Plasma chitotriosidase activity in multiple sclerosis.

A recent study has shown that chitotriosidase (Chit) may play a role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Plasma Chit activity was investigated in 219 untreated MS patients and 160 healthy controls (HC) by means of a fluorometric enzyme activity assay. Chit activity was also measured in a subgroup of 46 patients following treatment with interferon-beta (IFNbeta). Overall, plasma Chit activity was significantly increased in MS patients compared with HC, but no differences were observed between relapsing and progressive clinical forms. In addition, Chit activity was similar between patients during relapse and patients during clinical remission. Treatment with IFNbeta was associated with a significant increase in Chit activity compared with untreated patients in both responders and non-responders to treatment. Although these findings suggest a role of Chit in MS, our data do not support an association between plasma Chit activity and MS clinical course and clinical response to IFNbeta treatment.

Predictive value of angiogenic factors and uterine artery Doppler for early- versus late-onset pre-eclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate potential differences in the prediction of early- vs. late-onset pre-eclampsia and/or intrauterine growth restriction (PE/IUGR) by second-trimester uterine artery Doppler examination, and measurement of maternal serum placental growth factor (PlGF) and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1). METHODS: Uterine artery mean pulsatility index (PI) and maternal serum PlGF and sFlt1 levels were measured at 24 weeks of gestation in 76 healthy pregnant women and 38 cases of PE/IUGR, of which 19 were defined as early onset (< 32 weeks). RESULTS: For a specificity of 95%, the sensitivities of uterine artery mean PI, PlGF and sFlt1 for early-onset PE/IUGR were 47.4%, 84.4% and 36.8%, respectively. When combining uterine artery Doppler with PlGF, the sensitivity for identifying early-onset PE/IUGR was 89.5% with a specificity of 95%. Conversely, the sensitivity for late-onset PE/IUGR was below 11% for all parameters analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: Angiogenic factors and uterine artery Doppler evaluation may be useful second-trimester screening tests for early-onset, but not late-onset, PE/IUGR.

Changes in oxidant-antioxidant status in young diabetic patients from clinical onset onwards.

Oxidative stress has been implicated as a mechanism underlying hyperglycaemia-associated cellular damage and could play a role in the development of diabetes-related complications. This study aimed to evaluate the significance of changes in oxidant-antioxidant status in 176 child and adolescent diabetic patients at clinical onset, during disease progression and when early microvascular complications appeared. Indicative lipid and protein oxidation markers and antioxidant defence activity were measured in plasma and correlated with clinical data, diabetes duration, long-term glycometabolic control and serum lipids. Compared with their respective age-matched controls, diabetic patients had greater oxidative damage to lipids and proteins, demonstrated through the analysis of hydroperoxides, lipoperoxides and oxidation protein products, all of which were significantly raised at onset, decreased during the first 1.5 years of evolution and rose progressively thereafter. Plasma levels of oxidizable lipids were significantly associated with lipid and protein oxidation products. Overall, plasma antioxidant capacity was significantly and consistently lower from clinical onset onwards. These results suggest that insulin therapy in the first year improved metabolic and oxidant homeostasis and consequently hyperglycaemia-derived biomolecular oxidative damage. Diabetes-associated hyperlipidaemia is related to lipid and protein oxidation processes, which supports the concept of glucose toxicity and lipotoxicity being interrelated. The greatest increase in lipid and protein oxidative damage biomarkers in young diabetic patients with premature microangiopathy points to oxidative stress as a possible contributing mechanism of microvascular dysfunction. Consequently, tight lipid and glycometabolic control may have therapeutic potential by diminishing oxidative tissue-damaging effects of hyperglycaemia.