No abstract

No abstract

Low levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) are associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease and, in the United States, are often associated with hypertriglyceridemia and obesity. In Turkey, low HDL-C levels are highly prevalent, 53% of men and 26% of women having HDL-C levels Ͻ 35 mg/dl, in the absence of hypertriglyceridemia and obesity. In this study to investigate the cause of low HDL-C levels in Turks, various factors affecting HDL metabolism were assessed in normotriglyceridemic Turkish men and women living in Istanbul and in non-Turkish men and women living in San Francisco. Turkish men and women had significantly lower HDL-C levels than the San Francisco men and women, as well as markedly lower apolipoprotein A-I levels (25 and 39 mg/dl lower, respectively). In both Turkish and non-Turkish subjects, the mean body mass index was Ͻ 27 kg/m 2 , the mean triglyceride level was Ͻ 120 mg/dl, and the mean total cholesterol was 170-180 mg/dl. The mean hepatic triglyceride lipase activity was 21% and 31% higher in Turkish men and women, respectively, than in non-Turkish men and women, and remained higher even after subjects with a body mass index Ͼ 50th percentile for men and women in the United States were excluded from the analysis. As no dietary or behavioral factors have been identified in the Turkish population that account for increased hepatic triglyceride lipase activity, the elevation most likely has a genetic basis.

Objectives In many diseases, immature platelet fraction (IPF%) is related to coagulopathy and poor outcome. This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of IPF% for the severity of pneumonia in patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods A total of 154 patients with COVID‐19 infections were included. The patients were divided into two groups according to the severity of pneumonia (severe and non-severe) regarding their oxygen demand. Results Given laboratory parameters, the median IPF% was significantly higher in the severe group (11.9 vs. 3.9%, p<0.001). Mean platelet volume (p<0.001), platelet-large cell ratio (p=0.001), platelet distribution width (p=0.001), D-Dimer (p<0.001), INR (p=0.003), and aPTT (p=0.007) were also found to be significantly higher in the severe group. Moreover, IPF (p=0.014, Odds ratio = 2.000, 95%CI: 1.149-3.482) was an independent predictor for the severity. The curve value from receiver operating characteristics was 0.879 (p<0.001, 95%CI: 0.784-0.943) for determining the severity of pneumonia. IPF% had a sensitivity and specificity value of 69.5 and 92.4% to detect the disease’s severity. Conclusions IPF% is an independent predictor for the severity of COVID-19 pneumonia. Assessment of IPF% may both help to early determine high-risk patients with COVID-19 and to alert the physicians.

We show that the optimal WHtR cut-off point to discriminate cardiometabolic risk factors is 0.59 in Turkish adults.