Chemerin as a marker of subclinical cardiac involvement in psoriatic patients

Background: Chemerin has been associated with psoriasis and inflammation, but there are no studies demonstrating an association between chemerin and subclinical cardiac involvement in psoriatic patients. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate whether psoriatic patients with increased epicardial fat tissue, impaired flow-mediated dilatation, and diastolic dysfunction have higher serum chemerin levels than a healthy control group. Methods: The study included 60 psoriatic patients and 32 healthy controls. Echocardiographic parameters, epicardial fat tissue, flow-mediated dilatation, and chemerin levels were recorded for both groups. Results: The serum levels of chemerin in the psoriatic patients were significantly higher than in the control group. The diastolic function parameters, including isovolumic contraction and relaxation time, E’/A’ (early diastolic mitral annular velocity/late diastolic mitral annular velocity), and E/E’ (early diastolic peak velocity of mitral inflow/early diastolic mitral annular velocity) values, differed significantly between the groups. Epicardial fat tissue was significantly higher and flow-mediated dilatation was significantly lower in psoriatic patients than in the controls. Chemerin was significantly positively correlated with age, body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, waist circumference, E/E’, and epicardial fat tissue. Serum chemerin was significantly negatively correlated with E’, E’/A’, and flow-mediated dilatation. A multiple linear regression analysis showed that chemerin was independently correlated with E/E’. Conclusions: Psoriatic patients exhibit early subclinical atherosclerosis and diastolic dysfunction. Chemerin can be used as a marker to screen for patients with subclinical cardiac involvement

Does celiac disease impair coronary microvascular circulation: Coronary flow velocity reserve of patients with celiac disease

Background Celiac disease (CD) is an enteropathy characterized with immune reaction to gliadin protein. Aim In this study, we aimed to assess effect of CD on coronary microvascular circulation and the association between coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) and hs-CRP/Albumin ratio. Material and Methods Study was conducted between March 2017 and November 2018 with CD at Umraniye Training and Research Hospital Gastroenterology Clinic. CFVR was defined as the ratio of hyperemic to baseline diastolic peak velocities. CFVR >= 2.0 was considered normal. C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR) was calculated as hs-CRP/albumin. Results Serum albumin (4.27 +/- 0.56 vs 4.50 +/- 0.34; P value: .04) level was significantly lower in celiac group but higher Hs-CRP (2.44 +/- 1.24 vs 1.82 +/- 1.29; P value < .01), hs-CRP/albumin ratio (0.57 +/- 0.30 vs 0.41 +/- 0.31; P value: .03) were recorded in celiac group. Both hyperemic flow and CFVR substantially lower in the celiac group compared to controls. In univariate analysis; age, hs-CRP, and hs-CRP/albumin ratio were associated with low CFVR and hs-CRP/albumin level was an accurate predictor of low CFVR at the ROC curve. Conclusion In this study, we found that in patients with CD, coronary flow reserve is impaired

Does celiac disease impair coronary microvascular circulation: Coronary flow velocity reserve of patients with celiac disease

Background Celiac disease (CD) is an enteropathy characterized with immune reaction to gliadin protein. Aim In this study, we aimed to assess effect of CD on coronary microvascular circulation and the association between coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) and hs-CRP/Albumin ratio. Material and Methods Study was conducted between March 2017 and November 2018 with CD at Umraniye Training and Research Hospital Gastroenterology Clinic. CFVR was defined as the ratio of hyperemic to baseline diastolic peak velocities. CFVR >= 2.0 was considered normal. C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR) was calculated as hs-CRP/albumin. Results Serum albumin (4.27 +/- 0.56 vs 4.50 +/- 0.34; P value: .04) level was significantly lower in celiac group but higher Hs-CRP (2.44 +/- 1.24 vs 1.82 +/- 1.29; P value < .01), hs-CRP/albumin ratio (0.57 +/- 0.30 vs 0.41 +/- 0.31; P value: .03) were recorded in celiac group. Both hyperemic flow and CFVR substantially lower in the celiac group compared to controls. In univariate analysis; age, hs-CRP, and hs-CRP/albumin ratio were associated with low CFVR and hs-CRP/albumin level was an accurate predictor of low CFVR at the ROC curve. Conclusion In this study, we found that in patients with CD, coronary flow reserve is impaired

Lipid profile, atherogenic indices, and their relationship with epicardial fat thickness and carotid intima-media thickness in celiac disease

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to investigate the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis by measuring epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), evaluate low-level inflammation with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and evaluate whether there is a relationship among lipid profile, atherogenic indices, and hsCRP with these subclinical atherosclerosis markers in patients with celiac disease (CD)

Clinical and histopathological prognostic factors affecting the renal outcomes in childhood ANCA-associated vasculitis

ObjectiveAntineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides (AAV) are very rare in childhood with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. We aimed to evaluate renal prognostic factors in childhood AAV from the perspective of ANCA serotype, histopathological classification, and five-factor score (FFS).MethodsPediatric AAV patients from 11 referral centers in Turkey had been included to the study. The demographics, clinical findings, AAV subtypes, outcomes, and FFS were evaluated retrospectively. Kidney biopsies were classified histopathologically.ResultsTotally, 39 patients were enrolled in the study. Among all patients, 74.4% had renal involvement, 56.4% ear-throat-nose involvement, and 51.3% had musculoskeletal involvement. Proteinase 3 (PR3)-ANCA was positive in 48.7%, and myeloperoxidase (MPO)-ANCA was positive in 30.8%. 69.2% of patients had impaired renal function, and 28.2% had progressed to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) during the follow-up. At the time of diagnosis, FFS was 2 in 53.8%. The most common histopathologic classifications were as follows: crescentic type in 40.7% and sclerotic type in 25.9%. Gastrointestinal and renal involvement, MPO-ANCA positivity, serum creatinine levels, and impaired renal function during the follow-up were significantly higher in patients with FFS2, compared to patients with FFS <2. Patients with FFS2 had more common crescentic, mixed and sclerotic histopathologic findings in biopsies. By logistic regression analysis forward method, the strongest single-risk factor among all the parameters was the initial level of creatinine in patients with ESRD, compared to the other patients (p=0,007).ConclusionsEvaluation of the FFS, ANCA serology, and the creatinine levels may help to predict renal prognosis