The FCGR2A Is Associated with the Presence of Atherosclerotic Plaques in the Carotid Arteries-A Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerotic plaques in carotid arteries (APCA) are a prevalent condition with severe potential complications. Studies continuously search for innovative biomarkers for APCA, including those participating in cellular metabolic processes, cell adhesion, immune response, and complement activation. This study aimed to assess the relationship between APCA presence and a broad range of cardiometabolic biomarkers in the general population. METHODS: The study group consisted of consecutive participants of the population study Bialystok PLUS. The proximity extension assay (PEA) technique from the Olink Laboratory (Uppsala, Sweden) was used to measure the levels of 92 cardiometabolic biomarkers. RESULTS: The study comprised 693 participants (mean age 48.78 ± 15.27 years, 43.4% males, N = 301). APCA was identified in 46.2% of the participants (N = 320). Of the 92 biomarkers that were investigated, 54 were found to be significantly linked to the diagnosis of APCA. After adjusting for the traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis in multivariate analysis, the only biomarker that remained significantly associated with APCA was FCGR2A. CONCLUSION: In the general population, the prevalence of APCA is very high. A range of biomarkers are linked with APCA. Nonetheless, the majority of these associations are explained by traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis. The only biomarker that was independently associated with APCA was the FCGR2A.

Disparities in the Prevalence and Risk Factors for Carotid and Lower Extremities Atherosclerosis in a General Population-Bialystok PLUS Study.

This study was conducted in a representative sample of area residents aged 20-80 years old. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of classic risk factors of atherosclerosis in the studied population and to search for new risk factors in these patient subpopulations. A total of 795 people (mean age 48.64 ± 15.24 years, 45.5% male) were included in the study group. Two independent data analyses were performed. In the first analysis, the study group was divided into two subgroups depending on the presence or absence of atherosclerotic plaques in carotid arteries (APCA). APCA were observed in 49.7% of the study group: in the population aged between 41 and 60 years in 49.3%, and those between 61 and 70 years in 86.3%. Patients with APCA were more often diagnosed with arterial hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia. In the second analysis, the study group was divided into two subgroups depending on the presence of lower extremities atherosclerotic disease (LEAD). Patients with an ABI (ankle-brachial index) ≤ 0.9 constituted 8.5% of the study group, and they were significantly older, and more often diagnosed with diabetes and APCA. To identify the factors most strongly associated with APCA and an ABI ≤ 0.9, logistic regression was used, with stepwise elimination of variables. The strongest factors associated with APCA were current smoking and diastolic central pressure. We did not note such an association and did not find additional parameters to facilitate the diagnosis of LEAD in asymptomatic patients. The most important observation in our study was the high prevalence of APCA in the study population, especially in the group of young people under the age of 60.

Assessment of Pulmonary Function Tests in COVID-19 Convalescents Six Months after Infection.

Background: The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the pulmonary function tests (PFT) in COVID-19 convalescents six months after recovery. Additionally, the research question was whether PFT should be performed routinely in post-COVID-19 patients. Methods: A total of 39 patients with a history of COVID-19 6 months prior to the study were included in the study (Group I). Individuals were hospitalized or treated in the outpatients department. The control group (Group II) consisted of 39 healthy patients without a COVID-19 history. Each subject completed a questionnaire interview and underwent laboratory and pulmonary function examinations. Results: Six months after COVID-19 recovery, patients mainly complained about cough (46%, n = 18), shortness of breath (23%, n = 9), weakness (13%, n = 5), and memory/concentration disorders (8%, n = 3). In the group of patients complaining of persistent cough present 6 months after COVID-19, the following PFT parameters were decreased: FEV1, FVC, FRC, TLC, and DLCO (p < 0.05) in comparison with patients without this symptom. Conclusions: Persistent shortness of breath is not necessarily associated with pulmonary function impairment in patients 6 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and hence it requires appropriate differential diagnosis. Patients with a cough persisting 6 months after the acute phase of COVID-19 may benefit from PFT.

How Unawareness of Weight Excess Can Increase Cardiovascular Risk?

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a chronic disease with high prevalence in all age groups. Many overweight and obese people seem to be unaware of excess body weight. AIM: Analysis of people affected by the misperception of excess body weight and their eating behaviors simultaneously with selected health parameters. METHODS: The study was conducted in 2017-2019 among 658 participants aged 20-79 from the population study-Bialystok PLUS (Poland). Results were based on clinical examinations and questionnaires. RESULTS: Unawareness of overweight and obesity is common among adults (21.7%). Participants unaware of their overweight and obesity presented much higher risk factors. A high cardiovascular risk profile was observed more often among people not aware of overweight and obesity than among normal weight people (23.0% vs. 10.0%) as well as more common asymptomatic carotid artery atherosclerosis (49.7% vs. 31.3%). The subjective perception of overweight and obesity based on BMI (body mass index) was equal to 26.4 kg/m2 in women and 27.9 kg/m2 in men. The assessment of their diet was less favorable than that of people with normal weight. CONCLUSIONS: Unawareness of one's excessive weight and its health consequences may lead to hesitancy to apply a healthy lifestyle and hence increase the cardiovascular risk in a substantial part of society. Therefore, it should be considered a part of the cardiovascular disease risk spectrum. Measurement of BMI and discussion about its health implications should be a routine procedure during healthcare contacts.

