Trimethylamine N-oxide and the reverse cholesterol transport in cardiovascular disease: a cross-sectional study

The early atherosclerotic lesions develop by the accumulation of arterial foam cells derived mainly from cholesterol-loaded macrophages. Therefore, cholesterol and cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) have been considered as causative in atherosclerosis. Moreover, recent studies indicate the role of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) in development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The current study aimed to investigate the association between TMAO and CETP polymorphisms (rs12720922 and rs247616), previously identified as a genetic determinant of circulating CETP, in a population of coronary artery disease (CAD) patients (n = 394) and control subjects (n = 153). We also considered age, sex, trimethylamine (TMA) levels and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) as other factors that can potentially play a role in this complex picture. We found no association of TMAO with genetically determined CETP in a population of CAD patients and control subjects. Moreover, we noticed no differences between CAD patients and control subjects in plasma TMAO levels. On the contrary, lower levels of TMA in CAD patients respect to controls were observed. Our results indicated a significant correlation between GFR and TMAO, but not TMA. The debate whether TMAO can be a harmful, diagnostic or protective marker in CVD needs to be continued

Plasma Trimethylamine-N-oxide following Cessation of L-carnitine Supplementation in Healthy Aged Women.

L-carnitine supplementation elevates plasma trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), which may participate in atherosclerosis development by affecting cholesterol metabolism. The aim of the current study was to determine the effect of increased plasma TMAO on biochemical markers in the blood following cessation of L-carnitine supplementation. The follow-up measurements were performed on subjects who completed 24 weeks of L-carnitine or placebo supplementation protocol. Blood samples were taken after finishing the supplementation and then 4 and 12 months following the supplementation withdrawal. Four months after cessation of L-carnitine supplementation, plasma TMAO concentration reached a normal level which was stable for the following eight months. During this period, no modifications in serum lipid profile and circulating leukocyte count were noted. TMAO implications in health and disease is widely discussed. The results of this study demonstrate no adverse effects of elevated plasma TMAO, induced by L-carnitine, on the measured parameters at 4 and 12 months after withdrawal of supplementation

Gender-related differences in trimethylamine and oxidative blood biomarkers in cardiovascular disease patients

Gender differences in the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) have been observed worldwide. In this study, plasmatic levels of trimethylamine (TMA) and blood oxidative biomarkers have been evaluated in 358 men (89 controls and 269 CVD patients) and 189 women (64 control and 125 CVD patients). The fluorescence technique was applied to determine erythrocyte membrane fluidity using 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) and Laurdan, while lipid hydroperoxides were assessed by diphenyl-1-pyrenylphosphine (DPPP). Results show that levels of plasmatic TMA were higher in healthy men with respect to healthy women (p = 0.0001). Significantly lower TMA was observed in male CVD patients (0.609 ± 0.104 μM) compared to healthy male controls (0.680 ± 0.118 μM) (p < 0.001), while higher levels of TMA were measured in female CVD patients (0.595 ± 0.115 μM) with respect to female controls (0.529 ± 0.073 μM) (p < 0.001). DPPP was significantly higher in healthy control men than in women (p < 0.001). Male CVD patients displayed a lower value of DPPP (2777 ± 1924) compared to healthy controls (5528 ± 2222) (p < 0.001), while no significant changes were measured in females with or without CVD (p > 0.05). Membrane fluidity was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in the hydrophobic bilayer only in control male subjects. In conclusion, gender differences were observed in blood oxidative biomarkers, and DPPP value might be suggested as a biomarker predictive of CVD only in men

25 Ocena cystometryczna zmian w układzie moczowym u kobiet leczonych kompleksowym napromienianiem z powodu raka szyjki macicy i raka endometrium

