Plasma levels of apolipoprotein-E in residents of the European North of Russia

Background: Apolipoprotein-E (apoE) is one of the metabolically active apoproteins and plays an important role in lipid metabolism. However, there are no data on levels of apoE in residents of the North in spite of the fact that specific features of lipid metabolism in the northerners are described. The present work was designed to study plasma levels of apoE in residents of the European North of Russia. Methods: A total of 937 native residents of the European North of Russia (463 men and 474 women) aged 13–60 years were included in the study. ApoE concentrations in the blood plasma were measured by immunoturbidimetric method. Results: Plasma levels of apoE in residents of the European North of Russia were low. ApoE concentrations below the defined normal values were detected in 57.0% of the men and in 59.2% of the women. The mean plasma levels of apoE did not significantly differ in men and women (2.80 mg/dl vs 2.87 mg/dl). Plasma apoE concentrations in residents of the European North of Russia changed with age. Plasma levels of apoE decreased from 13 to 21 years in men and from 13 to 35 years in women and then increased in both sexes (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The limits of variation of plasma apoE levels in residents of the European North of Russia shift towards lower values. Plasma levels of apoE below normal values were observed in approximately half of investigation subjects

Psychological, physiological and biochemical indicators of female professional basketball players and ski runners

Objective: comparison of psychological, physiological and biochemical markers in female basketball players and ski runners. Materials and methods: we investigated 8 female basketball players and 12 ski runners. For this we used questionnaire «Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes», maximal bicycle ergometer endurance exercise test and biochemical analysis of venous blood. Results: we showed that female basketball players had, in comparison with ski runners, higher levels of sports stress, injury susceptibility - but also had higher self-efficacy values. Basketball players had higher average height, body mass and percentage of body fat, and higher oxygen pulse at rest. At the same time, they had lower efficacy and maximal oxygen consumption in maximal bicycle ergometer endurance exercise test. Female basketball players had lower plasma aspartate aminotransferase and total protein levels. Conclusions: we conclude that observed differences between female basketball players and ski runners were caused by differences in the initial selection criteria for basketball and ski running. Those initial dissimilarities were further reinforced by differences in typical physical tasks and demands, specific for their respective sports. Training regimens and other factors of the preparatory process also added to the differences observed between groups

Range of values for lipid accumulation product (LAP) in healthy residents of the European north of Russia

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a major health problem in modern society and its prevalence throughout the world has reached the epidemic level. The unfavorable outcomes of obesity are associated with a high risk of numerous diseases due to metabolic disorders. Finding of diagnostic criteria for early detection of obesity is a priority in biomedical research. Therefore, of particular interest is the new visceral obesity marker &ndash; lipid accumulation product (LAP). Meanwhile, to date, the reference values for LAP are not defined, and data on sex- and age-related changes are contradictory. AIMS: The aim of this study was to determine the variation range, sex and age differences in LAP values in healthy subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on apparently healthy subjects (455 men and 286 women) aged 20&ndash;59 years selected at routine examinations at the base of the central clinic in Arkhangelsk. Examination of subjects consisted of physical examination with measurement of anthropometric and clinical parameters, filling out a questionnaire, and evaluation of serum lipid levels. RESULTS: The LAP values in the subjects varied in a wide range (0.5&ndash;156.5 cm&times;mmol/l in men; 0.4 to 116.2 cm&times;mmol/l in women), but at the same they in 75% of the participants did not exceed 30 cm&times;mmol/l. Sex differences in LAP with the prevalence of values in men were observed in the age groups up to 40 years old, later they disappeared. LAP in men and women increased with age, but these changes were unequal. The LAP values increased to reach a plateau in men up to 30 years of age and in women up to 40 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: LAP is a combined index that simultaneously reflects distribution of adipose tissue and changes in blood lipids, and is considered a marker of obesity associated with the risk of metabolic disorders. This study was the first to determine the variation range, sex differences and age dynamics for LAP in the apparently healthy subjects

The ratio of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to apolipoprotein-B as a marker of low-density lipoprotein particle size

