Fibroblast growth factor-19 levels in type 2 diabetic patients with metabolic syndrome

This study aimed to examine fibroblast growth factor-19 (FGF-19) in type 2 diabetic (T2DM) patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and to evaluate the relationship between FGF-19 and other cardiovascular risk factors, such as atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and hsCRP. 26 T2DM patients with MetS and 12 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Serum FGF-19 levels were measured by sandwich ELISA, and compared with other cardiovascular risk factors; lipid profile, AIP, glucose, HbA1c, and hsCRP. AIP was calculated as log (TG/HDL-c). The median (1-3.quartile) FGF-19 levels in T2DM patients with MetS and healthy controls were 122.90 (108.63-237.60) pg/ml and 293.45 (153.64-370.31) pg/ml, respectively (P=0.003). Patients were also grouped by body mass index (BMI) <30 kg/m(2) (n=13) and ≥30 kg/m(2) (n=13) with median (1-3.quartile) FGF-19 values 168.70 (113.54-275.77) pg/mL and 115.89 (97.94-200.40) pg/mL, respectively (P=0.007). Significant negative correlations were found between FGF-19 and BMI, triglyceride, log (TG/HDL-c), hsCRP, and HbA1c (r=-0.526, P=0.001; r=-0.327, P=0.05; r=-0.312, P=0.05; r=-0.435, P=0.006; r=-0.357, P=0.028, respectively). We showed that FGF-19 levels are low in T2DM patients with MetS. The negative relationship between FGF-19 and several known cardiovascular risk factors such as TG, log (TG/HDL-c), hsCRP and HbA1c in diabetic patients with MetS suggests that FGF-19 can be used as a contributing marker.     

General or personal diet: the individualized model for diet challenges in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

This study was performed to evaluate the effect of individualized diet challenges consisting of allergen foods on disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Twenty patients with positive skin prick test (SPT) response for food extracts and 20 with negative SPT response were included. All patients were instructed to restrict the most common allergen foods during 12 days and then assigned into two groups according to SPT results. Food challenges were performed with all of the allergen foods in prick test positive group (PTPG) and with corn and rice in prick test negative group (PTNG) during 12 days. Allergen foods were then eliminated from PTPG patients’ diet, while corn and rice were removed in PTNG. Clinical evaluations were performed after fasting (baseline), at the end of the challenge phase and reelimination phase. Stiffness, pain, physician’s and patient’s global assessment of disease activity, health assessment questionnaire (HAQ), Ritchie’s index, serum amyloid A protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein were determined. All of the disease variables, except HAQ, were increased with food challenges in PTPG. In PTNG, no significant change was observed in any of the variables except pain (P<0.05) and patient’s global assessment (P<0.05). Our results showed that the individualized dietary manipulations may effect the disease activity for selected RA patients.