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Sahar Hossam El Hini Diabetes and Endocrinology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt

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Yehia Zakaria Mahmoud Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt

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Ahmed Abdelfadel Saedii Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt

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Sayed Shehata Mahmoud Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt

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Mohamed Ahmed Amin Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt

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Shereen Riad Mahmoud Diabetes and Endocrinology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt

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Ragaa Abdelshaheed Matta Diabetes and Endocrinology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt

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Objective

Angiopoietin-like proteins (ANGPTL) 3, 4 and 8 are upcoming cardiovascular biomarkers. Experimental studies showed that thyroid hormones altered their levels. We assessed ANGPTL3, 4 and 8 as predictors of cardiovascular functions among naïve subclinical and naïve overt hypothyroidism (SCH and OH) and altered ANGPTL levels with levothyroxine replacement (LT4) and their association with improved cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular function.

Design and methods

The study was a prospective follow-up study that assessed ANGPTL3, 4 and 8 levels, vascular status (flow-mediated dilation% of brachial artery (FMD%), carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), aortic stiffness index (ASI)), left ventricle (LV) parameters (ejection fraction (EF), myocardial performance index (MPI), and LV mass), well-known cardiovascular risk factors and homeostatic model for the assessment of insulin resistance, at two time points, that is, among naïve SCH, naïve OH, and healthy subjects groups; and at 6 months after achieving the euthyroid state with LT4 by calculating their increased or decreased delta changes (∆↑ or ∆↓) in longitudinal arm among LT4-hypothyroid groups.

Results

Significantly elevated levels of ANGPTL3, 4 and 8 among hypothyroid groups than the healthy subjects were reduced with LT4. Multivariate analysis revealed ANGPTLs as independent predictors of cardiovascular functions and the contributors for ANGPTL level included ANGPTL3 and 4 for impaired FMD%, and ANGPTL8 for LV mass among naïve SCH; ANGPTL3 for EF% and ANGPTL8 for CIMT in naïve OH; ∆↓ANGPTL3 for ∆↓ASI meanwhile ∆↑freeT4 for ∆↓ANGPTL3, ∆↓fasting glucose, ∆↓triglyceride, and ∆↓thyroid peroxidase antibody for ∆↓ANGPTL4 among LT4-SCH. ∆↓ANGPTL4 for ∆↓MPI and ∆↓LV mass, meanwhile ∆↓TSH and ∆↓triglyceride for ∆↓ANGPTL3, ∆↑free T3 and ∆↓HOMA-IR for ∆↓ANGPTL4, and systolic blood pressure and waist circumference for ∆↓ANGPTL8 among LT4-OH.

Conclusion

Elevated ANGPTL3, 4 and 8 levels are differentially independent predictors of endothelial and cardiac function and are reduced with LT4 in SCH and OH.

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Leyre Lorente-Poch Endocrine Surgery Unit, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
Departament de Cirurgia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

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Sílvia Rifà-Terricabras Departament de Cirurgia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

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Juan José Sancho Endocrine Surgery Unit, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
Departament de Cirurgia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

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Danilo Torselli-Valladares Endocrine Surgery Unit, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain

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Sofia González-Ortiz Department of Radiology, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain

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Antonio Sitges-Serra Endocrine Surgery Unit, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
Departament de Cirurgia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

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Objective:

Permanent hypoparathyroidism is an uncommon disease resulting most frequently from neck surgery. It has been associated with visceral calcifications but few studies have specifically this in patients with post-surgical hypoparathyroidism. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of basal ganglia and carotid artery calcifications in patients with long-term post-thyroidectomy hypoparathyroidism compared with a control population.

Design:

Case–control study.

Methods:

A cross-sectional review comparing 29 consecutive patients with permanent postoperative hypoparathyroidism followed-up in a tertiary reference unit for Endocrine Surgery with a contemporary control group of 501 patients who had an emergency brain CT scan. Clinical variables and prevalence of basal ganglia and carotid artery calcifications were recorded.

