The purpose of this study was to investigate serum prolidase activity and its relationship with collagen metabolism and joint hypermobility, and to determine the prevalence and characteristics of joint hypermobility in prepubertal children. Serum prolidase activity was measured spectrophotometrically. Joint hypermobility was defined using Beighton criteria. The children underwent complete history and physical examination. Serum levels of prolidase were lower in the hypermobile group compared with controls and no statistical difference (1,598.61 +/- 54.99, 1,741.89 +/- 57.54; P > 0.05). However, there was significant negative correlation between prolidase level and Beighton score (r = -0.295, P = 0.002). The prevalence of hypermobility was distributed as follows: >or=4, 39.3%; >or=5, 22.7%; >or=6, 13.3%. There was correlation between joint hypermobility and pes planus (P = 0.006), arthralgia (P = 0.042), and musculoskeletal disorders in mother and/or father (P < 0.001). The decrease in prolidase activity may be related with collagen metabolism in joint hypermobility Therefore, joint hypermobility appeared to warrant further investigation due to concomitant signs and symptoms.

Prolidase is a specific imidodipeptidase involved in collagen degradation. The increase in the enzyme activity is believed to be correlated with the increased intensity of collagen degradation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum prolidase activity and its relationship between bone turnover markers and bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal osteoporosis. The study included 45 postmenopausal osteoporotic, 55 postmenopausal nonosteoporotic and 38 premenopausal healthy women. BMD was measured at the femoral neck and lumbar spine with DEXA. T score was more than 2.5 SD below the normal at the lumbar spine or femoral neck in postmenopausal osteoporotic patients. Serum levels of prolidase, C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (C-telopeptide), total alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin (OC), urinary deoxypyridinoline (Dpd) and urinary creatinine were also assayed. C-telopeptide, total ALP, OC, urinary Dpd levels were significantly higher in postmenopausal osteoporotic group compared with premenopausal women. However, there was no statistical difference in serum prolidase activity between the three groups. There were also no significant correlations between serum prolidase and any biomarkers of bone turnover as well as BMD. To conclude, in postmenopausal osteoporotic women with increased bone turnover, serum prolidase concentration was not correlated with the biomarkers of bone formation or bone resorption and with BMD.

Objective:Melatonin is an indolamine hormone, synthesized from tryptophan in the pineal gland primarily. Melatonin exerts both antioxidative and immunoregulatory roles but little is known about melatonin secretion in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The aim of this study was to measure serum melatonin levels in patients with T1DM and investigates their relationship with type 1 diabetes mellitus.Materials and Methods:Forty children and adolescents with T1DM (18 boys and 22 girls) and 30 healthy control subjects (17 boys and 13 girls) participated in the study. All patients followed in Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism Unit of Gaziantep University Faculty of Medicine and also control subjects had no hypertension, obesity, hyperlipidemia, anemia, and infection. Blood samples were collected during routine analysis, after overnight fasting. Serum melatonin levels were analyzed with ELISA.Results:There were no statistically significant differences related with age, sex, BMI distribution between diabetic group and control group. Mean diabetic duration was 2.89 ± 2.69 years. The variables were in the equation. Mean melatonin level in diabetic group was 6.75 ± 3.52 pg/ml and mean melatonin level in control group was 11.51 ± 4.74 pg/ml. Melatonin levels were significantly lower in diabetic group compared to controls (P < 0.01).Conclusions:Melatonin was associated with type 1 diabetes mellitus significantly. Because of the varied roles of melatonin in human metabolic rhythms, these results suggest a role of melatonin in maintaining normal rhythmicity. Melatonin may play role in preventing process of inflammation and oxidative stress.

Objective: Adiponectin, leptin, and resistin are adipokines which play a significant role in the regulation of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes, while little is known about their role in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The aim of this study was to measure serum adiponectin, leptin, and resistin levels and to investigate their relationships with some parameters in patients with T1DM and healthy controls.Methods: Fifty children and adolescents with T1DM (21 boys and 29 girls) and 33 healthy control subjects (18 boys and 15 girls) participated in the study. All subjects were patients followed in the Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism Unit of Gaziantep University Faculty of Medicine. None of the subjects had hypertension, obesity, hyperlipidemia, anemia, or infection. Adiponectin, leptin, and resistin levels were analyzed with ELISA.Results: There were no statistically significant differences related with age, sex, pubertal status, or body mass index distribution between the diabetic and control groups. Resistin levels were significantly higher in the diabetic group compared to controls (5.26±3.15 ng/mL vs. 3.50±1.26 ng/mL; p<0.01).Conclusion: Of the three investigated adipokines, only resistin was associated with T1DM. Resistin may play a role in the process of inflammation and also in the pathophysiology of T1DM. Conflict of interest:None declared.

Background. Patients with severe congestive heart failure (CHF) often have unexplained elevations in serum concentrations of troponin T (TnT), and it is proposed that this is due to cardiac TnT release because of underlying cardiac disease. We investigated whether impaired renal function is an additional underlying phenomenon contributing to increased TnT levels in patients with CHF. Methods. Sixty-two patients with nonischemic CHF, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III-IV, with normal coronary angiogram and normal serum creatinine were included in the study. Baseline glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was calculated using the Cockcroft Gault equation. Results. Although mean creatinine level was normal (0.92 ± 0.17 mg/dL), mean GFR was low (56 ± 16 mL/min) in the cohort. Elevated (≥0.02 μg/L) TnT was measured in 33 patients (53%). Compared with patients with normal (<0.02 μg/L) TnT levels, patients with elevated TnT had significantly higher NYHA class (p = 0.02), longer duration of disease (p = 0.02), lower GFR (p = 0.0001), and lower LVEF (p = 0.0001). There were significant associations between TnT levels and duration of disease (r = 0.29, p = 0.01), creatinine (r = 0.30, p = 0.01), GFR (r = −0.55, p < 0.0001), and LVEF (r = −0.39, p = 0.001). Independence of these associations was evaluated in multiple linear regression analysis, and serum TnT was independently and negatively associated only with GFR (p = 0.005). Conclusions. Renal function (GFR) correlated significantly and more strongly than cardiac function (LVEF) with the serum TnT levels in patients with CHF. This supports our hypothesis that impaired renal function causes the accumulation of troponin and is very likely the cause of unexplained elevations of serum TnT in patients severe CHF.