Serum macrophage migration inhibitory factor levels in Hashimoto's thyroiditis; a case control study

Objective: The cell-mediated immune process by CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocyte subsets of T-cells has a major role in the pathogenesis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). However, the exact mechanisms of initiation and progression of thyroid autoimmunity have not been completely clarified yet. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is commonly recognized as playing vital roles in various autoimmune diseases. Ee aimed to investigate serum MIF levels in subjects with HT and correlate them with the level of thyroid hormones and autoantibodies. Materials and methods: This study included 93 patients with untreated Hashimoto's thyroiditis and 53 healthy controls. We measured serum levels of TSH, free T4 (FT4), free T3 (FT3), anti-Thyroglobulin autoantibody (TGAb) and anti-Thyroid peroxidase autoantibody (TPOAb) in all patients and thyroid ultrasonography was performed. The concentration of MIF was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Results: We enrolled 93 patients with HT (mean age; 31.3 ± 11.1 years), and 53 healthy control group (mean age; 29.3 ± 8.5 years) in the current study. The patient group consisted of 52 with euthyroid autoimmune thyroiditis, 31 with subclinical hypothyroidism and 10 with overt hypothyroidism. Serum levels of MIF were higher in patients with overt hypothyroidism (6300.9 ± 2504.3 pg/ml) than the euthyroid patients (3955.2 ± 3013.6 pg/ml) (p = 0.036). Conclusion: MIF increases in overt hypothyroidism due to the Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Further investigations are needed to explore the role of MIF in pathogenesis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. © 2014 Ayaz et al

The relationship of plasma catestatin concentrations with metabolic and vascular parameters in untreated hypertensive patients: Influence on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol

Objective: Catestatin has several cardiovascular actions, in addition to diminished sympatho-adrenal flow. Decreased plasma catestatin levels may reflect a predisposition for the development of hypertension and metabolic disorders. We planned to investigate the possible roles of catestatin in untreated hypertensive patients. As a secondary objective, we compared catestatin concentrations of healthy subjects with those of hypertensive patients in order to understand whether catestatin is increased reactively or diminished at onset. Methods: Our study was cross-sectional and observational. The patient group, comprising 109 consecutive untreated hypertensive patients without additional systemic or coronary heart disease, underwent evaluations of plasma catestatin, waist circumference, lipid parameters, left ventricular mass, carotid intima-media thickness, and flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery. Additionally, we measured catestatin con- centrations of 38 apparently healthy subjects without any disease using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Results: We documented increased catestatin concentrations in previously untreated hypertensive patients compared to healthy controls (2.27±0.83 vs. 1.92±0.49 ng/mL, p=0.004). However, this association became insignificant after adjustments for age, gender, height, and weight. Within the patient group, catestatin levels were significantly higher in females. Among all study parameters, age, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) corre- lated positively to plasma catestatin, whereas triglycerides, hemoglobin, and left ventricular mass correlated negatively to plasma catestatin. We could not detect an association between vascular parameters and catestatin. Catestatin levels were significantly elevated with increasing HDL-C (1.91±0.37, 2.26±0.79, and 3.1±1.23 ng/mL in patients with HDL-C 60 mg/dL, respectively). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed age (beta: 0.201, p=0.041) and HDL-C (beta: 0.390, p<0.001) as independent correlates of plasma catestatin concentration. Additionally, male gender (beta:-0.330, p=0.001) and plasma catestatin (beta: 0.299, p=0.002) were significantly associated with HDL-C concentrations. Conclusion: We documented that plasma catestatin is an independent predictor of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. In addition to antihy- pertensive effects, catestatin appears to be related to improved lipid and metabolic profiles. Coexistence of low catestatin levels with low HDL-C may provide a probable mechanism for the predictive value of low HDL-C for increased hypertension and cardiovascular events

Plasma catestatin concentration is independently correlated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in untreated hypertensive patients

29th Turkish Cardiology Congress of the Turkish-Society-of-Cardiology (TSC) with International Participation -- OCT 26-29, 2013 -- Antalya, TURKEYCetin, Mustafa/0000-0001-6342-436X; Durakoglugil, Emre/0000-0001-5268-4262WOS: 000329858400426Purpose Catestatin (CST), a novel peptide derived from Chromogranin A, has diverse cardiovascular actions in addition to diminished sympathoadrenal flow. We intended to investigate metabolic and vascular associations of CST.Turkish Soc Cardio

