Patients who received sleeve gastrectomy have lower plasma osteopontin levels than those who did not.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare metabolic parameters, plasma Osteopontin (OPN) and Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) levels between Sleeve Gastrectomy (SG) patients in their 6th post-operation month and healthy control patients. METHODS: Height, weight, Body Mass Index (BMI) and laboratory parameters of 58 SG patients aged 18‒65 years (Group 1) and 46 healthy control patients (Group 2) were compared. In addition, preoperative and postoperative sixth-month BMI and laboratory parameters of the patients in Group 1 were compared. RESULTS: The mean age and gender distributions of the groups were similar (p > 0.05). Mean BMI was 28.9 kg/m2 in Group 1 and 27 kg/m2 in Group 2 (p < 0.01). While plasma HGF levels were similar between both groups, plasma OPN levels were higher in Group 2 (p < 0.001). Fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, fasting plasma insulin and insulin resistance values were higher in Group 1, while alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels were higher in Group 2 (p < 0.05). There was a strong correlation between plasma HGF and OPN levels in Group 1, but not in Group 2 (Rho = 0.805, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: OPN and HGF are promising biomarkers that can be used to better understand and detect problems related to obesity. The fact that patients in the early post-SG period had lower plasma OPN and similar plasma HGF compared to non-surgical patients of similar age and gender with higher BMI may be another favorable and previously unknown metabolic effect of SG.

Does Eta Protein Differentiate Rheumatoid Arthritis from Psoriatic Arthritis?

AIM: The clinical symptoms and laboratory markers of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) can be very similar, so making a differential diagnosis between these two diseases is often difficult. Serological parameters to be used in differential diagnosis can guide the clinician. This study aimed to investigate the usability of 14-3-3η (eta) protein as a biomarker in the differential diagnosis of PsA and RA, and the relationships between eta protein and disease activity scores and joint erosions in PsA and RA. METHODS: 54 PsA patients, 53 RA patients, and 56 healthy individuals were included in this study. The ELISA (Enzyme-Linked ImunoSorbent Assay) kit was used as a quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay technique to detect human eta protein levels. Receiver- operating Characteristic (ROC) curves analysis was used to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the eta protein. RESULTS: Eta protein levels were found to be significantly higher in the RA group than in the PsA [B: -0.341, OR (95% CI): 0.711 (0.556-0.909), p: 0.007] and control [B: -0.225, OR (95% CI): 0.798 (0.641-0.995), p: 0.045] groups. Eta protein median values were significantly higher in patients with joint erosion than in those without [ß= 0.151, OR (95% CI): 1.163 (1.003-1.349), p: 0.046]. CONCLUSION: Eta protein levels are higher in the serum of RA patients than PsA and are associated with joint erosion. Eta protein may be a potential biomarker in the differential diagnosis of RA and PsA. It may represent a possible therapeutic step in the pathophysiological pathways in the development of joint erosion.

The thiol/disulfide balance is shifted towards oxidation in psoriatic arthritis compared to controls and is associated with higher disease activity.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to compare thiol/disulfide and ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) levels between psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and healthy controls and evaluate the correlation between these molecules and the disease activity scores used in PsA. METHODS: A total of 63 PsA patients and 49 healthy volunteers were included in the study. Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), modified disease activity score 28 (DAS28), and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) scores were used as disease activity indices for PsA patients. Calculations of native thiol (-SH), disulfide (-SS), and total thiol (-SH+-SS) molecules were made by the automatic spectrophotometric method, and the albumin cobalt binding test was used to measure IMA levels. RESULTS: In the PsA group, -SS/-SH and -SS/(-SH+-SS) levels were higher and -SH/(-SH+-SS) levels were lower than in controls. In the linear regression analysis, a significant correlation relationship was detected between DAS28-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and -SS/(-SH+-SS) (ß = 0.795, CI 95%, 0.196-1.395; P = .010), -SH/(-SH+-SS) (ß = -0.475, CI 95%, 0.114-0.836; P = .010) and IMA (ß = 3.932, CI 95%, 0.859-7.005; P = .013). Additionally, a significant correlation was detected between IMA and BASDAI and BASFI. CONCLUSION: In PsA, thiol/disulfide homeostasis has shifted in favor of disulfide as an oxidative indicator. Serum thiol/disulfide levels are correlated with PsA disease activity indices.