Angiopoietin-Like 4 (ANGPTL4) in Patients with Psoriasis, Lichen Planus and Vitiligo-A Pilot Study from the Bialystok+ Polish Longitudinal University Study.

Psoriasis, vitiligo and lichen planus (LP) are autoimmune skin diseases associated with metabolic syndrome. Angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) is a member of angiopoietin-like proteins, which play an important role in lipid metabolism, and its serum concentration has been proposed as a biomarker of cardiometabolic complications, especially coronary artery disease (CAD). The study involved 56 patients with abovementioned dermatoses and 29 sex- and age-matched volunteers without dermatoses. ANGPTL4 serum concentration was measured by ELISA. ANGPTL4 concentration was statistically significantly higher in patients with LP compared to the control group (p < 0.01); moreover, it was significantly higher than in patients with psoriasis and vitiligo (p < 0.001, p < 0.01, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference in ANGPTL4 concentration between patients with psoriasis or vitiligo and controls. There was no correlation between ANGPTL4 concentration and age or BMI in all study groups. There was a positive correlation between ANGPTL4 concentration and fasting glucose (R = 0.43) and AST activity (R = 0.39) in psoriatic patients and ALT activity in patients with vitiligo (R = 0.44). ANGPTL4 could be a potential marker of metabolic complications in patients with LP, especially CAD. Perhaps patients with LP are more prone to CAD compared to the other two dermatoses, which requires further research.

Insulin-Like Growth Factor-Binding Protein 7 (IGFBP-7)-New Diagnostic and Prognostic Marker in Symptomatic Peripheral Arterial Disease?-Pilot Study.

The aim of our study was to evaluate the importance of insulin-like growth-factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP-7) as a potential marker of symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD) occurrence. The study group consisted of 145 patients with diagnosed PAD, who qualified for the invasive treatment. The control group consisted of 67 individuals representing the local population and an ischemic heart disease (IHD) group of 88 patients after myocardial infarction or percutaneous coronary intervention. Patients with PAD had significantly higher IGFBP-7 concentrations than control group (1.80 ± 1.62 vs. 1.41 ± 0.45 ng/mL, p = 0.04). No significant differences between PAD patients and IHD patients were found (1.80 ± 1.62 vs. 1.76 ± 1.04 ng/mL, p = 0.783). Patients with multilevel PAD presented significantly higher IGFBP-7 concentrations than patients with aortoiliac PAD-median 1.18 (IQR 0.48-2.23) vs. 1.42 ng/mL (0.71-2.63), p = 0.035. In the group of patients who died or had a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) during six months of follow-up, a statistically significant higher IGFBP-7 concentration was found (median 2.66 (IQR 1.80-4.93) vs. 1.36 ng/mL (IQR 0.65-2.34), p = 0.004). It seems that IGFBP-7 is elevated in patients with atherosclerotic lesions-regardless of their locations. Further research should be conducted to verify IGFBP-7 usefulness as a predictor of MACE or death.

COVID-19 pandemic influence on self-reported health status and well-being in a society.

To assess the frequency of persisting symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection and assessment of the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on selected parameters of self-reported health status and well-being half a year after the disease. The study population consisted of 3 groups: post-COVID-19 group I-172 patients; group II-172 patients with chronic disease, who have not suffered from COVID-19; group III-81 patients from a population study cohort-Bialystok PLUS. A standardized interview questionnaire was used to collect data in the three groups using the CATI (computer assisted telephone interviewing) technique. Interviews were conducted between October 2020 and January 2021, thus during the second wave of the pandemic in Poland. The subjective state of health in comparison with the state of health before the COVID-19 pandemic deteriorated in COVID-19 convalescents. Patients, who suffered from symptomatic COVID-19 were more prone to nervousness, anxiousness, tension than patients with oligosymptomatic course of the disease. Moreover, anxiety, fear and irritability were more frequent in Group I and II in comparison to Group III, whereas Group I and II did not differ significantly. The decrease in physical activity observed in COVID-19 patients mirrored the changes in general population. The most frequent persistent symptoms after COVID-19 are: general malaise, cough, smell and taste disorder, dyspnea. COVID-19 convalescents who experienced symptomatic disease are more prone to development of nervousness, anxiousness, tension and anxiety than patients with oligosymptomatic course of the disease. Females and younger patients who suffered from COVID-19 are more prone to development of mental distress than healthy population. No significant differences between COVID-19 convalescents and healthy population was observed as far as the attitude towards physical activity is concerned.

