Identification of biomarker panels as predictors of severity in coronary artery disease

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are implicated in atherosclerotic plaque rupture and recondition. Specific tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) control MMP functions. Both MMPs and TIMPs are potential biomarkers of plaque instability. Elevated Apo-CII and CIII and Apo-E levels are recognized as cardiovascular disease risk factors. We aimed to establish the best blood biomarker panel to evaluate the coronary artery disease (CAD) severity. Plasma levels of MMP-3 and MMP-9, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2, Apo-CII, Apo-CIII and Apo-E were measured in 472 patients with CAD evaluated by coronary angiography and electrocardiography, and in 285 healthy controls. MMP-3 and MMP-9 plasma levels in CAD patients were significantly increased (P < 0.001) compared to controls (3.54- and 3.81-fold, respectively). Furthermore, these increments are modulated by CAD severity as well as for Apo-CII and Apo-CIII levels (P < 0.001). TIMPs levels were decreased in CAD versus controls (P < 0.001) and in inverse correlation to MMPs. Standard ROC curve approach showed the importance of panels of biomarkers, including MMP-3, MMP-9, TIMP-1, TIMP-2, Apo-CII and Apo-CIII, for disease aggravation diagnosis. A high area under curve (AUC) value (0.995) was reached for the association of MMP-9, TIMP-2 and Apo-CIII. The unbalance between MMPs and TIMPs in vascular wall and dyslipidaemia creates favourable conditions for plaque disruption. Our study suggests that the combination of MMP-9, TIMP-2 and Apo-CIII values (‘CAD aggravation panel’) characterizes the severity of CAD, that is electrophysiological state, number of involved vessels, stent disposal and type of stent.     

Assessment of Patterns of Fluctuating Asymmetry and Sexual Dimorphism in Carabid Body Shape

The measurement tool most used to estimate developmental stability (DS) is fluctuating asymmetry (FA), which is a measure of the small random deviations that occur between the left and right sides of bilaterally symmetrical traits. In the Biobío Region of Chile, forest plantations are a widely extended phenomenon, which affect 27% of the surface area of the region and which are dominated by the monoculture of Pinus radiata. This study evaluated the presence of FA in the body shape of two populations of Ceroglossus chilensis (Eschscholtz) in two 13-year-old forest plantations (commercial thinning) using insects collected with interception traps. Since the biotic and abiotic components of forest plantations are subject to continual anthropic modifications that affect almost all ecological processes, including population dynamics, community composition, and material and energy flows, these characteristics are reflected in the DS of individuals. The results showed that there was greater precision using geometric morphometrics to detect the presence of asymmetry in plantations due to shape analysis, as proposed by studies in antennal morphology using traditional measures. It should be noted that the populations were exposed to different environments; the population in the Coast Range is more humid, while the Andes Foothills population is in a drier area with drier soils. In spite of this, there was minimum phenotypic variation detected at the population level, which reflected the different environments and may be associated with patterns of environmental phenotypic plasticity.