BACKGROUND Biomarker fatty acids (FAs) reflecting de novo lipogenesis (DNL) are strongly linked to the risk of cardiometabolic diseases. Liver fat accumulation could mediate this relation. There is very limited data from human population-based studies that have examined this relation. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between specific FAs in the DNL pathway and l...

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients usually develop extensive and progressive vascular calcification, lots of calcification inhibitors as well procalcifying factors are involved in the process. However, mechanisms ESRD still ill-defined. In present study, we found that plasma exosomes derived from (ESRD-Ex) promoted smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) significantly, while transplant recipients (RTR...

Background: Arterial stiffness is characterised by isolated systolic hypertension (ISH). Factors such as Fetuin-A, Endothelin-1 (ET-1), Testosterone (TEST), and Progesterone (PROG) have been demonstrated to be involved in arterial stiffness. If changes in blood level of these parameters are detected in ISH and hypertensive patients, it can reflect their expression, production, and association w...

We investigated the roles of three proteins associated with the formation of otoconia including fetuin A, osteopontin (OPN), and otoconin 90 (OC90). In situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies of the effects of these proteins on the growth of atomic steps on calcite surfaces were performed to obtain insight into their effects on the growth kinetics. We also used scanning electron microscopy t...

BACKGROUND Calcification of renal allografts is common in the first year after transplantation and is related to hyperparathyroidism. It is associated with an impaired long-term function of the graft (Am J Transplant 5∶1934-41, 2005). Aim of this study is to examine the role of the anti-calcifying/calcifying factors in the pathophysiology of renal allograft calcification. METHODS We analyzed ...

Synthetic peptides corresponding to selected sequences in the S2 and S3 subunits of pertussis toxin were prepared and evaluated for their ability to inhibit the binding of biotinylated pertussis toxin and three biotinylated sialic acid specific plant lectins to fetuin and asialofetuin. The screening results indicated that two regions in the S2 subunit corresponding to amino acids 78-98 and 123-...

BACKGROUND To assess whether serum osteoprotegerin (OPG) and/or fetuin-A predict mortality and cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis patients. METHODS Multicenter, observational, prospective study that included 220 hemodialysis patients followed up for up to 6 years. Serum OPG and fetuin-A levels were measured at baseline and their possible association with clinical char...

OBJECTIVE Vascular and valvular calcifications are pathological processes regulated by resident cells, and depending on a complex interplay between calcification promoters and inhibitors, resembling skeletal metabolism. Here, we study the role of the vitamin K-dependent Gla-rich protein (GRP) in vascular and valvular calcification processes. APPROACH AND RESULTS Immunohistochemistry and quant...