The efficacy of cinacalcet in the treatment of hyperparathyroidism in Turkish hemodialysis patient population

WOS: 000393291900012OBJECTIVE: Cinacalcet reduces parathyroid hormone levels by increasing the sensitivity of the parathyroid gland to calcium. in this study, we firstly aimed to evaluate the efficacy of cinacalcet in Turkish hemodialysis patients. MATERIAL and METHODS: 4483 hemodialysis patients were screened and 469 patients who had used cinacalcet were included in the study. the patients were divided into 4 groups according to drug usage durations (Group 1: 3 months, Group 2: 6 months, Group 3: 9 months and Group 4: 12 months). the patients' Parathormone, Ca, P and CaxP levels at the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th months were compared to the start of treatment and previous months. RESULTS: the levels of Parathormone, Ca, P and CaxP significantly decreased compared to their initial levels in all groups (from 1412 pg/ml to 1222 pg/mL for Parathormone, p< 0,001) in the 3rd month. However, this reduction was not continued in the subsequent months (Parathormone: 1381 pg/ml for the 12th month). CONCLUSION: Cinacalcet may not provide adequate benefit in control of hyperparathyroidism in Turkish hemodialysis patient population

Relation of acanthosis nigricans to metabolic syndrome in overweight and obese women

Robles-Sardin, Alma E/0000-0003-2044-7793WOS: 000340196500003PubMed: 24650208Objective: Insulin resistance appears to be the most likely underlying mechanism in metabolic syndrome. Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is an easily identifiable skin lesion and associated with insulin resistance. We aimed to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and AN in overweight and obese women and the association between AN and anthropometric and metabolic parameters. Materials and Methods: This study included 250 women [mean age 24 +/- 7.05 years; body mass index (BMI) 30.7 +/- 9.24 kg/m(2)] who were admitted to our internal medicine and endocrine outpatient clinics because of simple obesity. All the patients were evaluated for AN. We used the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) criteria for the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. Results: A total of 46.4% of the subjects were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Patients with metabolic syndrome were older (26.2 +/- 7.7 vs. 23.5 +/- 6.2 years, P = 0.003) and had more increased BMI (34.1 +/- 9.8 and 27.8 +/- 7.5 kg/m(2), P = 0.0001) and higher homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) values (3.4 +/- 2.1% vs. 2.2 +/- 1.5%, p = 0.0001) compared to patients without metabolic syndrome. in all, 40% of the all patients had AN. the rate of metabolic syndrome was greater in AN-positive patients (60%) compared to AN-negative patients (37.6%) (P = 0.0001). We observed a significant correlation between AN and metabolic syndrome, especially waist circumference, high triglycerides, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and a significant positive correlation was also found between the AN and BMI, fasting insulin, and HOMA-IR. Conclusion: Our study suggests that AN is a simple and useful finding of physical examination, like waist circumference, for identifying patients who are susceptible to the metabolic syndrome

Allopurinol desensitization with A 2 weeks modified protocol in an elderly patients with multiple comorbidities: a case report

Dursun, A. Berna/0000-0002-6337-6326WOS: 000346025100001PubMed: 25685161Background: Allopurinol is an effective urate-lowering drug that is well tolerated by the majority of patients. Patients with chronic renal insufficiency have an increased risk of hypersensitivity reactions with allopurinol. Case presentation: 75 year old male patient with gout, renal insufficiency, history of metastatic colorectal carcinoma status post-resection was referred to Allergy clinic for a maculopapular eruption that developed 1 week after initiating therapy with allopurinol. the rash resolved with discontinuation of allopurinol. However, his serum urate level rose to 19.9 mg/dl. We initially proposed a slow 4 week oral allopurinol desensitization. the treating nephrologist felt it was critical to lower urate more rapidly. As a result, we modified the dose and standard 4 week protocol down to 2 weeks. A suspension of allopurinol was prepared by the allergy nurse practitioner with a 300 mg allopurinol tablet. the sensitization protocol was modified as a starting dose of 0.3 mg escalating to a final dose of 300 mg/day in 2 weeks. There was no reaction during or after the desensitization. the patient's urate level normalized (6.3 mg/dl) and has continued on 300 mg allopurinol daily without reaction. Conclusion: A 2 week modified allopurinol desensitization protocol is a safe alternative for elderly patients with multiple comorbidities

