Zeki Ari

Serum lipids and apolipoproteins in patients with psoriasis.

Abstract Psoriasis is characterized by defects in the normal cycle of epidermal development that lead to epidermal hyperproliferation, altered maturation of skin cells, vascular changes and inflammation. Also, psoriasis has been associated with an abnormal plasma lipid metabolism. Changes in plasma lipid and lipoprotein composition in patients with psoriasis may be the reason for the increased risk of atherosclerosis in these patients. We determined serum concentrations of lipids, lipoproteins and apolipoprotein A1 and B (apo A1 and apo B) in 72 patients with psoriasis and 30 agematched controls. Serum lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)), apo A1 and apo B were measured by immunoprecipitation assays, and the lipids and other biochemical parameters by enzymatic methods. Serum Lp(a) and triglyceride (TG) were significantly higher in patients with psoriasis than in healthy control subjects (p<0.01 for both). Apo B was also found to be higher in the patient group, but the difference was not significant. The levels of total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and apo A1 did not differ significantly from those of the controls. These observations imply that serum Lp(a) and TG concentrations may play a role as risk factors for atherosclerotic disease in patients with psoriasis.

SERUM TESTOSTERONE, GROWTH HORMONE, AND INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR-1 LEVELS, MENTAL REACTION TIME, AND MAXIMAL AEROBIC EXERCISE IN SEDENTARY AND LONG-TERM PHYSICALLY TRAINED ELDERLY MALES

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of regular exercise on maximum oxygen uptake capacity (VO2max), reaction time (RT), testosterone (T), growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in athletes compared to sedentary controls. VO2max, RT, T, GH, and IGF-I levels were 31.2 ± 6.2 ml/min/kg, 106.7 ± 23.2 s, 8.3 ± 1.3 ng/mL, 1.6 ± 0.7 ng/mL, 106.5 ± 27.0 ng/mL in master athlete group and 18.8 ± 5.1 ml/min/kg, 148.3 ± 39.3 s, 5.4 ± 1.7 ng/mL, 0.8 ± 0.3 ng/mL, 90.2 ± 23.8 ng/mL in sedentary control group, respectively. The differ-ences between regularly exercising males and the control group of sedentary males were found to be statistically significant. The results showed that long-term exercise decreased RT and increased VO2max, T, and GH in elderly males; elevated serum T and GH levels may be advantageous for brain functions

Leptin levels in thyroid cancer.

BACKGROUND Leptin has physiological roles in multiple systems, and has possible effects on several carcinogenesis steps. The aim of this study was to investigate the leptin levels in thyroid papillary carcinoma (TPC) patients. METHODS Forty-three female TPC patients and 30 healthy female control subjects were recruited for the study. TPC was diagnosed by fine needle aspiration biopsy. TPC patients had a bilateral total thyroidectomy operation and their leptin levels were measured before and 20 days after the operation. RESULTS Serum leptin levels of TPC patients were higher than in control group subjects (21.15 +/- 14.12 ng/mL vs. 9.89 +/- 0.21 ng/mL, p < 0.05). The leptin levels decreased after total thyroidectomy (13.92 +/- 10.55 ng/mL) compared to prethyroidectomy levels (22.94 +/- 14.67 ng/mL) in 34 patients who came to the follow-up visit (p < 0.05). However, the decreased post-thyroidectomy levels of leptin were still statistically significantly higher than the control group levels. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the leptin levels in TPC patients were not related to age, menopausal status or pathologic occult status but were directly related to the cancer group. CONCLUSION Leptin levels were elevated in thyroid cancer, decreased after total thyroidectomy, and might be associated with thyroid papillary carcinogenesis.

Increased serum leptin concentrations in patients with chronic stable angina pectoris and ST-elevated myocardial infarction.

Leptin is an adipocytokine that is produced mainly by adipose tissue; it is also identified in atherosclerotic lesions in human coronary atherosclerosis. However, the relation of serum leptin concentrations to ischemic heart disease (IHD) is still obscure. The aims of the present study were to investigate serum leptin concentrations in patients with ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) and with chronic stable angina pectoris (CSAP) and to evaluate the possible correlations of leptin to other atherosclerotic risk factors; including serum high sensitive C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP), serum homocysteine, and fibrinogen concentrations. For this purpose, 35 patients with CSAP, 40 with acute STEMI, and 30 control subjects with normal findings from coronary angiography were taken into the study prospectively. Serum leptin concentrations were significantly higher in patients with CSAP and STEMI compared to the control group (7.74 ±1.34 vs 6.37 ±1.85 ng/mL, p=0.021 and 8.22 ±3.13 vs 6.37 ±1.85 ng/mL, p=0.023, respectively). In addition, serum homocysteine concentrations were significantly increased in patients with CSAP (15.23 ±5.96 vs 11.40 ±2.11 μmol/L, p=0.025) and patients with STEMI (15.90 ±5.02 vs 11.40 ±2.11 μmol/L, p=0.012) compared to the control group. Serum fibrinogen concentrations were significantly increased only in the CSAP group as compared to controls (4.15 ±1.39 vs 3.45 ±1.19 g/L, p=0.025). No significant correlation was found between leptin levels and selected risk factors. In conclusion, serum leptin concentrations were significantly higher in both the CSAP and STEMI groups. However, owing to the lack of correlation between the leptin levels and selected classical coronary risk factors, it may be considered that leptin can be evaluated as one of the independent risk factors for IHD. Further randomized and controlled studies will be required to determine the pathophysiological meaning of the increased leptin levels and the central role between adipocyte function and atherosclerosis.

