Mean platelet volume (MPV) is an indicator of platelet activation, a central process in the pathophysiology of coronary heart disease (CAD). The importance of slow coronary flow (SCF) phenomenon results from its association with angina pectoris, acute myocardial infarction, hypertension and sudden cardiac death. The aim of this study is to evaluate the values of MPV in patients with SCF. MPV was measured in 84 consecutive patients with SCF and 88 patients with CAD and 84 control subjects. The association between thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) frame count (TFC) and MPV level and other clinical and laboratory parameters were evaluated. There were no statistically significant differences in MPV between SCF group and CAD group. MPV was significantly higher in patients in the both SCF and CAD groups, compared with control group. The TFC for all the epicardial coronary arteries and the mean TFC were significantly higher in the SCF group than the both CAD group and control group. The mean TFC was positively and moderately correlated with MPV in the whole study population. To determine the independent predictors of mean TFC, a stepwise linear regression analysis was performed by including the parameters that were correlated with the mean TFC in the bivariate analysis. MPV level was the only independent predictor of the mean TFC (b = 0.312, p < 0.001). These findings have shown that MPV level is significantly associated with coronary blood flow and that elevated MPV level might be an independent predictor for the presence of SCF. We believe that further studies are needed to clarify the role of MPV in SCF complicated CAD, especially in relation to angiographic and clinical parameters, before we conclude that MPV to be used as a follow-up marker during the management of relevant patients.

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis patients. Therefore, evaluation and prevention of cardiovascular diseases in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients are very important. The plasma level of omentin was found to be associated with different conditions such as insulin resistance. It is one of the novel adipokines synthesized mainly in the visceral adipose tissue. In this study, we aimed to investigate the level of omentin in patients with ESRD receiving hemodialysis. Methods: The study population consisted of 59 adult chronic hemodialysis patients (30 women and 29 men) and age-matched control subjects were selected from apparently healthy subjects (28 participants; 14 women and 14 men). Blood samples were obtained before the dialysis session. Omentin concentrations were determined by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Plasma levels of omentin were found to be markedly higher in ESRD patients (606.6 ± 313.0 ng/ml) than in the control group (357.5 ± 147.4 ng/ml; p < 0.0001). Also, serum omentin levels were found to be correlated with creatinine (r = 0.333, p = 0.002). Conclusions: Omentin levels were found to be elevated in patients with ESRD receiving hemodialysis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first clinical study that demonstrated the association between omentin and ESRD.

High NGAL levels may be associated with poor prognosis after PCI in patients with STEMI. However, further studies with larger numbers of patients and longer follow-up are required to evaluate the usefulness of plasma NGAL level for predicting prognosis of STEMI.

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