Effect of Walnut or its Juice on Dyslipidemia

Amaç: Bu çalışmada dislipidemi tedavisinde ceviz, ceviz suyu kürleri ve diyetin etkilerinin karşılaştırılması amaçlandı. Gereç ve Yöntem: Hastanemize başvuran, dislipidemisi olan 90 hasta araştırmamıza alındı. Rastgele 30’arlı üç grup oluş- turuldu. Alışılmış diyete ek olarak, birinci gruba her sabah 30 gram ceviz yemeleri, ikinci gruba her sabah 30 gr ceviz suyu içmeleri ve üçüncü gruba dislipidemi diyeti önerildi. Dört hafta sonra lipid parametreleri kontrol edildi. Bulgular: %55.6’sı kadın %44.4’ü erkek olan hastaların or- talama yaşı 49.1±13.3 idi. Ceviz kürü verilen grubun çalışma başında alınan ilk lipid düzeyleri sırasıyla total kolesterol: 246±39.8 mg/dl, LDL-k: 131.8±30.9 mg/dl, HDL: 44.3±14.7 mg/dl, TG: 147±99.1 olarak bulundu. Dört hafta sonra alınan kontrol düzeyleri; T-chol: 242±34.4 mg/dl, LDL-k: 134.7±28.2 mg/dl, HDL: 41.5±16.1 mg/dl, TG: 154±78.9 mg/dl idi. Arada- ki fark istatistiksel olarak anlamlı değildi (p>0.05). Ceviz suyu içen grubun ilk bakılan lipid düzeyleri; T-chol: 251.3±35.5 mg/dl, LDL-k: 129.9±32.3 mg/dl, HDL: 41.8±13.7 mg/dl, TG: 167±74.4 mg/dl olarak bulundu. Kontrol değerler; T-chol: 248±36.1 mg/dl, LDL: 125.3±31.9 mg/dl, HDL: 42.9±14 mg/ dl, TG: 174±68.7mg/dl olup aradaki fark istatistiksel olarak anlamlı değildi (p>0.05). Sadece diyet önerdiğimiz grubun ilk bakılan lipid düzeyleri; T-chol: 255.4±35.1mg/dl, LDL-k: 142.5±33.7 mg/dl, HDL: 43.8±17.3 mg/dl, TG: 158.8±79.6 mg/ dl olup, kontrol değerler; T-chol: 231.5±25.6 mg/dl, LDL-k: 119±28.1 mg/dl, HDL: 44.1±15.2 mg/dl, TG: 140.5±63.4 mg/dl olup aradaki fark istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bulundu (p0.05). Lipid levels of the 2nd group were: T- chol 25 1.3±35.5 mg/dL, LDL 129.9±32.3 mg/dL, HDL 4 1.8± 13.7 mg/dL, and TG 167±74.4 mg/dL. Control levels were T-chol 248±36. 1 mg/dL, LDL 125.3±3 1.9 mg/dL, HDL 42.9± 14 mg/dL, and TG 174±68.7 mg/dL. Difference was not statistically sig- nificant (p >0.05). Lipid levels of the group to which the diet was administered were: T-chol 255.4±35. 1 mg/dL, LDL 142.5±33.7 mg/dL, HDL 43.8± 17.3 mg/dL, and TG 158.8±79.6 mg/dL. Con- trol levels were: T-chol 23 1.5±25.6 mg/dL, LDL 119±28. 1 mg/ dL, HDL 44. 1± 15.2 mg/dL, and TG 140.5±63.4 mg/dL. Differ- ence was statistically significant (p >0.05). Conclusion: More ex tensive studies are needed to j udge the suitability of walnut in treating dyslipidemia. Results demon- strate that diet is still the best treatment

Two weeks modified allopurinol desensitisation in elderly patient with multiple comorbidities

European-Academy-of-Allergy-and-Clinical-Immunology Congress -- JUN 07-11, 2014 -- Copenhagen, DENMARKDursun, A. Berna/0000-0002-6337-6326WOS: 000341139401760...European Acad Allergy & Clin Immuno

A case report of retroperitoneal extrahepatic hepatocellular carcinoma presented with elevated level of Alpha fetoprotein

WOS: 000335442400018PubMed: 25125960Background: High level of alpha-fetoprotein is usually associated with testis cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma a primary tumor of the liver. Case: We report the case of a 72-year-old male patient with chronic renal failure who presented with a high alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level and a retroperitoneal mass, which was subsequently diagnosed to be an extrahepatic hepatocellular carcinoma. Conclusion: A retroperitoneal mass with elevated AFP level and no detected liver lesions is not always caused by a testicular cancer