Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A₂ activity is increased in patients with definite familial hypercholesterolemia compared with other forms of hypercholesterolemia.

Background And Aim: Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A (Lp-PLA) plays a key role in atherosclerosis development. It is considered a marker of increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and plaque vulnerability. Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic disorder characterized by elevated plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and a higher prevalence of early CVD.

Fibromax-based nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with obstructive sleep apnea: Methodological considerations.

The relationship between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been well demonstrated, but remains to be evidenced in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Recently, Viglino (Eur Respir J, 2017) attempted to determine the prevalence of liver fibrosis, steatosis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in COPD patients, some of whom had OSA, basing the NAFLD diagnostic on three circulating biomarker-based liver scores: the FibroTest, SteatoTest and NashTest, from the Fibromax® panel. Among the main findings, the absence of OSA treatment emerged as independently associated with liver fibrosis and steatosis, when compared to effective treatment.

Determination of age- and sex-specific 99th percentiles for high-sensitive troponin T from patients: an analytical imprecision- and partitioning-based approach.

Background: Detection of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is mainly based on a rise of cardiac troponin with at least one value above the 99th percentile upper reference limit (99th URL). However, circulating high-sensitive cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) concentrations depend on age, sex and renal function. Using an analytical imprecision-based approach, we aimed to determine age- and sex-specific hs-cTnT 99th URLs for patients without chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Serum lipid profile, sleep-disordered breathing and blood pressure in the elderly: a 10-year follow-up of the PROOF-SYNAPSE cohort.

Objectives: Dyslipidemia, sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and hypertension are comorbid factors evidenced in adults, but poorly studied in old people. This study aimed to examine the long-term evolution of the serum lipid profile, and its relationships with SDB and blood pressure (BP) in the elderly.

Methods: A ten-year follow-up of the prospective Prognostic Indicator of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Events (PROOF) and the Autonomic Nervous System Activity, Aging and Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea (SYNAPSE) cohort, which initially included 1011 elderly subjects from the general population, and who were untreated by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).

Oxidative stress and the amyloid beta peptide in Alzheimer's disease.

Oxidative stress is known to play an important role in the pathogenesis of a number of diseases. In particular, it is linked to the etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), an age-related neurodegenerative disease and the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. Histopathological hallmarks of AD are intracellular neurofibrillary tangles and extracellular formation of senile plaques composed of the amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ) in aggregated form along with metal-ions such as copper, iron or zinc.

Atorvastatin reduces β-Adrenergic dysfunction in rats with diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Background: In the diabetic heart the β-adrenergic response is altered partly by down-regulation of the β1-adrenoceptor, reducing its positive inotropic effect and up-regulation of the β3-adrenoceptor, increasing its negative inotropic effect. Statins have clinical benefits on morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients which are attributed to their "pleiotropic" effects. The objective of our study was to investigate the role of statin treatment on β-adrenergic dysfunction in diabetic rat cardiomyocytes.

Use of HOMA-IR to diagnose non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a population-based and inter-laboratory study.

Aims/hypothesis: Recent European guidelines for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) call for reference values for HOMA-IR. In this study, we aimed to determine: (1) the upper limit of normal HOMA-IR in two population-based cohorts; (2) the HOMA-IR corresponding to NAFLD; (3) the effect of sex and PNPLA3 genotype at rs738409 on HOMA-IR; and (4) inter-laboratory variations in HOMA-IR.

Methods: We identified healthy individuals in two population-based cohorts (FINRISK 2007 [n = 5024] and the Programme for Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes in Finland [FIN-D2D; n = 2849]) to define the upper 95th percentile of HOMA-IR.

Stability of Routine Biochemical Analytes in Whole Blood and Plasma From Lithium Heparin Gel Tubes During 6-hr Storage.

Background: The stability of biochemical analytes has already been investigated, but results strongly differ depending on parameters, methodologies, and sample storage times. We investigated the stability for many biochemical parameters after different storage times of both whole blood and plasma, in order to define acceptable pre- and postcentrifugation delays in hospital laboratories.

Methods: Twenty-four analytes were measured (Modular® Roche analyzer) in plasma obtained from blood collected into lithium heparin gel tubes, after 2-6 hr of storage at room temperature either before (n = 28: stability in whole blood) or after (n = 21: stability in plasma) centrifugation.

Giant xanthomas associated with severe mixed dyslipidemia and arteriosclerotic vascular disease: A case report.

The report describes a case of mixed hyperlipoproteinemia in a 64-year-old patient presenting a serum hypertriglyceridemia at 25 mmol/L and hypercholesterolemia at 15.75 mmol/L, giant xanthomas and symptomatic atherosclerotic disease.

Hemolysis indexes for biochemical tests and immunoassays on Roche analyzers: determination of allowable interference limits according to different calculation methods.

Objectives: To determine the hemolysis interference on biochemical tests and immunoassays performed on Roche Diagnostics analyzers, according to different maximum allowable limits.

Design And Methods: Heparinized plasma and serum pools, free of interferences, were overloaded by increasing amounts of a hemoglobin-titrated hemolysate. This interference was evaluated for 45 analytes using Modular(®) and Cobas(®) analyzers.