The aim of this study was to determine the informative value and clinical significance of the ratio of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to apolipoprotein-B (LDL-C/apoB) in the overall evaluation of blood lipid profile atherogenicity. Material and methods. A total of 157 apparently healthy men with normolipidemia were included in the study. The plasma levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apoA-I, apoB and apoE were measured on the Powerwave 200 automated spectrophotometer (USA) with commercially available kits (Chronolab Systems, Spain). Several clinical ratios and indices of lipid metabolism were calculated. Results. The use of apoB content in low-density lipoproteins (LDL) instead of total apoB level in plasma is preferable in calculating the LDL-C/apoB ratio. Low values of the LDL-C/LDL-apoB ratio, indicating a predominance of small dense LDL particles in plasma, were associated with higher triglycerides levels and lower apoE levels. This finding indicates that apoE, being a metabolically active apolipoprotein and regulating residence of triglycerides-rich lipoproteins in plasma, can affect size of the LDL particles. Conclusion. Thus, presence of small, dense LDL particles in plasma of men with normolipidemia can be a consequence of disturbances in catabolism and metabolic turnover of lipoproteins

Concentration of apolipoprotein-E in high-density lipoproteins of human blood plasma

The aim of this study was to determine apolipoprotein (apo) E concentration in the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) fractions of normolipidemic subjects. ApoE concentrations in total blood plasma and HDL fractions were measured by an immunoturbidimetric method. We observed that the quantitative distribution of apoE among different lipoprotein classes depends on the total plasma apoE concentration: at low total plasma apoE concentration, a substantial amount of apoE was associated with HDL; an increase in total plasma apoE was accompanied by a more equal distribution of apoE among lipoprotein fractions. The concentration of apoE in the HDL fraction was stable and did not depend on the total plasma apoE concentration. Thus, the preservation of a constant concentration of apoE in HDL due to its redistribution among lipoprotein classes is a priority when total plasma apoE concentrations change. This feature should be considered at diagnosis and for the treatment of lipid disorders

Interconnection at the level of uric acid and apolipoprotein e in the blood of persons with normal and hyper lipidemia

To investigate the levels of uric acid and apoE in patients with normo- and hyperlipidemia. The serum lipids, apolipoproteins and uric acid levels were measured with Chronolab (Switzerland) kits in 78 patients: 53 patients with normolipidemia and 25 patients with hyperlipidemia of type IIa and IIb. Significantly higher levels of apo-E were registered in patients with hyperlipidemia than in patients with normolipidemia, but there were no differences in content of uric acid. A comparative correlation analysis detected a significant correlation between uric acid and apoE levels in both groups but in normolipidemic patients the correlation was positive while in hyperlipidemic patients it was negative. Hyperlipidemia provokes inversion of correlation between the levels of uric acid, apoE and apoC3. A rise of apoC3 may serve an adaptive mechanism of inhibition of apo-E induced hyperlipidemia

ВИТАМИННЫЙ СТАТУС СОТРУДНИКОВ ПРАВООХРАНИТЕЛЬНЫХ ОРГАНОВ ПРИ ВОЗДЕЙСТВИИ БОЕВОГО СТРЕССА

Law enforcement officers with different levels of combat stress (men, residents of the Komi Republic, n=33, 35,0 (32,0– 39,0) years old) were examined before (November) and after (March) trips to the combat zone. The control group included agents of the Ministry of emergency situations with a low level of stress (men, residents of the Komi Republic, 32,0 (30,0–35,0) years old). In total, law enforcement officers were shown to have a wide prevalence of vitamin deficiency: about 50% of persons had hypovitaminosis for vitamins A, E, about 35% — for vitamins B1, B2 and 24% — for vitamin C. A parallel study of the control group and law enforcement officers in November showed that initially there were more persons with reduced vitamin status in law enforcement officers, especially in the level of vitamins B1 and E. In March, after the arrival of law enforcement officers from the combat zone, they found a significant decrease in the percentage of persons with hypovitaminosis for vitamins A, E, C and an increase vitamin B1 deficiency. Changes vitamin status in the control group from November to March were not so significant.Проведено двукратное исследование витаминного статуса одних и тех же сотрудников правоохранительных органов с различным уровнем боевого стресса (мужчины, жители Республики Коми, 33 человека, средний возраст 35,0 (32,0–39,0) лет) до (ноябрь) и после (март) командировки в зону боевых действий. В контрольную группу вошли работники умственного труда (мужчины, жители Республики Коми, средний возраст 32,0 (30,0–35,0) года). В целом среди сотрудников правоохранительных органов была показана широкая распространенность витаминодефицитных состояний: около 50% лиц имели гиповитаминозы по витаминам А, Е, около 35% — по витаминам В1, В2 и 24% — по витамину С. Параллельное исследование контрольной группы и сотрудников правоохранительных органов в ноябре показало, что уже изначально в группе последних было больше лиц с пониженным витаминным статусом, особенно существенная разница была по уровню витаминов В1 и Е. В марте, после прибытия сотрудников правоохранительных органов из зоны боевых действий, было выявлено значительное увеличение доли лиц с дефицитом витамина В1 и снижение — с гиповитаминозами по витаминам А, Е, С. В этот же период изменения витаминного статуса в контрольной группе были не столь существенными