Po leczeniu napromienianiem objawy podrażnienia dolnego odcinka dróg moczowych są powszechne i częlsto lekceważone. Skąpe dane epidemiologiczne w skojarzeniu z trudną diagnostyką, wstydliwość tematu – to przyczyny nieefektywnej terapii.Celem pracy jest analiza dolegliwości urologicznych u chorych leczonych napromienianiem z powodu nowotworaw narządów płciowych. W Klinice Ginekologii Operacyjnej w latach 1998–2000 autorzy oceniali stan urologiczny 40 pacjentek poddanych kompleksowej radioterapii, tzn. czterotygodniowej teleterapii do dawki 28 Gy na guz. Brachyterapię stosowano u tych chorych w zależności od zaawansowania klinicznego i punktu wyjścia nowotworu – dopochwowo w dawce 24 Gy – 3 frakcje co tydzień u 25 kobiet z I i II stopniem, domacicznie u 15 pacjentek z II, III i IV stopniem zaawansowania do dawki 40 Gy – 5 cotygodniowych frakcji. Żródła irydowe Ir 192 aplikowano za pomocą mikroselektronu HDR – Nucletron. Ocenę urodynamiczną oparto o wyniki cystometrii wykonanej urządzeniami UD 2000 – MMS i Duet Multi – Dantec. Zaleganie moczu określano używając aparatu BladderScan BVI – 3000.Jakkolwiek objawy podrażnienia cewki moczowej i pęcherza, łącznie ze zmianami w ogólnym badaniu moczu stwierdzono u 22 leczonych (55%), to wywiad wskazywał na występujące przed leczeniem nietrzymanie moczu o różnym nasileniu u 25 kobiet (62%), które w 10 sytuacjach nasiliło się podczas terapii. Dokładne parametry cystometryczne zostaną przedstawione w formie graficznej. Podstawy rozpoznania niestabilności wypieracza znaleziono u 18 pacjentek (45%).Zaleganie moczu stwierdzano w zależności od okresu leczenia – przed, w trakcie, natychmiast po terapii i 4 tygodnie po ostatniej aplikacji. W czasie trwania napromieniania i tuż po zakończeniu, nasilenie zalegania było największe i dotyczyło 27 kobiet (67%).Dokładniejsza ocena stanu pęcherza moczowego wskazuje na częstsze nieprawidłowości niż sądzono, a także większą ich rozmaitość. Stwarza to łatwiejszy wybór stosownego leczenia i tym samym poprawę stanu ogólnego, co ważne psychicznego, leczonych kobiet

Additively Fabricated Air-Filled Waveguide Integrated with Printed Circuit Board Using a Through-Patch Transition

The hybrid integration of an additively fabricated air-filled waveguide (WG) with a printed circuit board (PCB) is presented. An arrangement is proposed where different waveguiding structures share the same common metal plane on PCB. Such an approach allows combining the low-loss and high- $Q$ properties of an air-filled waveguide, active circuit realization of the strip transmission line, and 3-D capabilities of additive manufacturing. A broadband transition is developed employing a through-patch coupling interface from a microstrip (MS) line to a waveguide. The concept was experimentally validated with exemplary transitions operating within $X$ -band and $K$ -band, featuring a measured bandwidth of $f_{h}/f_{l}~ approx ~1.4$ and average per-transition loss including connecting lines of 1.2 and 1.9 dB, respectively

Mitochondrial DNA copy number and trimethylamine levels in the blood: New insights on cardiovascular disease biomarkers

Among cardiovascular disease (CVD) biomarkers, the mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) is a promising candidate. A growing attention has been also dedicated to trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), an oxidative derivative of the gut metabolite trimethylamine (TMA). With the aim to identify biomarkers predictive of CVD, we investigated TMA, TMAO, and mtDNAcn in a population of 389 coronary artery disease (CAD) patients and 151 healthy controls, in association with established risk factors for CVD (sex, age, hypertension, smoking, diabetes, glomerular filtration rate [GFR]) and troponin, an established marker of CAD. MtDNAcn was significantly lower in CAD patients; it correlates with GFR and TMA, but not with TMAO. A biomarker including mtDNAcn, sex, and hypertension (but neither TMA nor TMAO) emerged as a good predictor of CAD. Our findings support the mtDNAcn as a promising plastic biomarker, useful to monitor the exposure to risk factors and the efficacy of preventive interventions for a personalized CAD risk reduction