Increased plasma DPP4 activities predict new-onset atherosclerosis in association with its proinflammatory effects in Chinese over a four year period: A prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: DPP4, a novel proinflammatory cytokine, is involved in the inflammatory process through its interaction with IGF-II/M6P receptor. We aimed to investigate whether it could predict new-onset atherosclerosis in Chinese. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted of 590 adults (213 men and 377 women) aged 18-70 years without atherosclerosis examined in 2007(baseline) and 2011(follow-up). Circulating DPP4 activity, inflammatory markers, IGF-II/M6P receptor and common carotid artery Intima-Media Thickness (C-IMT) were measured at baseline and four years later. RESULTS: At baseline, individuals in the highest quartile of DPP4 activity had higher age, WHR, BMI, SBP, fasting insulin, 2h-PG, TG, LDL-C, IL-6, hs-CRP, IGF-II/M6P-R, C-IMT and lower HDL-C compared with individuals in the lowest quartile. After a 4-year follow-up, 71 individuals developed atherosclerosis. In multiple linear regression analysis, baseline DPP4 activity was an independent predictor of an increase in inflammatory markers, IGF-II/M6P receptor, and C-IMT over a 4-year period (all P < 0.01). In multivariable-adjusted models, the odds ratio (OR) for incident atherosclerosis comparing the highest with the lowest quartiles of DPP4 activity was 3.17 (95%CI 1.33-7.58) after adjustment for confounding risk factors (P = 0.009). The incidence of atherosclerosis owing to DPP4 activity increased by 12.41%. CONCLUSIONS: DPP4 activity is an important predictor of the onset of inflammation and atherosclerosis in apparently healthy Chinese. This finding may have important implications for understanding the proinflammatory role of DPP-4 in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

Clinical and molecular analysis of chinese patients with thyrotoxic periodic paralysis.

Although sporadic thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP) has a much higher prevalence in Asian than in all the other populations studied so far, it is also increasingly being seen at the emergency departments of the West, hence, it is vital to stress the importance of recognizing it. TPP shares some similarities with hypokalemic periodic paralysis (HOKPP). However, the pathophysiology of TPP and the reasons for this higher incidence are not known. We hypothesized that some mutations in the CACNA1S gene, which has been implicated in familial HOKPP, might play a role in TPP. We present 5 Chinese patients who suffer from TPP and demonstrate typical clinical features. No mutation was found on the whole CACNA1S gene. Therefore other molecular mechanisms will have to be examined in order to explain the different TPP incidences.