The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is more common in patients with hypertension and is associated with an increased risk of target organ damage and/or cardiovascular disease (CVD). Omentin-1 is a beneficial adipokine considered to play a role in MetS and MetS-related states such as obesity, diabetes, and coronary artery disease. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between circulating omentin-1 levels and MetS uncomplicated by diabetes or CVD (nascent MetS) in patients with hypertension. In this study, 110 patients (54 men, 49%; average age: 49.72±11.32 years) treated for hypertension but without overt diabetes and/or CVD were enrolled. 66 patients were stratified into MetS (+) (group 1) and 44 patients into MetS (−) (group 2) according to the American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute criteria. The triglyceride glucose (TyG) index was used to assess insulin resistance. Circulating omentin-1 levels in venous blood samples were measured by an ELISA kit. Circulating omentin-1 levels in patients with MetS were significantly lower than in patients without MetS (46.35 ng/mL (42.70–57.70 ng/mL) vs 130.95 ng/mL (62.83–236.48 ng/mL), p<0.001). Omentin-1 was inversely correlated with TyG index (r=−0.204, p=0.033). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, omentin-1, TyG index, and body mass index were independent predictors of MetS. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis determined that the best cut-off value for omentin-1 in predicting MetS was 62.20 ng/mL and the area under the curve was 0.880 (95% CI 0.817 to 0.942, p<0.001). The findings of this study suggest that circulating omentin-1 levels are inversely related to the presence of MetS and may be a reliable marker to predict the development of MetS in patients with hypertension.

The accuracy of risk prediction for coronary artery disease can be improved with the use of novel molecular or genetic biomarkers. In this study, we investigated the difference of five selected microRNAs (miR or miRNA) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and controls, assessed by coronary angiography. The study population consisted of 85 subjects, aged between 18 and 75 years and underwent invasive coronary angiography. Subjects with more than 30% stenosis in at least one coronary artery, patients with a history of prior percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary by‐pass surgery were allocated to the patient group; whereas the subjects without at least 30% stenosis consisted the control group. Groups were similar in age, presence of hypertension, and smoking status. However, the proportion of males and subjects taking angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, beta blockers, nitrates, and statins were higher in the patient group. miR‐221 and miR‐155 were downregulated (P = .02 and .001, respectively), while miR‐21 levels were significantly increased (P = .003) in the patient group compared to controls. Changes in miR‐145 and miR‐126 did not reach statistical significance (P > .05). miRNA‐ 21, miR‐155, and miR‐221 were differentially expressed between the patients and controls. miRNAs are promising biomarkers for CAD diagnosis, however, this requires further research with larger groups.

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Aim: Recent studies have shown that increased circulating concentrations of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) are associated with obesity, metabolic disorder, and atherosclerosis. However, the studies which investigate the relationship between serum FGF21 levels and coronary artery disease (CAD) include conflicting data. In this study, we planned to investigate the role of FGF21 in CAD development and CAD severity. Method: Seventy-eight patients with stable angina pectoris (SA) (lesion positive) and 40   control patients (lesion negative) with similar cardiovascular risk factors who underwent coronary angiography were included in the study. Serum FGF21 levels were measured by ELISA method. CAD severity was evaluated by using SYNTAX and GENSINI risk scores. Results:  Although there was a statistically significant difference between serum FGF21 levels in the SA and the control groups [101.18 ± 141.62 vs. 47.93 ± 58.74 pg/mL; p = 0.03], no correlation was found between the SYNTAX (r = 0.146 and p = 0.134) and GENSINI (r = 0.211 and p = 0.084) scores with serum FGF21 levels. The SA group had lower serum HDL-C levels (41.57 ± 11.40 vs. 54.90 ± 34.47; p = 0.02). There was a significant and negative relationship between serum FGF21 and serum HDL-C levels in correlation analysis (r = - 0.272; p = 0.026). Conclusion: The serum FGF21 levels are different between SA diagnosed and control patients. FGF21 may be a marker for CAD diagnosis, but not for the evaluation of CAD severity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate coronary artery disease severity together with a lipid profile.

Background: The prevous studies has showed that serum retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) levels increased in metobolic disorders which are closely associated with cardiovascular dieases (CVD).  However the human studies investigating the role of RBP4 in CVD are conflicted. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between RBP4 and the presence and the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) in this study. Methods: 55 patients with presenting acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and 43 control subjects who had various cardiovascular risk factors with normal coronary artery on coronary angiography were included in this study.The serum RBP4 concentrations were measured using ELISA method and clinically and anatomically score models were used to asses the severity of coronary lesion. Results: Serum RBP4 level was significantly higher in patients with ACS compared to the controls (68.40 ± 47.94 mg/L vs. 49.46 ± 13.64 mg/L; p = 0.014).  RBP4 was correlated with GENSINI and SYNTAX I score (r = 0,286 p=0,034; r = 0.403 p = 0.002 respectively). However, there was no relationship between RBP4 and GRACE score. Conclusion: Patients with ACS had increased serum RBP4 levels and its high levels were correlated with CAD severity.