Association between galectin-3 levels and isolated coronary artery ectasia.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is a well-recognised disorder characterised by abnormal dilation of the coronary arteries. Underlying mechanisms associated with abnormal luminal dilation in CAE remain to be elucidated. However, histopathological features resemble those of coronary atherosclerosis. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a valuable biomarker for both progression and destabilisation of atherosclerotic lesions. To the best of our knowledge, there is no study in the literature examining serum Gal-3 levels in patients with isolated CAE. In the present study, therefore, we aimed to investigate the possible relationship between serum Gal-3 levels and isolated CAE. METHODS: Between March 2016 and March 2017 this prospective, case-controlled study included a total of 49 consecutive isolated CAE patients (31 males, 18 females) diagnosed with CAE by coronary angiography at the catheter laboratory of Medeniyet University, Goztepe Training and Research Hospital, and 43 individuals (19 males, 24 females) with normal coronary arteries. Physical examination, medical history, blood biochemistry and transthoracic echocardiography were performed in both groups. Serum concentrations of Gal-3 were measured using blood samples. RESULTS: Median Gal-3 levels were significantly higher in isolated CAE patients than in the controls [23.2 (23.9 ± 7.1) vs 16.8 ng/ml (17.8 ± 7.3); p < 0.001]. According to the Markis classification, the extent of CAE was not correlated with Gal-3 levels (p = 0.41). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that Gal-3 concentration was an independent predictor of isolated CAE. CONCLUSIONS: Our study results suggest that Gal-3 serum concentrations significantly increased in patients with isolated CAE, indicating that Gal-3 may be involved in the pathogenesis of isolated CAE.

Is triglyceride/HDL ratio a reliable screening test for assessment of atherosclerotic risk in patients with chronic inflammatory disease?

OBJECTIVE: The term chronic inflammatory disease (CID) refers to a category of inflammatory diseases that includes Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). The incidence of adverse cardiovascular events is greater among patients with CID, though they may not have conventional atherosclerotic risk factors. Endothelial dysfunction is one of the underlying fundamental mechanisms that trigger development of atherosclerotic alterations in arteries, and flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) is a noninvasive method to determine endothelial dysfunction. Recent studies have shown a relationship between high triglyceride high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio and coronary atherosclerosis. Many studies have demonstrated that patients with CID have lower FMD values compared to healthy population, indicating endothelial dysfunction. However TG/HDL ratio and its relationship to FMD in patients with CID has not been investigated. The present study investigated whether TG/HDL ratio in CID patients differs from that of healthy population, and its relationship to FMD in patients with CID. METHODS: A total of 58 patients with CID and a group of 58 healthy volunteer individuals were enrolled in the study. FMD measurements were taken with high resolution ultrasound (US), and TG/HDL ratios were calculated. RESULTS: Patients with CID had significantly higher TG/HDL-C ratio (2.5 [2.2-2.8] vs 2.3 [2.1-2.5]; p=0.03) and lower FMD values (5.2 [4.2-6.3] vs 6.7 [6.3-9.7]; p<0.001), compared to healthy group, and a negative correlation was found between FMD levels and TG/HDL ratio of the study population. CONCLUSION: Higher TG/HDL ratio and lower FMD values found in CID patients may reflect increased atherosclerotic risk.