Blood Levels of Indicators of Lower Respiratory Tract Damage in Chronic Bronchitis in Patients with Abdominal Obesity.

OBJECTIVE: to study biomolecules associated with pathology in the respiratory system, in particular, with the development of chronic bronchitis in patients with abdominal obesity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a pilot study. The main group consisted of 158 people with chronic bronchitis, divided into two subgroups: one with abdominal obesity, and the other without it. The control group consisted of 68 people without chronic bronchitis. We determined the blood levels of SP-A, SP-D, α1-antitrypsin, CC16, PARC, and RELM-ß. RESULTS: In the first subgroup, patients significantly more often complained of coughing, experienced shortness of breath 1.5 times more often with light physical exertion and 2.7 times more often with moderate physical exertion. In these patients, a Tiffeneau-Pinelli index (FEV1/FVC) below 70% was 1.8 times more common, more patients had FEV1 and FVC of less than 80%, and presented a statistically significant decrease in SP-A, α1-antitrypsin, CC16 levels and an increase in PARC levels than in the second subgroup. CONCLUSION: In patients with chronic bronchitis and abdominal obesity, there is a decrease in the levels of SP-A, α1-antitrypsin, CC16 and an increase in the level of PARC compared with patients without abdominal obesity, which is probably due to the presence of an additional source of chronic inflammation associated with adipose tissue.

Changes in the blood fatty-acid profile associated with oxidative-antioxidant disturbances in coronary atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this work was to study the profile of fatty acids and to search for associations of fatty acids with oxidative-antioxidant parameters and an oxidative-inflammatory biomarker (lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2) in men with coronary atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. METHODS: Analysis of 20 fatty acids was performed in 60 men with angiographically confirmed coronary atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease and in a control group of men without coronary heart disease. Serum fatty-acid content was evaluated by high-performance gas-liquid chromatography. The blood levels of oxidative stress, total antioxidative defence, and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase 2 were analyzed. RESULTS: In the group of men with coronary atherosclerosis the levels of myristic and palmitic fatty acids were higher by 59% and 22%, respectively. An increase in the weight percentage of monounsaturated fatty acids was noted, such as palmitoleic, oleic, and octadecenic. Significantly lower levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as linolic, eicosadienoic, eicosatrienoic, arachidonic, eicosapentaenoic, glinolenic, docosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic were detected in the group with coronary atherosclerosis. The lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 level was higher by 48%. Oxidative stress was higher by 17%, and the total antioxidant defence in serum was lower by 45%. We found correlations between fatty acids and oxidative-antioxidative alterations. The relative risk of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques correlated with increased levels of palmitic, stearic, oleic, and linolic fatty acids. CONCLUSIONS: Significant alterations in the profile of fatty acids are associated with oxidative-antioxidative alterations and are accompanied by an increase in free-radical formation, which can probably serve as a risk factor of atherosclerosis.