Serum lipoprotein (a) concentrations are inversely associated with T2D,prediabetes, and insulin resistance in a middle-aged and elderly Chinese population

Lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)], an LDL-like particle, has been proposed as a causal risk factor for CVD among general populations. Meanwhile, both serum Lp(a) and diabetes increase the risk of CVD. However, the relationship between serum Lp(a) and T2D is poorly characterized, especially in the Asian population. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study in 10,122 participants aged 40 years or older in Jiading District, Shanghai, China. Our study found that the prevalence of T2D was decreased from 20.9% to 15.0% from the lowest quartile to the highest quartile of serum Lp(a) concentrations (P for trend <0.0001). Logistic regression analyses showed that the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of prevalent T2D for quartiles 2–4 versus quartile 1 were 0.86 (0.73–1.01), 0.88 (0.75–1.04), and 0.76 (0.64–0.90) (P for trend = 0.0002), after adjustment for traditional confounding factors. Moreover, the risks for prevalent prediabetes, insulin resistance, and hyperinsulinemia were also decreased from the lowest to the top quartile. This inverse association between serum Lp(a) and T2D was not appreciably changed after we adjusted hypoglycemic medications or excluded the subjects with hypoglycemic and/or lipid-lowering agents and/or a history of self-reported CVD.     

Elevated serum 25(OH)D concentrations, vitamin D, and calcium intakes are associated with reduced adipocyte size in women

Recent studies have suggested a beneficial effect of vitamin D and calcium on adipocyte metabolism and the metabolic profile. Our objective was to examine associations of vitamin D intake, calcium and dairy products as well as serum 25(OH)D concentration with adiposity measures and adipocyte size in women. Omental and subcutaneous adipose tissue samples were obtained from 43 women undergoing gynecological surgeries. Adipocyte size was measured using adipocyte suspensions from collagenase-digested fat tissues. Total and visceral adiposity were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and computed tomography, respectively. Serum 25(OH)D was measured by radioimmmunoassay. Dietary intakes were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Women consuming two or more dairy product portions daily had smaller adipocytes in the omental depot compared to women consuming less than two portions daily (79 ± 12 vs. 94 ± 16 μm, P ≤ 0.01). Dietary intakes of calcium (r = -0.55) and vitamin D (r = -0.43) as well as serum 25(OH)D (r = -0.35) were also inversely and significantly associated with omental adipocyte size (P ≤ 0.05 for all). Dietary vitamin D intake was inversely associated with visceral adipose tissue area (r = -0.34, P ≤ 0.05). Serum 25(OH)D was also inversely associated with visceral adipose tissue area (r = -0.32) as well as with total adipose tissue area (r = -0.44), subcutaneous adipose tissue area (r = -0.36), BMI (r =-0.43) and total body fat mass (r = -0.41, P ≤ 0.05 for all). In conclusion, elevated dietary vitamin D intake and serum 25(OH)D values are related to lower visceral adiposity and omental adipocyte size in women.     

Bone fracture in elderly female with primary hyperparathyroidism: relationship among renal function, vitamin D status and fracture risk

Among 12 aged postmenopausal females with primary hyperparathyroidism, 5 had no bone fracture and 7 had fractures. Both serum 1,25 (OH)2D levels and creatinine clearance values in patients with fracture were significantly lower than those without fracture (p less than 0.025). In addition, significant positive correlation was observed between serum 1,25 (OH)2D levels and creatinine clearance values (p less than 0.05). These data suggest that decreased serum 1,25 (OH)2D level due to renal dysfunction may causally correlate to bone fracture in postmenopausal primary hyperparathyroidism.     

Liver fat and SHBG affect insulin resistance in midlife women: The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN)

Objective:

The liver is an insulin‐responsive organ that contributes significantly to both whole body insulin sensitivity and availability of sex steroids through the production of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). Our objective was to explore whether lower SHBG was associated with ectopic liver fat and mediated its effect on insulin resistance in The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN).

Design and Methods:

A subset of midlife African American and Caucasian women from SWAN (n = 208; 50.9 ± 0.18 yrs; 71% Caucasian) had computed tomography scans to quantify visceral, subcutaneous and liver fat. Blood samples were collected and assayed for hormonal and metabolic markers.

