Is lysosomal acid lipase activity associated with the presence and severity of coronary artery disease?

BACKGROUND: Lipid metabolism is considerably complex and there can be many critical steps in atherogenesis. The association between lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) activity and coronary artery disease (CAD) has not been elucidated in detail. We aimed to evaluate the association between LAL activity with the presence and severity of CAD in patients who are seen in daily clinical practice. METHODS: Patients who underwent coronary angiography were divided into groups according to the angiography results. Syntax scores and Gensini scores were calculated. The LAL activity was measured from dried blood spots. RESULTS: Median LAL activity values were similar in all study groups (normal coronary arteries: 0.40 nmol/punch/h; non-obstructive CAD: 0.44 nmol/punch/h; obstructive chronic CAD: 0.40 nmol/punch/h; obstructive acute coronary syndrome: 0.48 nmol/punch/h) and there was no correlation between coronary atherosclerotic burden and LAL activity (correlation coefficients Syntax score and LAL: -0.032; Gensini score and LAL: -0.030). In addition, no relationship between serum lipid levels and LAL activity was detected. CONCLUSION: The presence of CAD and its severity is not associated with the LAL activity in patients encountered in daily clinical practice.

Analysis of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring data in patients with ankylosing spondylitis without clinically evident cardiovascular disease.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Parameters, such as non-dipper, average real variability (ARV), pulse pressure index (PPI), and ambulatory arterial stiffness index (AASI) obtained from ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), provide information about adverse cardiovascular outcomes. In this study, these indexes were evaluated in patients with AS. Sixty-five patients with AS and 65 control subjects were included in this study. Non-dipper pattern, ARV, PPI, and AASI parameters were assessed using 24-h ABPM recordings. Twenty-four-hour systolic, diastolic, mean standard deviation, PPI, ARV, and AASI were higher in patients with AS (p < 0.05 all parameters). Non-dipper (43.1% vs. 21.5%, p = 0.007) and reverse dipper (10.8% vs. 0%, p = 0.013) patterns were more common in patients with AS. In addition, disease duration was moderately correlated with AASI and ARV (r = 0.36, p = 0.003; r = 0.31, p = 0.012, respectively). This study showed that PPI, AASI, ARV, and dipper pattern were impaired in patients with AS evaluated with ABPM.