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J Dig Dis 2021 Mar 6. Epub 2021 Mar 6.

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT.

Aim: Adiponectin is an adipokine that is involved in regulating hepatic fat and glucose metabolism, and also has anti-steatotic, anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects. How these different activities impact the development and progression of NAFLD is not well understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate both liver and serum adiponectin levels in patients with and without NAFLD and determine any clinical correlations. Read More

Biomedicines 2021 Feb 27;9(3). Epub 2021 Feb 27.

Division of Pharmacology, Otto Loewi Research Center, Medical University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 4, 8010 Graz, Austria.

Background: Obesity increases the risk of coronary heart disease, partly due to its strong association with atherogenic dyslipidemia, characterized by high triglycerides and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. Functional impairment of HDL may contribute to the increased cardiovascular mortality, but the effect of obesity on composition, structure, and function of HDL is not well understood Design and Methods: We determined HDL composition, HDL subclass distribution, parameters of HDL function, and activities of most important enzymes involved in lipoprotein remodeling, including lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) and cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) in relatively young normal weight ( = 26), overweight ( = 22), and obese ( = 20) women.

Results: Obesity (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30) was associated with noticeable changes in LCAT and CETP activities and altered HDL composition, such as decreased apolipoprotein A-I, cholesterol, and phospholipid content, while pro-inflammatory HDL serum amyloid a content was increased. Read More

Genes (Basel) 2021 Feb 21;12(2). Epub 2021 Feb 21.

Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 15a Kopernika Street, 31-501 Krakow, Poland.

We hypothesised that epigenetics may play an important role in mediating fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) resistance in obesity. We aimed to evaluate DNA methylation changes and miRNA pattern in obese subjects associated with high serum FGF21 levels. The study included 136 participants with BMI 27-45 kg/m. Read More

Biomolecules 2021 Feb 21;11(2). Epub 2021 Feb 21.

Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, Institute of Medicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, 413 46 Gothenburg, Sweden.

Adiponectin, leptin, and resistin are adipocytokines whose levels are elevated in blood and synovial fluid from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, their role in RA pathogenesis is unclear. Here, we examined whether adipocytokines are associated with circulating chemokines, markers of inflammation and RA disease activity in patients with untreated newly diagnosed RA. Read More

Nutrients 2021 Feb 19;13(2). Epub 2021 Feb 19.

Paediatric Endocrine Research Laboratory, Division of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Patras, University Campus, GR-26504 Patras, Greece.

Obesity is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. The ability to exercise is affected by adiposity, and this mechanism involves low-grade chronic inflammation and homeostatic stress produced mainly in adipocytes, which can result in abnormal adipokine secretion. To date, the gold standard for cardiorespiratory fitness assessment is considered to be the maximum oxygen uptake (VO). Read More