Effects of Bisphosphonate Treatment on Circulating Lipid and Glucose Levels in Patients with Metabolic Bone Disorders.

Bisphosphonates are the first-choice treatment of osteoporosis and Paget's disease of bone. Among the bisphosphonates, the non-amino-bisphosphonates, such as clodronic acid, are intracellular converted into toxic analogues of ATP and induce cellular apoptosis whereas the amino-bisphosphonates, such as zoledronic acid, inhibit the farnesyl-diphosphate-synthase, an enzyme of the mevalonate pathway. This pathway regulates cholesterol and glucose homeostasis and is a target for statins. In this retrospective cohort study, we evaluated the effects of an intravenous infusion of zoledronic acid (5 mg) or clodronic acid (1500 mg) on blood lipid (i.e. total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and triglycerides) and glucose levels in patients with osteoporosis and Paget's disease of bone. All patients were evaluated before, 1 and 6 months after bisphosphonate treatment. Pagetic and osteoporotic patients treated with zoledronic acid showed a significant reduction in glucose and atherogenic lipids during follow-up whereas these phenomena were not observed after clodronic treatment. The effect on circulating lipid levels was similar in naïve and re-treated Pagetic patients. Zoledronic acid treatment was associated with a reduction in blood glucose and atherogenic lipids in patients with metabolic bone disorders. The extent of change was similar to that obtained with the regular assumption of a low-intensity statin. Further studies are warranted to better evaluate the clinical implications of these observations.

Osteoporosis is a Predictive Factor for Nephrolithiasis in an Adult Free-Living Caucasian Population From Southern Italy: A Longitudinal Retrospective Study Based on a General Practice Database.

Osteoporosis and nephrolithiasis are common multifactorial disorders with high incidence and prevalence in the adult population worldwide. Both are associated with high morbidity and mortality if not correctly diagnosed and accurately treated. Nephrolithiasis is considered a risk factor for reduced bone mineral density. Aim of this retrospective longitudinal study was to evaluate if osteoporosis is a predictive factor for the nephrolithiasis occurrence. Free-living subjects referring to "COMEGEN" general practitioners cooperative operating in Naples, Southern Italy. Twelve thousand seven hundred ninety-four Caucasian subjects (12,165 female) who performed bone mineral density by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and have a negative personal history for nephrolithiasis. Subjects aged less than 40 years or with signs or symptoms suggestive of secondary osteoporosis were excluded from the study. In a mean lapse of time of 19.5 months, 516 subjects had an incident episode of nephrolithiasis. Subjects with osteoporosis had an increased risk of nephrolithiasis than subjects without osteoporosis (Hazard Ratio = 1.33, 95% Confidence Interval 1.01-1.74, p = 0.04). Free-living adult subjects over the age of 40 with idiopathic osteoporosis have an increased risk of incident nephrolithiasis, suggesting the advisability of appropriate investigation and treatment of the metabolic alterations predisposing to nephrolithiasis in patients with osteoporosis. The study protocol was approved by the ASL Napoli 1 Ethical Committee, protocol number 0018508/2018.

Hypertension and mortality in SARS-COV-2 infection: A meta-analysis of observational studies after 2 years of pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The worldwide pandemic SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with clinical course including a very broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, including death. Several studies and meta-analyses have evaluated the role of hypertension on prognosis, but with important limitations and conflicting results. Therefore, we decided to perform a new meta-analysis of the observational studies that explored the relationship between pre-existing hypertension and mortality risk in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, using more stringent inclusion criteria to overcome the limitations inherent previous meta-analyses. METHODS: A systematic search of the on-line databases available up to 31 March 2022 was conducted, including peer-reviewed original articles, involving the adult population, where the role of hypertension on mortality due to SARS-CoV-2 infection was determined by Cox-proportional hazard models. Pooled hazard ratio (HR) was calculated by a random effect model. Sensitivity, heterogeneity, publication bias, subgroup and meta-regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: Twenty-six studies (222,083 participants) met the pre-defined inclusion criteria. In the pooled analysis, pre-existing hypertension was significantly associated with mortality due to SARS-CoV-2 infection, both in unadjusted and adjusted models (HR: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.22 to 1.97). However, in separate analyses including results adjusted for crucial and strong predictors of mortality during SARS-CoV-2 infection (e.g. body weight), the association disappeared. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this meta-analysis indicate that pre-existing hypertension is not an independent predictor of mortality during SARS-CoV-2 infection. Further studies should nevertheless be carried out worldwide to evaluate this role, independent of, or in interaction with, other confounders that may affect the mortality risk.

