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Aim: To assess serum chemerin levels and investigate the association of chemerin with the hyperandrogenic and normoandrogenic phenotypes of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and with the metabolic status of the analyzed population., Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 106 women with PCOS and 60 healthy controls from Argentina. Patients were classified as showing a hyperandrogenic or normoandrogenic phenotype. Participants underwent anthropometric and clinical evaluation and markers of cardiovascular risk, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome (MS), and serum chemerin levels were assessed., Results: PCOS patients showed increased levels of chemerin. In adjusted models for age and body mass index (BMI), chemerin was associated with markers of metabolic status. The analysis of chemerin levels considering the cutoff values of BMI, homeostatic model of insulin sensitivity (HOMA-IR) and TG/HDL marker showed that PCOS patients always presented higher levels of chemerin than controls. PCOS group showed increased chemerin levels independently of the presence of MS., Conclusion: PCOS patients always showed increased levels of chemerin independently of their phenotype and presence of overweight, as well as higher levels of chemerin than controls when considering the cutoff values of HOMA-IR and TG/HDL. Therefore, argentine women with PCOS display increased chemerin levels independently of their metabolic or androgenic status.

Unlabelled: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is currently the primary cause of morbidity and mortality., Aims: (1) Assess the 10 years risk for CVD in Argentinean blood donors, according to Framingham score (updated by ATP III), (2) evaluate the prevalence of the MS, (3) evaluate non HDL-cholesterol level in this population as other risk for CVD., Materials and Methods: A prospective, epidemiological, transversal study was performed to evaluate 585 volunteer blood donors for two years. Non HDL-C was calculated as total cholesterol minus HDL-C and we evaluated the 10 years risk for CVD according to Framingham score (updated by ATP III)., Results: Metabolic syndrome prevalence was estimated according to ATP III and IDF criteria. Non HDL-C was (media±SD) 178.3±48.0 mg/dl in participants with MS and 143.7±39.3 mg/dl without MS (ATPIII) and 160.1±43.6 mg/dl in participants with MS and 139.8±43.1 mg/dl without MS (IDF). Participants with MS presented an OR of 3.1; IC 95% (2-5) of CVD according to de Framingham score., Conclusion: Individuals with MS and elevated non HDL-C are at a higher estimated risk for cardiovascular events in the next 10 years according to the Framingham risk score., (Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Triglycerides/HDL-cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL) is an easy resource determination and it has good correlation with the HOMA index in adults. Due to physiological insulin resistance (IR) in adolescence it is necessary to find markers of IR independent of age, sex and pubertal stage. The objective was to identify reference values of TG/HDL ratio in a population of adolescents without cardiovascular risk factors. We evaluated 943 adolescents, 429 females and 514 males between 11 and 14. Anthropometric measures were determined and body mass index was calculated (BMI). Blood was extracted after 12 hours of fasting to determine glucose, triglycerides, HDL. The metabolic syndrome (MS) was diagnosed according to criteria of NCEP/ATP III modified by Cook. We excluded adolescents with MS or any component of it. We evaluated 562 adolescents (289 women and 273 men) with a weight of 48.91 +/- 6.51kg, BMI: 18.95 +/- 1.78, systolic blood pressure of 108.12 +/- 13.60 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure: 63.82 +/- 9.43 and waist circumference: 65.09 +/- 4.54 cm. TG/HDL ratio was 1.25 +/- 0.43, with a 95 percentile of 2.05. In adults, TG/HDL ratio greater than 3 is a marker of insulin resistance. We believe that a higher value to 2.05 might be a good index of insulin resistance in adolescence. TG/HDL ratio has the advantage of being methodologically simpler, more economical and independent of pubertal stage.

