ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine the level of oxygen-nitrogen stress parameters in the pathogenesis of amebiasis. METHODS: Twenty-four acute intestinal amebiasis patients and 20 healthy controls were enrolled in the present study. Serum malondialdehyde and nitric oxide levels were determined spectrophotometrically. RESULTS: Serum malondialdehyde and nitric oxide levels were significantly higher in acute intestinal amebiasis patients than healthy controls (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that oxidative and nitrosative stress may play a major role in tissue damage in acute intestinal amebiasis patients. Also these parameters can be used to supplement the conventional microscopic method for reliable diagnosis of intestinal amebiasis.
Subject(s)
Dysentery, Amebic/pathology , Malondialdehyde/blood , Nitric Oxide/blood , Serum/chemistry , Adolescent , Adult , Biomarkers/blood , Dysentery, Amebic/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Spectrophotometry , Young AdultABSTRACT
We evaluated 3 new markers for coronary artery disease (CAD) [bilirubin, total homocysteine (t-Hcy) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP)] in 319 patients with chest pains divided into 2 groups based on coronary angiography: CAD group (n = 262) and non-CAD group (n = 57). A control group consisted of 50 healthy subjects. t-Hcy had the highest diagnostic value for diagnosis of angiographically documented patients; bilirubin had the lowest. The sensitivities and specificities (based on ROC curves) of bilirubin, hs-CRP and t-Hcy were 70.9%, 50% and 76.8% respectively, and 40.4%, 80.7% and 70.2% respectively. We conclude that serum bilirubin levels cannot identify people at risk of CAD and t-Hcy and hs-CRP may be stronger markers.
Subject(s)
Bilirubin/blood , C-Reactive Protein/metabolism , Coronary Artery Disease/blood , Coronary Artery Disease/diagnosis , Homocysteine/blood , Analysis of Variance , Area Under Curve , Biomarkers/blood , Case-Control Studies , Chest Pain/etiology , Chi-Square Distribution , Coronary Angiography , Coronary Artery Disease/complications , Female , Humans , Logistic Models , Male , Middle Aged , ROC Curve , Risk Factors , Sensitivity and Specificity , Statistics, Nonparametric , TurkeyABSTRACT
We evaluated 3 new markers for coronary artery disease [CAD] [bilirubin, total homocysteine [t-Hcy] and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [hs-CRP]] in 319 patients with chest pains divided into 2 groups based on coronary angiography: CAD group [n = 262] and non-CAD group [n = 57]. A control group consisted of 50 healthy subjects. t-Hcy had the highest diagnostic value for diagnosis of angiographically documented patients; bilirubin had the lowest. The sensitivities and specificities [based on ROC curves] of bilirubin, hs-CRP and t-Hcy were 70.9%, 50% and 76.8% respectively, and 40.4%, 80.7% and 70.2% respectively. We conclude that serum bilirubin levels cannot identify people at risk of CAD and t-Hcy and hs-CRP may be stronger markers
Subject(s)
Coronary Artery Disease , Homocysteine , Bilirubin , C-Reactive Protein , Body Mass IndexABSTRACT
Trace elements are extremely important in human metabolism, growth, and tissue repair. The risk of nutritional disturbances, in particular, vitamin and trace element deficiencies, are striking during menopause. The aim of this longitudinal study was to evaluate the effect of estrogen treatment on serum levels of copper, zinc, magnesium, calcium, vitamin E, and vitamin A in menopausal women. Thirty-eight menopausal women were included in the study, and were administered a continuous hormone replacement therapy (HRT) of 0.625 mg conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) and 2.5 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). Blood samples were obtained before and six months after HRT. There was a statistically significant difference between levels of serum copper, zinc, magnesium, calcium, vitamin E and vitamin A before and after HRT (p < 0.001). In conclusion we observed a beneficial effect of HRT on serum levels of trace elements, vitamin A, and vitamin E in addition to the well known other benefits.
Subject(s)
Estrogen Replacement Therapy , Postmenopause/blood , Trace Elements/blood , Vitamin A/blood , Vitamin E/blood , Calcium/blood , Copper/blood , Estrogens, Conjugated (USP)/administration & dosage , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Magnesium/blood , Medroxyprogesterone Acetate/administration & dosage , Progesterone Congeners/administration & dosage , Zinc/bloodABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus infections in type 2 diabetic patients in Gaziantep, Turkey. Six hundred and ninety-two type 2 diabetic patients and 1014 healthy blood donors were included in the study. No significant difference was found between type 2 diabetic patients and the control group for seropositivity of HBsAg (5.3% vs 5.1%, p>0.05). In contrast, anti-HCV was significantly more frequent in type 2 diabetic patients (7.5% vs 0.1%, p>0.0001). We found no significant difference for HBsAg seropositivity between type 2 diabetic patients with a disease duration of 12 months or less, but anti-HCV seropositivity was significantly more frequent in diabetic patients with a longer disease duration (p<0.05). We suggest that HCV infection is not a trigger factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus but is frequently associated with it.
