The functional variants of endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene associated with rheumatoid arthritis in Turkish adults.

This study aimed to investigate whether functional variants of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene play any role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) ethiopathogenesis and treatment in the Turkish population. Because, eNOS variants are responsible for alteration of the NO level in plasma, by reducing/increasing the endothelial NO synthesis. In the study, two eNOS gene variants (G894T and intron 4 VNTR A/B) were examined at extracted DNAs from 65 peripheral blood cell of RA patients. For the control, blood samples obtained from 70 healthy persons were studied. Genotyping of molecular variants was performed by PCR-RFLP and/or PCR technique. The data obtained was compared in itself and response to therapy. We found that "TT genotypic frequency" for the G894T variant was significantly associated with RA with an overall risk of 8.3-fold (p 0.029). No association was identified between intron 4 VNTR A/B variant and RA. At the 6 months, the mean visual analog scale (VAS), health assessment questionnaire (HAQ), and disease activity score for 28 joints (DAS 28) improvement was not significant among groups. Improvement in DAS was significantly better in anti-TNF treatment than disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) treatment treated subgroup. We report for the first time that variants in the eNOS "TT" genotype might be contributed to the increased risk of RA in the Turkish population. These results imply that functional variants of eNOS gene might have an effect on RA patients and response to anti-TNF treatment. In addition, the results suggest that eNOS variants might be associated and affect host susceptibility and/or response to treatment in Turkish RA patients.

The association of serum prolidase activity with developmental dysplasia of the hip.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate serum prolidase activity in patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Prolidase enzyme activity was measured spectrophotometrically to pointing out the collagen metabolism. The prolidase activity in patients with DDH was significantly higher than that in the control group (p = 0.002). Furthermore, there was positive correlation between prolidase activity and dysplasia level. Increased serum prolidase activity may have played a role in the presence of DDH. We therefore hypothesized that the increased prolidase activity related to collagen turnover may be associated with etiopathogenesis and/or the progression of the disease.

Rheumatic manifestations of hepatitis B and C and their association with viral load and fibrosis of the liver.

The objective of this study is to investigate rheumatologic manifestations of hepatitis B and C and their relation with viral load and degree of hepatic fibrosis. Thirty-six HBV and 36 HBV patients were included. Liver biopsy was performed for all participants. We detected arthralgia 53-50%, myalgia 58-61% and fatigue 64-81% in HBV and HCV groups in order. All manifestations did not differ between groups significantly. Pain intensity was higher in HCV group (P = 0.023). Arthralgia is associated with viral load of the patients in both groups (P = 0.000 and P = 0.001). Viral load and fatigue are correlated in both groups (P = 0.000 and P = 0.001). There is a considerable relation between inflammation and arthralgia (P = 0.000) and myalgia (P = 0.033). We conclude that rheumatologic manifestations are common both in HBV and HCV and related with viral load and fibrosis.

Relation of cortisol levels and bone mineral density among premenopausal women with major depression.

We aimed to investigate the relationship between cortisol levels and bone mineral density (BMD) among premenopausal women with major depression. We compared BMD, plasma cortisol, osteocalcin and C-telopeptide (CTx) levels of 36 premenopausal women with major depression with 41 healthy women who were matched for age and body mass index. Osteocalcin and CTx were used for the evaluation of bone turnover. The clinical diagnosis of major depression was made by using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria. The 21-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression was used for the assessment of depressive symptoms. In comparison with the controls, the mean BMD of the depressed women was significantly lower at the lumbar spine and at all sites of the proximal femur (p = 0.02, 0.01). Plasma cortisol levels were significantly higher in depressive patients than in controls (p = 0.001). Osteocalcin was lower and CTx was higher in the patient group than in controls (p = 0.04, p = 0.008). Lumbar and femur BMD scores were negatively correlated with cortisol levels in the patient group. Major depression had important effects on BMD and bone turnover markers. Depression should be considered among risk factors for osteoporosis in premenopausal women.