Serum leptin is associated with increased pulse pressure and the development of arterial stiffening in adult men: results of an eight-year follow-up study.

High leptin levels are associated with an unfavorable cardiometabolic risk profile. A number of studies found a positive association between leptin and vascular damage, but to date, no observational study has evaluated a potential predictive role of leptin for arterial stiffening. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the role of leptin in the incidence of arterial stiffening (pulse pressure >60 mmHg) and changes in pulse pressure in an 8-year follow-up of a sample of adult men (The Olivetti Heart Study). The analysis included 460 men without baseline arterial stiffening and antihypertensive treatment at baseline and at follow-up (age: 50.0 years, BMI: 26.5 kg/m2). At the end of the follow-up period, the incidence of arterial stiffening was 8%. Baseline leptin was significantly greater in the group that developed arterial stiffening and was significantly correlated with pulse pressure changes over time (p < 0.05). According to the median plasma leptin distribution of the whole population, the sample was stratified into two groups: one with leptin levels above the median and the other with leptin levels below the median. Those who had baseline leptin levels above the median had a greater risk of developing arterial stiffening (odds ratio: 2.5, p < 0.05) and a greater increase in pulse pressure over time (beta: 2.1, p < 0.05), also after adjustment for confounders. The results of this prospective study indicate a predictive role of circulating leptin levels for vascular damage, independent of body weight and blood pressure.

Leptin levels predict the development of left ventricular hypertrophy in a sample of adult men: the Olivetti Heart Study.

OBJECTIVE: A higher leptin (LPT) is associated with a greater cardiometabolic risk. Some studies also showed a positive association between LPT and cardiovascular organ damage but no consistent data are available about a predictive role of LPT on cardiac remodelling. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential role of LPT on the incidence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in a sample of adult men. METHODS: The study population was made up of 439 individuals (age: 51 years) without LVH at baseline, participating in The Olivetti Heart Study. The ECG criteria were adopted to exclude LVH at baseline and echocardiogram criteria for diagnosis of LVH at follow-up were considered. RESULTS: At baseline, LPT was significantly and positively correlated with BMI, waist circumference, ECG indices, SBP and DBP but not with age and renal function. At the end of the 8-year follow-up period, there was an incidence of 23% in LVH by echocardiography. Individuals who developed LVH had higher baseline age, LPT, BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure and ECG indices (P < 0.05). Furthermore, those that had LPT above the median had greater risk to develop LVH (odds ratio: 1.7; P < 0.05). This association was also confirmed after adjustment for main confounders, among which changes in blood pressure and anthropometric indices. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest a predictive role of circulating LPT levels on cardiac remodelling expressed by echocardiographic LVH, independently of body weight and blood pressure changes over the years.

