Effect of atorvastatin therapy on oxidant-antioxidant status and atherosclerotic plaque formation

PubMed ID: 21731885Background: The aim of this study was to determine the oxidant-antioxidant status and lipid peroxidation products, as well as paraoxonase and atherosclerotic plaque formation, in a hypercholesterolemic atherosclerosis rabbit model to investigate the effects of atorvastatin in the atherosclerotic process. Methods: Forty male New Zealand rabbits were divided into four groups, ie, a control group receiving standard pellets, a group receiving atorvastatin therapy, a hypercholesterolemic group receiving an atherogenic diet, and a group receiving both an atherogenic diet and atorvastatin. Results: The atherogenic diet increased the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (1.84 vs 3.79 nmol/mg protein) and LDL-conjugated diene (147 vs 318 µmol/mg protein) after induction of oxidation by Cu2+, despite an increase of superoxide dismutase activity. Treatment with atorvastatin limited LDL oxidation significantly (LDL thiobarbituric acid reactive substances 2.19 nmol/mg protein, LDL-conjugated diene 222 µmol/mg protein). Paraoxonase, which prevents LDL oxidation and inactivates LDL-derived oxidized phospholipids, showed a pronounced decrease in the group receiving the atherogenic diet (110 U/L to 28 U/L), and atorvastatin treatment increased paraoxonase activity. Histological examination of arcus aorta tissues from the hypercholesterolemic group showed abundant plaque formation surrounding and obstructing the lumen, whereas treatment with atorvastatin prevented or limited plaque formation, keeping the plaque thin and localized. Conclusion: Atorvastatin has dramatic antiatherosclerotic effects, part of which seems to be due to the antioxidant features of the parent drug and/or its metabolites, favoring inhibition of LDL oxidation. © 2011 Sezer et al, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd

Familial mediterranean fever and glomerulonrphritis: a case report

Ailevi Akdeniz Ateşi ateş ve seröz zarların iltihabı ile ortaya çıkan tekrarlayan ataklar ile karakterize, otozomal resesif bir hastalıktır. En sık Musevi, Arap, Türk ve Ermenilerde görülür. Ailesel Akdeniz ateşinin en önemli ve prognozu belirleyen komplikasyonu böbrek tutulumudur. En sık böbrek tutulumu nedeni AA tipi amiloidozdur. Kolşisinin etkin ve yaygın kullanımı amiloidoz sıklığını eskiye nazaran azaltmıştır. Ülkemizde amiloidoz sıklığı kolşisin kullanmayanlarda %20-25 civarında olduğu bildirilmiştir. Ailevi Akdeniz Ateşi seyri sırasında nadir olarak glomerulonefrit gibi amiloidoz dışında böbrek patolojileri de görülebilmektedir. Burada Ailesel Akdeniz ateşi ve Membranaproliferatif glomerolonefrit birlikteliği görülen bir olgu sunuyoruz.Familial mediterranean fever is characterized by recurrent attacks of fever and polyserositis. Familial mediterranean fever is an autosomal recessive disease. Familial mediterranean fever is commonly seen in Jewish, Arab, Turkish and Armenian. The most important and prognosis-determining complication is kidney involvement. The most common cause of kidney involvement is AA type amyloidosis. Effective ad common use of colchicine decreased amyloidosis frequency when compared to before. It has been reported that frequency of amyloidosis in patients who don't use colchicine is around 20-25% in our country. During the course of familial mediterranean fever, renal pathologies such as glomerulonephritis can be seen other than amyloidosis. Here we present a patient with familial mediterranean fever and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis

Lupus anticoagulant and anticardiolipin antibodies in unexplained fetal losses

Lupus anticoagulant (LA) and anti-cardiolipin antibodies (ACAs) are acquired antiphospholipid antibodies (APAs), which are considered to be important markers for pregnancy losses and intrauterine fetal demise. LA and ACAs have anticoagulant effects in vitro and thrombotic effects in vivo and are considered to be the cause of recur-rent pregnancy losses (RPLs), resulting from placental vascular thrombosis and infarction. The aim of this study was to identify the most sensitive and specific method of deter-mining APA positivity and to evaluate the prevalence of APA in patients with unex-plained RPL. The experiment consisted of 25 women with unexplained RPL, the patient group, and 15 healthy women with successful pregnancies, the control group. ACA positivity was deter-mined with ELISA and LA activity with phos-pholipid dependent coagulation tests (PDCTs): prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), kaolin clotting time (KCT) and a platelet neutralization procedure (PNP). LA activity was detected in 5 of the 25 women in the experimental group (20%), but in none of the 15 women in the control group Increased ACA levels were observed in 8 of the experimental group (32%) and in one of the control group subjects (7%). These results provide quantitative evidence of the association between APA and RPL. LA was best identified through KCT and should be specifically confirmed by PNP. Screening for APAs, both with ACAs for sensitivity and LA for specificity, is indicated in patients with adverse pregnancy outcomes.Lupus anticoagulant (LA) and anti-cardiolipin antibodies (ACAs) are acquired antiphospholipid antibodies (APAs), which are considered to be important markers for pregnancy losses and intrauterine fetal demise. LA and ACAs have anticoagulant effects in vitro and thrombotic effects in vivo and are considered to be the cause of recur-rent pregnancy losses (RPLs), resulting from placental vascular thrombosis and infarction. The aim of this study was to identify the most sensitive and specific method of deter-mining APA positivity and to evaluate the prevalence of APA in patients with unex-plained RPL. The experiment consisted of 25 women with unexplained RPL, the patient group, and 15 healthy women with successful pregnancies, the control group. ACA positivity was deter-mined with ELISA and LA activity with phos-pholipid dependent coagulation tests (PDCTs): prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), kaolin clotting time (KCT) and a platelet neutralization procedure (PNP). LA activity was detected in 5 of the 25 women in the experimental group (20%), but in none of the 15 women in the control group Increased ACA levels were observed in 8 of the experimental group (32%) and in one of the control group subjects (7%). These results provide quantitative evidence of the association between APA and RPL. LA was best identified through KCT and should be specifically confirmed by PNP. Screening for APAs, both with ACAs for sensitivity and LA for specificity, is indicated in patients with adverse pregnancy outcomes

