The effect of age on serum creatinine levels in an aging population: relevance to vascular surgery.

Background And Aim: Serum creatinine is commonly used to assess and monitor renal function in the management of abdominal aortic aneurysm with endoluminal grafting, and for intervention of renal artery occlusive disease. The majority of patients selected for these procedures are elderly and serum creatinine is used post-operatively to monitor renal function. There is a need to adjust the serum creatinine concentration for age to determine the changes that might be due to the procedure: especially with endoluminal grafting using transrenal manipulation and fixation, and procedures involving interventions directly on the renal arteries.

Genotype-phenotype studies of six novel LPL mutations in Chinese patients with hypertriglyceridemia.

We screened 160 unrelated Chinese hypertriglyceridemic subjects for sequence alterations in the promoter and the 10 exons of the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene. We identified one reported mutation (L252R), one common polymorphism (S447X), and six novel mutations: V181I, C283Y, S298R and S338F (found in single individuals), L252V (in two individuals), and A71T (in three individuals). Screening of family members of the above probands revealed a total of 19 mutation carriers, most of whom, though not all, displayed reduced LPL activity and mass when compared to normolipidemic control subjects.

Compound heterozygosity of Leu252Val and Leu252Arg causing lipoprotein lipase deficiency in a chinese patient with hypertriglyceridemia.

Background: We investigated lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene mutations in a Chinese male with severe hypertriglyceridemia and recurrent pancreatitis.

Methods: We screened for LPL sequence mutation in the LPL gene in this patient, his relatives and 160 unrelated hypertriglyceridaemic subjects. We determined the postheparin plasma LPL activity of subjects carrying a LPL mutation and studied the in vitro expression of mutant LPL in COS-1 cells.

Mutations in the low-density lipoprotein receptor gene in Chinese familial hypercholesterolemia patients.

It has been reported that in China, patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) may go unrecognized because they do not have xanthomata or premature coronary heart disease and their LDL cholesterol levels are lower than those in their Western counterparts. However, in the Chinese patients in Hong Kong, heterozygous FH appears to manifest in a way similar to that seen in Western countries or Japan. We studied sequence variations in the promoter and coding regions of the 18 exons of the LDL receptor gene in 30 Chinese FH patients.

Hyperhomocysteinaemia and premature coronary artery disease in the Chinese.

Objectives: To examine the prevalence of hyperhomocysteinaemia and compare it with the classic risk factors and vitamin status in Hong Kong Chinese patients with premature atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.

Design: Case-control study.

Setting: General hospital and community.

Effect of oral estradiol on Lp(a) and other lipoproteins in postmenopausal women. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study.

Background: Lp(a) lipoprotein level is an independent risk factor for premature coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular accident. Concentrations of this lipoprotein tend to increase after menopause.

Objective: To determine whether oral estrogen was effective in lowering concentrations of Lp(a) lipoprotein in postmenopausal women.

Urinary excretion of testosterone and estradiol in Chinese men and relationships with serum lipoprotein concentrations.

Urinary excretion of total and free testosterone and estradiol was measured in 46 healthy Chinese men, along with serum concentrations of total testosterone and estradiol and the calculated free (unbound) concentrations. Associations with serum concentrations of total, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein-2 (HDL2), and HDL3 cholesterol, apolipoproteins (apos) A-I and B, lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] were studied. Serum total and free testosterone concentrations were positively correlated with HDL and HDL2 cholesterol and apo A-I.

An examination of the effect of combined cyclical hormone replacement therapy on lipoprotein(a) and other lipoproteins.

Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is an independent marker of cardiovascular disease which is relatively unresponsive to treatment with most of the commonly prescribed lipid lowering drugs. Concentrations of Lp(a) increase after the menopause, and the primary aim of this study was to determine whether combined hormone replacement therapy was effective in lowering levels of Lp(a) in postmenopausal women. An open longitudinal study was conducted among 42 women who had undergone a spontaneous menopause and were attending the outpatient clinic of the Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong.

The effect of percutaneous oestrogen replacement therapy on Lp(a) and other lipoproteins.

Objectives: To determine the effect of percutaneous oestrogen replacement therapy on lipoprotein (a) and other plasma lipoproteins.

Methods: Open longitudinal prospective study conducted at the hormone replacement clinic of the Prince of Wales Hospital, New Territories, Hong Kong. Thirty women who had undergone a total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for benign gynaecological conditions were treated with 1.

Effects of fluvastatin on lipid profile and apolipoproteins in Chinese patients with hypercholesterolemia.

The effects of fluvastatin treatment on lipid profile and apolipoproteins were assessed in a group of 31 Chinese patients with hypercholesterolemia, maintained on a constant low-fat diet. Some patients had the additional cardiovascular risk factors of hypertension and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and 6 patients had familial hypercholesterolemia. Baseline lipid levels were measured after a 4-week placebo period, and these were repeated after 4 weeks of treatment with fluvastatin 20 mg daily, and after 4 weeks of treatment with fluvastatin 40 mg daily.

Immunoassay of a tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase in serum.

A tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP) was purified from cord plasma by use of cation-exchange chromatography (carboxymethyl Sepharose), gel-filtration chromatography (Sephacryl S-200), and preparative isoelectric focusing. After raising polyclonal antibodies to the purified TRACP in rabbit, we used the antiserum to develop an ELISA. The antiserum cross-reacted with an extract of bone, but not with extracts of spleen, erythrocytes, platelets, or osteoblasts or with prostatic acid phosphatase.

