R. De Giuseppe

Oxidative stress and homocysteine metabolism in patients with lupus nephritis.

The objective of this study was to compare oxidative status and homocysteinemia in patients with lupus nephritis (LN) and in controls. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC), reactive oxygen species (ROS), homocysteine and related vitamins were measured in 68 patients with LN and in 50 controls. LN patients had lower TAC (p = 0.05) and higher ROS and homocysteinemia (p = 0.01) than controls. TAC, significantly lower in active than in quiescent LN (p = 0.01), was correlated with albuminemia (p = 0.02), inversely with proteinuria (p = 0.01) and anti-DNA antibodies (p = 0.004). ROS values, higher both in active and in inactive LN, correlated with age (p = 0.02), C-reactive protein (CRP) (p = 0.0005) and inversely with prednisone dosage (p = 0.05). At multivariate analysis, CRP (p = 0.04) and age (p = 0.005) were independent ROS predictors. Homocysteine, higher in active than in quiescent LN (p = 0.016) and in patients with antiphospholipid antibodies (p=0.05), correlated with serum creatinine (p = 0.00001) and proteinuria (p = 0.015). At multivariate analysis serum creatinine (p = 0.006) and active nephritis (p = 0.003) were independent predictors of hyperhomocysteinemia. Patients with LN showed impaired oxidative status, even without clinical signs of renal activity. ROS production may be counterbalanced by adequate antioxidant capacity in some patients with quiescent LN. The association of hyperhomocysteinemia and antiphospholipid antibodies positivity may increase the risk of cardiovascular and/or thrombotic events in LN patients. Lupus (2010) 19, 65—72.

Burning mouth syndrome and vitamin B12 deficiency.

References 1 Kantarjian H, Giles F, Wunderle L et al. Nilotinib in Imatinib-Resistant CML and Philadelphia Chromosome–Positive ALL. N Engl J Med 2006; 354: 2542–2551. 2 Kantarjian H, Cortes J, La Rosee P. Optimizing therapy for patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia in chronic phase. Cancer 2010; 116: 1419–1430. 3 Schmid-Wendtner MH, Wendtner CM. Intensified inflammatory reaction of actinic keratoses after single application of topical 5-fluorouracil in a patient treated with nilotinib for chronic myeloid leukemia. Dermatology 2009; 219: 341–343. 4 Kaune KM, Baumgart M, Gesk S et al. Bullous Sweet syndrome in a patient with t(9;22)(q34;q11)-positive chronic myeloid leukemia treated with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor nilotinib. Arch Dermatol 2008; 144: 361–364. 5 Crawford GH, Pelle MT, James WD. Rosacea:I.Etiology, pathogenesis, and subtype classification. J Am Acad Dermatol 2004; 51: 327–341. 6 Yamasaki K, Gallo RL. The molecular pathology of rosacea. J Dermatol Sci 2009; 55: 77–81. 7 Distler JH, Distler O. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors for the treatment of fibrotic diseases such as systemic sclerosis: towards molecular targeted therapies. Ann Rheum Dis 2010; 69(Suppl 1): i48–i51. 8 Salih J, Hilpert J, Placke T et al. The BCR ⁄ ABL-inhibitors imatinib, nilotinib, and dasatinib differentially affect NK cell reactivity. Int J Cancer 2010 [Epub ahead of print]. DOI: 10.1002/ijc.25233.

Correlation between salivary and serum oxidized LDL levels: a pilot study on overweight/obese subjects

BACKGROUND Saliva contains a variety of substances and could be functionally equivalent to serum in reflecting the physiological state of the body, including metabolic variations. Salivary samples are non-invasive, safe, and easier to handle than serum. Oxidized LDL cholesterol (oxLDL) is an additional cardiovascular risk factor playing an important role in atheromatous plaque formation; overweight/obese subjects present an increase in oxLDL concentrations. The aims of the study were to assess oxLDL salivary levels, if detectable, and to verify their possible correlation with serum in overweight/obese subjects. METHODS Thirty-five consecutive overweight/obese subjects and 10 normal weight controls were enrolled. Serum and salivary oxLDL levels were measured by a commercial enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay (ELISA method). RESULTS oxLDL levels were detectable in salivary samples and correlated (P = 0.001) with serum levels. Overweight/obese subjects showed serum and salivary oxLDL levels higher than controls (P = 0.000 and P = 0.022, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Our study showed the presence of oxLDL in salivary samples and highlighted a correlation between salivary oxLDL levels and their counterpart in serum. Moreover, salivary oxLDL levels were higher in overweight/obese subjects than in controls. Therefore, a salivary sample could be functionally equivalent to serum in monitoring cardiovascular risk in overweight/obese subjects.

21 Uric acid and oxidative status in obese subjects

losses of 0.6 to 1.2 g/kg per day have been reported. There is a marked reduction in key micronutrient levels in fevers (vitamin B2), tuberculosis (vitamins A, D, C and E, zinc and iron) and cancer (vitamin C, B2, B6, B12 and D, magnesium and zinc). Almost any nutritional deficiency can further compromise the immune functionality, impacting health outcome, quality of life and recovery from illness. It is therefore, essential to replace the nutritional losses sustained during illness as well as provide additional allowances for convalescence. Increased protein requirements of up to 2 g/day and micronutrient intakes to at least the recommended allowances or higher are indicated. Studies report positive effects of optimal nutritional support with significant increases in body weight, total lean mass and grip strength in TB subjects. Cancer subjects reported improved nutritional status, body weight, un-interrupted course of radiation (in case of subjects undergoing radiotherapy), reduced postoperative complications and improved quality of life as a result of nutrition intervention. Nutritional support should therefore be an integral part of the comprehensive care to optimise treatment for illness like fevers, TB and cancer.

10 Role of oxidative stress in diabetes associated with obesity

F. De Liso1, L. Vigna2, C. Novembrino1, R. De Giuseppe1, F. Bamonti1. 1Dip. Scienze Mediche, Universita degli Studi di Milano, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Mangiagalli e Regina Elena, Fondazione IRCCS, Milano, Italy; 2Dip. Medicina Preventiva Clinica e del Lavoro, U.O. Medicina del Lavoro I, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Mangiagalli e Regina Elena, Fondazione IRCCS, Milano, Italy E-mail: micol.fede@libero.it

6 Oxidative stress index (Oxy-I): A new useful tool in obese subjects

F. Bamonti1, L. Vigna2, C. Novembrino1, R. De Giuseppe1, F. De Liso1, C. Vassalle3. 1Dip. Scienze Mediche, Universita degli Studi di Milano, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Mangiagalli e Regina Elena, Fondazione IRCCS, Milano, Italy; 2Dip Medicina Preventiva Clinica e del Lavoro, U.O. Medicina del Lavoro I, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Mangiagalli e Regina Elena, Fondazione IRCCS, Milano, Italy; 3Fondazione Toscana G. Monasterio, Istituto Fisiologia Clinica, CNR, Pisa, Italy E-mail: fabrizia.bamonti@unimi.it