Risk Factors for Coronary Artery Disease in Indians

Background

A case control study was carried out to study the emerging risk factors for coronary artery disease in Indians. Methods: The diagnosis of coronary artery disease was based on correlation of clinical, biochemical, electrocardiography, echocardiography, treadmill testing and coronary arteriography findings. The study comprised 100 cases of coronary artery disease (acute coronary syndrome and chronic coronary artery disease) and 100 controls in two tertiary care service hospitals. The subjects were evaluated for total plasma homocysteine, insulin, C-reactive protein (CRP), lipoprotein fibrinogen and anti-chlamydial anti-bodies.

Result

Male to female ratio was 10:1 in study group with similar predominance of males in controls. Mean age of the cases was 47 years (range 25-59 years) and that of controls was 43 years (range 23-56 years). 64% cases had acute coronary syndrome and 34% had chronic coronary artery disease. In the coronary artery disease population, 76% cases had hyperhomocyteinemia, 9% hyperinsulinaemia, 11% abnormal CRP values, 23% abnormal lipoprotein (a) levels, 40% IgG anti-chlamydial anti-bodies and only 11% had Ig M anti-chlamydial antibodies. In the control population, 72% had hyperhomocystinaemia and 6% hyperinsulinaemia while 23% and 9% controls had IgG and IgM anti chlamydial antibodies respectively. In control group 19% cases had abnormal lipoprotein(a) levels and only 2% had abnormal C reactive protein values. Significant correlation of CAD was seen with CRP values and Ig G anti-chlamydial antibodies. Both the study group and controls had higher homocysteine levels than that observed in some Indian and Western studies.

Conclusion

High C reactive protein levels and Ig G anti-chlamydial antibodies are associated with coronary artery disease in Indians. Insulin, lipoprotein A, fibrinogen, lgM anti-chlamydial antibodies and higher levels of total plasma homocysteine have no significant association with coronary artery disease.Key Words: Emerging risk factors, Coronary artery disease     

Phase 2 trial of sunitinib and gemcitabine in patients with sarcomatoid and/or poor-risk metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Michaelson MD,McKay RR,Werner L,Atkins MB,Van Allen EM,Olivier KM,Song J,Signoretti S,McDermott DF,Choueiri TK.Cancer. 2015 Oct 1;121(19):3435-43. [Epub 2015 Jun 8]. doi: 10.1002/cncr.29503.

Background

Sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is associated with an aggressive biology and a poor prognosis. Poor-risk RCC is defined by clinical prognostic factors and demonstrates similarly aggressive behavior. No standard treatment exists for patients with sarcomatoid RCC, and treatment options for patients with poor-risk disease are of limited benefit. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of antiangiogenic therapy in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy in clinically aggressive RCC.

Dendritic cell generation and CD4+CD25HIGHFOXP3+ regulatory T cells in human head and neck carcinoma during Radio-chemotherapy

Background

Regulatory T cells (Treg) and dendritic cells (DC) play an important role in tumor immunity and immune escape. However, their interplay and the effects of anti-cancer therapy on the human immune system are largely unknown.

Methods

For DC generation, CD14⁺ monocytes were enriched by immunomagnetic selection from peripheral blood of advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients and differentiated into immature DC using GM-SCF and IL-4. DC maturation was induced by addition of TNFα. The frequency of CD4⁺CD25^highF0XP3⁺ Treg in HNSCC patients was analyzed before and after radio-chemotherapy (RCT) by four-color flow cytometry.

Results

In HNSCC patients, the frequency of Treg (0.33 ± 0.06%) was significantly (p = 0.001) increased compared to healthy controls (0.11 ± 0.02%), whereas RCT had variable effects on the Treg frequency inducing its increase in some patients and decrease in others. After six days in culture, monocytes of all patients had differentiated into immature DC. However, DC maturation indicated by CD83 up-regulation (70.7 ± 5.5%) was successful only in a subgroup of patients and correlated well with lower frequencies of peripheral blood Treg in those patients.

Conclusion

The frequency of regulatory T cells is elevated in HNSCC patients and may be modulated by RCT. Monocyte-derived DC in HNSCC patients show a maturation deficiency ex vivo. Those preliminary data may have an impact on multimodality clinical trials integrating cellular immune modulation in patients with advanced HNSCC.     

The peculiarities of bone exchange disorder and its regulation in men after long terms following orthotopic heart transplantation and cadaveric kidney transplantation

The study found bone exchange disorder manifested by accelerated bone resorption, retarded bone formation, and the loss of the bone mineral density (BMD) of the axial and peripheral skeleton in 19 men (39 observations) 66 +/- 44 months following orthotopic heart transplantation (OTHT) and in 92 men 45 +/- 28 months after cadaveric kidney transplantation. An accelerated bone resorption, more pronounced in cadaveric kidney (CK) recipients, is associated with hyperparathyroidism (HPT) and renal dysfunction, while bone formation retardation is associated with a decrease in insulin-like growth factor-1 level. An increase in osteoprotegerin level is of compensatory character. The prominence of HPT depends on the degree of renal dysfunction; in CK recipients it also depends on the degree of the reduction in the levels of biologically active testosterone and estradiol. Reduction in BMD of the peripheral skeleton after OTHT are associated with the degree of renal dysfunction and a decrease in free testosterone index; after CK transplantation it is associated with HPT, the cumulative dose of glucocorticoids, reduction in the levels of biologically active testosterone and estradiol, as well as sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG); reduction in spine BMD is only associated with SHBG.     

不同胰岛素促泌剂单药治疗对2型糖尿病患者死亡率和心血管风险的影响

研究纳入丹麦1997～2006年间107806例起始胰岛素促泌剂或二甲双胍单药治疗的2型糖尿病患者(年龄>20岁,没有使用过胰岛素单药和联合治疗)其中9607例患者既往存在心肌梗死史.随访时间3.3年,每3个月为一个区间,收集不同胰岛素促泌剂或二甲双胍的处方,如果某区间无处方量则以之前最多3个处方量的区间 作为参考.