Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0948265 (metabolic syndrome)
24,271 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Hyperglycemia and increase in advanced glycation end products in patients with diabetes are known to cause impaired calcium homeostasis such as reduction in parathyroid hormone secretion, decrease in calcium (Ca) absorption resulting from impaired vitamin D action, increase in urinary Ca excretion, impaired osteoblastic function, and deterioration of bone quality. On the other hand, fat deposition accompanied by the metabolic syndrome are positively linked to increased bone mineral density (BMD) and reduced fracture risk through increased body weight. However, body fat has a detrimental effect on BMD after adjustment for weight, and gives less mechanical stress on bone than muscle tissue that is firmly attached to bone via the tendon. Thus, converting fat into muscle tissue by regular exercise and healthy diet helps not only prevent hyperglycemia but also osteoporosis.
Clin Calcium 2008 Jul
PMID:[Calcium homeostasis and osteoporosis in diabetes mellitus and the metabolic syndrome]. 1859 40

Vascular calcification encountered in atherosclerotic lesions is a common consequence of aging. We suggested that apoptosis plays an important role in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) calcification which is dependent on downregulation of the growth arrest-specific gene 6 (Gas6) -mediated survival pathway. Recently, we demonstrated that adiponectin antagonizes the stimulatory effect of TNF-alpha on vascular calcification by restoration of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) -dependent Gas6-mediated survival pathway. These results provide evidences of the effect of metabolic syndrome on vascular diseases including calcification.
Clin Calcium 2008 Jul
PMID:[Vascular calcification and anti-aging]. 1859 41

The number one cause of mortality in the US is cardiovascular related disease. Future predictions do not see a reduction in this rate especially with the continued rise in obesity [P. Poirier, et al., Obesity and cardiovascular disease: pathophysiology, evaluation, and effect of weight loss, Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 26(5), (2006) 968-976.; K. Obunai, S. Jani, G.D. Dangas, Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality of the metabolic syndrome, Med.Clin. North Am., 91(6), (2007) 1169-1184]. Even so, potential molecular therapeutic targets for cardiac gene delivery are in no short supply thanks to continuing advances in molecular cardiology. However, efficient and safe delivery remains a bottleneck in clinical gene therapy [O.J. Muller, H.A. Katus, R. Bekeredjian, Targeting the heart with gene therapy-optimized gene delivery methods, Cardiovasc Res, 73(3), (2007) 453-462]. Viral vectors are looked upon favorably for their high transduction efficiency, although their ability to elicit toxic immune responses remains [C.F. McTiernan, et al., Myocarditis following adeno-associated viral gene expression of human soluble TNF receptor (TNFRII-Fc) in baboon hearts, Gene Ther, 14(23), (2007) 1613-1622]. However, this high transduction does not necessarily translate into improved efficacy [X. Hao, et al., Myocardial angiogenesis after plasmid or adenoviral VEGF-A(165) gene transfer in rat myocardial infarction model, Cardiovasc Res., 73(3), (2007) 481-487]. Naked DNA remains the preferred method of DNA delivery to cardiac myocardium and has been explored extensively in clinical trials. The results from these trials have demonstrated efficacy in regard to secondary end-points of reduced symptomatology and perfusion, but have failed to establish significant angiogenesis or an increase in myocardial function [P.B. Shah, D.W. Losordo, Non-viral vectors for gene therapy: clinical trials in cardiovascular disease, Adv Genet, 54, (2005) 339-361]. This may be due in part to reduced transfection efficiency but can also be attributed to use of suboptimal candidate genes. Currently, polymeric non-viral gene delivery to cardiac myocardium remains underrepresented. In the past decade several advances in non-viral vector development has demonstrated increased transfection efficiency [O.J. Muller, H.A. Katus, R. Bekeredjian, Targeting the heart with gene therapy-optimized gene delivery methods, Cardiovasc Res, 73(3), (2007) 453-462]. Of these polymers, those that employ lipid modifications to improve transfection or target cardiovascular tissues have proven themselves to be extremely beneficial. Water-soluble lipopolymer (WSLP) consists of a low molecular weight branched PEI (1800) and cholesterol. The cholesterol moiety adds extra condensation by forming stable micellular complexes and was later employed for myocardial gene therapy to exploit the high expression of lipoprotein lipase found within cardiac tissue. Use of WSLP to deliver hypoxia-responsive driven expression of hVEGF to ischemic rabbit myocardium has proven to provide for even better expression in cardiovascular cells than Terplex and has demonstrated a significant reduction in infarct size (13+/-4%, p<0.001) over constitutive VEGF expression (32+/-7%, p=0.007) and sham-injected controls (48+/-7%). A significant reduction in apoptotic values and an increase in capillary growth were also seen in surrounding tissue. Recently, investigations have begun using bioreducible polymers made of poly(amido polyethylenimines) (SS-PAEI). SS-PAEIs breakdown within the cytoplasm through inherent redox mechanisms and provide for high transfection efficiencies (upwards to 60% in cardiovascular cell types) with little to no demonstrable toxicity. In vivo transfections in normoxic and hypoxic rabbit myocardium have proven to exceed those results of WSLP transfections by 2-5 fold [L.V. Christensen, et al., Reducible poly(amido ethylenediamine) for hypoxia-inducible VEGF delivery, J Control Release, 118(2), (2007) 254-261]. This new breed of polymer(s) may allow for decreased doses and use of new molecular mechanisms not previously available due to low transfection efficiencies. Little development has been seen in the use of new gene agents for treatment of myocardial ischemia and infarction. Current treatment consists of using mitogenic factors, described decades earlier, alone or in combination to spur angiogenesis or modulating intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis through SERCA2a but to date, failed to demonstrate clinical efficacy. Recent data suggests that axonal guidance cues also act on vasculature neo-genesis and provide a new means of investigation for treatment.
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PMID:Novel polymer carriers and gene constructs for treatment of myocardial ischemia and infarction. 1866 30

