To the Editor:Resistin is an adipocytokine that may link obesity with insulin resistance and diabetes. Steppan et al. (1) reported serum resistin levels to be elevated in obese mice and to be decreased by thiazolidinediones. They also showed that administration of antiresistin antibodies improved insulin sensitivity. However, subsequent studies produced disparate findings regarding the role of resistin in obesity and insulin resistance (2). Although serum resistin levels were reported to be elevated in obese (3) and diabetic patients (4,5), conflicting results were also presented (6). Recently, resistin was reported to up-regulate the expression of adhesion molecules, such as vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, in cultured endothelial cells (7). Resistin was also shown to promote smooth muscle cell proliferation (8). Burnett et al. (9) reported resistin messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels to be elevated in aortas of apo E-deficient mice. However, association between resistin and coronary artery disease (CAD) has not yet been elucidated.We investigated serum resistin levels in 230 patients undergoing coronary angiography. Patients with myocardial infarction, unstable angina, or a history of coronary intervention were excluded. Because antidiabetic medication affects resistin levels (1,2), patients on hypoglycemic medication or insulin were also excluded. Our study was approved by our institutional ethics committee. After written informed consent was obtained, fasting blood samples were taken; CAD was defined as at least one coronary artery having Ͼ50% luminar diameter stenosis. The severity of CAD was represented as the numbers of Ͼ50% stenotic vessels and Ͼ50% and Ͼ25% stenotic segments. Resistin levels were measured by ELISA (BioVendor CAD ϭ coronary artery disease; HDL ϭ high-density lipoprotein; HOMA-IR ϭ homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance.

Background:Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) account for at least

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