Results:

The cohort, while overweight, was generally healthy, and both liver fat and SHBG were unaffected by menopausal stage or race. Both higher liver fat and lower SHBG levels were significantly associated with higher insulin concentrations after adjustment for adiposity (r = ?0.25, P < 0.001 and r = ?0.18, P = 0.01). SHBG and liver fat had additive effects on insulin concentrations such that women with the lowest SHBG and the highest fat levels had the highest values (interaction P = 0.09). The association between SHBG and insulin was more apparent among women with fattier livers. SHBG and liver fat appear to have independent effects on insulin levels as adjustment for each other did not diminish the strength of either association (P = 0.023 and 0.001 respectively).

Conclusion:

These results confirmed the strong independent associations between increased liver fat and decreased SHBG with increased metabolic risk in midlife women. Further these data underscore the need for additional research into the role of liver fat in modifying SHBG's influence on insulin levels.

     

Haplotypes in the urotensin II gene and urotensin II receptor gene are associated with insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance

We studied single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and haplotypes in the urotensin-II (UTS2) and urotensin-II receptor gene (UTS2R) in Hong Kong Chinese (224 hypertensive and 306 normotensive unrelated subjects) and their relation to hypertension and the metabolic syndrome. For UTS2, the GGT haplotype (-605G, 143G and 3836T) was associated with higher plasma level of U-II and insulin, and higher homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index and beta-cell function. For UTS2R, the AC haplotype (-11640A and -8515C) was associated with higher 2 h plasma glucose after a 75 g oral glucose load. Therefore, U-II and its receptor may play a role in insulin resistance.     

Elevated resistin levels in cirrhosis are associated with the proinflammatory state and altered hepatic glucose metabolism but not with insulin resistance

The adipokine resistin has been implicated in obesity and insulin resistance. Liver cirrhosis is associated with decreased body fat mass and insulin resistance. We determined plasma resistin levels in 57 patients with cirrhosis, 13 after liver transplantation, and 30 controls and correlated these with hemodynamic as well as hepatic and systemic metabolic parameters. Patients with cirrhosis had, dependent on the clinical stage, an overall 86% increase in resistin levels (P < 0.001) with hepatic venous resistin being higher than arterial levels (P < 0.001). Circulating resistin was significantly correlated with plasma TNF-alpha levels (r = 0.62, P < 0.001). No correlation was observed between resistin and hepatic hemodynamics, body fat mass, systemic energy metabolism, and the degree of insulin resistance. However, plasma resistin in cirrhosis was negatively associated with hepatic glucose production (r = -0.47, P < 0.01) and positively with circulating free fatty acids (FFA; r = 0.40, P < 0.01) and ketone bodies (r = 0.48, P < 0.001) as well as hepatic ketone body production (r = 0.40, P < 0.01). After liver transplantation, plasma resistin levels remained unchanged, whereas insulin resistance was significantly improved (P < 0.01). These data provide novel insights into the role of resistin in the pathophysiological background of a catabolic disease in humans and also indicate that resistin inhibition may not represent a suitable therapeutic strategy for the treatment of insulin resistance and diabetes in patients with liver cirrhosis.     

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels are associated with carotid atherosclerosis in normotensive and euglycemic Chinese postmenopausal women: the Shanghai Changfeng study

Background

Obesity is associated with the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D), but reports conflict regarding the association between obesity and macrovascular complications. In this study, we investigated associations between cardiovascular risk factors and body mass index (BMI) and glycemic control in non–insulin-treated patients with T2D.

Methods

Authors gathered cross-sectional data from five observational studies performed in Spain. Generalized logit models were used to analyze the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors (independent variables) and 5 BMI strata (<25 kg/m², 25 to <30 kg/m², 30 to <35 kg/m², 35 to <40 kg/m², ≥40 kg/m²) and 5 glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) strata (≤6.5%, >6.5–7%, >7–8%, >8–9%, >9%) (dependent outcomes).

Results

In total, data from 6442 patients were analyzed. Patients generally had mean values of investigated cardiovascular risk factors outside recommended thresholds. Younger patients had higher BMI, triglyceride levels and HbA1c than their older counterparts. Diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure and triglyceride levels were directly correlated with BMI strata, whereas an inverse correlation was observed between BMI strata and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, patient age, and duration of T2D. Increased duration of T2D and total cholesterol levels, and decreased HDL-C levels were associated with a higher HbA1c category. BMI and HbA1c levels were not associated with each other.