The relationships between FLAIS, a novel insulin sensitivity index, and cardiovascular risk factors in a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Recently, we have developed a novel index, FLAIS (Fasting Laboratory Assessment of Insulin Sensitivity), which accurately reflects insulin sensitivity, measured with hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp, in different groups of subjects. The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship of FLAIS with cardiovascular risk factors in a population-based study. METHODS: The study group comprised 339 individuals from the ongoing Bialystok Plus study, without previously known diabetes. Clinical examination, oral glucose tolerance test and the measurement of blood laboratory parameters were performed. RESULTS: Prediabetes (impaired fasting glucose and/or impaired glucose tolerance) was diagnosed in 165 individuals whereas type 2 diabetes was diagnosed in 19 subjects. FLAIS was lower in individuals with prediabetes and diabetes in comparison with individuals with normal glucose tolerance. FLAIS was significantly related to waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol in the entire study group and in the subgroups with normal glucose tolerance and with prediabetes/diabetes. HOMA-IR, QUICKI and Matsuda index were not related to blood pressure and LDL-cholesterol in individuals with normal glucose tolerance. Majority of the adjusted models with FLAIS were characterized by better fit with the data in comparison with other indices for all cardiovascular risk factors except waist circumference. CONCLUSIONS: FLAIS represents useful index to assess the cluster of insulin resistance-associated cardiovascular risk factors in general population.

Effectiveness of Lifestyle Modification vs. Therapeutic, Preventative Strategies for Reducing Cardiovascular Risk in Primary Prevention-A Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are still the leading cause of death in developed countries. The aim of this study was to calculate the potential for CV risk reduction when using three different prevention strategies to evaluate the effect of primary prevention. METHODS: A total of 931 individuals aged 20-79 years old from the Bialystok PLUS Study were analyzed. The study population was divided into CV risk classes. The Systematic Coronary Risk Estimation (SCORE), Framingham Risk Score (FRS), and LIFE-CVD were used to assess CV risk. The optimal prevention strategy assumed the attainment of therapeutic goals according to the European guidelines. The moderate strategy assumed therapeutic goals in participants with increased risk factors: a reduction in systolic blood pressure by 10 mmHg when it was above 140 mmHg, a reduction in total cholesterol by 25% when it was above 190 mg/dL, and a reduction in body mass index below 30. The minimal prevention strategy assumed that CV risk would be lowered by lifestyle modifications. The greatest CV risk reduction was achieved in the optimal model and then in the minimal model, and the lowest risk reduction was achieved in the moderate model, e.g., using the optimal model of prevention (Model 1). In the total population, we achieved a reduction of -1.74% in the 10-year risk of CVD death (SCORE) in relation to the baseline model, a -0.85% reduction when using the moderate prevention model (Model 2), and a -1.11% reduction when using the minimal prevention model (Model 3). However, in the low CV risk class, the best model was the minimal one (risk reduction of -0.72%), which showed even better results than the optimal one (reduction of -0.69%) using the FRS. CONCLUSION: A strategy based on lifestyle modifications in a population without established CVD could be more effective than the moderate strategy used in the present study. Moreover, applying a minimal strategy to the low CV risk class population may even be beneficial for an optimal model.

Factors Associated with Tooth Loss in General Population of Bialystok, Poland.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess risk factors for tooth loss in the population of the city of Bialystok, in north-eastern Poland, taking into account the entire population and different age groups. The study included 1138 subjects divided into three subgroups: 20-44 years, 45-64 years, and 65-79 years. Participants were classified according to the number of teeth lost (0-8 vs. 9-28). Socio-economic variables, smoking history, and dental habits were collected through a questionnaire. Medical examinations provided data on the body mass index and the fasting blood glucose level. Data were statistically analysed using Mann-Whitney U, Student's t, chi2 tests, and binary logistic regression, p < 0.05. RESULTS: For the general population, being female (OR 1.38, 1.07-1.79, p = 0.015), having secondary education (OR 4.18, Cl 2.97-5.87, p < 0.000), higher body mass index (OR 1.13, Cl 1.10-1.17, p < 0.000), higher fasting blood glucose level (OR 1.03 1.03-1.04, p < 0.000), being former smoker (OR 1.72, Cl 1.29-2.31, p < 0.000), ever smoker (OR 1.69, Cl 1.29-2.20, p < 0.000), current smoker (OR 1.62, Cl 1.15-2.29, p < 0.006), longer smoking period (OR 1.11, Cl 1.09-1.14, p < 0.000), last visit to the dentist over a year ago (OR 1.92, Cl 0.44-2.58, p < 0.000) and tooth brushing less than two times a day (OR 1.6, Cl 1.14-2.23, p < 0.006) were associated with losing more than 8 teeth. In the subgroup aged 20-44 years, only smoking duration was a risk factor for tooth loss (p = 0.02). For the middle-aged and oldest groups, education level (respectively p < 0.001, and p = 0.001), body mass index (respectively, p < 0.001, and p = 0.037), smoking status ever/former/current (respectively p < 0.001 and p = 0.002), smoking status never/ever (respectively p < 0.001 and p = 0.009), smoking duration (p < 0.001) were related to tooth loss. Additionally, in the elderly group, fasting blood glucose level (p = 0.044) and frequency of dental visits (p = 0.007) were related to tooth loss. We concluded that in the evaluated population, tooth loss was associated with socio-demographic, medical, and behavioural factors.