Akut Egzersizin Futbolcularda Antioksidan Sistem Parametrelerine Etkisi

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of acute physical activity on antioxidant stress parameters including SOD (superoxide dismutase), and CAT (catalase) activities, the amount of MDA (malondialdehyde) and vitamin E and the hemogram values of football players. The research was performed on 18 football players (aged 14-17 years) of Altay football club in Turkey. Measurements were taken before and after a 90 min. football match and results compared. The maximum VO2 (ml/kg/min) and average fat mass (%) of players was 53.12 +/- 9.88 and 10.9 +/- 2.9. Significant increases in the levels of erythrocyt, hemoglobin, hematocrit and MCV were observed after acute exercise as compared to their levels before exercise, but leukocyt level did not change significantly. Acute exercise significantly increased SOD activity but did not change CAT activity significantly (p;lt;0.05). The MDA level declined significantly after acute exercise relative to the level at resting period. Decline in the MDA levels showed the decrease of lipid peroxidation and free radicals as a result of reinforcement of antioxidant defence system by exercise. However, the vitamin E level showed no significant change after acute exercise. (p;gt;0.05). The results suggest that aerobic exercise develops the ability to adapt to the oxidative stress by reducing lipid peroxidation.Bu çalışma, akut fiziksel aktivitenin, antioksidan sistem parametreleri üzerine olan etkisinin incelenmesi amacıyla planlanmıştır. Bunun için araştırmaya 14-17 yaşları arasında Altay spor kulübünde düzenli antrenman yapan gönüllü 18 sporcu katılmıştır. Futbolcuların ilk gün antropometrik ölçümleri alınmış üç gün dinlendirildikten sonra 45’er dakikalık iki devreli maç yaptırılmıştır. Antioksidan sistem parametrelerinden SOD (Süperoksiddismutaz), CAT (Katalaz); lipid peroksidasyon sonucu oluşan MDA (Malondialdehid), E vitamini aktiviteleri ve hemogram değerleri egzersiz öncesi ve egzersiz sonrası alınan kan örneklerinden incelenmiştir. Futbolcuların % yağ oranı 10.9 $pm$ 2.9, indirekt maxVO2 değerleri 53.12 $pm$ 9.88 ml./kg./ dk. olarak tespit edilmiştir. Eritrosit, hemoglobin, Hematokrit, MCV düzeyinde egzersiz öncesine göre artış bulunmuştur. Bu artış istatistiksel olarak anlamlıdır (p0.05). Lökosit düzeyi artmış olmasına rağmen istatistiksel olarak anlamlı değildir (p >0.05 ). Akut egzersiz sonrasında istirahat durumuna göre SOD enzim aktivitesinde artış gözlenmiştir ve bu artış istatistiksel olarak anlamlıdır (p0.05). CAT enzim aktivitesinde ise dinlenme durumuna göre normal sınırlar içinde artış gözlenmiştir ancak bu artış istatistiksel anlamlı değildir (p>0.05). Bu çalışmada akut egzersiz sonrasında MDA düzeyinde azalma meydana gelmiştir. Bu azalma istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bulunmuştur (p0.05). MDA düzeylerinde saptanan düşüklük, antrenmanla antioksidan savunma sistemin güçlenmesi sonucunda serbest radikalleri ve buna bağlı olarak lipid peroksidasyonunu azalttığını düşündürmüştür. E vitamini düzeyinde akut egzersiz sonrasında ise dinlenme durumuna göre normal sınırlar içinde artış gözlenmiş, ancak bu artış istatistiksel olarak anlamlı değildir (p>0.05). Bu sonuçlar aerobik antrenmanın oksidatif strese adaptasyon yeteneğini geliştirdiğini ve bunun da lipid peroksidasyon düzeylerini azalttığını gösterebilir

Cardiac troponin T in diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction

Cardiac Troponin T (TnT) is a regulatory contractile protein not normally found in blood. Its detection in the circulation has been shown to be a sensitive and specific marker for myocardial cell damage. This study was designed to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of TnT enzyme immunoassay for the early diagnosis of AMI (Acute Myocardial Infarction) and to compare this newly developed test with the conventionally used cardiac enzyme tests in need of an alternative test of greater sensitivity and specificity. the study population consisted of 13 patients with a mean age of 52±8 years who were hospitalized for AMI. Blood samples for TnT, CPK and CK-MB measurements were drawn at the time of admission (2.9±1.7 hours after the onset of chest pain) and at the 4th, 14-16th, 32-34th and 100-130th hours thereafter. We used an enzyme immunologic assay for the quantitative determination of serum TnT and enzymatic methods for CPK and CK-MB. TnT appeared in circulation slightly earlier than CPK and CK-MB and increased to a peak value of 46 times the detection limit during the first day. Relative peak values of TnT af-ter onset of pain were 6.4 and 6.8 fold higher than CK-MB and CPK results. the sensitivity of TnT for detecting AMI was 100% from the 4th hour to the 100-130th hour after the onset of symptoms and the diagnostic sensitivity of TnT was superior to that of CPK and CK-MB (100% versus 23% and 15%). Thus the results of this study indicate that; TnT test improves the efficiency of serodiagnostic tools in detection of AMI and gives a larger diagnostic window that allows serological detection of subacute myocardial infarction