Conclusions

As insulin-naïve patients with T2D became more obese, cardiovascular risk factors became more pronounced. Higher BMI was associated with younger age and shorter duration of T2D, consistent with the notion that obesity at an early age may be key to the current T2D epidemic. Glycemic control was independent of BMI but associated with abnormal lipid levels. Further efforts should be done to improve modifiable cardiovascular risk factors.

     

Parathyroid hormone, but not vitamin D, is associated with the metabolic syndrome in morbidly obese women and men: a cross-sectional study

Background

Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is a competitive inhibitor of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) that is associated with endothelial dysfunction, and is a risk marker for cardiovascular disease, a significant problem in Type 1 diabetes. The aim of the present study was to measure circulating ADMA, and define its association with endothelial dysfunction and endothelial markers in people with Type 1 diabetes with low likelihood of macrovascular disease.

Methods

Sixty-one young people with Type 1 diabetes without macrovascular disease or nephropathy and 62 healthy volunteers underwent brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and assay of plasma ADMA and adhesion molecules.

Results

Age, gender, BMI, lipid profile and renal function were similar in the two groups. People with Type 1 diabetes had impaired FMD compared to healthy controls (5.0 ± 0.4 vs 8.9 ± 0.4%; p < 0.001). Plasma ADMA levels were significantly lower in the people with diabetes compared to healthy controls (0.52 ± 0.12 vs 0.66 ± 0.20 μmol/l, p < 0.001). Plasma ICAM-1, E-selectin and PAI-1 levels were significantly higher in people with diabetes compared to healthy controls (median 201 (IQR 172–226) vs 180 (156–216) μg/l, p = 0.027; 44.2 (32.6–60.9) vs. 33.1 (22.4–51.0) μg/l; p = 0.003 and 70.8 (33.3–85.5) vs 46.3 (23.9–76.8) μg/l, p = 0.035). Plasma ADMA and VCAM-1 levels were positively correlated (r = 0.37, p = 0.003) in people with diabetes. There was no correlation between the plasma ADMA and FMD.

Conclusion

ADMA levels are not associated with endothelial dysfunction in young adults with Type 1 diabetes without microalbuminuria or known macrovascular disease. This suggests that the impaired endothelial function in these individuals is not a result of eNOS inhibition by ADMA.     

Association of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D status and genetic variation in the vitamin D metabolic pathway with FEV1 in the Framingham Heart Study

Background

Vitamin D is associated with lung function in cross-sectional studies, and vitamin D inadequacy is hypothesized to play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Further data are needed to clarify the relation between vitamin D status, genetic variation in vitamin D metabolic genes, and cross-sectional and longitudinal changes in lung function in healthy adults.

Methods

We estimated the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and cross-sectional forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV₁) in Framingham Heart Study (FHS) Offspring and Third Generation participants and the association between serum 25(OH)D and longitudinal change in FEV₁ in Third Generation participants using linear mixed-effects models. Using a gene-based approach, we investigated the association between 241 SNPs in 6 select vitamin D metabolic genes in relation to longitudinal change in FEV₁ in Offspring participants and pursued replication of these findings in a meta-analyzed set of 4 independent cohorts.

Results

We found a positive cross-sectional association between 25(OH)D and FEV₁ in FHS Offspring and Third Generation participants (P = 0.004). There was little or no association between 25(OH)D and longitudinal change in FEV₁ in Third Generation participants (P = 0.97). In Offspring participants, the CYP2R1 gene, hypothesized to influence usual serum 25(OH)D status, was associated with longitudinal change in FEV₁ (gene-based P < 0.05). The most significantly associated SNP from CYP2R1 had a consistent direction of association with FEV₁ in the meta-analyzed set of replication cohorts, but the association did not reach statistical significance thresholds (P = 0.09).

Conclusions

Serum 25(OH)D status was associated with cross-sectional FEV₁, but not longitudinal change in FEV₁. The inconsistent associations may be driven by differences in the groups studied. CYP2R1 demonstrated a gene-based association with longitudinal change in FEV₁ and is a promising candidate gene for further studies.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12931-015-0238-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

High normal HbA(1c) levels were associated with impaired insulin secretion without escalating insulin resistance in Japanese individuals: the Toranomon Hospital Health Management Center Study 8 (TOPICS 8)

