Taner Ucgun

Normal range of mean platelet volume in healthy subjects: Insight from a large epidemiologic study

AIM Mean platelet volume (MPV) in the healthy population has not been studied before. Therefore, the aim of the study was to measure MPV in normal subjects in a large cohort of Turkish adults. METHODS A total of 2298 subjects with a mean age of 50 (age range 18 to 92) were interviewed. Subjects who had smoking habit, diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, dyslipidemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, chronic use of any drugs including antiplatelets, heavy drinkers, metabolic syndrome, ejection fraction <55%, creatinine >1.4 in men and >1.1 in women, abnormal liver function tests and an abnormal TSH were excluded in a in a stepwise manner. Complete blood counts were done on the same day within 6 hours by a CELL-DYN 3700 SL analyzer (Abbott Diagnostics). RESULTS Three hundred twenty-six participants (204 females (63%) and 122 males (37%) with a mean age of 41 ± 16) constituted the final healthy cohort. Mean MPV of the cohort was 8.9 ± 1.4 fL. There was no significant difference among age groups regarding MPV. CONCLUSION Ninety-five percent of the individuals had a MPV between 7.2 and 11.7 fL. A patient having a MPV beyond this range should be evaluated carefully especially for occlusive arterial diseases.

Omentin serum levels and omentin gene Val109Asp polymorphism in patients with psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of uncertain pathogenesis. Omentin is a new adipokine with anti‐inflammatory properties; however, the relationship between psoriasis and omentin has not been fully established yet.

Serum visfatin and omentin levels in slow coronary flow

OBJECTIVE The adipocytokines visfatin and omentin have a direct effect on inflammation and endothelial injury. The expression of visfatin is closely associated with the expression of proinflammatory cytokines. Omentin has an anti-inflammatory effect and is inversely associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). The slow coronary flow phenomenon is an angiographic finding characterized by delayed distal vessel opacification in the absence of significant epicardial coronary disease. The pathophysiology of SCF has not been clearly identified, although multiple abnormalities including endothelial dysfunction, atherothrombosis and inflammation have been reported. However, the relationship between visfatin, omentin and SCF is still unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship of these adipocytokines with SCF. METHODS The study included slow coronary flow (n=45) and normal coronary flow (n=55) subjects, according to the corrected TIMI frame count, who underwent angiography in the catheterization laboratory of Duzce University. Statistical analyses were performed with SPSS version 12. RESULTS Visfatin levels were significantly higher in patients with SCF than in controls (p<0.001). Plasma omentin levels were lower in the SCF group than in controls, although without statistical significance. Visfatin, gender and platelet count were significant predictors of SCF in multivariate logistic regression analysis (OR 0.748, 95% CI 0.632-0.886, p=0.01; OR 30.016, 95% CI 4.355-206.8, p=0.01; OR1.028, 95% CI 1.006-1.050, p=0.011, respectively). CONCLUSION Adipocytokines such as visfatin and omentin may play a role in the pathogenesis of coronary slow flow.

Does MBL2 codon 54 polymorphism play a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis

Background  Psoriasis is a T cell‐mediated immune disease in which various cytokines, primarily tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), are complexly involved. Mannose‐binding lectin (MBL) gene polymorphisms decrease MBL serum levels, thereby increasing the synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF‐α.

A novel indicator for assessment of mitral regurgitation severity: Pro-adrenomedullin

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