Results:

From a cohort of 46 patients diagnosed with permanent hypoparathyroidism, 29 were included in the study. The mean duration of disease was 9.2 ± 7 years. Age, diabetes, hypertension, smoking and dyslipidemia were similarly distributed in case and control groups. The prevalence of carotid artery and basal ganglia calcifications was 4 and 20 times more frequent in patients with permanent hypoparathyroidism, respectively. After propensity score matching of the 28 the female patients, 68 controls were matched for age and presence of cardiovascular factors. Cases showed a four-fold prevalence of basal ganglia calcifications, whereas that of carotid calcifications was similar between cases and controls.

Conclusion:

A high prevalence of basal ganglia calcifications was observed in patients with post-surgical permanent hypoparathyroidism. It remains unclear whether carotid artery calcification may also be increased.

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Ermina Bach Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

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Niels Møller Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

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Jens Otto L Jørgensen Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

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Mads Buhl The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

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Holger Jon Møller Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

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Aims/hypothesis

The macrophage-specific glycoprotein sCD163 has emerged as a biomarker of low-grade inflammation in the metabolic syndrome and related disorders. High sCD163 levels are seen in acute sepsis as a result of direct lipopolysaccharide-mediated shedding of the protein from macrophage surfaces including Kupffer cells. The aim of this study was to investigate if low-grade endotoxinemia in human subjects results in increasing levels of sCD163 in a cortisol-dependent manner.

Methods

We studied eight male hypopituitary patients and eight age- and gender-matched healthy controls during intravenous low-dose LPS or placebo infusion administered continuously over 360 min. Furthermore, we studied eight healthy volunteers with bilateral femoral vein and artery catheters during a 360-min infusion with saline and low-dose LPS in each leg respectively.

Results:

Systemic low-grade endotoxinemia resulted in a gradual increase in sCD163 from 1.65 ± 0.51 mg/L (placebo) to 1.92 ± 0.46 mg/L (LPS) at 220 min, P = 0.005 and from 1.66 ± 0.42 mg/L (placebo) to 2.19 ± 0.56 mg/L (LPS) at 340 min, P = 0.006. A very similar response was observed in hypopituitary patients: from 1.59 ± 0.53 mg/L (placebo) to 1.83 ± 0.45 mg/L (LPS) at 220 min, P = 0.021 and from 1.52 ± 0.53 mg/L (placebo) to 2.03 ± 0.44 mg/L (LPS) at 340 min, P < 0.001. As opposed to systemic treatment, continuous femoral artery infusion did not result in increased sCD163.

Conclusion:

Systemic low-grade endotoxinemia resulted in increased sCD163 to levels seen in the metabolic syndrome in both controls and hypopituitary patients. This suggests a direct and cortisol-independent effect of LPS on the shedding of sCD163. We observed no effect of local endotoxinemia on levels of serum sCD163.

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Ashley N Reeb Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA

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Andrea Ziegler Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA

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Reigh-Yi Lin Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA

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Follicular thyroid cancer (FTC) is the second most common type of thyroid cancers. In order to develop more effective personalized therapies, it is necessary to thoroughly evaluate patient-derived cell lines in in vivo preclinical models before using them to test new, targeted therapies. This study evaluates the tumorigenic and metastatic potential of a panel of three human FTC cell lines (WRO, FTC-238, and TT1609-CO2) with defined genetic mutations in two in vivo murine models: an orthotopic thyroid cancer model to study tumor progression and a tail vein injection model to study metastasis. All cell lines developed tumors in the orthotopic model, with take rates of 100%. Notably, WRO-derived tumors grew two to four times faster than tumors arising from the FTC-238 and TT2609-CO2 cell lines. These results mirrored those of a tail vein injection model for lung metastasis: one hundred percent of mice injected with WRO cells in the tail vein exhibited aggressive growth of bilateral lung metastases within 35 days. In contrast, tail vein injection of FTC-238 or TT2609-CO2 cells did not result in lung metastasis. Together, our work demonstrates that these human FTC cell lines display highly varied tumorigenic and metastatic potential in vivo with WRO being the most aggressive cell line in both orthotopic and lung metastasis models. This information will be valuable when selecting cell lines for preclinical drug testing.