Diabet. Med. 29, 1285-1290 (2012) ABSTRACT: Aims We aimed to characterize the association of insulin resistance, impaired insulin secretion and β-cell dysfunction in relation to HbA(1c) levels in a non-diabetic range in Japanese individuals without clinically diagnosed diabetes. Methods This cross-sectional study included 1444 individuals without a history of outpatient treatment of diabetes or use of insulin or oral hypoglycaemic agents. The homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and beta-cell function, insulinogenic index, Matsuda index and disposition index were calculated using data from 75-g oral glucose tolerance tests and compared across quintile (Q) categories of HbA(1c) levels. Results Fasting plasma glucose and 30-min and 60-min plasma glucose (PG) levels were significantly higher when HbA(1c) exceeded 36?mmol/mol (5.4%). A HbA(1c) concentration of 36-37?mmol/mol (5.4-5.5%) (Q3) was significantly associated with a 15% lower homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function value and 31% lower insulinogenic index value compared with HbA(1c) ≤?32?mmol/mol (≤?5.1%) (Q1) (P?<0.01). Further, a HbA(1c) concentration of 38-40?mmol/mol (5.6-5.8%) (Q4) was associated with 17% (P?<0.01) and 24% (P?<0.05) reductions in those indexes, respectively. However, the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance was not significantly elevated and the Matsuda index was not significantly lower unless HbA(1c) exceeded 41?mmol/mol (5.9%). Individuals with HbA(1c) ≥?41?mmol/mol (≥?5.9%) (Q5) had a 69% lower disposition index than those with a HbA(1c) concentration of ≤?32?mmol/mol (≤?5.1%) (Q1). Conclusions Elevated HbA(1c) levels ≥?41?mmol/mol (≥?5.9%) were associated with substantial reductions in insulin secretion, insulin sensitivity and β-cell dysfunction in Japanese individuals not treated for diabetes. High normal HbA(1c) levels of 36-40?mmol/mol (5.4-5.8%) were also associated with impaired insulin secretion without marked insulin resistance in Japanese individuals.     

Lower extremity fat mass is associated with insulin resistance in overweight and obese individuals: the CARDIA study

Lower extremity fat mass (LEFM) has been shown to be favorably associated with glucose metabolism. However, it is not clear whether this relationship is similar across varying levels of obesity. We hypothesized that lower amounts of LEFM is associated with higher insulin resistance (IR) and this association may vary according to weight status. Participants with available measures were examined from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study (CARDIA), a multi-center longitudinal study of the etiology of atherosclerosis in black and white men and women aged 38-50 years old in 2005-2006 (n = 1,579). The homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA(IR)) was calculated to estimate IR, regional adiposity was measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and weight status was defined according to BMI categories. Obese and overweight participants exhibited higher IR, total fat mass (FM), trunk FM (TFM), and LEFM compared to normal weight participants. After controlling for age, height, race, study center, education, smoking, and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), greater LEFM was significantly associated with higher IR only in normal weight men and women. Further adjustment for TFM revealed that lower LEFM was significantly associated with higher IR in overweight and obese men and women and the positive association in normal weight individuals was attenuated. These results suggest that excess adiposity in the lower extremities may attenuate the metabolic risk observed at a given level of abdominal adiposity in overweight and obese individuals. Weight status presents additional complexity since the metabolic influence of adipose tissue may not be homogenous across anatomic regions or level of obesity.     

Case-control study of rhinoconjunctivitis associated with IL5RA polymorphisms in Japanese women: The Kyushu Okinawa Maternal and Child Health Study

BackgroundEpidemiological research on the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IL5RA gene and allergic disorders is limited. We examined the relationship between IL5RA SNPs and risk of rhinoconjunctivitis in young adult Japanese women.MethodsIncluded were 393 women who met the criteria of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) for rhinoconjunctivitis. Controls were 767 women without rhinoconjunctivitis according to the ISAAC criteria who had not been diagnosed with allergic rhinitis by a doctor. Adjustment was made for age, region of residence, presence of older siblings, smoking, and education.ResultsCompared with the CC genotype of SNP rs6771148, the CG genotype, but not the GG genotype, was significantly associated with a reduced risk of rhinoconjunctivitis: the adjusted OR for the CG genotype was 0.76 (95% CI: 0.58–0.99). No evident associations were found between SNPs rs17882210, rs3804797, rs334809, rs9831572, or rs17881144 and rhinoconjunctivitis. The ACTAGA haplotype of rs17882210, rs3804797, rs334809, rs9831572, rs6771148, and rs17881144 was significantly inversely associated with rhinoconjunctivitis (crude OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.37–0.88) while the GTAGCA haplotype was significantly positively related to rhinoconjunctivitis (crude OR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.14–2.65). No significant interactions affecting rhinoconjunctivitis were observed between any of the six SNPs and smoking.ConclusionThis is the first study to show significant associations between IL5RA SNP rs6771148, the ACTAGA haplotype, and the GTAGCA haplotype and the risk of rhinoconjunctivitis. We did not find evidence for interactions affecting rhinoconjunctivitis between any of the IL5RA SNPs and smoking.     

