Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is thought to represent an early manifestation of metabolic syndrome, which is associated with cardiovascular disease. Signal peptide-CUB (complement C1r/C1s, Uegf, and Bmp1)-epidermal growth factor domain-containing protein 1 (SCUBE1) is a platelet activation marker that plays important roles in vascular biology and has been closely linked to cardiovascular events. In the present study, we investigated SCUBE1 levels in lean glucose-tolerant women with PCOS and assessed the possible association between SCUBE1 levels and hormonal and metabolic features of women with PCOS.The study population consisted of 90 lean [body mass index (BMI) <25 kg/m2] women who were diagnosed as having PCOS using the Rotterdam criteria and 100 age- and BMI-matched healthy controls with no clinical or biochemical feature of hyperandrogenism. Glucose tolerance was evaluated in all subjects before recruitment using the 2 h 75 g oral glucose tolerance test, and only those exhibiting normal glucose tolerance were enrolled. Hormonal and metabolic parameters, and serum SCUBE1 levels were evaluated.Circulating SCUBE1 levels were significantly higher in women with PCOS than in controls (5.9±3.9 vs. 4.2±1.4 ng/mL, p=0.022). No association between SCUBE1 level and clinical or biochemical parameters was found in the control or PCOS group.SCUBE1 levels are elevated in women with PCOS compared with those in healthy controls; thus, this protein may be an early biomarker of cardiovascular disease later in life.
Abstract Aim The aim of this study was to compare thyroid function and complete blood count parameters in pregnant women with versus without gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods A total of 269 pregnant women patients with ( n = 110, GDM group) or without ( n = 159, non‐GDM group) GDM were included in this study. Data on age, rate of cesarean section, birthweight of neonate, hemogram, and thyroid function tests were collected. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine factors predicting increased risk of GDM. Results Rate of cesarean section (70.9 vs 57.2%, P = 0.022), median (max–min) age (33.0 [26.0] vs 26.0 [20.0] years, P < 0.001), platelet count (246.7 ± 68.3 vs 227.8 ± 64.2 ×10 3 /μL, P = 0.021) and thyroid‐stimulating hormone (1.3 [97.6] vs 1.0 [4.1] μIU/mL, P = 0.028) were significantly higher in the GDM than in the non‐GDM group; whereas mean platelet volume (10.4 [5.3] vs 10.6 [5.6] fL, P = 0.031) and free triiodothyronine (FT3) (2.9 [3.6] vs 3.1 [3.0] pg/mL, P < 0.001) levels were significantly lower in the GDM than in the non‐GDM group. Older age (odds ratio, 1.281; 95% confidence interval, 1.182–1.389, P < 0.001) and lower FT3 levels (odds ratio, 0.295; 95% confidence interval, 0.149–0.586, P < 0.001) were independently associated with increased risk of GDM. Conclusion Our findings revealed that lower FT3 levels and older age predict the likelihood of developing GDM in euthyroid pregnant women, with no influence of other thyroid hormones or blood counts on the risk of GDM.
To evaluate whether hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) affects first-trimester maternal serum PAPP-A and free β-hCG levels.An observational study was conducted in 115 cases of HG and 110 control pregnancies who attended the first-trimester prenatal screening program between January 2006 and July 2010.Maternal serum TSH levels were lower and free T4, and transaminases (ALT, AST) levels were higher in pregnancies complicated with HG compared with controls (p < 0.05 for all). In HG cases, median values of maternal serum PAPP-A were significantly higher with respect to normal pregnancies (1.2 vs 1.0 MoM; p = 0.009). Similarly, median values of free β-hCG were 1.3 MoM in HG pregnancies and 1.0 MoM in controls (p = 0.006). Multivariate analysis revealed that PAPP-A and hCG were independently associated with HG after controlling for TSH, free T4, AST, and ALT.HG is associated with elevated levels of PAPP-A and free β-hCG, and such changes are independent of serum indicators of thyroid and liver function.
Objectives: Hepcidin is considered a major regulator of iron metabolism. Despite previous studies showing elevated ferritin and hepcidin levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), no study has investigated hepcidin levels in pregnant women with gestational DM (GDM).Methods: A case-control study was conducted in 30 cases of GDM, 47 pregnant women with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and 72 pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance (control) between April 2009 and July 2011. Serum hepcidin and other iron metabolism parameters were analyzed in all groups.Results: Serum ferritin and serum iron were significantly elevated in the GDM group compared to controls (p = 0.014, p = 0.018, respectively) and to the IGT group (p = 0.021, p = 0.008, respectively). Hepcidin levels were elevated significantly in the diabetic patients compared to the IGT group (p = 0.011) and controls (p = 0.002). We found no correlation between hepcidin and other iron metabolism parameters (Hb, serum iron and ferritin), whereas positive correlations were found between hepcidin and parameters of glucose metabolism (fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin level and glucose value response to glucose challenge test).Conclusions: Serum hepcidin concentrations were increased in pregnant women with IGT and GDM and this was not related to inflammation parameters.