Prognostic Value of Secreted Frizzled-Related Protein 5 in Heart Failure Patients With and Without Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Patients with heart failure (HF) with diabetes mellitus have distinct biomarker profiles compared with those without diabetes mellitus. SFRP5 (secreted frizzled-related protein 5) is an anti-inflammatory adipokine with an important suppressing role on the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of SFRP5 in patients with HF with and without T2DM. METHODS: The study included 833 consecutive patients with HF, 312 (37.5%) of whom had T2DM. Blood samples were collected at presentation, and SFRP5 levels were measured. The primary outcome was the composite end points of first occurrence of HF rehospitalization or all-cause mortality during follow-up. RESULTS: During median follow-up of 2.1 years, 335 (40.2%) patients in the cohort experienced the composite primary outcome. After adjustment for multiple risk factors, each doubling of SFRP5 level was associated with a 21% decreased risk of primary outcomes in the overall study population (P<0.001). Subgroup analyses showed that the association between level of SFPR5 and primary outcomes may be stronger in patients with T2DM (hazard ratio, 0.69 [95% CI, 0.61-0.79]) than in patients without T2DM (hazard ratio, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.79-1.01]; interaction P=0.006). Similar associations were observed when taking SFRP5 as a categorical variable. Addition of SFRP5 significantly improved discrimination and reclassification of the incident primary outcomes beyond clinical risk factors and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide in all patients with HF and those with T2DM (all P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: SFRP5 is an independent novel biomarker for risk stratification in HF, especially in HF with T2DM.

Gamma-Glutamyltransferase and Risk of Acute Coronary Syndrome in Young Chinese Patients: A Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is a biomarker of hepatic disease. Recent studies have shown that GGT may also associate with the risk of coronary artery disease. However, the underlying mechanisms of this association are still unclear. METHODS: This study included 216 young patients with acute coronary syndrome (aged ≤55years) and 227 age-matched controls with normal findings by coronary angiography or coronary computed tomography angiography. We use standard colorimetric techniques and sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to measure the levels of GGT and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), respectively. Traditional risk factors of coronary artery disease, including smoking, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity/overweight, were evaluated according to the current guidelines. RESULTS: The levels of GGT were significantly correlated with body mass index and levels of triglyceride, fasting plasma glucose, aspartate aminotransferase, and ox-LDL (all P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that GGT was significantly associated with the risk of acute coronary syndrome in young Chinese patients (OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.09-2.15) after adjusting for traditional risk factors, including sex, age, quantity of smoking, hypertension, diabetes, body mass index, dyslipidemia, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. However, this association was significantly attenuated (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 0.91-1.58) after further adjusting for the levels of ox-LDL. CONCLUSIONS: GGT was associated with the risk of ACS in relatively young patients. The link between GGT and the risk of ACS may be dependent on ox-LDL levels, indicating that the prooxidant action is an important pathway for GGT in the development of cardiovascular disease.