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Purpose To investigate whether eNOS T786C (rs2070744) and G894T (rs1799983) gene polymorphisms are associated with diabetic retinopathy in Greek diabetic patients.Materials 271 patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus participated in our study; 130 suffered from diabetic retinopathy and 141 not. All the patients underwent a complete ophthalmological examination, while clinical and demographic data were assessed. Furthermore, they were genotyped for rs2070744 and rs1799983 single nucleotide polymorphisms of eNOS gene.Results Regarding the clinical and demographic data, no significant differences were detected between the studied groups, except for hemoglobin A1c levels and the frequency of insulin treatment (higher in patients with diabetic retinopathy). The frequency of rs1799983 GT genotype was significantly elevated in patients with diabetic retinopathy (55% vs. 40%, P= 0.011) and was associated with a 2-fold increased risk of developing retinopathy (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.16–3.17). Furthermore, we demonstrated that the aforementioned genotype was significantly and independently associated with increased odds for retinopathy onset in diabetic subjects (OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.28–3.90, P= 0.005), regardless of the impact of other confounders.Conclusions We documented that rs1799983 GT genotype could be recognized as an independent risk factor of retinopathy in Greek patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus, while no role for rs2070744 polymorphism was identified. Further research in different ethnic groups will clarify the exact association of these polymorphisms with the risk for diabetic retinopathy development.

Background: Patients with heart failure (HF) have a significant decline of renal function. We investigate the association between novel biomarkers of renal dysfunction and indices of inflammatory status and cardiac remodeling in patients with HF. Methods: We enrolled 79 consecutive patients with HF and 79 healthy subjects, adjusted for age and sex. Serum levels of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), cystatin-C, b-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) were measured by ELISA. Creatinine clearance was estimated using Cockcroft-Gault formula (eCcl). Left ventricular ejection fraction was determined by echocardiography. Results: Patients with HF, compared to healthy subjects, had significantly higher NGAL (p=0.007) and cystatin-C levels (p=0.005). In HF patients, NGAL levels were positively correlated with Creatinine levels (r=0.40, p<0.001), TNFa levels (r=0.43, p<0.001), BNP levels (r=0.36, p=0.003), MMP-9 levels (r=0.37, p=0.02) and inversely correlated with left ventricle ejection fraction (r=-0.23, p=0.045). Interestingly, the association between NGAL and MMP-9 levels was independent from confounders such as age, gender, left ventricle ejection fraction, body mass index, TNF levels, and BNP levels. Moreover, in HF patients, cystatin-C levels were inversely correlated with eCcl (r=-0.21, p=0.04). Cystatin-C levels were not correlated with TNFa, BNP, MMP-9 levels and with left ventricle ejection fraction (p=NS for all). Conclusions: NGAL is associated with left ventricle ejection fraction, and biomarkers of inflammation and cardiac remodeling in patients with HF. These findings highlight a possible common pathogenetic mechanism of renal dysfunction, inflammatory process and cardiac dysfunction in HF.