Osteoporosis and polymorphisms of osteoprotegerin gene in postmenopausal women - a pilot study.

Objectives: Osteoprotegerin (OPG) has an important role in bone remodeling, and it has been proposed that the OPG gene might be a candidate gene for osteoporosis predisposition. Several studies have already assessed the connection between OPG gene polymorphism and bone mineral density (BMD). In this study we wanted to analyze the association of two polymorphisms in the OPG gene with BMD and bone turnover markers in women with and without osteoporosis.

Low adiponectin serum level--reduced protective effect on the left ventricular wall thickness.

Adiponectin, secreted by fat tissue, is down - regulated in obesity and may be involved in obesity-related disorders. It has anti-inflammatory, antiatherosclerotic and antidiabetic effect. Obesity is a strong predictor for hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.

Circadian rhythm of blood leptin level in obese and non-obese people.

Leptin, an adipose tissue hormone, has circadian variations in its secretion. Aims of this study were to show how circadian rhythm depends on fat tissue distribution in obese and non-obese subjects. The research was carried out on 70 subjects (37 men and 33 women) with an average body mass index (BMI) of 25.