Paraoxonase-1 Serum Concentration and Gene Polymorphisms: Relationship with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an important cause of chronic liver diseases around the world. Paraoxonase-1 (PON1) is an enzyme produced by the liver with an important antioxidant role. The aim of this study was to evaluate PON1 serum concentration and gene polymorphisms in patients with NAFLD.

Determining Factors of Arterial Stiffness in Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome.

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a clustering entity characterized by obesity, hypertension, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance. Early detection of atherosclerosis is important in patients with MS because cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of mortality in these patients.

Methods: We aimed to investigate the factors influencing arterial stiffness, pulse wave velocity, and the augmentation index, respectively, in 150 subjects with MS (94 women and 56 men; mean age 60.

Serum Levels of Oxidative Stress Markers in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis.

Introduction: Oxidative stress is one of the key mechanisms responsible for disease progression in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of oxidative stress markers in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DMT2) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and test their relationships with clinical and biochemical patient characteristics, compared to patients with DMT2 without non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and controls.

Materials And Methods: In all, 60 consecutive patients with DMT2 and NASH, 55 with DMT2 without NAFLD, and 50 age-and-gender-matched healthy subjects participated in the study.

Non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis in chronic viral hepatitis.

Background: Hyaluronic acid (HA), ASAT to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI), ASAT/ALAT ratio, Fibrosis 4 score (FIB4) and FibroScan were studied as non-invasive markers of liver fibrosis (F) in chronic viral hepatitis B (CHB) and C (CHC), in an attempt to avoid the complications of liver puncture biopsy, considered the gold standard in the evaluation of F. The aim of our research was to study whether HA, APRI, ASAT/ALAT ratio, FIB4 and FibroScan are useful non-invasive markers in predicting severe F in Romanian patients.

Patients And Methods: This was a prospective multicenter transversal and observational study, which included 76 patients with CHB/CHC.

Paraoxonase 1 genotype-phenotype correlation in patients with metabolic syndrome.

The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (-108C>T, -162A>G and -909G>C) from the promoter region of paraoxonase 1 (PON1) gene on the enzyme activity, in patients with metabolic syndrome (MS). The study group consisted of 61 individuals with MS and the control group of 73 individuals without MS, matched for age and gender. For each individual, clinical and genetic parameters with possible influence on PON1 activities (paraoxonase, arylesterase and lactonase) were measured.

Cardiac amyloidosis with gastrointestinal involvement: a case report.

Familial amyloidosis is a rare type of amyloidosis, difficult to diagnose. We present the case of a woman with chronic heart failure. Low ejection fraction and concentric left ventricle hypertrophy with granular sparkling were seen by echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

Serum homocysteine levels, oxidative stress and cardiovascular risk in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Introduction: Hyperhomocysteinemia is considered an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Oxidative stress is one of the major pathogenic mechanisms in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and atherosclerosis.

Aim: Our study aimed to evaluate serum homocysteine levels and oxidative stress in patients with biopsy-proven non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and possible association with cardiovascular risk measured by carotid artery intima-media thickness (c-IMT).

Two different types of diabetes mellitus in pancreatic cancer population. Comparative study between new onset and long standing diabetes mellitus on 76 patients with pancreatic cancer.

Background: There are some studies which have reported a higher diagnosis probability for PC if the DM occurred within the past 2-3 years. Information on the clinical profile of pancreatic cancer (PC) associated with diabetes mellitus (DM) is limited. The aim of the study was to compare clinic-morphological features in patients with new onset DM and PC and long lasting DM and PC, in order to detect new factors or markers which can help in early diagnosis of PC.

Pancreatic hamartoma and SAPHO syndrome: a case report.

We report the first case of an association of pancreatic hamartoma with SAPHO syndrome mimicking disseminated bone metastases. A 46 year old male with intermittent back pain for 10 years, relieved by NSAIDs and desquamation erythemathous palmo-plantar eruption one year before, presented with symptoms of duodenal stenosis, a cystic tumor at the head of the pancreas and osteoformative (hyperostosis) and osteodestructive (osteitis) lesions of the clavicle, mandible, lumbar spine. The bone lesions resembled bone metastases, but an inflammatory infiltrate and fibrosis were found on the excisional biopsy of left clavicle, compatible with the SAPHO syndrome.

Endothelial dysfunction in metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome (MS) or insulin resistance syndrome is the result of multiple metabolic abnormalities associated with cardiovascular disease. Since 1988, when Reaven first described MS, many researches have been conducted in order to understand its pathophysiology, epidemiology, prognostic implications and therapeutic strategies. Numerous metabolic abnormalities found in the metabolic syndrome, including hyperglycemia, excessive fatty acids and insulin resistance, cause an endothelial cell dysfunction by affecting nitric oxide synthesis or degradation.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease--a risk factor for microalbuminuria in type 2 diabetic patients.

