Background. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases, which has recently been mentioned as an independent cardiovascular risk factor. Objectives. Endocan is a novel molecule of endothelial dysfunction. We aimed to evaluate the associations of serum endocan levels with the hepatic steatosis index (HSI), fatty liver index (FLI), and degrees of hepatosteatosis in patients with metabolic syndrome with NAFLD. Design and Setting. This cross-sectional prospective study was performed in the outpatient clinic of an internal medicine department. Methods. The study included 40 patients with metabolic syndrome with NAFLD as noted using hepatic ultrasound and 20 healthy controls. Secondary causes of fatty liver were excluded. FLI and HSI calculations were recorded. Serum endocan level values were obtained after overnight fasting. Results. Higher values of HSI and FLI were found in the NAFLD groups than in the control groups (p<0.001). Five (12.5%) of 20 patients with liver steatosis had grade 1 liver steatosis, 15 (37.5%) patients had grade 2 liver steatosis, and 20 (50%) patients had grade 3 liver steatosis. Serum endocan levels were lower in patients with NAFLD compared with the healthy controls (146.56±133.29 pg/mL vs. 433.71±298.01 pg/mL, p<0.001). ROC curve analysis suggested that the optimum endocan value cutoff point for NAFLD was 122.583 pg/mL (sensitivity: 71.79%, specificity: 90%, PPV: 93.3%, and NPV: 62.1%). Conclusion. Serum endocan concentrations are low in patients with NAFLD, and the optimum cutoff point is 122.583 pg/mL. HSI and FLI were higher in patients with NAFLD; however, there was no correlation with serum endocan.

Obesity has recently been mentioned as a metabolic pandemic in developed and developing countries and is an important known risk factor for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The main mechanism responsible for obesity is insulin resistance. Adropin is a peptide-structured regulatory hormone that is suggested to play a role in insulin resistance and metabolic regulation. We aimed to evaluate the associations of serum adropin with insulin resistance and clarify the factors affecting serum adropin concentrations. The study included 50 obese patients and 22 healthy controls. Patients with chronic disease and drug use history were excluded. Serum adropin and other metabolic parameters were obtained after overnight fasting. ELISA was used to measure serum adropin concentrations. The homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index was used to calculate insulin resistance. Insulin resistance was defined as HOMA-IR >2.5. Serum adropin values were found to be low in the obese otherwise healthy patient group (p<0.001). Linear regression analysis revealed that age, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting glucose, and HOMA-IR affect serum adropin level. In multiple regression analysis, age is the most significant factor affecting serum adropin concentration. Serum adropin concentrations were negatively correlated with BMI, WC, diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, and insulin. Serum adropin concentrations were low in obese patients and the optimum cut-off point for adropin to indicate HOMA-IR at 2.5 is 216.7 ng/L. The findings suggest that serum adropin may contribute to the regulation of glycolipid metabolism and insulin resistance in obese patients.

IntroductionMetabolic syndrome has been recognized as a predictor of cardiovascular diseases. Epicardial fat tissue (EFT) thickness has recently been shown to be a predictor of cardiovascular diseases in metabolic syndrome patients. Endocan is a novel molecule which is considered to be an early marker of endothelial dysfunction. Our aim was to evaluate endocan serum levels for the first time in metabolic syndrome patients, in relation to EFT thickness.Material and methodsThe study included 44 patients with metabolic syndrome who had neither chronic kidney disease nor chronic inflammation and 26 healthy controls. Fasting blood samples were obtained from the groups. The serum levels of endocan were measured with a Sunred ELISA kit. EFT thickness of patients was measured by echocardiography.ResultsThe serum endocan levels were significantly lower in the metabolic syndrome patients compared to the healthy controls (120.71 ±90.17 pg/ml vs. 414.59 ±277.57, p < 0.001). Metabolic syndrome patients demonstrated significantly higher EFT (p = 0.042). EFT thickness had a positive correlation with age (r = 0.397, p = 0.008) and weight (r = 0.010). However, there was no correlation with serum endocan (r = –0.021, p = 0.893) or other parameters. Regression analysis revealed that waist circumference is the parameter among metabolic syndrome criteria having the strongest relationship with serum endocan levels ( = –0.499, p = 0.21).ConclusionsEFT thickness was high in metabolic syndrome patients and can be a useful marker for cardiovascular risk assessment. However, serum endocan levels were found to be low and there was no correlation with EFT thickness. Large sample sized prospective studies are needed to clarify the relation of endocan levels with the other clinical indicators of cardiovascular risk in metabolic syndrome.

