These findings support the hypothesis that in morbid obesity, weight loss after surgery has positive effects on fibrinolytic function, oxidative stress and antioxidant activity. Both operative approaches had similar effects in this study.

The effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy on oxidant/antioxidant metabolism are controversial and its effects on hepatic regeneration are not known. In this study, we investigated a possible beneficial effect of HBO therapy on oxidant and antioxidants levels during liver regeneration. To conduct this study, seventy percent hepatectomy was performed on forty-eight SpraggueDawley rats and the rats were divided into two equal groups: HBO-treated group and untreated group (non-HBO group). We determined the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), an oxidative stress marker, and the levels of antioxidant enzymes/reagents, including glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activitiy, copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in the remnant liver samples. We also measured mitotic index (MI) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) levels to assess the degree of liver regeneration. HBO treatment significantly decreased MDA levels, whereas it increased SOD activity, GSH and Zn levels. In contrast, Cu levels were lower in the HBO-treated livers than the levels in the untreated remnant livers. The effect of HBO treatment may be mediated by the suppression of certain enzymes that are responsible for lipid peroxidation. In addition, HBO treatment may induce the production of antioxidant enzymes/reagents by remnant liver tissues. The HBO-treated rats maintained their body weights but the untreated rats lost body weights. HBO treatment also increased MI and PCNA levels, indicating HBO treatment enhances liver regeneration. These

Oxidative stress in sustained hypertension was shown with several biochemical parameters. Oxidized lowdensity lipoprotein (oxLDL) plays an important role during the atherosclerosis process and paraoxonase (PON1) can significantly inhibit lipid peroxidation. Serum PON1 activity, oxLDL and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations and their relationship with serum lipid parameters and systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP) were determined in subjects with white coat hypertension (WCH), sustained hypertension (HT) and normotension (NT). The study group consisted of a total of 86 subjects, 30 with WCH (14 male, 16 female subjects), 30 with HT (13 male, 17 female subjects) and 26 with NT (12 male, 14 female subjects). Both white coat hypertensive and hypertensive subjects had significantly higher levels of MDA than normotensives (Po0.026 and Po0.001, respectively). The oxLDL level of the HT group was significantly higher than the NT group (Po0.023). The WCH group had an oxLDL level similar to both hypertensive and normotensive groups. HT and WCH groups had significantly lower PON1 levels than the normotensive group (Po0.001). oxLDL correlated with MDA positively (P ¼ 0.008), and PON1 negatively (P ¼ 0.008). A negative correlation between MDA and PON1 (P ¼ 0.014) was detected. MDA correlated positively with both SBP and DBP (P ¼ 0.001), while PON1 correlated with both of them negatively (P ¼ 0.01 and P ¼ 0.008, respectively). OxLDL correlated with diastolic blood pressure positively (P ¼ 0.008). Our data demonstrate that oxidative stress increase in WCH is associated with a decrease in PON1 activity. The reduction in PON1 activity may be one of the factors leading to an increase in oxidative status in WCH.

Increased levels of serum MDA and PGF(2α), low levels of SOD and PON1 activity, in 10-14 GW may have been associated with preeclampsia etiology. High levels of MDA and PGF(2α) indicate that the oxidative damage is present well before the clinical symptoms occur. A panel of oxidative stress markers such as MDA and PGF(2α) in maternal blood can predict the development of preeclampsia long before clinical onset.

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Hypertensive patients are at particular risk of cardiovascular complications, possibly related to endothelial damage or dysfunction, or to abnormal angiogenesis. The aim of this study was to compare the risk conferred by white coat hypertension (WCH) vs sustained hypertension in the development of the endothelial dysfunction and abnormal angiogenesis by evaluating nitric oxide (NO ¼ NO 2 þ NO 3 ), endothelin-1 (ET-1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and E-selectin levels in plasma. The study group included 102 subjects, 34 with WCH (17 male and 17 female patients) aged 49711 years, 34 sustained hypertensives (HT) (15 male and 19 female patients) aged 47711 years and 34 normotensive control subjects (NT) (16 male and 18 female patients) aged 48710 years. WCH was defined as clinical hypertension and daytime ambulatory blood pressure less than 135/85 mmHg. The subjects were matched for age, gender, body mass index and the patients with smoking habit, dyslipidaemia, and diabetes mellitus were excluded from the study. The NO, ET-1, VEGF and E-selectin levels were analysed by ELISA technique. The WCH subjects had significantly higher levels of NO than the HT (41.6872.23 vs 32.1872.68 lmol/l; Po0.001) and significantly lower values than the NT (48.2474.29 lmol/l; Po0.001). ET-1 levels of the WCH group were significantly higher than the NT (8.1070.92 vs 5.9570.26 ng/ml; Po0.001) and significantly lower than the HT (11.4670.59 ng/ml; Po0.001). Considering with VEGF, the WCH group had significantly higher levels than the NT (195.88711.84 vs 146.26718.67 pg/ml; Po0.001), but the difference from the HT group was not significant (203.3577.48 pg/ml; P ¼ 0.062). E-selectin in the WCH group was significantly lower than the HT (4.7770.52 vs 8.4972.85; Po0.001), but the difference from the NT group was not significant (3.8670.67; P ¼ 0.077). Our data demonstrate that WCH is associated with endothelial dysfunction and abnormal angiogenesis. The degree of these changes is not as severe as observed in hypertensive population.

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BackgroundAntimicrobial peptides are effectors of host defence against infection and inflammation and can encourage wound repair.ObjectivesThe objectives of this study were to investigate the plasma antimicrobial peptide LL-37 and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) levels in patients with stable COPD compared with a control group and to highlight their importance in immune inflammation.MethodsOne hundred and thirty-eight stable COPD patients and 33 control subjects were enrolled in the study. The COPD patients were classified into four groups based on FEV1 (groups I–IV) and also divided into “low-risk and high-risk” groups (groups A–B [low risk], C–D [high risk]).ResultsPlasma LL-37 levels were significantly lower while plasma NF-κB levels of the COPD patients were significantly higher than those of the control subjects (P<0.001, both). LL-37 levels were significantly lower in group IV than in groups I, II, and III (P<0.01, all). NF-κB levels were significantly higher in groups III and IV than in groups I and II (P<0.05, both). There was a positive correlation between FEV1 and FEV1/FVC in all COPD patients (r=0.742, P<0.001) and in group D (r=0.741, P<0.001). Furthermore, there was an inverse correlation between LL-37 and NF-κB in both the groups C (r=−0.566, P<0.001) and D (r=−0.694, P<0.001) and group C+D combined (r=−0.593, P<0.001). Furthermore, in group C, LL-37 and FEV1 were positively correlated (r=0.633, P<0.001).ConclusionOur study indicated that plasma LL-37 and NF-κB may play an important role in chronic immune inflammation. Decreased LL-37 levels may be particularly high risk for patients in stage IV disease. The role of LL-37 as a target for treatment of the immune system and COPD must be widely evaluated.