Reduced plasma adiponectin levels relative to oxidized low density lipoprotein and nitric oxide in coronary artery disease patients

INTRODUCTION: Adiponectin is a circulating hormone that is produced exclusively by adipocytes and has antiinflammatory and anti-atherogenic properties. The hypothesis that there are differences in adiponectin levels between stable and unstable coronary-artery disease patients remains controversial. Furthermore, the potential relationships between the plasma adiponectin level and the inflammatory and non-inflammatory markers (oxidized low density lipoprotein and nitric oxide) in patients with stable and unstable coronary-artery disease relative to normal subjects have not been assessed. OBJECTIVES: To assess whether plasma adiponectin levels differ among patients with stable and unstable coronary-artery disease and among control subjects, and to correlate plasma adiponectin level with inflammatory and clinical risk factors (such as oxidized-LDL and nitric oxide) in these patients. METHODS: This study included 50 control subjects, 50 stable angina patients and 50 unstable angina patients with angiographically documented coronary-artery disease. Plasma adiponectin and oxidized-LDL levels were determined using an enzyme immunoassay. Plasma nitric oxide, high sensitivity C-reactive protein and lipid profile levels were also measured. RESULTS: Plasma adiponectin levels were lower in the unstable angina patients (4.9 ± 1.30 µg/mL) than in the stable angina patients (6.34 ± 1.0 µg/mL) or in the controls (9.25 ± 1.8 µg/mL); these levels were also significantly lower in stable angina patients versus controls (p<0.001). Plasma adiponectin levels were negatively correlated with oxidized-LDL, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, lipid profile and other clinical risk factors but positively correlated with nitric oxide. CONCLUSION: Plasma adiponectin levels were found to be lower in both stable and unstable angina patients relative to control subjects, and the correlation between plasma adiponectin and cardiovascular markers is weakened in these patients

Niveles de carnitina y acilcarnitinas en muestras de glóbulos rojos reconstituidos y lavados con solución salina a diferentes concentraciones

Objective: To evaluate the percentage of carnitine and acylcarnitines remaining in red blood cells after washing them with different concentrations of saline solution. Materials and methods: Human blood samples were centrifuged and the blood cells were washed with different saline solutions. The final pellet was resuspended in PBS for card preparation and tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Results: It was found that carnitine, as well as short-chain, medium-chain, and long-chain acylcarnitines remain in red blood cells at average percentages of 19.3; 34; 34; and 32%, respectively. Significant differences were found for carnitine and acylcarnitine levels in blood washed with an isotonic solution compared to their levels using several hypotonic solutions (p<0.05). Conclusion: Because carnitine and acylcarnitines remained associated with the blood cells, we recommend using whole blood to measure these metabolites. Objetivo: Evaluar el porcentaje de carnitina y acilcarnitinas que permanece en los glóbulos rojos, luego de lavarlos con solución salina a diferentes concentraciones. Materiales y métodos: Muestras de sangre humana fueron centrifugadas y los glóbulos rojos fueron lavados con solución salina a diferentes concentraciones. El pellet obtenido, fue resuspendido en PBS para preparación de tarjetas y análisis por espectrometría de masa en tandem. Resultados: La carnitina, así como las acilcarnitinas de cadena corta, cadena media y cadena larga, permanecen en los glóbulos rojos a porcentajes promedio de 19,3; 34; 34; and 32%, respectivamente. Se encontró diferencia significativa al comparar los niveles de carnitina y acilcarnitinas de sangre lavada con una solución salina isotónica vs. varias hipotónicas (p<0.05). Conclusión: debido a que la carnitina y las acilcarnitinas permanecen en los glóbulos rojos, se recomienda el uso de sangre entera para medir los niveles de estos metabolitos

Perfil de acilcarnitinas en una población adulta colombiana como herramienta diagnóstica de las deficiencias de la oxidación mitocondrial de los ácidos grasos

