Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of visual impairment in individuals over 50 years of age, with the prevalence of 0.05% before the age of 50 rising to 30% after 74 years of age. An elevated concentration of plasma lipoproteins is considered to be one of the risk factors of AMD development. The aim of our study was to analyze the concentration of serum lipoproteins – total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), non-LDL cholesterol and triglycerides – as well as apolipoproteins – apoA1, apoB and Lp(a) – along with C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with AMD in order to explore the possible association of lipid and inflammatory parameters with the pathogenesis of AMD. Material and Methods: In the cross-sectional study in the University clinical setting, 79 patients with AMD, aged 71.47 ± 7.02 years, and 84 aged-matched control subjects were included. The patients underwent complete ophthalmological examination including visual acuity assessment, color fundus photography and fluorescein angiography. Results: Statistical processing data revealed significantly higher total (p = 0.0002), LDL (p = 0.023), non-HDL cholesterol (p = 0.0014) and CRP (p = 0.049) values in AMD patients compared to control subjects. Conclusions: Based on the obtained results, it may be concluded that lipid status disorder and inflammation could play an important role in the development of AMD in elderly people.

Total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and calculated non-HDL cholesterol (=total -HDL cholesterol) constitute the primary lipid panel for estimating risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and can be measured in the nonfasting state.• LDL cholesterol is the primary target of lipid-lowering therapies.• Lipoprotein(a)-cholesterol is part of measured or calculated LDL cholesterol and lipoprotein(a) should be measured at least once in all patients.

The possible association of apolipoprotein E (apoE) DNA polymorphism with ischemic cerebrovascular disease was evaluated in 65 patients who had suffered completed stroke or transient ischemic attack and 330 healthy controls. ApoE genotypes were determined by restriction isotyping/MADGE analysis. Significant difference in apoE genotype frequencies between case and control group was observed (p<0.01). Patients affected by ischemic stroke had higher frequency of E4 allele and lower E2 allele than age-matched control subjects. Compared with persons without E4 allele, carriers of an E4 allele had 2.1 times higher risk of incident stroke. Our results indicate that the apoE gene polymorphism may be a risk factor for the development of ischemic cerebrovascular disease in Serbian population..

Takayasu arteritis (TA) is characterized by granulomatous panarteritis, vessel wall fibrosis, and irreversible vascular impairment. The aim of this study is to explore the usefulness of the Enhanced Liver Fibrosis score (ELF), procollagen-III aminoterminal propeptide (PIIINP), tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), and hyaluronic acid (HA) in assessing vascular damage in TA patients. ELF, PIIINP, TIMP-1, and HA were measured in 24 TA patients, and the results were correlated with the clinical damage indexes (VDI and TADS), an imaging damage score (CARDS), and disease activity scores (NIH and ITAS2010). A mean ELF score 8.42 (±1.12) and values higher than 7.7 (cut-off for liver fibrosis) in 21/24 (87.5%) of patients were detected. The VDI and TADS correlated significantly to ELF (p < 0.01). Additionally, a strong association across ELF and CARDS (p < 0.0001), PIIINP and CARDS (p < 0.001), and HA and CARDS (p < 0.001) was observed. No correlations of the tested biomarkers with inflammatory parameters, NIH, and ITAS2010 scores were found. To our knowledge, this is the first study that suggests the association of the serum biomarkers PIIINP, HA, and ELF score with damage but not with disease activity in TA patients. The ELF score and PIIINP may be useful biomarkers reflecting an ongoing fibrotic process and quantifying vascular damage.

The plasma concentration of apoB has recently been reported to be the best lipid predictor of coronary heart disease. The possible associations of genetic markers in the apolipoprotein B gene (XbaI, EcoRI, MspI, Ins/Del, and 4311 A/G polymorphisms) were evaluated in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICVD) and controls of equivalent BMI. The odds ratio for ICVD in the X+X+ genotype was 2.22, 95% CI 1.24-3.96 (P<0.05), while that for ICVD in the Ins/Ins genotype was 2.82, 95% CI 1.57-5.06 (P<0.05). The patients had significantly higher frequency of the 4311A allele compared to the controls (P<0.01). Our results support the assumption that apoB gene polymorphisms may contribute to the extent of cerebrovascular disease risk