Chagas disease is not associated with diabetes,metabolic syndrome,insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction at baseline of Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil)

Chagas disease (ChD) affects millions of people worldwide, being endemic in Latin America and emerging in the United States and Europe. Classically described as targeting the heart and gastrointestinal tract, Trypanosoma cruzi parasitism leads to structural and pro-inflammatory changes in the adipose tissue and pancreas. The effects of these changes on insulin resistance (IR), beta cell dysfunction, diabetes mellitus (DM),and metabolic syndrome (MS) are unclear. We aim to evaluate the association of ChD with DM, IR, beta cell dysfunction and MS in the baseline of multi-centric cohort study ‘Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health’ (ELSA-Brasil). This cross-sectional analysis included 14,922 (98%) participants of ELSA-Brasil at baseline. To investigate the associations of ChD with DM, IR (assessed by HOMA-IR) and beta cell dysfunction (assessed by HOMA beta), and MS we fitted logistic regression models including socio-demographic and anthropometric variables, health-related conditions and laboratory results. ChD, defined by positive serology, was prevalent in 1.9% (n = 283) of the sample, 17.3% (n = 49) of whom had cardiomyopathy. DM prevalence was 17.25% (n = 2574) and was not different among those with and without ChD (20.5% vs 17.2%; p = 0.28). Fasting and 2 h-blood glucose after a 75 g anhydrous glucose were slightly higher among participants positive for ChD, when compared with those with negative serology (102 mg/dL versus 100 mg/dL, respectively; and 127 mg/dL versus 124 mg/dL, respectively), only in univariate analysis. There was no significant association between these variables and ChD after adjustments. In addition, there was no significant association between DM, IR, beta cell dysfunction or MS and ChD (without and with cardiomyopathy). Our results showed that ChD, regardless of the presence of cardiomyopathy, is not associated with DM, IR, beta cell dysfunction or MS. These findings suggest the parasitism of the adipose tissue and pancreas in Chagas disease do not translate into clinically relevant glucose abnormalities.     

Clinical subtypes of depression are associated with specific metabolic parameters and circadian endocrine profiles in women: the power study

Background

Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been associated with adverse medical consequences, including cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Patients with MDD may be classified as having melancholic, atypical, or undifferentiated features. The goal of the present study was to assess whether these clinical subtypes of depression have different endocrine and metabolic features and consequently, varying medical outcomes.

Methods

Premenopausal women, ages 21 to 45 years, with MDD (N = 89) and healthy controls (N = 44) were recruited for a prospective study of bone turnover. Women with MDD were classified as having melancholic (N = 51), atypical (N = 16), or undifferentiated (N = 22) features. Outcome measures included: metabolic parameters, body composition, bone mineral density (BMD), and 24 hourly sampling of plasma adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), cortisol, and leptin.

Results

Compared with control subjects, women with undifferentiated and atypical features of MDD exhibited greater BMI, waist/hip ratio, and whole body and abdominal fat mass. Women with undifferentiated MDD characteristics also had higher lipid and fasting glucose levels in addition to a greater prevalence of low BMD at the femoral neck compared to controls. Elevated ACTH levels were demonstrated in women with atypical features of depression, whereas higher mean 24-hour leptin levels were observed in the melancholic subgroup.