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Richard W Carroll Endocrine, Diabetes, and Research Centre, Wellington Regional Hospital, New Zealand

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Brian Corley Endocrine, Diabetes, and Research Centre, Wellington Regional Hospital, New Zealand
Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand

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Joe Feltham Department of Radiology, Wellington Regional Hospital, New Zealand

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Patricia Whitfield Endocrine, Diabetes, and Research Centre, Wellington Regional Hospital, New Zealand
Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand

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William Park University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand

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Rowena Howard Diabetes and Endocrinology Service, Hutt Hospital, New Zealand

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Melissa Yssel Department of Biochemistry & Endocrinology, Awanui Labs, New Zealand

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Ian Phillips Department of Biochemistry, Awanui Labs, Dunedin, New Zealand

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Simon Harper Department of Surgery & Anaesethesia, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand
Department of General Surgery, Wellington Regional Hospital, New Zealand

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Jun Yang Centre for Endocrinology and Metabolism, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
Department of Medicine, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia

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Objective

The assessment of primary aldosteronism incorporates adrenal vein sampling (AVS) to lateralize aldosterone excess. Current adrenal vein sampling protocols rely on concurrent cortisol measurements to assess successful cannulation and lateralization and may be inaccurate in the setting of autonomous cortisol secretion. We aimed to compare the measurement of plasma cortisol and metanephrine concentrations to assess cannulation and lateralization during AVS.

Design

This is a diagnostic accuracy study in a tertiary referral endocrinology department.

Methods

Forty-one consecutive patients with confirmed primary aldosteronism undergoing AVS (49 procedures) were included. None had cortisol autonomy. The use of plasma metanephrine-based ratios were compared with standard cortisol-based ratios to assess cannulation and lateralization during ACTH-stimulated AVS.

Results

There was strong agreement between a cortisol selectivity index (SI) ≥5.0 and an adrenal vein (AV) to peripheral vein (PV) plasma metanephrine ratio (AVmet–PVmet) of ≥12.0 to indicate successful cannulation of the AV (n = 117, sensitivity 98%, specificity 89%, positive predictive value (PPV) 95%, negative predictive value (NPV) 94%). There was strong agreement between the standard cortisol-based SI and an AV plasma metanephrine-to-normetanephrine ratio (AVmet–AVnormet) of ≥2.0 to indicate successful cannulation (n = 117, sensitivity 93%, specificity 86%, PPV 94%, NPV 84%). There was strong agreement between the cortisol- or metanephrine-derived lateralization index (LI) > 4.0 for determining lateralization (n = 26, sensitivity 100%, specificity 94.1%, PPV 91.6%, NPV 100%).

Conclusions

Ratios incorporating plasma metanephrines provide comparable outcomes to standard cortisol-based measurements for interpretation of AVS. Further studies are required to assess the use of metanephrine-derived ratios in the context of confirmed cortisol autonomy.

Significance statement

Primary aldosteronism is a common cause of secondary hypertension, and adrenal vein sampling remains the gold standard test to assess lateralization. Cortisol-derived ratios to assess cannulation and lateralization may be affected by concurrent cortisol dysfunction, which is not uncommon in the context of primary aldosteronism. Our study showed comparable outcomes when using accepted cortisol-derived or metanephrine-derived ratios to determine cannulation and lateralization during adrenal vein sampling. Further research is required to validate these findings and to assess the use of metanephrine-derived ratios in the context of confirmed concurrent cortisol dysfunction.

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Yueyuan Yang Department of Endocrinology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China

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Tingting Yu Department of Radiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China

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Zhili Niu Department of Clinical Laboratory, Institute of translational medicine, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China

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Ling Gao Department of Endocrinology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China

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Objective

Uridine might be a common link between pathological pathways in diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of plasma uridine for type 2 diabetes (T2D) and T2D with atherosclerosis.

Methods

Individuals with T2D and healthy controls (n = 218) were randomly enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Patients with T2D were divided into two groups based on carotid ultrasound: patients with carotid atherosclerosis (CA) (group DCA) and patients without CA (group D). Plasma uridine was determined using HPLC-MS/MS. Correlation and logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the results.

