). Mean serum cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (LDLc) and atherogenic index were significantly lower, while mean serum UA concentration was significantly higher in hyperhomocysteinemic compared to normohomocysteinemic ASVD patients and control subjects. In hyperhomocysteinemic ASVD patients a significant negative correlation between serum logtHcy and cholesterol (r = -0.32), LDLc (r = -0.24), very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDLc) (r = -0.295) and atherogenic index (r = -0.25) was observed. In normo-homocysteinemic ASVD patients serum logtHcy was significantly positively correlated with UA (r = 0.46) and hsCRP (r = 0.383). Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that serum logtHcy was independently positively associated only with UA in normohomocysteinemic ASVD patients. CONCLUSION: The results of our study have shown that the association between tHcy and traditional and non-traditional risk factors depends on tHcy serum level. It was observed a negative association between serum tHcy and lipids in hyperhomocysteinemic ASVD patients. On the other hand, in ASVD patients with serum tHcy levels within the reference range a positive independent association between serum tHcy and UA might reflect an underlying elevated tension of redox stress.

Blood iron stores reduction affects lipoprotein status--a potential benefit of blood donation.

AIM: To determine the lipoprotein profile of voluntary blood donors, and on the basis of parameters to evaluate the risk of atherosclerosis. METHODS: The study included voluntary blood donors of both sexes. Participants were divided into two groups. The first group of subjects consisted of men and women in menopause (BD 1). The second group consisted of women in reproductive age (BD 2). Analysis of concentration of lipoproteins was performed by direct determination of total cholesterol, LDL-C and HDL-C. From the total serum cholesterol and concentration of lipoproteins ratios of total cholesterol/HDL-C ratio and LDL-C/HDL-C were calculated. RESULTS: Significantly higher concentration of LDL-C was obtained in the serum of BD 1, compared to LDL-C in the serum of BD 2, within the reference range. Mean concentration of HDL-C in the serum of BD 2 group was higher than the values measured in the BD group 1, without significant difference. The ratio of total cholesterol/HDL-C showed significantly higher values in the BD 1 group compared with results in the BD 2 group. Significantly higher values in the BD group 1 were observed for the ratio of LDL-C/HDL-C. Obtained results showed that all voluntary blood donors had a concentration of individual lipoprotein fractions in a lower risk range for atherosclerosis development. CONCLUSION: Female voluntary blood donors in reproductive age have a more favorable lipid status in relation to the voluntary blood donors, men and women in menopause, indicating that this population of women is exposed to lower risk of developing atherosclerosis.

Time-dependent responses of rat troponin I and cardiac injury following isoproterenol administration.

AIM: To develop a rat model of myocardial infarction induced by isoproterenol (ISO). We investigated a type of histological myocardial changes and cardiac troponin I (TnI) kinetic. METHODS: The study has used adult, male, Wistar strain rats. Rats were distributed in ISO and control groups. Rats treated with ISO were divided into groups according to the time of cTnI and myocardial lesion analyses: ISO I (30'), ISO II (60'), ISO III (120') and ISO IV (240'). We determined cTnI (Life Diagnostics Inc. West Chester PA, USA) in the serum by ELISA method. We performed histological analysis on the specimens of left ventricular wall stained by hematoxillin-eosin (HE) method. RESULTS: The first statistically significant rise of cTnI was noted 30 minutes after the ISO administration. There was no statistically significant difference between cTnI mean values among the ISO groups. Observed myocardial histological changes were time dependent. CONCLUSIONS: This model can be suitable for cardioprotective and cardiotoxicity supstance investigations followed by cTnI measurement in blood. The similarity between induced myocardial lesion on animal model in our study and human myocardial lesion in ischemia give us sufficient impulse for further preclinical researches of new cardiac markers.

Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase gene polymorphism in patients receiving hemodialysis.

Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR) is key enzyme in metabolism of homocysteine. Homozygotes for mutation (TT genotype) have hyperhomocysteinemia, risk factor for atherosclerosis development. The aim of the study was to find out distribution of genotype frequencies of C677T MTHFR among patients on maintenance hemodialysis. Possible association of alleles and genotypes of C677T polymorphism of the MTHFR gene with age of onset, duration of dialysis and cause of kidney failure was studied also. Cross-sectional study includes 80 patients from Clinic of Hemodialysis KUCS in Sarajevo. In order to perform genotyping, isolated DNA was analyzed by RFLP-PCR and gel-electrophoresis. From total of 80 patients, 42.5% (n=24) were female, 57.5% (n=46) were male, mean age 54.59+/-1.78 years and duration of dialysis 79.92+/-6.32 months. Genotype distribution was: CC 51.2% (n=41), CT 37.5% (n=30) and TT 11.2% (n=9). Patients with wild-type genotype have longer duration of dialysis in month (87.1 +/- 63.93) comparing to TT genotype patients (67.06 +/- 39.3), with no statistical significance. T allele frequency was significantly higher in group of vascular and congenital cause of kidney failure (Pearson X2 =6.049, P<0.05) comparing to inflammation etiology group. Genotype distribution results are within the results other studies in Europe. Obtained results indicate that C677T polymorphism is not associated with onset, duration and cause of kidney failure in our hemodialysis population. There is an association of T allele of the MTHFR gene and vascular and congenital cause kidney failure.

Polymorphism in methylentetra-hydrofolate reductase gene: important role in diseases.

It has been recognized that some people have a genetic variant which leads to elevated levels of homocysteine and impairs ability to process folate. This condition was recognized as independent risk factor of coronary heart disease. Recently, connection between this termolabile mutation of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and numerous conditions and diseases has been established. Aim of this review is to draw attention to this interesting area in medicine. Additionally, well defined study about presence and frequency of gene polymorphism in our region will provide proper diagnosis and achieve possible delay of development of diseases with vitamin supplementation.

Troponin T and histological characteristics of rat myocardial infarction induced by isoproterenol.

In our investigation,we used short-time model of myocardial infarction of rats induced by high dose of isoproterenol (ISP). We investigated cardiac troponin T blood level (cTnT) and histological characteristics of rat myocardium. ISP, single, intraperitoneal dose 250 mg/kg was given to male, adult, Wistar rats (n=12). Rats were distributed depending on their body weight in subgroups: ISP I (BW 260-280g) and ISP II (BW 250-400g).Control group (n=9) was treated with intraperitoneal dose of 0,95% NaCl. Cardiac TnT was measured by electrochemiluminiscence (ECLA) sandwich immunoassay in rat serum 4 hours after ISP application. Rats' hearts were dissected and examined by qualitative histological method (HE). Statistical significance was set at 0,05. There was significant difference in cTnT of ISP II (p=0,0001) vs. control and ISP I (p<0,05) vs. control. Significant difference was between ISP I and ISP II subgroups (p<0.001). The accent of histological changes of myocardium was on nuclei of cell. Cells showed acidophilic changes and nuclei disappearance as signs of coagulative necrosis development. Extensivity of histological changes were different between ISP I and ISP II subgroup. Used dose of ISP induced development of myocardial necrosis in rats. Subendocardial portion of myocardium was more vulnerability than subepicardial portion. Rats of ISP II had more extensive histological changes than these in ISP I. Administered doses of ISP enabled cTnT utilization as a marker of myocardial necrosis.