Potential Correlation Between Circulating Fetuin-A and Pentraxin-3 With Biochemical Parameters of Calcification in Hemodialysis Patients.

BACKGROUND: The strong correlation between vascular calcification and cardiovascular risk, which is a major cause of mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients, has been well established. Fetuin-A is an inhibitor of vascular calcification, and pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is produced at the site of inflammation, which is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The main purpose of this study was evaluating the correlation between fetuin-A and PTX3 with some biochemical parameters effective upon vascular calcification in HD patients. METHODS: We included 84 HD patients and 84 healthy controls matched for age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) in this study. Blood samples were drawn from all subjects and the serum levels of creatinine, urea, albumin, calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), parathyroid hormone, fetuin-A, high sensitive C-reactive protein, and PTX3 were measured by biochemical methods. RESULTS: We found that the serum levels of PTX3, C-reactive protein (CRP), parathyroid hormone (PTH), Ca, and P in the patient group were significantly higher than the control group but the serum levels of fetuin-A and albumin were significantly lower in the patient group. Also, fetuin-A had a significant correlation with high sensitive CRP (hs-CRP) as well as duration of dialysis. In addition, it was shown that the correlation between PTX3 and PTH was significant only in the patient group. CONCLUSION: In this study, increased PTX3 and decreased fetuin-A levels were observed in the HD patients. According to our results, these 2 parameters may potentially serve as suitable markers for inflammation and prediction of vascular complications in these patients.

Evaluation of antioxidant efficacy of Purslane extract in Patients with Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis: a randomized, placebo-controlled, triple-blinded, clinical trial

Background: This herbal medicine is considered a rich source of antioxidants with anti-inflammatory effects. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of purslane in treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) and also it ̓s effect on antioxidant level. Materials and methods: 50 patients were selected for this randomized triple-blind placebo-controlled trial. All subjects were randomly divided in to two groups, one group received purslane (n=25) and another group, placebo (n=25) for 3 month. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) and total antioxidant status (TAS) was measured in plasma at baseline and after 3 month of treatment. Also pain intensity based on the visual analogue scale (VAS), the mean interval between lesion, number of lesions and the mean duration of complete healing at baseline and in month 1, 2 and 3 were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed by using Mann-Whitney and T-test. Results: A significant decrease in pain intensity in VAS scores was seen after treatment in intervention group (p<0.001). The mean duration of complete healing showed significant differences (P<0.001) between the two groups. The mean interval between lesions also showed significant differences (P<0.001) among the intervention group (33.12 days) compared with the placebo group (17.88 days). No significant differences were found regarding the number of lesions, level of erythrocyte GSHPx, TAS and SOD. No serious side-effects occurred in either of groups. Conclusions: According to this study, purslane is clinically effective in treatment of RAS (number of lesions, pain intensity and duration of healing) although it is unable to change the level of antioxidants. (AU)