The association of profilin-1 levels with survival in chronic kidney disease.

Background: Profilin-1 is a ubiquitous, actin-binding protein that plays an important role in the regulation of actin polymerization and cytoskeleton remodelling and contributes to vascular dysfunction. We conducted this study to investigate the association of serum profilin-1 levels with fatal and nonfatal CVE in a cohort of patients with stage 1-5 CKD.

Materials And Methods: Serum concentrations of profilin-1 levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Undetected Peripheral Arterial Disease Among Older Adults With Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias.

Background: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) was reported to increase the risk of dementia(s) even more than stroke. We assessed the prevalence of PAD in a group with definite diagnosis of dementia.

Methods: Patients aged 65 years or older with Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), or AD-VaD were enrolled (n = 162, mean age: 78.

IL-33 and ST2 levels in chronic kidney disease: Associations with inflammation, vascular abnormalities, cardiovascular events, and survival.

Objective: Increased inflammation, associated with the increase in chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage, has a very important influence in vascular injury and cardiovascular diseases. In this study, we aimed to investigate the levels of IL-33 and ST2 in the different stages of CKD and to determine their effect on vascular damage and cardiovascular events (CVE).

Methods: This was an observational cohort study in which serum IL-33 and ST2 were obtained from 238 CKD (stages 1-5) patients.

Endostatin in chronic kidney disease: Associations with inflammation, vascular abnormalities, cardiovascular events and survival.

Background And Aims: Endostatin, generated from collagen XVIII, and endorepellin, possess dual activity as modifiers of both angiogenesis and endothelial cell autophagy. Plasma endostatin levels are elevated in a large number of diseases, and may reflect endothelial cell dysfunction. Few data on endostatins are available for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Chitotriosidase as a novel biomarker of early atherosclerosis in hemodialysis patients.

Introduction: Increasing evidence suggests that inflammation and increased macrophage activity have a central role in pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. It is shown that chitotriosidase (CHIT-1) is a marker of macrophage activity in atherosclerotic plaque, and is found associated with severity of atherosclerotic lesion. There is no data about CHIT-1 activity of hemodialysis patients in the literature.

Thyroid function and cardiovascular events in chronic kidney disease patients.

Background And Aims: Abnormalities of thyroid function are commonly seen in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. They are associated with adverse clinical conditions such as atherosclerosis, endothelial dysfunction, inflammation and abnormal blood pressure variability. We investigated the association between thyroid disorders and endothelial function, assessed by flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), and cardiovascular events (CVE) in CKD patients.

Osteoprotegerin in Chronic Kidney Disease: Associations with Vascular Damage and Cardiovascular Events.

Vascular injury and dysfunction contribute to cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a soluble member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily that has been linked to atherogenesis and endothelial dysfunction. Elevated circulating OPG levels predict future cardiovascular events (CVE).

Relevance of uric acid and asymmetric dimethylarginine for modeling cardiovascular risk prediction in chronic kidney disease patients.

Background: Both elevated serum uric acid and serum asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. We hypothesized that combined elevation of uric acid and ADMA amplifies the risk of all-cause mortality and/or cardiovascular events (CVE) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: A total of 259 patients with CKD stages 1-5 were followed up in a time-to-event analysis for all-cause mortality and fatal and non-fatal CVE (including death, stroke, and myocardial infarction).

Ultrasonographic evaluation of the femoral cartilage thickness in patients with chronic renal failure.

Objective: To investigate the effects of chronic renal failure (CRF) on the distal femoral cartilage thickness by using ultrasonography and to determine the relationship between cartilage thickness and certain disease-related parameters.

Design: Fifty-seven CRF patients (41 male and 16 female) (mean [SD] age, 44.7 [12.

Individual variations in ankle brachial index measurement among Turkish adults.

Purpose: Variability of ankle brachial index (ABI) measured by the same observer in the same individual on three different occasions was examined.

Basic Methods: A single morning ABI was initially determined (measurement 1) with handheld Doppler device. One to four weeks apart, another morning (measurement 2) and afternoon (measurement 3) ABI was measured on the same day.

Effectiveness of the Stewart Method in the Evaluation of Blood Gas Parameters.

Objectives: In 1981, Peter A. Stewart published a paper describing his concept for employing Strong Ion Difference. In this study we compared the HCO3 levels and Anion Gap (AG) calculated using the classic method and the Stewart method.

Systemic involvements and preferred treatments in a large cohort of Behçet's disease.

The immunosuppressive drugs are widely used in systemic involvements of Behçet's disease. This study is aimed to investigate the extent of clinical involvement and preferred treatment approaches for type of involvements in Behçet's patients from the whole country. All patients with the diagnosis of Behçet's disease were enrolled to the study.

Abdominal obesity is associated with a lower ankle-brachial index in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) was linked to increased lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease. A low ankle-brachial index (ABI) is associated with accelerated atherosclerosis. The ABI value and the associated conditions in women with PCOS were searched in the present study.