Conclusions

Pre-menopausal women with various features of MDD exhibit metabolic, endocrine, and BMD features that may be associated with different health consequences.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT00006180","term_id":"NCT00006180"}}NCT00006180     

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-delta polymorphisms are associated with physical performance and plasma lipids: the HERITAGE Family Study

We tested the hypothesis that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-delta (PPARdelta) gene polymorphisms are associated with cardiorespiratory fitness and plasma lipid responses to endurance training. Associations between the PPARdelta exon 4 +15 C/T and exon 7 +65 A/G polymorphisms and maximal exercise capacity and plasma lipid responses to 20 wk of endurance training were investigated in healthy white (n = 477) and black (n = 264) subjects. In black subjects, the exon 4 +15 C/C homozygotes showed a smaller training-induced increase in maximal oxygen consumption (P = 0.028) than the C/T and T/T genotypes. Similarly, a lower training response in maximal power output was observed in the exon 4 +15 C/C homozygotes (P = 0.005) compared with the heterozygotes and the T/T homozygotes in black subjects, and a similar trend was evident in white subjects (P = 0.087). In white subjects, baseline apolipoprotein A-1 (Apo A-1)levels were higher in the exon 4 +15 C/C (P = 0.011) and exon 7 +65 G/G (P = 0.05) genotypes compared with those in the other genotypes. In white subjects, exon 4 +15 C/C (P = 0.0025) and exon 7 +65 G/G (P = 0.011) genotypes showed significantly greater increases in plasma high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels with endurance training than in the other genotypes, whereas in black subjects the exon 4 +15 CC homozygotes tended to increase (P = 0.057) their Apo A-1 levels more than the T allele carriers. DNA sequence variation in the PPARdelta locus is a potential modifier of changes in cardiorespiratory fitness and plasma HDL-C in healthy individuals in response to regular exercise.     

Serum heat shock protein 27 antigen and antibody levels appear to be related to the macrovascular complications associated with insulin resistance: a pilot study

Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) is over-expressed when cells are exposed to stressful conditions that include oxidative stress. Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes and insulin resistance. We have investigated the concentrations of serum Hsp27 antigen and antibodies in subjects from different glycaemic categories, who either did or did not have established CVD. Serum Hsp27 antigen and antibody levels (immunoglobulins M and G (IgM and IgG)) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) in 68 individuals: 26 with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), 10 with (+) and 16 without (−) a history of CVD and 42 individuals with varying degrees of glucose intolerance (GI; 21 with and 21 without a history of CVD). Insulin sensitivity was determined in each subject using indices derived from the homeostasis model assessment of sensitivity and the insulin sensitivity index for glycaemia. Serum Hsp27 concentrations were significantly higher in GI (+CVD) subjects compared to GI (−CVD) subjects (p = 0.03), NGT (−CVD) subjects (p = 0.02) and NGT (+CVD) subjects (p = 0.04) and were positively correlated to fasting plasma glucose for all subjects (r = 0.28, p = 0.03). IgM antibody levels were significantly higher in GI (+CVD) subjects compared to NGT (−CVD) group (p = 0.02) and were inversely related to fasting insulin concentrations (r = −0.27, p = 0.04) and the 2-h insulin concentrations (r = −0.29, p = 0.03) for all subjects. Serum IgG antibody levels were higher in GI (+CVD) group compared to GI (−CVD) group (p = 0.06). In conclusion, Hsp27 and its antibody concentrations appear to relate to the presence of cardiovascular complications in patients with GI.     

Investigation of the uterine structural changes in the experimental model with polycystic ovary syndrome and effects of vitamin D treatment: An ultrastructural and immunohistochemical study

In this study, we aimed to investigate the structural changes seen in the endometrium in experimental PCOS rat model and the effects of vitamin D treatment on these changes at immunohistochemical and electron microscopic levels. 24 prepubertal female rats were divided into three groups. Two groups were injected with dehydroepiandrosterone and one of them was treated with 1,25(OH)2 D3 at the same time. The control group was injected with sesame oil. At the end of the 28th day, the blood samples were collected. Uterus tissues were prepared for light and electron microscopic examinations. Epithelial, stromal and endometrial thickness measurements were investigated. Immunohistochemical staining was applied against caspase-3 and Ki-67. Serum AMH and estradiol levels were higher in PCOS group compared to the control group. Serum progesterone levels were similar in all groups. Endometrial, epithelial and stromal thickness measurements were increased in PCOS group compared to the control group, and decreased in the vitamin D treatment group compared to the PCOS group. Light and electron microscopic results of PCOS group showed an increase in apoptosis and proliferation. In the PCOS group, immunohistochemical staining of caspase-3 and Ki-67 were found to be higher than in the control group, but stainings were decreased with vitamin D treatment compared to PCOS group. Structural changes observed in endometrium may be related to implantation problems seen in patients with PCOS. Our studies suggest that vitamin D therapy may be beneficial in these patients.