Clinical evaluation of lipids, lipoproteins and red blood cells sodium and potassium in patients with different grades of hypertension

LDL-C/HDL-C is associated with ischaemic stroke in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation: a case-control study

BACKGROUND

This study explored the relationships between the low-/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (LDL-C/HDL-C) and other clinical indicators and ischaemic stroke (IS) in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) in Xinjiang. The findings could provide a theoretical and therapeutic basis for NVAF patients.

METHODS

NVAF patients who were admitted to 10 medical centres across Xinjiang were divided into stroke (798 patients) and control (2671 patients) groups according to the occurrence of first acute IS. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to examine the independent risk factors for IS in NVAF patients. Factor analysis and principal component regression analysis were used to analyse the main factors influencing IS. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the discriminatory ability of LDL-C/HDL-C for predicting the occurrence of IS.

RESULTS

The stroke group had an average age of 71.64 ± 9.96 years and included 305 females (38.22%). The control group had a mean age of 67.30 ± 12.01 years and included 825 females (30.89%). Multivariate logistic regression showed that the risk of IS in the highest LDL-C/HDL-C quartile (≥2.73) was 16.23-fold that of the lowest quartile (< 1.22); IS risk was 2.27-fold higher in obese patients than in normal-weight subjects; IS risk was 3.15-fold higher in smoking patients than in non-smoking patients. The area under the ROC curve of LDL-C/HDL-C was 0.76, the optimal critical value was 2.33, the sensitivity was 63.53%, and the specificity was 76.34%. Principal component regression analysis showed that LDL-C/HDL-C, age, smoking, drinking, LDL-C and hypertension were risk factors for IS in NVAF patients.

CONCLUSIONS

LDL-C/HDL-C > 1.22, smoking, BMI ≥24 kg/m² and CHA₂DS₂-VASc score were independent risk factors for IS in NVAF patients; LDL-C/HDL-C was the main risk factor.

Long-term use of angiotensin II receptor antagonists and calcium-channel antagonists in Algerian hypertensive patients: effects on metabolic and oxidative parameters

The effects of calcium antagonists (amlodipine) and angiotensin II receptor antagonists (telmisartan) on lipid profile and oxidative markers were investigated in Algerian hypertensive patients. At the beginning and after 1 year of antihypertensive therapy, blood samples are collected for determination of biochemical parameters (glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, urea, creatinine) and oxidative markers (malondialdehyde, carbonyl proteins, nitric oxide, superoxide anion, vitamin C, glutathione, catalase, superoxide dismutase). The results of this study indicate that telmisartan and amlodipine are effective antihypertensive agents in the treatment of hypertension because a significant reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure was observed in all hypertensive patients after 1 year of treatment. Our results show also that telmisartan and amlodipine treatments counteracted hypertension-dependent lipid abnormalities and oxidative stress. Telmisartan treatment appears to be more efficient than amlodipine treatment. In addition, telmisartan, which reversed all lipid and redox changes associated with hypertension, should be prescribed, especially in hypertensive patients with hypertriglyceridemia and with severe oxidative stress.

Effect of selenium on selenoprotein expression in the adipose tissue of chickens

This study describes the effects of selenium (Se) deficiency on the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression of 25 selenoproteins (Sels) (including glutathione peroxidases (GPx1-GPx4), thioredoxin reductases (TrxR1-TrxR3), iodothyronine deiodinases (ID1-ID3), selenophosphate synthetase 2 (SPS2), 15-kDa Sel (Sel15), SelH, SelI, SelK, SelM, Sepn1, SelO, Sepx, Selpb, SelS, SelT, SelW, Sepp1, and SelU in the adipose tissues (subcutaneous adipose, visceral adipose, and articular adipose) of chickens. One hundred and fifty 1-day-old chickens were randomly assigned to two groups of 75 each and were fed a low-Se diet (0.032 mg/kg Se) or a control diet (0.282 mg/kg Se). The expression levels of 25 Sel mRNAs were determined on days 35, 45, and 55 from three parts (subcutaneous adipose, visceral adipose, and articular adipose) of the chicken adipose tissues. The results showed that the expression levels of the 25 Sel mRNAs were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in the low-selenium group than in the control group. In addition, the Sel mRNA expression levels in the three adipose tissues were observed to decrease in a time-dependent manner with increasing feeding time.