Results

Fasting and postprandial uridine were significantly increased in patients with T2D compared with healthy individuals. Logistic regression suggested that fasting and postprandial uridine were independent risk factors for T2D. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that fasting uridine had a predictive value on T2D (95% CI, 0.686–0.863, sensitivity 74.3%, specificity 71.8%). Fasting uridine was positively correlated with LDL-c, FBG, and PBG and negatively correlated with fasting C-peptide (CP-0h) and HOMA-IS. The change in postprandial uridine from fasting baseline (Δuridine) was smaller in T2D patients with CA compared with those without (0.80 (0.04–2.46) vs 2.01 (0.49–3.15), P = 0.010). Δuridine was also associated with T2D with CA and negatively correlated with BMI, CP-0h, and HOMA-IR.

Conclusion

Fasting uridine has potential as a predictor of diabetes. Δuridine is closely associated with carotid atherosclerosis in patients with T2D.

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Karoline Winckler Department of Cardiology, Department of Research, Institute of Clinical Studies, Clinical Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Department of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Nephrology and Endocrinology

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Lise Tarnow Department of Cardiology, Department of Research, Institute of Clinical Studies, Clinical Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Department of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Nephrology and Endocrinology
Department of Cardiology, Department of Research, Institute of Clinical Studies, Clinical Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Department of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Nephrology and Endocrinology
Department of Cardiology, Department of Research, Institute of Clinical Studies, Clinical Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Department of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Nephrology and Endocrinology

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Louise Lundby-Christensen Department of Cardiology, Department of Research, Institute of Clinical Studies, Clinical Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Department of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Nephrology and Endocrinology
Department of Cardiology, Department of Research, Institute of Clinical Studies, Clinical Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Department of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Nephrology and Endocrinology

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Thomas P Almdal Department of Cardiology, Department of Research, Institute of Clinical Studies, Clinical Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Department of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Nephrology and Endocrinology
Department of Cardiology, Department of Research, Institute of Clinical Studies, Clinical Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Department of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Nephrology and Endocrinology

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Niels Wiinberg Department of Cardiology, Department of Research, Institute of Clinical Studies, Clinical Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Department of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Nephrology and Endocrinology

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Pia Eiken Department of Cardiology, Department of Research, Institute of Clinical Studies, Clinical Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Department of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Nephrology and Endocrinology
Department of Cardiology, Department of Research, Institute of Clinical Studies, Clinical Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Department of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Nephrology and Endocrinology

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Trine W Boesgaard Department of Cardiology, Department of Research, Institute of Clinical Studies, Clinical Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Department of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Nephrology and Endocrinology

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the CIMT trial group
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Despite aggressive treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) still have increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The primary aim of this study was to examine the cross-sectional association between total (25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D)) and risk of CVD in patients with T2D. Secondary objective was to examine the association between 25(OH)D and bone health. A Danish cohort of patients with T2D participating in a randomised clinical trial were analysed. In total 415 patients (68% men, age 60±9 years (mean±s.d.), duration of diabetes 12±6 years), including 294 patients (71%) treated with insulin. Carotid intima–media thickness (IMT) and arterial stiffness (carotid artery distensibility coefficient (DC) and Young's elastic modulus (YEM)) were measured by ultrasound scan as indicators of CVD. Bone health was assessed by bone mineral density and trabecular bone score measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. In this cohort, 214 patients (52%) were vitamin D deficient (25(OH)D <50 nmol/l). Carotid IMT was 0.793±0.137 mm, DC was 0.0030±0.001 mmHg, YEM was 2354±1038 mmHg and 13 (3%) of the patients were diagnosed with osteoporosis. A 25(OH)D level was not associated with carotid IMT or arterial stiffness (P>0.3) or bone health (P>0.6) after adjustment for CVD risk factors. In conclusion, 25(OH)D status was not associated with carotid IMT, arterial stiffness or bone health in this cohort of patients with T2D. To explore these associations and the association with other biomarkers further, multicentre studies with large numbers of patients are required.