&nbsp; FUNDAMENTO Y OBJETIVO: la determinación de acilcarnitinas en sangre es una prueba útil en el diagnóstico de los errores hereditarios de la B-oxidación mitocondrial de los ácidos grasos, sin embargo, existen pocos datos en la literatura relacionados con valores de referencia para acilcarnitinas y si esos valores dependen de la edad o el sexo. Los objetivos del presente trabajo son llamar la atención acerca de los errores innatos de la B-oxidación mitocondrial de los ácidos grasos y establecer valores de referencia para acilcarnitinas en adultos. &nbsp; PACIENTES Y MÉTODOS: fueron tomadas muestras de sangre de 316 adultos de los cuales 158 hombres y 158 mujeres, con un rango de edad comprendido entre 18 y 58 años; las muestras fueron analizadas por espectrometría de masas en tándem. &nbsp; RESULTADOS Y CONCLUSIONES: no fueron encontradas diferencias significativas relacionadas con el sexo. El intervalo y los valores promedio ± la desviación estándar son presentados. Es importante resaltar la ausencia de hidroxiacilcarnitinas y glutarilcarnitina cuando se procesan muestras normales. Se revisó la bibliografía relacionada con los principales hallazgos clínicos y de laboratorio en las deficiencias de la B-oxidación mitocondrial de los ácidos grasos. &nbsp; Palabras clave: Espectrometría de masas en tándem, ácidos grasos,&nbsp; metabolismo, errores innatos del metabolismo. &nbsp

Perfil de acilcarnitinas en una población adulta colombiana como herramienta diagnóstica de las deficiencias de la oxidación mitocondrial de los ácidos grasos

FUNDAMENTO Y OBJETIVO: la determinación de acilcarnitinas en sangre es una prueba útil en el diagnóstico de los errores hereditarios de la β-oxidación mitocondrial de los ácidos grasos, sin embargo, existen pocos datos en la literatura relacionados con valores de referencia para acilcarnitinas y si esos valores dependen de la edad o el sexo. Los objetivos del presente trabajo son llamar la atención acerca de los errores innatos de la β-oxidación mitocondrial de los ácidos grasos y establecer valores de referencia para acilcarnitinas en adultos.&nbsp; PACIENTES Y MÉTODOS: fueron tomadas muestras de sangre de 316 adultos de los cuales 158 hombres y 158 mujeres, con un rango de edad comprendido entre 18 y 58 años; las muestras fueron analizadas por espectrometría de masas en tándem.&nbsp; RESULTADOS Y CONCLUSIONES: no fueron encontradas diferencias significativas relacionadas con el sexo. El intervalo y los valores promedio ± la desviación estándar son presentados. Es importante resaltar la ausencia de hidroxiacilcarnitinas y glutarilcarnitina cuando se procesan muestras normales. Se revisó la bibliografía relacionada con los principales hallazgos clínicos y de laboratorio en las deficiencias de la β-oxidación mitocondrial de los ácidos grasos.&nbsp; Palabras clave: Espectrometría de masas en tándem. Ácidos grasos. Metabolismo. Errores innatos del metabolismo.&nbsp; &nbsp;INTRODUCTION: the acylcarnitines measurement in blood is a useful test for the diagnosis of inherited errors of fatty acid mitochondrial β-oxidation, however there is little data in the literature regarding the reference ranges of various acylcarnitines and whether these reference ranges are age or sex dependent. The aims of this work are to draw the attention to inherited disorders of mitochondrial fatty acid b-oxidation and to establish reference values for acylcarnitines in adults using tándem mass spectrometry.&nbsp; PATIENTS AND METHODS: 316 blood samples normal adults, 158 male, 158 female, with a range of age between 18 and 58 years, were obtained and analysed using tándem mass spectrometry.&nbsp; RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: No significant differences were found related to sex; the interval and average values ± standard deviation are presented. It is important to remark the absence of hydroxyacylcarnitines and glutaryl carnitine processing normal samples. Was reviewed the literature related to the main clinical and laboratory findings in mitochondrial fatty acid b-oxidation deficiencies. Keywords: Tándem mass spectrometry. Fatty acids. Metabolism. Inherited inborn errors

Decreased Na + /K + -ATPase activity and altered susceptibility to peroxidation and lipid composition in the erythrocytes of metabolic syndrome patients with coronary artery disease

Background: The increased generation of reactive oxygen species that occurs in the case of a metabolic syndrome (MetS) may be responsible for the increased oxidative injury to erythrocyte membranes in coronary artery disease (CAD). Therefore, we studied the effects of MetS on both indexes of oxidative damage and biochemical properties of erythrocyte membranes in CAD patients. Methods: We analyzed the markers of oxidative stress, Na + /K + -ATPase activity, total cholesterol content of erythrocyte membranes (CEM), and fatty acid compositions of the erythrocyte membrane in 82 patients with stable CAD and 39 non-CAD subjects. Results: The CAD patients had higher levels of CEM, membrane lipid peroxidation, erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and Na + /K + -ATPase activity compared with non-CAD subjects. The Na + /K + -ATPase activity was correlated negatively with membrane lipid peroxidation, and positively with the CEM. In CAD patients with MetS compared with those without MetS, we found that the membrane lipid peroxidation and CEM were increased, whereas the n-3 fatty acids content, SOD activity, Na + /K + -ATPase activity were decreased. Conclusion: These findings suggest an impairment of erythrocyte membrane biochemical properties in stable CAD patients as a consequence of oxidative injury that may contribute to the development of CAD. In addition, MetS may be related to increased oxidative injury to erythrocyte membranes. © 2019 S. Karger AG, Basel

