Immunohistochemical expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in subcutaneous versus omental adipose tissue in patients after elective abdominal surgery

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is a biomarker of thrombosis. Adipose and vascular tissues are among the major sources of PAI-1 production. Previous studies indicated that fat deposits mediate increased cardiovascular risk among obese individuals. We investigated the immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of PAI-1 in adipose and vascular tissues from the omentum and the subcutaneous tissue. The pathology samples were selected from 37 random patients who underwent elective abdominal surgery between 2008-2009. PAI-1 expression was semi-quantitatively scored and compared between the groups. Significant differences were noted in the IHC expression of PAI-1 between the omental and the subcutaneous adipose tissues (1.1 ± 0.8 versus 0.8 ± 0.6, respectively (p=0.05)). Adipose tissue displayed higher IHC expression of PAI-1 compared to vascular wall tissue in both omentum and subcutaneous sections (1.1 ± 0.8 versus 0.5 ± 0.9 (p=0.004), and 0.8 ± 0.6 versus 0.4 ± 0.6 (p=0.003), respectively). In conclusion, our study compared PAI-1 expression in the omentum versus the subcutaneous tissue and adipose versus vascular tissues. IHC expression of PAI-1 level was significantly higher in the omental adipose tissue compared to the subcutaneous adipose tissue. Adipose tissue displayed significantly higher PAI-1 expression than vascular tissue. The study elucidates the biological differences of adipose and vascular tissue from subcutaneous versus omental sections

Sex hormone binding globulin gene polymorphisms and metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal Turkish women

Background: Insulin resistance is associated with obesity, glucose intolerance or diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease. Constellation of these risk factors iscalled metabolic syndrome (MetS). MetS is common among postmenopausal women. Low sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) levels associate with an increased risk of MetS in postmenopausal women. Variations in SHBG gene associate with low levels of circulating SHBG levels. We aim to study the association between SHBG gene polymorphisms — rs1799941 (A/G) and rs6257 (T/C) — with MetS among postmenopausal women.Methods: The study population consisted of 182 postmenopausal women with MetS and119 control subjects. We analyzed the allele frequencies of SHBG gene polymorphisms in relationto the risk components of MetS.Results: MetS patients displayed significantly lower SHBG levels compared to the lean controlsubjects (p = 0.036). rs1799941 A allele was associated with high SHBG levels (p = 0.031), low blood pressure, body mass index and waist circumference. The number of ‘high risk’ alleles (G allele of the rs1799941 and T allele of rs6257) correlated positively with waist circumference (r = 0.203, p = 0.006) and negatively with SHBG levels (r = –0.291, p = 0.024).Conclusions: SHBG gene polymorphisms associate with SHBG levels and MetS risk components among postmenopausal women. Hence, A allele (rs1799941) may have a protectiveeffect for MetS through its association with high SHBG levels among postmenopausal women

Prognostic significance of HDL-C on long-term mortality in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia in the Turkish population: A potential mechanism for population differences

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is diagnosed by the evidence of the presence of multiple phenotypes, including thrombosis, inflammation, and alveolar and myocardial damage, which can cause severe illness and mortality. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) has pleiotropic properties, including anti-inflammatory, anti-infectious, antithrombotic, and endothelial cell protective effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the HDL-C levels and one-year mortality after the first wave of patients with COVID-19 were hospitalized. Data from 101 patients with COVID-19 were collected for this single-center retrospective study. Lipid parameters were collected on the admission. The relationship between lipid parameters and long-term mortality was investigated. The mean age of the non-survivor group (n = 38) was 68.8 ± 14.1 years, and 55% were male. The HDL-C levels were significantly lower in the non-survivors group compared with the survivors (26.9 ± 9.5 vs 36.8 ± 12.8 mg/dl, respectively p < 0.001). Multivariate regression analysis determined that age, C-reactive protein, D-dimer, hypertension, and HDL-C as independent predictors for the development of COVID-19 mortality. HDL-C levels <30.5 mg/dl had 71% sensitivity and 68% specificity to predict one-year mortality after COVID-19. The findings of this study showed that HDL-C is a predictor of one-year mortality in Turkish patients with COVID-19. COVID-19 is associated with decreased lipid levels, and it is an indicator of the inflammatory burden and increased mortality rate. The consequences of long-term metabolic dysregulations in patients that have recovered from COVID-19 still need to be understood