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Aasem Saif Internal Medicine Department, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

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Shrook Mousa Internal Medicine Department, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

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Maha Assem Internal Medicine Department, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

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Nashwa Tharwat National Nutrition Institute, Cairo, Egypt

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Alaa Abdelhamid Internal Medicine Department, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
Vascular Laboratory, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

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Hypothyroidism is associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis. We assessed carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), as a marker of atherosclerosis, and endothelial function in patients with hypothyroidism. We included 70 female patients with hypothyroidism in the study, 40 patients with overt and 30 patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. Forty, age- and sex-matched, subjects with normal thyroid functions were also included as a control group. CIMT was measured using high-resolution color-coded Doppler ultrasonography. Endothelial function was assessed by measuring the percent of change in blood flow following heat-mediated vasodilation using laser Doppler flowmetry. CIMT was significantly higher in patients with overt and subclinical hypothyroidism as compared with the control group (0.7 ± 0.2 and 0.6 ± 0.2 mm respectively vs 0.45 ± 0.07 mm, P < 0.001 for both). The percent of change in blood flow following heat-mediated vasodilation was significantly impaired in patients with overt and subclinical hypothyroidism as compared with the control group (328 ± 17 and 545 ± 406% respectively vs 898 ± 195%, P < 0.001 for both). The impairment was more significant in overt as compared with subclinical hypothyroidism (P = 0.014). CIMT negatively correlated with percent of change in blood flow following heat-mediated vasodilation in patients with overt and subclinical hypothyroidism (P < 0.001 for both). We concluded that CIMT is significantly higher in patients with overt and subclinical hypothyroidism compared with normal control subjects. Impairment of endothelial function is a contributing factor to the increased risk of atherosclerosis in both groups of patients.

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Dandan Hu D Hu, Department of Endocrinology, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Suzhou, China

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Xiangguo Cong X Cong, Department of Endocrinology, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, suzhou, China

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Beibei Gao B Gao, Department of Endocrinology, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Suzhou, China

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Ying Wu Y Wu, Department of Endocrinology, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Suzhou, China

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Qiong Shen Q Shen, Department of Endocrinology, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Suzhou, China

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Lei Chen L Chen, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 苏州, 2100000, China

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Background:

Evidence has demonstrated that visceral fat area (VFA) and subcutaneous fat area (SFA) had different influences on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We aimed to investigate the relationship between the visceral fat area (VFA) to subcutaneous fat area (SFA) ratio (V/S) and carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) in patients with T2DM.

Methods:

From January 2018 to May 2023, 1,838 patients with T2DM admitted to the National Metabolic Management Centre in our hospital were assigned to two groups based on comorbid CAS. Dual bioelectrical impedance analysis was used to measure the VAF and SFA, and the V/S was calculated. Patient characteristics and serum biochemical indices were compared between groups. Factors influencing comorbid CAS were determined, and correlations between V/S and other clinical indices were analyzed.

Results:

The group with comorbid CAS included 858 individuals and 980 without comorbid CAS. Those with comorbid CAS were older and had a longer disease duration, more significant systolic blood pressure, and greater V/S. The proportions of patients with comorbid hypertension increased significantly with the V/S ratio. The V/S ratio positively correlated with triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and waist circumference. According to binary logistic regression analysis, V/S was an independent risk factor for CAS.

Conclusion:

Elevated V/S is an independent risk factor for CAS in patients with T2DM.

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Robert A Hart Centre for Bioactive Discovery in Health and Ageing, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia

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Robin C Dobos NSW Department of Primary Industries, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia

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Linda L Agnew Centre for Bioactive Discovery in Health and Ageing, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia

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Neil A Smart Centre for Bioactive Discovery in Health and Ageing, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia

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James R McFarlane Centre for Bioactive Discovery in Health and Ageing, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia

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Pharmacokinetics of leptin in mammals has not been studied in detail and only one study has examined more than one time point in non-mutant mice and this was in a female mice. This is the first study to describe leptin distribution over a detailed time course in normal male mice. A physiologic dose (12 ng) of radiolabelled leptin was injected into adult male mice via the lateral tail vein and tissues were dissected out and measured for radioactivity over a time course of up to two hours. Major targets were the digestive tract, kidneys, skin and lungs. The brain was not a major target, and 0.15% of the total dose was recovered from the brain 5 min after administration. Major differences appear to exist in the distribution of leptin between the male and female mice, indicating a high degree of sexual dimorphism. Although the half-lives were similar between male and female mice, almost twice the proportion of leptin was recovered from the digestive tract of male mice in comparison to that reported previously for females. This would seem to indicate a major difference in leptin distribution and possibly function between males and females.

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