Introduction:
Fetuin-A serves a dual function; its high levels are associated with metabolic syndrome, type
2 diabetes, obesity, insulin resistance, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and on the other hand, it serves
as a potent inhibitor of vascular ectopic calcification. Because of the opposing findings, the aim of the
current study was to investigate serum fetuin-A levels in military personnel males with coronary artery
disease (CAD).
Methods:
In the case-control study, anthropometric and biochemical parameters were determined in 83
military personnel males (43 CAD patients and 40 control subjects). At last, the serum fetuin-A levels were
measured using the fetuin-A human enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit.
Results:
A significant differences were detected among the two groups for triglyceride and cholesterol
levels (P=0.003 and P=0.002, respectively). The mean fetuin A levels were determined 230.57 ± 63.76 and
286.35 ± 64.07 µg/ml for the control group and the CAD patients, respectively (P<0.001). Fetuin A were
significantly correlated to the severity of CAD (r 0.393, P<0.001) and associated with the risk of CAD in
subjects (OR [CI] = 1. 144 [1.060–1. 235]; p = 0.001). A cut-off value of 237.4 µg/ml had good sensitivity
(76.7%) and specificity (65.0%) for differentiating between two groups [area under curve (AUC) = 0.732
(CI=0.621–0.842); p < 0.001].
Conclusion:
Our results indicated that fetuin A levels were positively correlated to the severity of CAD.
The findings suggest that there are a possible link between pathogenic mechanisms of atherosclerosis and
fetuin A; however, more investigations are needed in this regard.
Background:
Dermatophytosis is a globally distributed fungal infection. Treatment failure and relapse is common in this disease. Silver nanoparticle are known for their promising antimicrobial activity. The aim of this study was to determine the antifungal activity
of these nanoparticles against common dermatophyte species.
Methods:
A set of 30 molecularly identified dermatophytes including Trichophyton interdigitale (n=10), Trichophyton rubrum (n=10), and
Epidermophyton floccosum (n=10) were used in this study. Green synthesized silver nanoparticles using chicory (Cichorium intybus) were
tested for their antifungal activity in comparison to fluconazole, itraconazole and terbinafine. Interspecies differences in minimum inhibitory concentrations of antifungal drugs and silver nanoparticles were tested using Kruskal–Wallis test in SPSS software version 21.
Results:
The highest minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) among antifungal drugs were observed for fluconazole [range: 4–64
µg/mL, geometric mean (GM) =17.959 µg/mL], followed by itraconazole (range: 0.008–0.5, GM= 0.066) and terbinafine (range: 0.004–
0.25 µg/mL, GM=0.027 µg/mL). Silver nanoparticles showed potent antifungal activity against all dermatophyte isolates with MICs (range:
0.25–32 µg/mL, GM=4.812 µg/mL) higher than those of itraconazole and terbinafine, but lower than fluconazole.
MIC values of silver nanoparticles demonstrated significant differences between species (P=0.044), with E. floccosum having the highest MICs
(GM=9.849 µg/mL) compared to T. interdigitale (GM=3.732 µg/mL) and T. rubrum (GM=3.031 µg/mL).
Conclusion:
Silver nanoparticles demonstrated promising anti-dermatophyte activity against the studied dermatophytes. Due to their widespectrum activity against other fungal and bacterial pathogens, they could be a potential choice, at least in the case of cutaneous and superficial infections.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.