Oral Health-Related Quality of Life and Missing Teeth in an Adult Population: A Cross-Sectional Study from Poland.

The aim of the study was to determine oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) using the measures Geriatric/General Oral Health Assessment (GOHAI) and Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) in relation to missing teeth in the Polish population aged 20-79. This was a cross-sectional study carried out among 1112 randomly selected participants. The mean age was 48.72 and mean number of teeth was 20.12. Altogether, in the GOHAI, the percentage that gave a positive response to each question ranged from 3.3% to 48.0%; in the OHIP-14, these answers ranged from 2.4% to 25.1%. The GOHAI measure was statistically significant, with more grouping variables than the OHIP-14 measure. Both measures showed significant associations with gender, age, dry mouth, education, professional status, number of teeth, and upper and lower total dentures. We detected a significant relationship between oral health-related quality of life and the factors influencing the presence or absence of dentition. Missing teeth were statistically associated with GOHAI, OHIP-14, advanced age, self-reported dry mouth, lower education, higher Body Mass Index (BMI), lower professional status, diabetes, myocardial infraction, and total dentures in upper or/and lower jaws. However, edentulous individuals had two times higher risk of having an OHIP-14 score above the median. This suggests that oral health practitioners should work to prevent oral diseases that lead to tooth loss in their patients, starting from an early age.

Gut Microbiome in Chronic Coronary Syndrome Patients.

Despite knowledge of classical coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors, the morbidity and mortality associated with this disease remain high. Therefore, new factors that may affect the development of CAD, such as the gut microbiome, are extensively investigated. This study aimed to evaluate gut microbiome composition in CAD patients in relation to the control group. We examined 169 CAD patients and 166 people in the control group, without CAD, matched in terms of age and sex to the study group. Both populations underwent a detailed health assessment. The microbiome analysis was based on the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene (NGS method). Among 4074 identified taxonomic units in the whole population, 1070 differed between study groups. The most common bacterial types were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. Furthermore, a higher Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio in the CAD group compared with the control was demonstrated. Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, independent of age, sex, CAD status, LDL cholesterol concentration, and statins treatment, was related to altered phosphatidylcholine concentrations obtained in targeted metabolomics. Altered alpha-biodiversity (Kruskal-Wallis test, p = 0.001) and beta-biodiversity (Bray-Curtis metric, p < 0.001) in the CAD group were observed. Moreover, a predicted functional analysis revealed some taxonomic units, metabolic pathways, and proteins that might be characteristic of the CAD patients' microbiome, such as increased expressions of 6-phospho-ß-glucosidase and protein-N(pi)-phosphohistidine-sugar phosphotransferase and decreased expressions of DNA topoisomerase, oxaloacetate decarboxylase, and 6-beta-glucosidase. In summary, CAD is associated with altered gut microbiome composition and function.

Subjective well-being in non-obese individuals depends strongly on body composition.

While obesity has been correlated with welfare in the general population, there is not much data on the influence of body composition on welfare among the non-obese adult individuals. In this study, a total of 726 non-obese individuals from the general population were analyzed. The mean age was 46.8 ± 15.4 years and 42.1% of participants were male. The anthropometric measurements and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) were done. The mean value for the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) was 23.09 ± 5.43, for Euro Quality of Life Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS) was 78.0 ± 14.5, and for the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was 6.7 ± 6.6. On the SWLS, the higher waist-hip ratio had a negative impact even after adjusting for age, gender, and concomitant diseases. EQ-VAS was inversely associated with android fat distribution and directly associated with muscle mass. BDI value was inversely associated with lower muscle mass, especially in lower limbs. The well-being of women was mainly associated with the distribution of adipose tissue and less with the distribution of muscle tissue-abdominal fat distribution has a particularly negative impact on well-being among women. In contrast, men's well-being depends more on muscle mass and to a lesser extent on the distribution of fat tissue-a positive significant effect has lean mass and a circumference of thigh below gluteal fold.