A relationship of sex hormone levels and erectile dysfunction: which tests should be done routinely?

Purpose In this study, the relationship between sex hormone levels and erectile dysfunction (ED), as well as the necessity of routinely measuring sex hormone levels were evaluated. Materials and Methods This study included one hundred patients admitted to a urology clinic for sexual dysfunction. To determine the hormone levels, following the history (included IIEF-5 score) and physical examination, triple blood samples were collected at intervals of 15 minutes between 08:00 and 10:00 am. Total and free testosterone, prolactin, follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone levels were studied. Results Mean age was 43 (23 - 80) years. IIEF-5 score was less than 21 [9.8 - 4.3 (3 - 19)] in all study groups. There was a statistically significant correlation between tT and FSH, as well as between LH and FSH in Pearson (r = - 0.513, p < 0.001, respectively) and also in Spearman tests (r = - 0.224, p = 0.042 and r = - 0.459, p < 0.001, respectively). However, there was no correlation between age and serum hormone levels (p > 0.05). Of the 100 patients, 18 (18%) had low tT, 77 (77%) had normal and 5 (5%) had high tT levels. No statistically significant correlation was found between decreased libido and tT levels (p > 0.05). Twelve (66.6%) of the 18 patients with low tT had normal libido. Conclusion Analyzing the medical history in detail and performing a thorough physical examination can reduce the need for excessive studies and consultations, and enables patients to save time and costs.

Testosterone and Nonverbal Intelligence in Right-Handed Men With Successful and Unsuccessful Educational Levels

The relationship between serum total testosterone (T) concentration and fluid intelligence (nonverbal, spatial) was studied in consistently right-handed men with successful (S) or unsuccessful educational levels (NS). Hand preference was assessed by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. Nonverbal intelligence was measured by Cartells Culture Fair Intelligence Test. Serum T level was determined using chemiluminescence en-zvme-immunoassav on hormone autoanalyzer. There was no significant difference between the mean T levels of the S subjects and NS subjects, although S-men tended to have higher T levels than NS-men. The mean IQ was found to be significantly higher in S-men than NS-men. In the total sample (S + NS men), the correlation between T to IQ was best described by a polynomial regression (3rd order), exhibiting an inverse U-shaped regression. In S-men, the relationship between T and IQ was best described by a polynomial regression equation of the 3rd order: however, the relationship was not U-shaped, but rather a positive correlation (low T: low IQ and high T high IQ). In NS-men. there was an inverse U-shaped correlation between T and IQ (low and very high T: low IQ and moderate T: high IQ). The present data suggest that (i) very low and very high serum T concentrations may be disadvantageous, (ii) moderate T levels may be advantageous for general fluid intelligence, and (iii) a prewired cerebral organization may be essential for the T effects on cognitive abilities.

Possible relations between oxidative damage and apoptosis in benign prostate hyperplasia and prostate cancer patients

Cancer has been described as the twentieth century plague, and is a very common health problem. It has been reported that ROS and ROS products play a key role in cancer and that oxidative damage is effective in apoptosis initiation. In this study we aimed to evaluate the relationship between MDA (malondialdehyde), DNA damage (8-hydroxyguanine, 8-OH-dG), and caspase-3 in BHP and prostate cancer patients. Twenty male patients with prostate cancer and 20 male patients with benign prostate hyperplasia were included into this study. The MDA (nanomole), DNA damage (nanograms per millilitre), and caspase-3 (nanograms per millilitre) levels were measured in prostate cancer and benign prostate hyperplasia using Elisa kits (Millipore Corporation, Billerica, MA, USA). In the prostate cancer group, serum MDA (30.96 ± 9.25) and DNA damage (4.42 ± 0.36) levels were significantly raised (p < 0.05) when compared to the benign prostate hyperplasia group (24.05 ± 8.06, 3.99 ± 0.54). However, in the prostate cancer group, serum caspase-3 (2.36 ± 0.82) levels were statistically significantly lowered (p < 0.05) compared with the benign prostate hyperplasia group (3.15 ± 1.04). We observed that altered prooxidant, DNA damage levels may lead to an increase in oxidative damage and may consequently play an important role in prostate carcinogenesis. These findings indicate that, although the triggering of these changes is unknown, changes in the levels of MDA, DNA damage, and caspase-3 in the blood are related to prostatic carcinoma development. In addition, it would be appropriate to conduct new studies with a large number of patients at different stages.

Effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester on matrix molecules and angiogenetic and anti-angiogenetic factors in gastric cancer cells cultured on different substrates.

Migration, invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis associated with cancer depend on the surrounding microenvironment. Angiogenesis, the growth of new capillaries, is a regulator of cancer growth and a useful target for cancer therapy. We examined matrix protein interactions in a gastric cancer cell culture that was treated with different doses of caffeic acid (3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid) phenethyl ester (CAPE). We also investigated the relations among the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), endostatin (ES) and trombospondin-1 (TSP-1). Cytotoxity of CAPE was measured using the 3-(4,5-dmethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. We examined the behavior of cells on laminin and collagen I coated surfaces in response to the angiogenic effect of these matrix molecules. We examined the protein alterations of these matrix molecules immunohistochemically and measured the levels of VEGF, MMP-9, ES and TSP-1 using the ELISA test. We showed that application of CAPE to the gastric cancer cell line on tissue culture plastic, laminin and collagen I significantly decreased the VEGF and MMP-9 protein levels. We found that TSP-1 levels were increased significantly in the gastric cancer cells after application of CAPE. The protein levels of gastric cancer cells also were increased significantly when tissue was cultured on laminin and collagen I. Application of CAPE to cells on laminin or collagen I coated surfaces significantly increased all of the proteins except ES. ES levels were increased on the collagen I covered surfaces, but the laminin surface decreased the levels of ES significantly. We demonstrated the beneficial effect of CAPE on a gastric cancer cell line including inhibition of proliferation and induction of some proteins that might be related to decreased angiogenesis.

The diagnostic value of the phosphate levels in serum and 24-hour urine samples in patients with recurrent renal stone disease.

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the value of phosphate levels in serum and urine in patients with recurrent renal stone disease. Materials and methods: The patients (n:60) were divided into two groups as first-time stone disease (group 1) and recurrent renal stone disease (group 2). The demographical datas and their historical information were recorded and physical examination was done. The sera and urine for 24 hr were obtained from patients to measure electrolyte levels especially phosphorus. In addition, based on presenting serum phosphate levels, patients were divided into the hypophosphatemia group, less than 2.5 mg/dl; normophosphatemia group, between 2.5-5.2 mg/dl; and hyperphosphatemia group greater than 5.2 mg/dl. Results: The mean age of study group was 45 (21-70) years. Thirty-six patients (60%) were in group 1 and 24 patients (40%) were in group 2. No statistically correlation was found between stone recurrence and phosphate levels both in serum and urine. There was only a statistical association of K levels in 24-hour urine samples between group 1 and 2. Conclusion: There was no significant association between stone recurrence and initial phosphate levels in the serum or in urine. We do not propose to determine phosphate levels routinely in management of patients with stone disease.

Peroxidation Products and Antioxidant Enzyme Activities in Multinodular Goiter and Papillary Thyroid Cancer Patients

Background: Oxidation products are assumed to play essential role in the pathogenesis of benign and malignant diseases of the thyroid. Objective: The aim of this prospective study is to examine advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), lipid peroxidation product malonyldialdehyde (MDA), ferrous oxidation in xylenol orange (FOX) and the antioxidant enzyme activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in blood samples of multinodular goiter and papillary thyroid cancer patients before and after thyroidectomy and compare them to healthy controls. Methods: Thirty-seven papillary thyroid cancer and 43 benign multinodular goiter patients treated with total thyroidectomy and 35 healthy control subjects were included in this study. AOPP, FOX, MDA, and SOD levels were studied before and after thyroidectomy to determine oxidation products and antioxidant enzyme activities. Results: Before thyroidectomy, serum levels of AOPP, FOX, and MDA were significantly higher in both benign and malignant patient groups compared to control group (p<0.05). After thyroidectomy, serum levels of these markers were still higher in patients compared to the control subjects, however, their levels decreased in the malignant patient group (p<0.05). Serum level of SOD was higher only in benign thyroid disease group and decreased after thyroidectomy, but still was higher than malignant and control groups (p<0.05). Conclusions: In this pioneer study, although the number of patients were not sufficiently large to reach any clear conclusion, SOD serum levels may be promising in differentiating benign disease from malignant disease in thyroid patients and decreased SOD activity could be the essential pathogenesis of thyroid cancer.