IgD multiple myeloma with thoracic spine compression due to epidural extra-osseous tumour spread.

On initial presentation of a patient with IgD multiple myeloma there were no features to suggest an unusual variant. Two months later she developed spinal cord compression due to an IgD plasmacytoma. This complication of IgD myeloma has rarely been reported.

Cardiovascular symptoms, electrocardiographic abnormalities, and associated risk factors in an elderly Chinese population.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of angina and possible infarct (WHO cardiovascular questionnaire) and electrocardiographic abnormalities (Minnesota Coding) in elderly Chinese subjects aged 70+ years living in Hong Kong, and the association with some cardiovascular risk factors. A subsample of 197 subjects (96 men, 101 women) selected according to geographical area from a territory-wide health survey consisting of 2032 elderly subjects selected by an age and sex stratified random sampling method was studied. Overall, 7% of men and 9% of women had symptoms suggestive of angina, while 6% of men and 4% of women had symptoms suggestive of possible infarct.

The combined effects of aerobic exercise and alcohol restriction on blood pressure and serum lipids: a two-way factorial study in sedentary men.

Objectives: To determine whether vigorous exercise and alcohol restriction have additive and independent effects in reducing blood pressure in sedentary male alcohol drinkers. Also to assess whether 4 weeks of vigorous exercise could offset the fall in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol) usually observed after alcohol restriction.

Design: Seventy-five sedentary men were randomly assigned to drink low-alcohol beer or continue their normal drinking habits.

Lipid profile in the Chinese old-old: comparison with younger age groups and relationship with some cardiovascular risk factors and presence of diseases.

In a health survey of 2,032 elderly Hong Kong Chinese aged 70 years and over selected by stratified random sampling, a subset of 199 subjects (96 M, 103 F) were selected for a study of their lipid profile. No age and sex differences were observed in mean total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglyceride concentrations in this subgroup. Compared with values from younger Chinese subjects from a previous survey, TC and LDL-C showed an age-related rise up till about 60 years, followed by a gradual decline.

Changes in markers of alcohol intake in man below 'safe' drinking levels.

In a group of 343 working men, only 34 of whom regularly drank more than 60 ml of ethanol per day, logistic regression was used to determine the combination of biomarkers which best discriminated between those who regularly drank less than 30 ml or 30 ml or more of ethanol daily. The index consisted of apolipoprotein A-II, uric acid, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and mean corpuscular volume. Even with the relatively low level of alcohol intake reported in these subjects (assessed using a 7-day retrospective alcohol diary), the groups with higher or lower intake of alcohol were separated with a sensitivity of 68%, a specificity of 74% and a positive predictive value of 71%.

Effects of alcohol and caloric restrictions on blood pressure and serum lipids in overweight men.

We have examined the independent and combined effects on blood pressure and blood lipids of alcohol restriction and weight loss in overweight male drinkers with a view to assessing overall effects on cardiovascular risk of two widely promoted nonpharmacological approaches for hypertension. Eighty-six men with a mean age of 44.3 years, a mean regular alcohol intake of 440 ml/wk (five or six standard drinks per day), a mean blood pressure of 137.

Effect of smoking cessation on serum apolipoprotein A-I and A-II concentrations.

This study investigated the effects of 6 weeks' smoking cessation on serum levels of total-cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and apolipoproteins A-I and A-II (apo A-I and apo A-II) in 64 subjects of both sexes. Smoking cessation was associated with an increase in levels of apo A-II. Concurrent changes in weight and alcohol consumption during attempted smoking cessation, together with change in thiocyanate level, were entered as predictor variables into a multiple regression analysis.

Comparison of diets supplemented with fish oil or olive oil on plasma lipoproteins in insulin-dependent diabetics.

This study was designed to compare changes in high-density lipoprotein (HDL)- and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol in normolipidaemic male insulin-dependent diabetics (IDD) following dietary supplementation with either the fish oil concentrate Max EPA or olive oil. The contribution of the small quantity of cholesterol in Max EPA to these changes was also examined. Twenty-seven subjects were matched in groups of three and randomly allocated to one of three treatment groups of nine subjects each.

Leukocyte and platelet function and eicosanoid production in subjects with hypercholesterolaemia.

A group of 22 subjects with type IIA hypercholesterolaemia (mean serum cholesterol = 8.3 +/- 0.3 mmol/l) were sex, age and weight matched with 22 control subjects (mean serum cholesterol = 4.

Fish oil-induced changes in apolipoproteins in IDDM subjects.

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of Max EPA (a commercially available fish oil preparation) on serum cholesterol lipoproteins and apolipoproteins in insulin-dependent diabetic (IDDM) men with dosages that were likely to be acceptable to patients. Twenty-two male IDDM patients aged 20-41 yr, 6 of whom had retinopathy, were recruited from the Royal Perth Hospital diabetic clinic. After screening, subjects were divided into three groups.

Controlled comparison of effects of exercise and alcohol on blood pressure and serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol in sedentary males.

1. Seventy-two sedentary male drinkers, aged 20-45 years, and with mean blood pressure (BP) at entry of 132 +/- 1.2/73 +/- 0.

Dietary fish oils increase serum lipids in insulin-dependent diabetics compared with healthy controls.

The effect of daily dietary supplementation with fish oil on serum lipids and platelet total phospholipid fatty acids was examined in male normolipidemic insulin-dependent diabetics and normal controls. They were given 15 g/d of fish oil as Max EPA (equivalent to 2.7 g/d of eicosapentaenoic acid) for 3 weeks.