Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I, Inflammatory Proteins, and Fibrosis in Subjects With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Inflammation may have a pathogenic role in the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); by contrast, the role of anti-inflammatory molecules has not been addressed. Low circulating levels of the anti-inflammatory molecule IGF-I have been described in subjects with NAFLD.The aim of the study was to elucidate the clinical significance of IGF-I in NAFLD and its relationship with inflammatory biomarkers and fibrosis.We conducted a cross-sectional study and in vitro experiments on hepatic HepG2 cells at the Internal Medicine and Gastrointestinal and Liver Units of the Universities of Catanzaro and Palermo.A total of 221 individuals with NAFLD diagnosed on ultrasonography (cohort …

40(th) EASD Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes : Munich, Germany, 5-9 September 2004

Immunity, Inflammation and Heart Failure. Their Role on Cardiac Function and Iron Status

Aims: Heart failure is a clinical syndrome characterized by subclinical systemic inflammation and immune system activation associated with iron deficiency. No data exist on the various activations of immune-mediated mechanisms of inflammation in heart failure patients with reduced/preserved ejection fraction. We aimed to (1) investigate possible differences in inflammatory parameters and oxidative stress, and (2) detect a different iron status between groups. Materials and Methods: We enrolled 50 consecutive Caucasian outpatients with heart failure. All patients underwent echocardiographic measurements, laboratory determinations, evaluation of iron status and Toll-like receptors, and NF-κB …