Relationship between circulating leptin levels and arterial stiffness: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

INTRODUCTION: Leptin is associated with cardiovascular risk. Some studies analyzed the potential association between leptin and arterial stiffness, an independent cardiovascular risk factor. However, the studies that investigated this association provided inconsistent and heterogeneous results. AIM: We performed a systematic review and a meta-analysis of the available studies on the relationship between leptin and arterial stiffness to achieve definitive conclusions. METHODS: A systematic search of the on-line databases available (up to December 2019) was conducted including the observational studies that reported the evaluation of the relationship between non-invasively assessed arterial stiffness (expressed by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity) and leptin. For each study, the effect size was standardized and pooled using a random effect model. Sensitivity analysis, heterogeneity, publication bias, meta-regression and sub-group analyses were also assessed. RESULTS: Ten studies met the pre-defined inclusion criteria and provided 11 cohorts with 7,580 total participants. Leptin levels were positively and significantly associated with risk of increased arterial stiffness (odds ratio 1.04; p < 0.01), with no significant heterogeneity among studies. Likewise, pooled analysis of correlation showed a significant and positive association between leptin and pulse wave velocity (z = 0.27, p < 0.01), with significant heterogeneity among studies. CONCLUSION: The results of this meta-analysis indicate that leptin is positively associated with arterial stiffness. This association significantly adds to the recognized value of leptin in cardiovascular disease.

Effect of dietary salt restriction on central blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the intervention studies.

Central blood pressure (cBP) is highly associated with cardiovascular risk. Although reduction of salt intake leads to lower peripheral blood pressure (BP), the studies on cBP provided inconsistent results. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and a meta-analysis of the available intervention trials of salt reduction on cBP values to reach definitive conclusions. A systematic search of the online databases available (up to December 2018) was conducted including the intervention trials that reported non-invasively assessed cBP changes after two different salt intake regimens. For each study, the mean difference and 95% confidence intervals were pooled using a random-effect model. Sensitivity, heterogeneity, publication bias, subgroup, and meta-regression analyses were performed. Fourteen studies met the pre-defined inclusion criteria and provided 17 cohorts with 457 participants with 1-13 weeks of intervention time. In the pooled analysis, salt restriction was associated with a significant reduction in augmentation index (9.3%) as well as central systolic BP and central pulse pressure. There was a significant heterogeneity among studies (I2  = 70%), but no evidence of publication bias. Peripheral BP changes seemed to partially interfere on the relationship between salt restriction and cBP. The results of this meta-analysis indicate that dietary salt restriction reduces cBP. This effect seems to be, at least in part, independent of the changes in peripheral BP.

Increased Prevalence of Nephrolithiasis and Hyperoxaluria in Paget Disease of Bone.

CONTEXT: Nephrolithiasis (NL) and primary hyperparathyroidism (HPTH) are metabolic complications of Paget disease of bone (PDB), but recent data regarding their prevalence in PDB patients are lacking. OBJECTIVES: Study 1: To compare the prevalence of primary HPTH and NL in 708 patients with PDB and in 1803 controls. Study 2: To evaluate the prevalence of NL-metabolic risk factors in 97 patients with PDB and NL, 219 PDB patients without NL, 364 NL patients without PDB, and 219 controls, all of them without HPTH. DESIGN: Cross-sectional multicentric study. SETTING: Italian referral centers for metabolic bone disorders. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with PDB from the Associazione Italiana malati di osteodistrofia di Paget registry. Participants in the Olivetti Heart and the Siena Osteoporosis studies. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: HPTH; NL; NL-metabolic risk factors. RESULTS: Patients with PDB showed higher prevalence of primary HPTH and NL compared with controls (P < 0.01). The NL recurrence occurs more frequently in patients with polyostotic PDB. About one-half of patients with PDB but without NL showed 1 or more NL-related metabolic risk factors. The hyperoxaluria (HyperOx) prevalence was higher in patients with PDB and NL compared with patients with NL but without PDB and in patients with PDB without NL compared with controls (P = 0.01). Patients with PDB and HyperOx showed a longer lapse of time from the last aminobisphosphonate treatment. CONCLUSIONS: NL and HPTH are frequent metabolic complication of PDB. The NL occurrence should be evaluated in patients with PDB, particularly in those with polyostotic disease and/or after aminobisphosphonate treatment to apply an adequate prevention strategy.