Elevated serum neutrophil elastase is related to prehypertension and airflow limitation in obese women

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neutrophil elastase level/activity is elevated in a variety of diseases such as atherosclerosis, systolic hypertension and obstructive pulmonary disease. It is unknown whether obese individuals with prehypertension also have elevated neutrophil elastase, and if so, whether it has a deleterious effect on pulmonary function. Objectives: To determine neutrophil elastase levels in obese prehypertensive women and investigate correlations with pulmonary function tests.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirty obese prehypertensive women were compared with 30 obese normotensive subjects and 30 healthy controls. The study groups were matched for age. Measurements: The following were determined: body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, lipid profile, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, serum neutrophil elastase, and pulmonary function tests including forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁), forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV₁/FVC ratio.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Serum neutrophil elastase concentration was significantly higher in both prehypertensive (405.8 ± 111.6 ng/ml) and normotensive (336.5 ± 81.5 ng/ml) obese women than in control non-obese women (243.9 ± 23.9 ng/ml); the level was significantly higher in the prehypertensive than the normotensive obese women. FEV1, FVC and FEV1/FVC ratio in both prehypertensive and normotensive obese women were significantly lower than in normal controls, but there was no statistically significant difference between the prehypertensive and normotensive obese women. In prehypertensive obese women, there were significant positive correlations between neutrophil elastase and body mass index, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, high sensitivity C-reactive protein and negative correlations with high density lipoprotein cholesterol, FEV1, FVC and FEV1/FVC.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Neutrophil elastase concentration is elevated in obese prehypertensive women along with an increase in high sensitivity C-reactive protein which may account for dyslipidemia and airflow dysfunction in the present study population.</p

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism and serum osteoprotegerin level in type 2 diabetic patients

Background Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) are associated with higher risks of cardiovascular disorders in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). It is unknown whether diabetic patients with SCH have elevated OPG compared with those with euthyroid and, if so, whether SCH independently associated with OPG level. Objective The objective was to study the association between SCH and serum OPG level among Egyptian adults with newly diagnosed T2DM. Patients and methods One hundred and fifty patients with newly diagnosed T2DM and 150 healthy controls matched for sex and age were included in the study. Serum OPG, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine, free triiodothyronine, blood glucose, lipid profile, fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and anthropometric measurements were assessed for all participants. Results The prevalence of SCH and elevated level of OPG in the diabetic patients were higher than healthy controls (17.3 vs. 4%, P<0.001; and 14 vs. 4.7%, P=0.02; respectively). Diabetics with SCH demonstrated significantly higher HOMA-IR, serum TSH, and OPG compared with diabetics without SCH. Serum TSH was significantly correlated with total cholesterol (P=0.05), fasting insulin (P=0.01), HOMA-IR (P=0.01), and OPG (P=0.005). Moreover, serum OPG was correlated with waist circumference (P=0.01), fasting insulin (P=0.05), and HOMA-IR (P=0.02). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that SCH was associated with serum level of OPG independently of the other significant variables (β=2.49, P=0.01). Conclusion T2DM patients with SCH demonstrate higher level and independent association with serum OPG than those with euthyroid. This result might add new information about the causal relationship between SCH and cardiovascular disorders in such a population

Association of IGF-I gene polymorphism with diabetic nephropathy in Egyptians with type 2 diabetes

Background Genetic-based studies are being carried out worldwide to identify the susceptibility genes for diabetic nephropathy (DN), which represents a major health problem in all diabetics. Aim To study the association between genotypes of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and DN among Egyptian patients with type 2 diabetes and if there is any possible relation between these polymorphisms and different variables. Patients and methods A total of 26 diabetics without nephropathy (group 1) and 26 with nephropathy (group 2), with an average age of 52.7±6.1 years, and 25 age-matched and sex-matched healthy participants (control group) were included. Two tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms were assessed in IGF-1 gene: rs6214 and rs10860860. Genotypic distribution was tested for Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. The genotype was evaluated using the χ2 tests. Fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, uric acid, lipid profile, serum creatinine, and urine albumin–creatinine ratio were assessed. Results The distribution of IGF-1 gene polymorphisms reflects a significant association with DN, where the frequency of variant genotype GG in polymorphism rs6214 was found to be significantly higher in diabetics with nephropathy than other groups [odds ratio (OR)=20.57; 95% confidence interval, 2.25–74; P=0.001). Moreover, the frequency of variant AA in polymorphism rs10860860 was also found to be significantly higher in diabetics with nephropathy (OR=7.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.87–30.07; P=0.001). However, GA and AT alleles were found to be associated with ORs less than 1 in diabetics with nephropathy when compared with other groups (P=0.002 and 0.007, respectively), which means that it could be significantly protective against DN. where they found to be significantly higher in diabetics with genotype GG than those with genotype GA (P=0.13, 0.11 respectively). Conclusion The variants of IGF-1 rs6214 and rs10860860 could entail a risk of DN in Egyptians with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It means that the type of IGF-1 gene polymorphism is responsible for the susceptibility of DN more than its serum level