ACTA ENDOCRINOLOGICA (BUC)

Purpose. Vitamin D insufficiency and age related cataract (ARC) are public health problems. We evaluated serum vitamin D levels in ARC patients. Method. A prospective hospital-based crosssectional study was designed to measure the vitamin D status of patients with ARC. Patients have grouped either presence of any type of posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC) (group 1) or ARC without the PSC component (Group 2). After full ophthalmologic consideration, patients over 40 years of age with no history of ocular trauma, multivitamin supplement ingestion, chronic renal failure, thyroidectomy, parathyroidectomy, skin cancer, and cigarette smoking were included in the study. Results. Totally, 79 subjects of which 26 (32.9%) subjects in group 1 and 53 (67.1%) subjects in group 2 were included in the study. Group 1 had mean vitamin D levels of 17.31±13.30 ng/mL. Vitamin D levels in Group 2 were 13.34±7.87 ng/mL. Group 1 did not show vitamin D insufficiency (P = 0.31; one-sample t-test). However, Group 2 showed a statistically significantly lower vitamin D level compared to the insufficiency level of 20ng/mL (P= 0.00; one-sample t-test). Conclusion. Vitamin D may have an important function in lens metabolism. Vitamin D deficiency and cataract development need further extensive researches.

Background. In recent years, the effect of inflammation on the pathophysiology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has attracted considerable attention. However, the effect of the dietary inflammatory load remains unclear. Objective. This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between dietary inflammatory index (DII) score and serum chemerin concentration, biochemical hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance in women with PCOS. Methods. This study, which is a case-control study, was conducted on 44 women with PCOS and 44 healthy women who applied to Ankara Training and Research Hospital. Routine blood biochemical values were obtained from the hospital system and blood samples were taken for serum chemerin analysis. The questionnaire investigated the general information, physical activity status, and anthropometric measurements. The DII was calculated from three-day dietary records Results. The mean DII score of the in the PCOS and control groups is 3.8 ± 1.7 and 3.8 ± 1.4, respectively (p> 0.05). Serum chemerin concentration (3.6 ± 1.4 ng / mL) of the women in the PCOS group with a high DII score was significantly higher than the women in the control group (2.6 ± 1.7 ng / mL) (p <0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between DII score and insulin resistance, total and free testosterone, DHEA-S, LH, FSH, LH/FSH ratio and estradiol values (p>0.05). Conclusions. The highest serum chemerin concentrations was found in the PCOS group with the highest DII. Results suggest that an inflammatory diet may be associated with serum chemerin concentration in PCOS.

Adipocytokines involved in inflammation and the acute phase responders have been found to be increased in the metabolic syndrome (MS). The aim of the study was to compare the ‘normal’ weight women’s fibrinogen, hsCRP, adiponectin, TNF-α, vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM) with obese patients with MS, and to evaluate the association between fibrinogen, hsCRP, adiponectin, TNF-α, VCAM and insulin resistance. The study included 52 obese women who met the criteria for MS defined as in 2001, the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) ATP III and 24 normal women. Serum concentrations of glucose (FBG), triglyceride, total and HDL-Cholesterol were determined by enzymatic procedures, serum insulin was measured by chemiluminescence, plasma levels of adiponectin, TNF-α and VCAM by Elisa, hsCRP by immunoturbimetric assay and fibrinogen by coagulation method. Measurements of insulin resistance were obtained using the homeostasis model assessment. Mean plasma levels of adiponectin, TNF-α, VCAM, fibrinogen and hsCRP were found 6.11±2.39 mg/ml, 3.10±3.30 pg/ml, 14.21±4.00 ng/ml, 375.49±49.67 mg/dl, 0.33±0.10 mg/dl in the obese with MS; 6.20±2.48 mg/ml, 3.01±1.68 pg/ml, 12.63±2.54 ng/ml, 304.06±49.52 mg/dl, 0.30±0.19 mg/dl in the normal women, respectively. Mean fasting insulin level and HOMA-IR were measured 13.80±6.32 mU/ml and 3.69±1.90 mU/ml, respectively in obese with MS. In normal women, fasting insulin level and HOMA-IR were measured 8.30±3.08 mU/ml and 1.49±0.37, respectively. Mean levels of adiponectin were positively correlated with mean TNF-α levels in the obese with MS (r=0.472, p=0.001). VCAM was negatively correlated with TNF-α levels (r=-0.301, p=0.038) in the obese with MS. This study demonstrated that TNF-α showed a positive association with adiponectin and a negative association with VCAM in the obese women with MS.