Background: The prevalence of obesity (OB), overweight (OW), and metabolic syndrome (MS) has increased worldwide. That imposes a substantial risk for type 2 diabetes and premature cardiovascular disease. However, to date no unified criteria exist to asses risk or outcomes in children and adolescents., Objectives: To establish the presence of OB/OW and MS and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in adolescents., Design and Subjects: Male (n = 514) and female (n = 429) adolescents from high school were studied (11-14 yr). Weight, height, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and blood pressure were determined in all subjects. Glucose, lipoprotein profile, apolipoprotein B (apoB), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels were measured. Triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (TG/HDL-cholesterol) ratio was calculated., Results: The frequency of OB/OW and MS were 22.2 and 3.7%, respectively. In comparison to healthy adolescents, TG/HDL-cholesterol ratio was increased in OB/OW (2.9 ± 2.5 vs. 1.6 ± 1.0) and MS groups (4.0 ± 2.5 vs. 1.6 ± 0.9), p < 0.001. OB/OW adolescents presented higher values of hs-CRP in comparison to non-obese, median (range): 1.9 (0.1-9.4) vs. 1.4 (0.1-9.9), mg/L, p < 0.001. ApoB (mean ± SD) was 71 ± 21 mg/dL in MS group and 59 ± 17 mg/dL in those without MS (p < 0.001). TG/HDL-cholesterol ratio positively correlated with BMI (r = 0.18, p < 0.001), WC (r = 0.24, p < 0.001), and apoB (r = 0.24, p < 0.001); hs-CRP correlated with WC (r = 0.14, p < 0.001) and BMI (r = 0.17, p < 0.001)., Conclusions: Even when the frequency of OB, OW, and MS in adolescents was low, those subjects presented an atherogenic lipoprotein. These findings emphasize the importance to evaluate cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents to assess strategies to prevent future disease., (© 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.)

Background: Hepatic steatosis (HS) is closely associated to metabolic syndrome (MS). Both, VLDL-triglyceride oversecretion and intrahepatic deposits, can take place. We evaluated VLDL characteristics, CETP, hepatic lipase (HL), IDL and small dense LDL (sdLDL), in patients with HS associated to MS., Methods: We studied 3 groups matched by age and sex: 25 MS patients with HS (diagnosed by ultrasonography), 25 MS patients without HS and 25 healthy controls. Main measurements were: lipid profile, free fatty acids, VLDL composition, VLDL size by HPLC, CETP and HL activities, IDL-cholesterol and sdLDL-cholesterol., Results: Patients with HS presented higher triglyceride levels, HOMA-IR and free fatty acids, VLDL mass and VLDL-apoB (p<0.05). No differences in VLDL composition were observed. MS groups presented higher proportion of large VLDL than controls (p<0.05). HS group showed higher CETP than controls (p=0.01) and almost higher than MS without HS (p=0.06). CETP correlated with VLDL-cholesterol content, r=0.48, p<0.005. The increase in sdLDL-cholesterol correlated with CETP (r=0.47) and HL (r=0.56), independent of insulin resistance (p<0.003)., Conclusion: Despite intrahepatic fat, patients with HS secreted higher number of VLDL particles. CETP would have a remodeling action on VLDL in circulation, enriching it in cholesterol and also favoring, together with HL, the formation of sdLDL., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: It is not elucidated if liver fat deposits associated to metabolic syndrome (MS) aggravate the atherogenic state. We evaluated, in MS patients, if the presence of non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis (HS) determines differences in inflammatory markers and VLDL characteristics., Methods: Seventy-five patients with MS were divided into 2 groups depending on the presence or absence of HS, assessed by ultrasound. Lipid profile, free fatty acids (FFA), VLDL composition, adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and soluble adhesion molecules (sVCAM-1 and sICAM-1) were measured., Results: HS patients presented increased triglycerides levels, HOMA-IR and FFA. Patients with HS showed a reduction in adiponectin (p = 0.04) and increase in hs-CRP (p = 0.02), independently of insulin-resistance (IR). FFA correlated positively with TNF-α (p = 0.04) and inversely with adiponectin (p = 0.01). hs-CRP correlated with all inflammatory markers, independently of IR: TNF-α (r = 0.34, p = 0.02), sVCAM-1 (r = 0.29 p = 0.03), sICAM-1 (r = 0.56, p = 0.01), adiponectin (r = -0.34, p = 0.04). HS patients presented higher VLDL mass and number of particles. Adiponectin correlated with VLDL cholesterol content (r = -0.47, p = 0.04), independently of IR. VLDL, once secreted, would suffer from changes, becoming more atherogenic., Conclusions: Simple HS would play an important role increasing cardiovascular risk, independently of IR. hs-CRP may represent a useful biomarker of this condition., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Fatty liver represents the liver component of metabolic syndrome and may be involved in plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) synthesis. We studied plasma PAI-1 levels and relationships with risk factors for metabolic syndrome, including fatty liver, in 170 patients. Liver ultrasound scan was performed on all patients, and a liver biopsy was performed on those patients with chronically elevated transaminase levels. Plasma PAI-1 levels correlated significantly (P < .05) with body mass index, degree of steatosis, insulin resistance, insulin level, waist circumference, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) -cholesterol. However, only body mass index (beta = .455) and HDL-cholesterol (beta = .293) remained predictors of PAI-1 levels. Liver biopsy revealed a significant correlation (P < .05) between insulin resistance (r = 0.381) or insulin level (r = 0.519) and liver fibrosis. In patients presenting features of metabolic syndrome, plasma PAI-1 levels were mainly conditioned by the whole-body fat content.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is currently the primary cause of morbidity and mortality. Aims (1) Assess the 10 years risk for CVD in Argentinean blood donors, according to Framingham score (updated by ATP III), (2) evaluate the prevalence of the MS, (3) evaluate non HDL-cholesterol level in this population as other risk for CVD. Materials and methods A prospective, epidemiological, transversal study was performed to evaluate 585 volunteer blood donors for two years. Non HDL-C was calculated as total cholesterol minus HDL-C and we evaluated the 10 years risk for CVD according to Framingham score (updated by ATP III). Results Metabolic syndrome prevalence was estimated according to ATP III and IDF criteria. Non HDL-C was (media ± SD) 178.3 ± 48.0 mg/dl in participants with MS and 143.7 ± 39.3 mg/dl without MS (ATPIII) and 160.1 ± 43.6 mg/dl in participants with MS and 139.8 ± 43.1 mg/dl without MS (IDF). Participants with MS presented an OR of 3.1; IC 95% (2–5) of CVD according to de Framingham score. Conclusion Individuals with MS and elevated non HDL-C are at a higher estimated risk for cardiovascular events in the next 10 years according to the Framingham risk score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The aim of this study was to explore β2-adrenoceptor ( ADRB2) haplotype associations with phenotypes and quantitative traits related to insulin resistance ( IR) and the metabolic syndrome ( MS) in a polycystic ovary syndrome ( PCOS) population. A secondary purpose was to assess the association between ADRB2 haplotype and PCOS. Design Genetic polymorphism analysis. Cross-sectional case-control association study. Setting Medical University Hospital and research laboratory. Patients One hundred and sixty-five unrelated women with PCOS and 116 unrelated women without PCOS (control sample). Measurements Clinical and biochemical measurements, and ADRB2 genotyping in PCOS patients and control subjects. Methods ADRB2 haplotypes (comprising rs1042711, rs1801704, rs1042713 and rs1042714 in that order), genotyping and statistical analysis to evaluate associations with continuous variables and traits related to IR and MS in a PCOS population. Associations between ADRB2 haplotypes and PCOS were also assessed. Results We observed an age-adjusted association between ADRB2 haplotype CCGG and lower insulin ( P = 0·018) and HOMA ( P = 0·008) in the PCOS sample. Interestingly, the expected differences in surrogate measures of IR between cases and controls were not significant in CCGG/ CCGG carriers. In the case-control study, genotype CCGG/ CCGG was associated with a 14% decrease in PCOS risk ( P = 0·043), taking into account confounding variables. Conclusions Haplotype I (CCGG) has a protective role for IR and MS in PCOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]