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Journal Article 2013; 34(3): 212-216 PubMed PMID: 23685419 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Asthma:blood, Body Mass Index, Child, Cross-Sectional Studies, Disease Progression, Female, Humans, Hypersensitivity:epidemiology, Male, Resistin:blood, Risk Factors, Severity of Illness Index, Sex Distribution,.   

OBJECTIVES: There are limited data on the role of adipokines in atopic asthma.

DESIGN AND SETTING: To determine serum levels of resistin in asthmatic children in relation to body weight, asthma severity and gender, serum resistin (RES) levels were measured using ELISA in 89 asthmatic children (61 boys and 28 girls, aged 7.0-17.0 years) and in 33 healthy children. Among examined asthmatics 59 (19 girls and 40 boys) had normal weight (ANW) and 30 (9 girls and 21 boys) were obese (AO).

RESULTS: The mean serum levels of resistin were significantly (p<0.01) higher in all non-obese asthmatic children (4.11±0.1 ng/mL) than in healthy children (3.83±0.1 ng/mL). After stratifying by gender only ANW boys and AO boys had significantly higher RES levels than boys from control group. Both AO (4.4±0.2 ng/mL) and ANW girls (4.38±0.2 ng/mL) as well as girls from control (4.09±0.1) group showed significantly higher mean RES serum concentrations than boys from corresponding groups (3.99±0.1 ng/ml, 3.83±0.17 ng/ml and 3.44±0.06 ng/ml, respectively). No relationship between examined adipokine levels and asthma severity, spirometric parameters, degree of allergic sensitization, BMI, BMI-SDS was stated.

CONCLUSION: Increased serum RES in children with atopic asthma suggest that this adipokine may be implicated in its pathogenesis....

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Journal Article 2011; 32(5): 716-721 PubMed PMID: 22167137 Citation  Keywords:  Adiponectin:blood, Aged, Brain Ischemia:epidemiology, Female, Ghrelin:blood, Humans, Intracranial Arteriosclerosis:epidemiology, Intracranial Embolism:epidemiology, Leptin:blood, Male, Middle Aged, Risk Factors, Sex Distribution, Stroke:epidemiology, Stro.   

OBJECTIVES: Fat tissue is an important endocrine organ that produces a number of hormones and cytokines (leptin, adiponectin, resistin, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, Tumour necrosis factor TNF α) with essential roles in regulation of many physiological functions.

METHODS: We targeted implications of adipokines in ischemic stroke patients. Patients with acute stroke were examined (n=145) and the results were compared with the control group (n=68). We have examined potential associations between leptin, adiponectin and ghrelin, and different types of stroke and traditional risk factors.

RESULTS: Significantly higher levels of leptin and lower levels of adiponectin and ghrelin were confirmed in the stroke group. The level of leptin in women with stroke was three-times higher than in men, and the leptin levels positively correlated with obesity in both sexes. Ghrelin levels correlated mildly with triglyceride levels, and were dominant in men with cardioembolic stroke. Adiponectin levels were not different between men and women with acute stroke, and correlated with atherothrombotic and lacunar stroke types in men.

CONCLUSIONS: Adipokines and ghrelin play an important role in ischemic stroke, but their function in stroke subtypes seems to be different and sex influenced. More research is required to confirm our results....

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