BACKGROUND: Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of serum obtained under quantitative conditions for lipoprotein particle analyses contain additional signals that could potentially serve as useful clinical biomarkers. One of these signals that we named GlycA originates from a subset of glycan N-acetylglucosamine residues on enzymatically glycosylated acute-phase proteins. We hypothesized that the amplitude of the GlycA signal might provide a unique and convenient measure of systemic inflammation.

The effects of gemfibrozil on NMR-measured LDL and HDL particle subclasses, which are not reflected by conventional lipoprotein cholesterol measures, help to explain the demonstrated benefit of this therapy in patients with low HDL cholesterol.

Background-The amount of cholesterol per LDL particle is variable and related in part to particle size, with smaller particles carrying less cholesterol. This variability causes concentrations of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) and LDL particles (LDL-P) to be discordant in many individuals.

Background:The sex differential in coronary heart disease (CHD) risk, which is not explained by male/ female differences in lipid and lipoprotein concentrations, narrows with age. We examined whether this differential CHD risk might, in part, be attributable to the sizes of lipoprotein particles or concentrations of lipoprotein subclasses. Furthermore, similar to the narrowing of the sex difference in CHD risk with age, the observed male/female difference in HDL particle size also decreased with age. Although lipoprotein particle sizes were highly correlated with lipid and lipoprotein concentrations, the sex

BackgroundGlycA is a novel spectroscopic marker of systemic inflammation with low intra-individual variability and other attributes favoring its clinical use in patients with chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. GlycA is unique in its composite nature, reflecting both increased glycan complexity and circulating acute phase protein levels during local and systemic inflammation. Recent studies of GlycA from cross-sectional, observational and interventional studies have been highly informative, demonstrating that GlycA is elevated in acute and chronic inflammation, predicts death in healthy individuals and is associated with disease severity in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and lupus. Moreover, following treatment with biological therapy in psoriasis, reduction in skin disease severity was accompanied by a decrease in GlycA levels and improvement in vascular inflammation.ConclusionsCollectively, these findings suggest GlycA is a marker that tracks systemic inflammation and subclinical vascular inflammation. However, larger prospective studies and randomized trials are necessary in order to assess the impact of novel therapies on GlycA in patients with chronic inflammatory conditions, which may be concomitant with cardiovascular benefits.