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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) represents a systemic disorder characterized by chronic airflow limitation and an increased inflammatory response of the airways. Comorbidities are frequent in COPD and it is crucial to predict these in early stage for adequate management of COPD. Recent studies have reported that elevated levels of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), a zinc-binding metalloproteinase, detected in patients with asthma, lung cancer, and pulmonary embolism and independently associated with cardiovascular events. We aimed to assess serum PAPP-A levels in COPD and the associations between disease severity. The study population consisted of 75 COPD patients and 35 healthy subjects as a control group. PAPP-A levels were measured by using ultrasensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Elevated levels of PAPP-A were observed in patients with COPD on comparison with the controls (p = 0.000). The levels in stage 1 (34.73 ± 22.97) and stage 2 (48.29 ± 53.35) were significantly higher than stage 3 (20.58 ± 22.98) and stage 4 (27.36 ± 21.46) (p = 0.049). Increased PAPP-A levels may be a useful marker in management of COPD that seeks to prevent the development of comorbidities such as adverse cardiovascular diseases.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex chronic inflammatory disease of the lungs in which inflammatory markers are involved with significant extrapulmonary effects that may contribute to its severity and complications. Moreover, some of the inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) are associated with COPD. Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is the member of long pentraxins. The aim of the present study was to investigate the level of PTX3 in patients with COPD. Fifty-four COPD patients and 31 controls were enrolled in this study. Demographical data such as age, sex, cigarette smoking status, comorbidities, drugs, habits, and modified Medical Research Council (MMRC) dyspnea scores were recorded. All patients were asked for COPD Assessment Test™ (CAT). The mean age was 65.7 ± 9.8 years, 92 % male. Plasma levels of PTX3 were found to be markedly higher in COPD patients [1.65 (0.32-12.72) ng/ml] than in controls [1.05 (0.43-3.26) ng/ml; p = 0.005]. On the other hand, PTX3 values did not differ between COPD stages [A, 1.73 (0.69-11.03); B, 1.49 (0.84-12.52); C, 0.79 (0.52-1.06); and D, 2.09 (0.32-12.72); p = 0.27]. The plasma PTX3 levels were positively correlated with MMRC scores. We conclude that circulating PTX3 levels are elevated in COPD patients. Plasma levels of PTX3 were correlated with dyspnea (MMRC scores). But PTX3 levels were not correlated with the severity of COPD.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is associated with increased rates of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Basic mechanisms involved in the increased cardiovascular risk of OSAS remain unclear. Inflammation has been shown to potentially play a critical role in this association. The aim of the present study was to investigate the level of cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) in patients with OSAS. Forty-eight newly diagnosed OSAS patients and 37 nonapneic controls were enrolled in this study. Demographic data, cigarette smoking status, previous history of chronic diseases including CVD and metabolic diseases and drugs, and habits were obtained by a standardized questionnaire. All patients underwent polysomnographic evaluation. The mean age was 48.3 ± 12.3 (24-74) years in OSAS group. Median apnea-hypopnea index was 23.6 (6-91.8) and median body mass index was 30.4 (24.2-49.4) in the OSAS group. Plasma CT-1 levels in OSAS and control groups, respectively, were 12.03 ± 1.08 and 11.85 ± 1.18 pg/ml. There was no significant difference in the plasma levels of CT-1 and IL-6 between the OSAS group and the controls.