Unlabelled: The aim of our study was to assess the presence of microalbuminuria in diabetic subjects with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) compared with diabetic patients without NAFLD and to correlate this with inflammatory markers such as high sensitive C- reactive protein (hsCRP).

Material And Methods: The study was conducted on 75 diabetic subjects with ultrasonographical NAFLD, in which alcohol consumption and other causes of chronic liver disease have been excluded. The exclusion criteria also included smoking, arterial hypertension, known renal disease.

The prognosis of glycoregulation disturbances and insulin secretion in alcoholic and C virus liver cirrhosis.

We studied 49 alcoholic and viral C liver cirrhosis, over a period of 5 years, we evaluated OGTT, HOMA-IR, HOMA-beta, child score, diabetes mellitus and liver cirrhosis complications and survival. Both insulin resistance and lower insulin secretion in liver cirrhosis are important determinants of the degree of oral glucose tolerance. There is a correlation between the bad prognosis in patients with cirrhosis and glycoregulation disturbances, especially in those with alcoholic etiology.

Anemia--a complication of antiviral treatment in chronic viral hepatitis C.

Anemia is an important and frequent secondary effect of the treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin in patients with chronic viral C hepatitis. Ribavirin produces more often hemolytic anemia, while pegylated interferon may determine medullary suppression. The level of hemoglobin beneath 10 g/dL is considered by most authors as being the reference level for anemia secondary to the antiviral treatment.

Glycoregulation disorders and alterations of C reactive protein in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Unlabelled: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a clinicopathological condition which ranges from simple steatosis and steatohepatitis to cryptogenetic cirrhosis. As insulinresistance plays a central pathogenetic role, NAFLD is regarded as the hepatic feature of the metabolic syndrome. Type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity are the conditions most frequently associated with NAFLD.

Serological and histological correlations in celiac disease.

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to compare the sensitivity of the serological markers in patients with non-treated celiac disease by determination of antiendomysium and anti-tissue-transglutaminase autoantibodies separately and together. At the same time we examined the correlation between the serum levels of the two antibodies and the severity of the histological lesions.

Material And Methods: The research included 26 persons (19 females, 7 males, age range 18-56 years) in whom the small bowel biopsy confirmed the villous atrophy.

The serum level of certain aminoacids in chronic liver diseases associated with impaired oral glucose tolerance.

We studied the plasma levels of some aminoacids and immunoreactive insulin in chronic liver diseases with impaired glucose tolerance during oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). There are significant alterations of aminoacids levels and insulin in chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis, especially followed by impaired glucose tolerance.

The prognosis significance of insulin secretion in liver cirrhosis.

We evaluate the prognostic significance of chronic liver diseases followed by diabetes mellitus in 40 patients by Child class, immunoreactive insulinemia (IRI), C peptide (CP) and pancreolaury-test (PLT) at 5 years. Death and hepatic insufficiency prevalence were significantly higher in cirrhotic diabetics, and in those diabetics with a lower insulin secretion (IRI, CP). Insulin hyposecretion (lower IRI, CP) was found in cirrhotic with abnormal PLT (below 20%).

Rheological changes in diabetic microangiopathy.

Objectives: Evaluation of rheological changes in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Material And Method: Determination of plasma viscosity, erythrocyte deformability, erythrocyte adhesion, fibrinogen and hematocrit in a group of 56 patients with diabetes mellitus, of which 28 with diabetic microangiopathy. The group includes 20 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and 36 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The oxidative stress in the development of diabetes chronic complications in the elderly.

The diabetes mellitus occurs as an important disease at elderly people, to whom the micro- and macrovascular complications represent a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Experimental researches of the last years proved that the oxidative stress may be the common mechanisms that intervenes in the occurrence of the diabetes complications as well as in the aging process and is responsible for the increased prevalence of chronic complications at elderly diabetics. Starting from this information, we performed a comparative study where we followed the intensity of the oxidative stress at elderly diabetics as compared to adult diabetics and non-diabetic elderly people.

Low insulin secretion in decompensated liver cirrhosis with diabetes mellitus.

The present study aimed to investigate the pathogenesis of altered glucose tolerance frequently observed in liver cirrhosis by means of oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and i.v. glucagon followed by determining the immunoreactive insulinemia and insulinogenic index (Seltzer).