Impact of blood perilipin A levels on obesity and metabolic health.

OBJECTIVE: Perilipin A is a common protein that coats lipid surfaces preventing them from being exposed to oxidative damage. Researchers have found little consistency in the relationship between perilipin A levels in the blood and body fat. This study was a cross-sectional observational that looked at circulating perilipin A levels and how they relate to metabolic health. RESULTS: The participants in this study were 86 individuals with a mean age of 45.5 ± 1.2 years. Multiple clinical and metabolic indicators (age, weight, BMI, total body fat mass, triglyceride, and HOMA-IR) were shown to be inversely associated with perilipin A levels (rho = - 0.32, - 0.37, - 0.40, - 0.45, - 0.33 and - 0.29; p < 0.05 respectively). Obese persons were almost six times more likely than non-obese individuals to have lower perilipin A levels (odds ratio = 6.22, CI = 2.35-11.50, p < 0.001). Our findings underscore the important role of perilipin A proteins in metabolic health.

Altered immunoglobulins (A and G) in Ghanaian patients with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVES: Elevated immunoglobulin levels have been strongly linked to the development and progression of inflammatory disorders such as type 2 diabetes and obesity. This study aimed to evaluate circulating immunoglobulin levels and to identify other metabolic factors that influence humoral immune response among Ghanaian subjects with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: A comparative cross-sectional study conducted at the National Diabetes Management and Research Center, Accra. Eighty persons with type 2 diabetes were age-matched with 78 controls. Immunoglobulin A, immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin M; interleukin 6; fasting blood glucose; glycated hemoglobin; and lipid parameter concentrations were measured. Blood pressure, anthropometry and body composition indices were also assessed. RESULTS: Median immunoglobulin A and immunoglobulin G (g/L) levels were higher in the case group compared with controls (0.89 vs 0.74, p = 0.043; 7.58 vs 7.29, p < 0.001). Immunoglobulin G, immunoglobulin A and interleukin 6 levels in the case cohort, respectively, associated weakly with fasting blood glucose (r = 0.252, p = 0.001; r = 0.170, p = 0.031; r = 0.296, p = 0.001). There were positive correlations within the control group for immunoglobulin A versus interleukin 6 (r = 0.366, p = 0.001) and within the case group for glycated hemoglobin versus interleukin 6 (r = 0.190, p = 0.020). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that humoral immune response is altered in subjects with type 2 diabetes and that serum immunoglobulin levels could serve as useful biomarkers in the investigation and management of diabetes mellitus.