Group VI phospholipase A2 (PLA2) is a family of acyl hydrolases that targets the sn-2 fatty acid on the glycerophospholipid (GPL) backbone. These enzymes are grouped together based on structural homologies and catalytic activities that are independent of calcium and hence are also called the iPLA(2)s. Although the best characterized of these enzymes, iPLA2beta and iPLA2gamma, have long been proposed as homeostatic enzymes involved in basal GPL metabolism, recent studies indicate roles for these enzymes in biomedically relevant processes as well. For example, iPLA2 modulates calcium homeostasis by promoting replenishment of intracellular calcium stores. This function is likely of importance in the pathogenesis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and potentially allergy as well. iPLA2 has a variety of roles in bacterial pathogenesis and the host response against bacterial and fungal infections. These characteristics suggest that the enzyme as a potential target to control infectious diseases. iPLA2 is linked to both proliferation and chemotherapy-induced apoptosis of tumor cells. As such, the enzyme is a potential target for cancer chemotherapy. Recent studies indicate essential roles for iPLA2 in glucose homeostasis, maintenance of energy balance, adipocyte development, and hepatic lipogenesis. Thus, the enzyme is an attractive target for drugs to control type II diabetes, fatty liver disease, and other manifestations of the metabolic syndrome. Several recent studies have associated iPLA2 inactivation with neurodegenerative diseases, suggesting the possibility that products of the iPLA2 reaction as potential treatments for these disorders. Together, these observations suggest iPLA2 as a novel and important target for drug development. However given the ubiquitous expression of the enzyme and its roles in basal GPL metabolism, drug strategies targeting iPLA2 must exhibit exquisite selectivity to avoid undesired side effects. Furthermore, the cell-specific nature of many iPLA2 functions may present another challenge in the design and implementation of drugs targeted to the enzyme.
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PMID:Group VI phospholipases A2: homeostatic phospholipases with significant potential as targets for novel therapeutics. 1869 Oct 15

