There is increasing evidence for a direct relationship between the vascular system and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was to investigate endocan and adhesion molecules such as P-selectin derived from the endothelium and platelets in obese children and adolescents with NAFLD. One hundred obese patients and 40 lean controls were enrolled. The obese subjects were divided into two subgroups based on the presence or absence of fatty liver. Blood samples were assayed for endocan, P-selectin, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), intercellular cell adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1. Obese patients with NAFLD presented higher ALT and insulin levels, as well as more profound dyslipidemia when compared with their counterparts without NAFLD. Serum levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 were found increased in both obese groups, regardless of NAFLD. In obese subjects with NAFLD, decreased P-selectin levels (51.6 ± 4.14 ng/mL) were detected as compared with the obese (72.3 ± 4.23) and control (74.2 ± 6.97) subjects. Furthermore, circulating P-selectin levels were closely associated with endocan levels (r = 0.852, p < 0.001). Childhood obesity leads to vascular inflammation and therefore may cause a predisposition to atherosclerosis at an early age. The possible outcome of decreased P-selectin levels with NAFLD development must be further investigated.

Plasma nitrotyrosine and nitrite/nitrate levels as markers of nitrosative stress and plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl as markers of oxidative stress were determined in patients with Behcet disease (BD). To evaluate the balance between oxidant and antioxidant systems in these patients, we measured erythrocyte lysate CuZn superoxide dismutase (CuZn SOD) activity, plasma sulfhydryl (SH) values and total antioxidant activity. We also determined levels of plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), a key marker of inflammation, and compared them with those of healthy subjects. We found plasma nitrotyrosine levels of BD patients to be increased, indicating that nitrosative stress may occur in these patients. Plasma MDA and CRP levels in BD patients were found to be significantly higher than those in control group. However, plasma SH levels were decreased. No changes were observed in the other measured parameters of the patient group compared with the controls. These data suggest the possible involvement of nitric oxide (NO) together with reactive oxygen substances (ROS) in the pathogenesis of BD.

The aim of this study was to investigate the pro-oxidant and proinflammatory biomarkers and their relationship with dimethylarginines (DMAs) in patients at various stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We studied 114 CKD patients, 36 were hemodialyzed, 41 peritoneal dialyzed and 37 nondialyzed (early stage) CKD patients. The control group consisted of 31 healthy subjects. Plasma levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), L-arginine, nitric oxide (NO) and proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha and IL-6) were determined, and their relationships with the degree of disease were evaluated. Both DMAs were at high levels in all CKD patients, whereas arginine concentrations were low in patients undergoing dialysis. Elevated TNF-alpha and IL-6 in CKD patients were indicative of ongoing chronic inflammatory state. A significant positive correlation between SDMA and creatinine suggests that plasma SDMA level may be an index for renal function.

Aortic aneurysm is a complex multifactorial disease, and its molecular mechanism is not understood. In thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA), the expansion of the aortic wall is lead by extracellular matrix (ECM) degeneration in the medial layer, which leads to weakening of the aortic wall. This dilatation may end in rupture and-if untreated-death. The aortic media is composed of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and proteins involved in aortic elasticity and distensibility. Delineating their functional and quantitative decrease is critical in elucidating the disease causing mechanisms as well as the development of new preventive therapies. Laser microdissection (LMD) is an advanced technology that enables the isolation of the desired portion of tissue or cells for proteomics analysis, while preserving their integrity. In our study, the aortic media layers of 36 TAA patients and 8 controls were dissected using LMD technology. The proteins isolated from these tissue samples were subjected to comparative proteomic analysis by nano-LC-MS/MS, which enabled the identification of 352 proteins in aortic media. Among these, 41 proteins were differentially expressed in the TAA group with respect to control group, and all were downregulated in the patients. Of these medial proteins, 25 are novel, and their association with TAA is reported for the first time in our study. Subsequent analysis of the data by ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) shows that the majority of differentially expressed proteins were found to be cytoskeletal-associated proteins and components of the ECM which are critical in maintaining aortic integrity. Our results indicate that the protein expression profile in the aortic media from TAA patients differs significantly from controls. Further analysis of the mechanism points to markers of pathological ECM remodeling, which, in turn, affect VSMC cytosolic structure and architecture. In the future, the detailed investigation of the differentially expressed proteins may provide insight into the elucidation of the pathological processes underlying aneurysms.

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This study investigated whether a high-fructose (HFr) diet changes the morphology of seminiferous tubules (ST) in rats and resveratrol (RES) has a possible restoring effect in this sense. Fructose (30%; w/v) was administered to rats alone or together with RES (50 mg/L) in drinking water for 8 weeks. In the HFr group, destruction of the germinal epithelium led to the detection of immature germ cells in the lumen. HFr diet gave rise to a decrease in the ST diameters (p < 0.05), Johnsen's tubular biopsy score values (p < 0.001), and an increase in the apoptotic index (p < 0.05). Ultrastructurally, HFr feeding increased lipid accumulation (p < 0.01), mitochondrial damage, and acrosomal abnormalities in spermatogenic cells. Treatment of HFr -fed rats with RES improved the reduced ST diameters and overall general histological and ultrastructural abnormalities of the STs, but did not change the increased apoptotic index.

The tendency to an increase in omentin-1 levels in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis may be due to a physiologic compensation against bone loss after menopause. The linear relationship between omentin-1 and vitamin D suggests that adipose tissue is one of the target tissues for the vitamin D effect.