Vaspin levels are significantly higher in women, and gender is an independent predictor of circulating vaspin in both control and CD patients. In addition, age independently predicts vaspin in control patients, whereas GFR and CRP are independently associated with this adipokine in CD patients. In contrast, circulating vaspin is not independently associated with markers of glucose and lipid metabolism.

No abstract

OBJECTIVE -Retinol-binding protein (RBP)-4 was recently identified as an adipokine that induces insulin resistance. In the current study, we investigated RBP-4 serum levels in diabetic and nondiabetic patients on chronic hemodialysis (CD) compared with control subjects with a glomerular filtration rate Ͼ50 ml/min. The majority of the diabetic subjects used oral hypoglycemic agents or insulin.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -RBP-4 was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in control subjects (n ϭ 59) and CD patients (n ϭ 58) and correlated with clinical and biochemical measures of renal function, glucose and lipid metabolism, and inflammation in both groups.RESULTS -Mean serum RBP-4 levels were almost fourfold higher in CD patients (102 Ϯ 30 mg/l) compared with control subjects (28 Ϯ 8 mg/l). Furthermore, serum creatinine independently predicted RBP-4 concentrations in multiple regression analyses in both control subjects and CD patients. In addition, C-reactive protein and systolic blood pressure independently and negatively correlated with RBP-4 serum concentrations in CD patients but not control subjects. In contrast, markers of glucose and lipid metabolism were not independently related to serum RBP-4 in control subjects or CD patients.CONCLUSIONS -We show that markers of renal function are independently related to serum RBP-4 levels.

Renal filtration appears as an important route of elimination of AFABP. Future studies should elucidate whether this adipocyte-expressed factor contributes to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease found in end-stage renal disease.

No abstract