Thiol-disulphide homeostasis, ischemia-modified albumin, complete blood count-derived inflammatory markers and C-reactive protein from acute mania to early remission in bipolar disorder.

OBJECTIVES: There is much recent evidence that inflammation contributes to the pathophysiology of acute mania in bipolar disorder (BD). However, no study was evaluated in which the change in thiol-disulphide homeostasis, ischemia-modified albumin (IMA), complete blood count-derived inflammatory markers (CBC-IMs) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in bipolar patients was followed-up from acute mania to early remission. METHODS: Seventy-seven bipolar patients in acute mania and ninety-one HC were enrolled. We measured levels of thiol-disulphide parameters, IMA, and CBC-IMs such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), red-cell-distribution-width (RDW)-to-platelet ratio (RPR), systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII), and systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI), CRP and platelet-to-albumin ratio (PAR), after adjusting for age, gender, body-mass index (BMI) and smoking status, during acute mania to subsequent early remission. The results were compared with HC. RESULTS: The levels or ratios of all thiol-disulphide parameters except for disulphide, IMA and CRP of bipolar patients in both acute mania and early remission were significantly different from HC, after adjusting for confounders. The NLR, SII, CRP and PAR values of bipolar patients were significantly higher in only acute mania compared to HC. Significant changes in thiol-disulphide parameters and IMA levels were not found in early remission after acute mania. LIMITATIONS: Short follow-up period and lack of drug-naive patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that thiol-disulphide parameters, IMA level and SIRI value might be a trait biomarkers of inflammation in BD. In addition, NLR, SII and PAR values and CRP level might be a state biomarker of inflammation in bipolar patients in a manic phase.

Maternal Serum and Fetal Cord Blood Concentrations of Thiol/ Disulfide and Ischemia-Modified Albumin as Predictors of Neural Tube Defects.

AIM: To investigate the predictive role of thiol/ disulfide homeostasis and Ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) levels for NTDs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 71 pregnant women (31 with NTD and 42 healthy controls) were enrolled in this study. This prospective case-control study included pregnant women with NTDs as the study group and randomly selected age-matched pregnant women with healthy fetuses as the control group. The two groups were compared on the basis of thiol/disulfide and IMA levels in the maternal and fetal samples. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference in native thiol, total thiol, disulfide, and calculated ratios was observed between the groups. However, maternal IMA values were significantly higher in the study group. The IMA was proven to be a predictor with a sensitivity of 77.4% and specificity of 100% for NTDs at a cut-off value of 1.32. CONCLUSION: The examination of the maternal levels of IMA may be useful in the detection of NTDs.

14-3-3η Proteins as a Diagnostic Marker, Disease Activation Indicator, and Lymphoma Predictor in Patients with Primary Sjögren Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Primary Sjögren syndrome (PSS) is a chronic, autoimmune, and lymphoproliferative disease of the connective tissue. In patients with PSS, the risk of developing B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) increases dramatically, with a prevalence of approximately 5%. The 14-3-3 protein isoforms are phospho-serin/phospho-threonine binding proteins associated with many malignant diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between disease activity parameters and markers predicting lymphoma development in patients with PSS and 14-3-3η proteins. METHODS: This study was designed as an analytical case-control study. A total of 57 PSS patients and 54 healthy volunteers were included in the study. The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Sjögren syndrome disease activity index (ESSDAI) was used to assess systemic disease activity in PSS. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to test the diagnostic accuracy measures of the analytical results. Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the effects of independent variables on the 14-3-3η protein. RESULTS: The 14-3-3η protein serum levels were found to be significantly higher in PSS (2.72 [2.04-4.07]) than healthy controls (1.73 [1.41-2.43]) (P<0.0001). A significant relationship was found between 14-3-3η protein levels and ESSDAI group (ß=0.385, 95%CI=0.318-1.651, P=0.005), hypocomplementemia (C3 or C4) (ß=0.223, 95% CI=0.09-1.983, P=0.048) and purpura (ß=0.252, 95% CI=0.335-4.903, P=0.022), which are accepted as lymphoma predictors. A significant correlation was found between PSS disease activity score ESSDAI and 14-33η protein (ß=0.496, 95% CI=0.079-0.244, P=0.0002). CONCLUSION: 14-3-3η proteins are potential candidates for diagnostic marker, marker of disease activity, and predictor of lymphoma in PSS patients.