Serum vaspin levels are positively associated with carotid atherosclerosis in a general population.

OBJECTIVES: Vaspin is a novel adipocytokine with potential insulin-sensitizing properties. Insulin resistance (IR) plays a role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. However, the relationship between serum vaspin levels and atherosclerosis remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated whether vaspin was correlated with carotid intima-media thickness (c-IMT). METHODS: Data for fasting vaspin levels of 201 subjects (78 men and 123 women aged over 40 years) were obtained from a general population in Japan. We obtained anthropometric parameters and blood chemistries, and calculated homeostasis model assessment-IR (HOMA-IR) index. C-IMT was measured by B-mode ultrasonography. The mean values of each parameter by tertiles of vaspin were compared with analysis of variance, and the associations of vaspin with IR and c-IMT were evaluated by multiple stepwise regression analysis. RESULTS: Univariate analysis revealed that vaspin levels were positively correlated with BMI, insulin, HOMA-IR index, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), c-IMT and hypertensive medication. Multiple stepwise regression analysis revealed that HOMA-IR index, c-IMT and eGFR were significantly and independently associated with vaspin. We performed multivariate analyses with c-IMT as the dependent variable. Age, hypertensive medication and vaspin were significant for c-IMT. Moreover, a mediation analysis demonstrated that vaspin was significantly related to c-IMT, independently of IR. CONCLUSIONS: The present study not only confirmed the previous finding of the positive association of vaspin with IR but also demonstrated that serum vaspin level was positively associated with c-IMT, independently of IR in a general population. Our results may suggest a role of vaspin in atherosclerosis in humans.

Serum uric acid is associated with the left ventricular mass index in males of a general population.

The association of serum uric acid (UA) with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) remains controversial. We investigated this issue in a general population. Participants consisted of 1,943 subjects (774 males and 1,169 females) aged over 40 years, living in Tanushimaru (a Japanese cohort of the Seven Countries Study). Serum UA and other biochemistry parameters were determined by a standard analytical technique. All individuals underwent anthropometric measurements and 2-dimensional echocardiography. Because serum UA levels are much higher in males than in females, they were analyzed separately. When LV mass index (LVMI) levels were stratified according to tertile as low (≤ 80 cm(2): n = 261), middle (81-103 cm(2): n = 261), and high (≥ 104 cm(2): n = 252) in males, there were significant relationships between LVMI and UA, in addition to age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, medication for hypertension, triglycerides, and alcohol intake. Multiple stepwise regression analysis revealed LVMI was significantly associated with systolic BP (P < 0.0001), medication for hypertension (P < 0.0001), UA (P = 0.003), BMI (P = 0.019), and alcohol intake (P = 0.038) in males. In females, LVMI was not associated with UA. In a multiple logistic regression analysis, a significantly higher odds ratio of LVH (odds ratio: 1.77, 95%CI: 1.01-3.09, P < 0.05) was observed for males in the highest UA tertile versus the lowest UA tertile after adjustments for confounding factors, but not for females. In this cross-sectional study, there was a clear difference in the relation of UA and LVH between males and females. High serum UA was significantly and independently associated with LVH evaluated by echocardiography in only males of a general population.

Serum hepatocyte growth factor and cancer mortality in an apparently healthy Japanese population.

BACKGROUND: In patients with cancer, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is elevated and is a predictor of prognosis. We investigated whether serum HGF was a predictive marker for cancer death in a population of community-dwelling Japanese. METHODS: We studied 1492 apparently healthy Japanese adults who underwent health examinations in 1999. Those who reported a history of liver disease or malignancy on a baseline questionnaire were excluded, and plasma HGF was measured in the remaining 1470 participants, who were followed periodically for 10 years. Multivariate proportional hazards regression was used to estimate cancer mortality. RESULTS: A total of 169 participants died during follow-up (61 from cancer, 32 from cerebrocardiovascular disease, and 76 from other diseases). Mean HGF at baseline was significantly higher among decedents than among survivors (0.26 ± 0.11 vs 0.23 ± 0.09 ng/ml, respectively; P < 0.01). The Cox proportional hazards model showed that age, systolic blood pressure, HGF (hazard ratio, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.06-1.52; P = 0.009), albumin level, smoking status, and creatinine were independent predictors of all-cause death. Age, HGF (hazard ratio, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.04-1.65; P = 0.02), and total cholesterol were independent predictive markers for cancer death. CONCLUSIONS: Serum HGF was a predictor of cancer death in an apparently healthy population of community-dwelling Japanese.