Is the frequency of metabolic syndrome higher in South Korean women with rheumatoid arthritis than in healthy subjects?

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To compare the frequency of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and magnitude of insulin resistance, measured by the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), between South Korean women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and healthy subjects, and to evaluate risk factors for MetS and increased HOMA-IR in patients with RA. METHODS: In a cross-sectional setting, 84 female patients with RA and 109 age-matched healthy female subjects were consecutively recruited at a university-affiliated rheumatology center in South Korea. MetS was defined according to the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP-ATP III) 2004 criteria. RESULTS: The frequency of MetS did not differ significantly between patients with RA (19%) and healthy subjects (15.6%, p = 0.566), although patients with RA had a higher HOMA-IR compared with healthy subjects (p < 0.001). Patients with RA met the NCEP-ATP III 2004 criteria for high blood pressure more often than healthy subjects (44% vs. 19.3%, p < 0.001), and low high density lipoprotein cholesterol was more prevalent in healthy subjects (33%) than in patients with RA (14.3%, p = 0.004). Although no obvious risk factors for the presence of MetS were identified in patients with RA, higher serum C-reactive protein and disease activity score assessed using the 28-joint count for swelling and tenderness-erythrocyte sedimentation rate significantly contributed to a higher HOMA-IR. CONCLUSIONS: Despite their increased insulin resistance, South Korean women with RA did not have a significantly higher frequency of MetS compared with that in healthy subjects.

Increased frequency of osteoporosis and BMD below the expected range for age among South Korean women with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the frequency of osteoporosis and bone mineral density (BMD) below the expected range for age between female patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and healthy subjects and to determine risk factors for bone loss in female patients with RA. METHOD: Two hundred and ninety-nine patients with RA and 246 age-matched healthy subjects were included in this study. BMD in the lumbar spine, femoral neck and total hip were measured with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. A T-score of -2.5 or lower in postmenopausal women was defined as osteoporosis, and a Z-score -2.0 or lower in females prior to menopause was defined as below the expected range for age. RESULT: The frequency of osteoporosis in the RA patients (22.1%) was significantly higher than in healthy subjects (11.4%) at either the spine or hip (P = 0.014). The occurrence of BMD below the expected range for age in RA patients (7.8%) was also significantly higher than in healthy subjects (1.0%, P = 0.015). In 299 female patients with RA, higher age, lower body mass index and postmenopausal status were significantly associated with the lumbar spine and hip BMD reduction. Of disease-related variables, glucocorticoid use was independently associated with reduction of hip BMD. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of osteoporosis in the RA patients was 1.9 times higher than in healthy subjects. Glucocorticoid use was a risk factor for generalized bone loss in female RA patients.

Both plasma retinol-binding protein and haptoglobin precursor allele 1 in CSF: candidate biomarkers for the progression of normal to mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) may be of valuable for exploring protein markers for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The prospect of early detection and treatment, to slow progression, holds hope for aging populations with increased average lifespan. The aim of the present study was to investigate candidate CSF biological markers in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD and compare them with age-matched normal control subjects. In this report, we applied proteomics approaches to analyze 60 CSF samples derived from patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as MCI and AD. We classified patients by three groups: normal controls without cognitive dysfunction, MCI and AD. The AD group was subdivided into three groups by clinical severity according to clinical dementia rating (CDR), a well known clinical scale for dementia. We demonstrated a gradual decrease or absent of plasma retinol-binding protein (RBP) and haptoglobin precursor allele 1 in CSF from patients with MCI and AD compared to the age-matched normal subjects. Moreover, expression levels of both RBP and haptoglobin precursor allele 1 were observed to be very high in age-matched normal subjects. In contrast, the RBP and haptoglobin precursor allele 1 were much decreased in the MCI group; those expressions were more weak or absent in AD group, and correlated with disease severity and progression. These findings suggest that the CSF levels of both RBP and haptoglobin precursor allele 1 may be candidate biomarkers for the progression of normal to MCI to AD.

Fibrinogen gamma-A chain precursor in CSF: a candidate biomarker for Alzheimer's disease.

BACKGROUND: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) may be valuable for exploring protein markers for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The prospect of early detection and treatment, to slow progression, holds hope for aging populations with increased average lifespan. The aim of the present study was to investigate candidate CSF biological markers in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD and compare them with age-matched normal control subjects. METHODS: We applied proteomics approaches to analyze CSF samples derived from 27 patients with AD, 3 subjects with MCI and 30 controls. The AD group was subdivided into three groups by clinical severity according to clinical dementia rating (CDR), a well known clinical scale for dementia. RESULTS: We demonstrated an elevated level of fibrinogen gamma-A chain precursor protein in CSF from patients with mild cognitive impairment and AD compared to the age-matched normal subjects. Moreover, its expression was more prominent in the AD group than in the MCI and correlated with disease severity and progression. In contrast, fibrinogen gamma-A chain precursor protein was detected very low in the age-matched normal group. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the CSF level of fibrinogen gamma-A chain precursor may be a candidate biomarker for AD.