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) system is a key player in regulating energy balance at both the cellular and whole-body levels, placing it at centre stage in studies of obesity, diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. It is switched on in response to metabolic stresses such as muscle contraction or hypoxia, and modulated by hormones and cytokines affecting whole-body energy balance such as leptin, adiponectin, resistin, ghrelin and cannabinoids. Once activated, it switches on catabolic pathways that generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), while switching off ATP-consuming anabolic processes. AMPK exists as heterotrimeric complexes comprising a catalytic alpha-subunit and regulatory beta- and gamma-subunits. Binding of AMP to the gamma-subunit, which is antagonized by high ATP, causes activation of the kinase by promoting phosphorylation at threonine (Thr-172) on the alpha-subunit by the upstream kinase LKB1, allowing the system to act as a sensor of cellular energy status. In certain cells, AMPK is activated in response to elevation of cytosolic Ca2+ via phosphorylation of Thr-172 by calmodulin-dependent kinase kinase-beta (CaMKKbeta). Activation of AMPK, either in response to exercise or to pharmacological agents, has considerable potential to reverse the metabolic abnormalities associated with type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. Two existing classes of antidiabetic drugs, that is, biguanides (for example, metformin) and the thiazolidinediones (for example, rosiglitazone), both act (at least in part) by activation of AMPK. Novel drugs activating AMPK may also have potential for the treatment of obesity.
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PMID:AMPK: a key regulator of energy balance in the single cell and the whole organism. 1871 1

Cardiac adiposity defined as increased epicardial adipose tissue and massive deposits of fat within the atrial septum (lipomatous hypertrophy) is seen in overweight persons and is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD), atrial arrhythmias, and increased risk of left ventricular free wall rupture after acute myocardial infarction. Unlike subcutaneous fat, epicardial fat is metabollically active and produces hormones, cytokines, and other vasoactive substances that work systemically or locally to alter vascular endothelial function and may be implicated in the pathogenesis of CAD. The aim of the study was to assess the feasibility of measuring epicardial fat volume (EFV) and identify its clinical correlates using (64-slice) multislice computed tomography (MSCT). A protocol was devised to measure EFV using MSCT in 151 adults (age 26 to 83 years, mean 51 +/- 12; 55% men). Cross-sectional tomographic cardiac slices (2.5-mm thick) from base to apex (range 28 to 40 per heart) were traced semiautomatically using an off-line workstation, and EFV was measured by assigning Hounsfield units ranging from -30 to -250 to fat. Coronary computed tomographic angiography was performed using a standard protocol. EFV ranged from 25 to 274 ml (mean 121 +/- 47), corresponding to 2.4% to 30.5% (mean 15 +/- 5%) of total cardiac volume and correlated with age, atrial septum thickness, body weight, and body mass index. Coronary calcium score was significantly higher in patients with EFV >100 ml (67 +/- 155 vs 216 +/- 639; p = 0.03), and a higher percentage of patients with increased EFV had CAD (46% vs 31%; p <0.05) or metabolic syndrome (44% vs 29%; p <0.05). In conclusion, quantification of EFV was feasible using MSCT. Large deposits of fat around the heart and within the atrial septum were associated with obesity, coronary calcium, metabolic syndrome, and CAD. Measurement of EFV may provide another useful noninvasive indicator of heightened risk of CAD in addition to calcium score and coronary angiography.
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PMID:Clinical significance of epicardial fat measured using cardiac multislice computed tomography. 1877 4

Hypertension is a highly prevalent disease and a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease in industrialized countries in Europe and North America. About 40-50% of hypertensive patients have some other cardiovascular risk factors as smoking, dyslipidemia, glucose intolerance, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. The realization of optimal therapy of these patients is a difficult task, and reaching target blood pressure values is almost impossible by monotherapy. It was realized that the simultaneous normalization of blood pressure and that of abnormal lipid profile with 2-3 or more drugs have great importance for preventing atherosclerotic complications.We started an open-formed study with about 1000 hypertensive patients complicated with dyslipidemia, visceral obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes type 2. The base of our therapeutic strategy was a typical poly-pharmacologic treatment with ACE inhibitor (lisinopril), calcium antagonist (amlodipine), statin (atorvastatin) and antiplatelet therapy (if it was necessary).
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PMID:[Combined antihypertensive and antilipemic therapy as one of the pillars in the poly-pharmacologic preventive strategy for patients with high cardiovascular risk]. 1880 71