Various parameters have been proposed to predict the outcome of patients with coronavirus disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of the age-adjusted CCI score and biochemical parameters for predicting outcomes for COVID-19 patients on admission. Patients and methods: A total of 511 patients were included in the study. Only swab or serological tests positive patients were included. The clinical characteristics of the patients were compared between survival and non-survival COVID-19 inpatients. Hemoglobin, platelet, sedimentation, creatinine, AST, ALT, LDH, CK, albumin, ferritin, lymphocyte, neutrophil, CRP (1-5;5-10;10-20 × upper limit), procalcitonin (5-10;10-20; > 20 × upper limit), D Dimer (> 2 × upper limit), age, gender, chronic diseases and CCI scores were compared between the two groups. Results: 68 patients died and 443 patients survived. Mean age was 74.3±7.3 years in survival group and 76.7±8.0 in nonsurvival group. Age, male sex, ischemic heart disease (CHD), chronic kidney disease and active malignancy was statistically higher in non-survivor group. The biochemical parameters was compared in survival and nonsurvival group. CCI score, AST, LDH, CK, Ferritin, CRP are significantly higher and albumin, lymphocyte levels are significantly lower in nonsurvival group. D-dimer and procalcitonin levels are significantly higher in nonsurvival group. CCI score and neutrophil, creatinine, ALT, AST, d-dimer and procalcitonin elevations were correlated. Low albumin and lymphocyte levels were correlated with the CCI score. There was no significant correlation between ferritin, sedimentation, CRP levels and CCI score. A multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that anaemia, elevated CRP (> 10-20 × upper limit), procalcitonin (> 5-10 × upper limit), ALT, AST levels and higher CCI score were independent risk factors for mortality in COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: Anaemia, elevated CRP, procalcitonin levels, ALT, AST levels and higher CCI score were found independent risk factors for mortality in COVID-19 patients.

Objective: Studies in recent times researching the correlation between serum endotrophin level and Type 2 DM have focused on the association of fatty liver with metabolic syndrome. This study aims to research the correlation between serum endotrophin levels, defined as a marker of metabolic dysregulation, with nonalcoholic fatty liver in metabolic syndrome patients, with increasing prevalence.Methods: Our prospective study included 40 patients (24 females and 16 males) with metabolic syndrome attending the internal medicine clinic and 20 healthy volunteers (ten females and ten males). Evaluation of patients in terms of liver steatosis used transabdominal ultrasonography with a Toshiba 500 Aplio brand model ultrasound device with 10 MHz convex probe with transient elastography method. Fatty Liver Index and Hepatic Steatosis Index (HSI) were calculated on the basis sample analyses. The endotrophin levels were studied with a Sunred enzyme-linked ımmunosorbent assay kit.Results: Endotrophin levels were found to be lower in the group with metabolic syndrome compared to the healthy group and results were statistically significant different (p<0.001). When the mean elastography results for the groups (in m/s and kPa) are compared, there were statistically significant differences found (p=0.001, p<0.001). There were statistically significant differences between HSI score with serum insulin levels and homeostasis model assessment results. Conclusion:In our study, a correlation was not found between endotrophin levels and fatty liver. Endotrophin is a parameter with newly discovered effects and is being researched for applicability and reliability in clinical practice.