Family planning decisions for parents of children with a rare genetic condition: a scoping review

Expansion of newborn screening programmes increases the complexity around reproductive choices, both in terms of the increased number of parents faced with making reproductive decisions from the earliest days of their affected child's life, and the number of conditions for which such decisions have to be made. We conducted a scoping review to explore: (i) reproductive decision-making among parents of children with recessive genetic conditions; and, (ii) the involvement of healthcare services in facilitating and supporting those decisions. Systematic search processes involved seven bibliographic databases, citation, and grey literature searches. From an initial total of 311 identified articles, seven met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The extracted data were organised around three themes: factors influencing reproductive decisions taken by parents, how those factors changed over time, and the involvement of healthcare services in supporting and facilitating reproductive decisions. Most studies focused on attitudes towards, and uptake of, pre-natal diagnosis (PND) and termination. None of the studies considered the wider range of reproductive choices facing all parents, including those of children with conditions for whom PND and termination is not available or where good health outcomes make these options less justifiable. The literature provided little insight into the role of healthcare staff in providing family planning support for these parents. There is a need to better understand the support parents need in their decision-making, and who is best placed to provide that support

The percutaneous toxicokinetics of sulphur mustard in a damaged skin porcine model and the evaluation of WoundStat™ as a topical decontaminant

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Charlotte A. Hall, et al, 'The percutaneous toxicokinetics of Sulphur mustard in a damaged skin porcine model and the evaluation of WoundStat™ as a topical decontaminant', Journal of Applied Toxicology, July 2017, which has been published in final form at DOI: 10.1002/jat.3453. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.This study used a damaged skin, porcine model to evaluate the in vivo efficacy of WoundStat™ for decontamination of superficial (non-haemorrhaging), sulphur mustard-contaminated wounds. The dorsal skin of 12 female pigs was subjected to controlled physical damage and exposed to 10 μL 14C–radiolabelled sulphur mustard (14C–SM). Animals were randomly assigned to either a control or a treatment group. In the latter, WoundStat™ was applied 30 s post exposure and left in situ for 1 h. Skin lesion progression and decontaminant efficacy were quantified over 6 h using a range of biophysical measurements. Skin, blood and organ samples were taken post mortem for histopathological assessment, 14C–SM distribution and toxicokinetic analyses. Application of SM to damaged skin without decontamination was rapidly followed by advanced signs of toxicity, including ulceration and decreased blood flow at the exposure site in all animals. WoundStat™ prevented ulceration and improved blood flow at the exposure site in all decontaminated animals (n = 6). Furthermore, significantly smaller quantities of 14C–SM were detected in the blood (45% reduction), and recovered from skin (70% reduction) and skin surface swabs (99% reduction) at 6 h post-challenge. Overall, the distribution of 14C–SM in the internal organs was similar for both groups, with the greatest concentration in the kidneys, followed by the liver and small intestine. WoundStat™ significantly reduced the amount of 14C–SM recovered from the liver, a key organ for SM metabolism and detoxification. This study demonstrates that WoundStat™ is a suitable product for reducing the ingress and toxicity of a chemical warfare agent.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

New literacy challenge for the twenty-first century: genetic knowledge is poor even among well educated

We live in an age of rapidly advancing genetic research. This research is generating new knowledge that has implications for personal health and well-being. The present study assessed the level of genetic knowledge and personal engagement with genetics in a large sample (N = 5404) of participants. Participants received secondary education in 78 countries, with the largest samples from Russia, the UK and the USA. The results showed significant group differences in genetic knowledge between different countries, professions, education levels and religious affiliations. Overall, genetic knowledge was poor. The questions were designed to assess basic genetic literacy. However, only 1.2% of participants answered all 18 questions correctly, and the average score was 65.5%. Genetic knowledge was related to peoples’ attitudes towards genetics. For example, those with greater genetic knowledge were on average more willing to use genetic knowledge for their personal health management. Based on the results, the paper proposes a number of immediate steps that societies can implement to empower the public to benefit from everadvancing genetic knowledge

#beta#-oxidation of dicarboxylates

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