The 2007 European Guidelines on Hypertension are jointly sponsored by the European Society of Cardiology and the European Society of Hypertension. Changes with respect to the previous 2003 Guidelines are few but some are significant. Perhaps the most significant change is inclusion of metabolic syndrome as a cardiovascular risk factor similar in importance to diabetes mellitus or target-organ damage. Also striking is the recognition of chronic kidney disease as a very high risk condition in hypertensive patients. Masked arterial hypertension (AHT) is included for the first time as a new entity that is present in 10-15% of cases and associated with increased cardiovascular risk. The eye fundus examination is no longer considered necessary in the diagnostic evaluation. The decision to start treatment should be based on systolic and diastolic BP values and on assessment of total cardiovascular risk. Drug therapy should be started early. The delay to check the response to nonpharmacological measures should be only some weeks and not months as was previously established. Any of the five large groups (diuretics, beta-blockers, calcium antagonists, ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II blockers) is valid for the first stage of treatment, although the choice should be individualized based on the possible risk factors and associated cardiovascular and renal disease. The guidelines place strong emphasis on drug combinations because most patients will require more than one drug for their control.
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PMID:[Novelties in the European Hypertension Guide 2007. European Society of Cardiology. European Society of Hypertension]. 1884 31

An association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been recently suggested. Indeed, different studies have demonstrated that NAFLD patients present increased subclinical atherosclerosis compared to non-steatosic individuals, and are supported by the few follow-up studies revealing that CVD is the second most common cause of death in NAFLD patients. However, the nature of the relationship NAFLD/CVD is still under debate: is NAFLD a consequence of, or a contributor to, the dysmetabolic cascade leading to atherosclerosis? In this issue of the journal, McKimmie and coauthors analyzed a subset of 623 participants from the Diabetes Heart Study for hepatic steatosis, classic CVD risk factors, subcutaneous and visceral fat, coronary, aortic and carotid artery calcium, and carotid intima-media thickness. After adjusting for all the CVD risk factors plus visceral fat, they did not find independent associations between steatosis and the cardiovascular markers of interest, and conclude that NAFLD may be best described as an epiphenomenon in this context. The strength of this study resides in the numerosity of the sample, the broad cardiovascular examination, and the direct assessment by computed tomography of visceral fat, an undisputed major contributor to NAFLD, the metabolic syndrome and atherosclerosis. However, waiting for prospective and interventional studies in order to definitely determine the nature of the relationship NAFLD/CVD, sufficient evidence exists to derive a first message and transfer it into the clinical practice: an overall assessment of the CVD risk, and the aggressive management of the atherosclerotic risk factors, seem mandatory in all NAFLD patients.
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PMID:Association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cardiovascular disease: a first message should pass. 1885 70

We investigated the effect of body composition, nutrition, inflammation and iron status on insulin resistance in patients with long-term hemodialysis. We selected 43 stable end-stage chronic renal failure patients, on maintenance hemodialysis. We evaluated the nutritional status, body composition by subjective global assessment (SGA), anthropometric measurements (BMI and waist circumference), bioelectrical impedance analysis and biochemical parameters measurements [serum albumin, cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, hematocrit, hemoglobin, iron, ferritin, calcium, phosphorus, intact parathormone (i-PTH), TNF-alpha, IL-6 and high sensitivity C-reactive protein]. All parameters were evaluated by comparisons between HOMA-IR tertiles, and after simple regression analysis, by backward multivariate regression analysis we identified independent variables for IR. As the tertile of HOMA-IR increased, serum level of glucose, insulin, and waist increascd, whereas HDL-cholesterol level decreased, or the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome increased across the tertiles of HOMA-IR. After adjustment for gender, age, hemodialysis duration, ferritin, phosphorus, waist and total fat percentages, multivariate regression analysis was performed and the association with HOMA-IR was still strong only for serum levels of iron and TNF-alpha. That explains 16% of the total variation in HOMA-IR. Our results suggest that the increase of IR in end-stage chronic renal failure patients on hemodialysis could be related to anemia and particularly to iron overload. Moreover, chronic inflammatory status with over-production of adipokine TNF-alpha participate in the pathogenesis of IR too. The present study demonstrated that adipokine TNF-alpha and serum iron participated as independent predictors in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance on long-term hemodialysis patients.
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PMID:The effect of nutritional status, body composition, inflammation and serum iron on the developement of insulin resistance among patients on long-term hemodialysis. 1892 54


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