The Apolipoprotein B/Apolipoprotein A-I Ratio as a Potential Marker of Plasma Atherogenicity

Background. The apolipoprotein (apo) B/apoA-I ratio represents the balance between apoB-rich atherogenic particles and apoAI-rich antiatherogenic particles, and this ratio is considered to be a marker of cardiovascular risk. Although many studies have demonstrated the importance of the apoB/apoA-I ratio in predicting the presence or absence of cardiovascular disease, less is known about apoB/apoA-I ratio as a marker of plasma atherogenicity. Methods. A total of 157 normolipidemic men aged 20–59 years were included in the study. The plasma levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apoA-I, apoB, and apoE were determined after a 12 h fasting period. Results. The median of the apoB/apoA-I ratio in the studied normolipidemic subjects was 0.52, with values ranging from 0.19 to 2.60. The percentage of subjects with the apoB/apoA-I ratio exceeding 0.9 (the accepted risk value of cardiovascular disease) was 19.1%. The subjects with apoB/apoA-I>0.9 were characterized by higher TG levels and atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and lower values of ratio of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) to apoB (LDL-C/apoB) and apoE levels compared with men with apoB/apoA-I<0.9. Conclusion. Despite normolipidemia, the subjects with the unfavorable apoB/apoA-I ratio had more atherogenic lipid profile

Features of Metabolic Support of Physical Performance in Highly Trained Cross-Country Skiers of Different Qualifications during Physical Activity at Maximum Load

The purpose of our study was to identify the features of metabolic regulation in highly trained cross-country skiers of different qualifications at different stages of the maximum load test. We examined 124 highly trained cross-country skiers (male, ages 17–24). The group consisted of two subgroups based on their competition performance: 61 nonelite athletes (Group I) and 63 elite athletes (group II), who were current members of the national team of the Komi Republic and Russia. The bicycle ergometer test was performed by using the OxyconPro system (Erich Jaeger, Hoechberg, Germany). All the examined athletes performed the exercise test on a cycle ergometer “until exhaustion”. The results of our research indicate that the studied groups of athletes with high, but different levels of sports qualifications are a convenient model for studying the molecular mechanisms of adaptation to physical loads of maximum intensity. Athletes of higher qualifications reveal additional adaptive mechanisms of metabolic regulation, which is manifested in the independence of serum lactate indicators under conditions of submaximal and maximum power from maximal oxygen uptake, and they have an NO-dependent mechanism for regulating lactate levels during aerobic exercise, including work at the anaerobic threshold

The atherogenic index (ATH index) as a potential predictive marker of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a case control study

Background The importance of blood lipids in the pathogenesis of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is widely discussed in the literature. However, the published results that hyperlipidaemia causes hearing problems are contradictory. The objective of this study was to establish whether increased lipid levels affect the risk of idiopathic SSNHL. Methods A case-controlled study was conducted of 27 patients with idiopathic SSNHL and 24 healthy control subjects. All of the subjects underwent complete audiological examination. The plasma levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apolipoprotein (apo) A-I, apoB and apoE were measured with commercially available kits (Chronolab Systems, Spain). Several clinical ratios and indices of lipid metabolism were calculated. Results Detailed analysis of lipid metabolism in patients with idiopathic SSNHL has shown that disturbances in auditory function are associated with increased atherogenicity of the lipid profile. However, there were no significant differences in the conventional parameters of lipid metabolism (TC, TG and HDL-C) between patients with idiopathic SSNHL and subjects in the control group. Higher values of the apoB/apoA-I ratio, atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and atherogenic index (ATH index) in patients with SSNHL indicated increased atherogenicity of the lipid profile. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that of these three indices, only higher values of the ATH index were significantly associated with an increased risk of idiopathic SSNHL. Conclusions The ATH index can be used as a marker indicating the risk of idiopathic SSNHL when the conventional lipid indices are still normal