Correlation of Salusin Beta with hs-CRP and ADMA in Hypertensive Children and Adolescents.

PURPOSE: The emerging evidence has recently shown an evident dependence between recently identified salusin peptides and atherosclerosis, and their important roles as endogenous modulators of atherogenesis. It was reported that the development of atherosclerosis could also be affected by endogenous salusin- ß overproduction in vascular lesions. MATERIALS/METHODS: This prospective cohort study was conducted in two groups of children: HT - 58 patients with essential hypertension (HT); R - 30 participants with white-coat HT (R). We analysed the relationship between serum salusin- α and salusin- ß levels and ADMA, SDMA and hs- CRP in children and adolescents with essential hypertension. RESULTS: Serum level of salusin- ɑ in each sample was under the sensitivity of method. Serum level of salusin-ß was statistically significantly higher in hypertension group when compared to the reference group (p<0.05) and correlated positively with serum hs-CRP [rho=0.47; p<0.01] and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) [rho=0.32; p<0.05]. There was no significant association between salusin-ß and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) [rho=0.27; p>0.05]. CONCLUSION: This preliminary study showed that the concentration of salusin-ß is associated with circulating level of hs-CRP and ADMA in teenagers with hypertension. Further studies are needed to find out if salusin-ß levels may indicate for endothelial dysfunction and form the basis for the development of new therapeutic agent.

Serum Exoglycosidases in Children and Adolescents With Harmful Alcohol Use.

OBJECTIVE: There is a lack of accurate alcohol-use biomarkers in children/adolescents due to a short drinking duration/rapid normalization of elevated markers. We checked if lysosomal exoglycosidases, elevated earlier in binge-drinking young adults, can be applicable in children/adolescents as markers of harmful alcohol use. METHODS: The serum activities (pKat/mL) of α-fucosidase (FUC), ß-galactosidase (GAL), ß-glucuronidase (GLU), ß-hexosaminidase (HEX; its HEX A and HEX B isoenzymes), and α-mannosidase (MAN) were determined in 20 healthy controls (C) and 25 children/adolescents with harmful alcohol use (intoxicated by alcohol at hospital admission -AI1 and on the next day -AI2). RESULTS: The serum HEX A and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity was significantly higher in the AI1 group than in the control. The activities of FUC, GAL, GLU, HEX B, and MAN were lower in the AI group. We found fair and poor accuracy, respectively, for increased enzymes HEX A and ALT. We found fair accuracy for decreased HEX B (AI1) and MAN (AI1), good accuracy for GLU (AI2), FUC (AI2), GAL (AI1, AI2), MAN (AI2), and excellent for FUC (AI1). Correlations were found: ALT with C-reactive protein (CRP), HEX A with white blood cell (WBC) count, blood alcohol concentration with FUC, MAN and HEX B, and WBC with FUC. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased FUC, GLU, GAL, MAN values, and especially FUC (AI1) have the potential to be markers of harmful alcohol use in children/adolescents. The raised activity of HEX A and ALT points to the need for further research to check another inflammatory agent as potential alcohol marker in children and adolescents. Samples need to be collected before intravenous fluid therapy.

Salusins in Hypertension and Related Cardiovascular Diseases.

The salusins are bioactive peptides with hemodynamic effects. They play a role in hypertension, atherogenesis and cardiovascular diseases. In this review we focus on new actions, which are related to the regulation of blood pressure. Decrease in salusin-̛ and the increase in salusin-̜ concentrations are known to contribute to the development of the metabolic syndrome and atherosclerosis. Microinjections of salusin-̜. in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) increases the plasma argininevasopressin (AVP) and norepinephrine levels, which contribute to hypertension. It also increases the AVP release from the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) via the projection from PVN to RVLM. Increased activity of the RVLM neurons is transmitted to the intermediolateral nucleus (IML) cell column of the spinal cord, where peripheral sympathetic nerves to the heart, arterioles and kidneys are activated, thus increasing blood pressure. Microinjection of salusin-̜ into the RVLM increased renal sympathetic nerve activity, median arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR). There was no significant effect on the AVP level in the RVLM and plasma. Microinjection of salusin-̜. in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) produces a dose dependent hypotension and bradycardia. Intravenous injection of salusin-̜. significant increased MAP, but did not have a meaningful outcome on HR. Nevertheless, intravenous injection of a very high dose of salusin-̜. caused instantaneous decrease in both MAP and HR. Salusin-̜. overexpression provoked severe and prolonged hypertension accompanied by tachycardia in rats. It is clear that more research needs to be done to evaluate the function of salusin-̜ in the mechanism of essential hypertension, atherosclerosis, and the metabolic syndrome.

Is the serum level of salusin-ß associated with hypertension and atherosclerosis in the pediatric population?

BACKGROUND: Salusins are recently identified endogenous bioactive peptides that have hypotensive and bradycardiac effects. Salusin-ß is involved in the pathogenesis of human atherosclerosis. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study of a young patient population with hypertension (HTN). Based on ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), the adolescents were categorized into two groups, namely, a hypertensive group consisting of patients with essential (primary) HTN (HTN group) and a group consisting of patients with white-coat HTN [reference (R) group]. Correlations between serum salusin-ß level and clinical, laboratory and ambulatory blood pressure (BP) variables were assessed. RESULTS: The median salusin-ß concentration was significantly higher in patients with essential HTN than in those with white-coat HTN (R group). Salusin-ß was positively correlated with the body mass index Z-score, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) from three independent measurements, mean systolic BP during the daytime, triglyceride (TG) level, and atherogenic index (TG/high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol ratio). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this preliminary study suggest that salusin-ß may play an important role in the pathogenesis of HTN in a young population. Further research should focus on the role of salusin-ß in the mechanism of essential HTN and the assessment of possible correlations between salusin-ß and other well-known markers of atherosclerosis in both teenagers and adults. This research should serve as a base for future studies in this field.