Endothelial Dysfunction, Molecular Biology, Physiopathology, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Endothelial cell dysfunction has lately become one of the principal subjects being incorporated into the assessment of cardiovascular risk because of the relevance that has been shown in several clinical studies. Comprehending and incorporating basic physiological knowledge, about endothelium molecular biology and vascular tonicity, is key to understanding the relevance of this topic. The approach of endothelial dysfunction physiopathology is overly complex and widely studied, but it can be enrolled into both consumption of bioavailable NO and deficit production of NO. In the last decades, scientific equipment has been developed from the necessity of creating non-invasive tools to measure arterial stiffness, being FMD one of the first and most used ones. Once the endothelial cell dysfunction was identified, several drugs and bioactive substances were evaluated because of their potential to decrease the level of arterial stiffness and improve life quality, such as polyphenols, phosphodiesterase five inhibitors, and new incoming therapies

Association of Netrin 1 with hsCRP in Subjects with Obesity and Recent Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes

Netrin 1 (Ntn1) is a cell migration protein with an anti-inflammatory effect, which may play a key role in the pathological development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). In this study, we evaluate the relationships between the serum concentrations of Ntn1, glucose, and high-sensitivity C-reactive Protein (hsCRP). We carried out a cross-sectional study including 90 individuals divided into three groups (n = 30): healthy subjects, individuals with obesity without glucose alterations, and individuals with newly diagnosed T2D. Serum concentrations of Ntn1 and hs-CRP were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The serum concentration of Ntn1 was higher in individuals with newly diagnosed T2D (0.33 ± 0.22 ng/mL), in comparison to healthy subjects and individuals with obesity (0.13 ± 0.06 and 0.15 ± 0.07 ng/mL, respectively). In addition, we observed a positive association between the levels of Ntn1 and hsCRP (rho = 0.443; p p = 0.05). The serum concentration of Ntn1 was higher in individuals with T2D, in comparison with the other groups in this study, and presented a positive correlation with hsCRP. Therefore, Ntn1 can be considered a promising risk biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for T2D

Homocisteína, polimorfismos MTHFR C677T, A1298C y variables clínico-bioquímicas en población mexicana

El objetivo del trabajo consistió en analizar la relación del nivel sérico de homocisteína (Hcy) con los polimorfismos de la metilentetrahidrofolato reductasa MTHFR C677T y A1298C y variables clínicas y bioquímicas en población mexicana. Se determinó el nivel de Hcy (inmunoensayo) y de polimorfismos (PCR/RFLP) en 102 individuos de la población general. El genotipo 677TT mostró asociación significativa con el peso corporal (r=0,012) y el genotipo 1298CC tuvo tendencia a asociarse con el IMC (r~0,06). Los valores séricos de Hcy en mujeres (51/102) fueron 8,33±1,86 µmol/L y en hombres (51/102) 11,64±4,15 µmol/L. La Hcy mostró asociación positiva con peso corporal (r=0,004) y asociación negativa con Hb y Hto (r=0,001). Se encontró mayor nivel de Hcy en individuos fumadores (r=0,009) y una tendencia hacia hiperhomocisteinemia en alcohólicos y en mujeres menopáusicas. No se evidenció asociación de Hcy con los polimorfismos MTHFR C677T y A1298C, sin embargo, el análisis con el modelo de herencia dominante para el polimorfismo C677T (TT+CT vs. CC) mostró un efecto semidominante (r<0,10). En este estudio, la presencia de los polimorfismos MTHFR C677T y A1298C no representó ser un factor de riesgo significativo para hiperhomocisteinemia, sin embargo, se encontraron diferencias que puntualizan la posible dependencia de los niveles de Hcy en relación con los genotipos modificados con diversos factores ambientales