European journal of clinical investigation
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Feb 2014
Observational StudyHomoarginine and mortality in an older population: the Hoorn study.
Homoarginine is an amino acid that may be involved in nitric oxide and energy metabolism. Previous studies in patient populations showed that low homoarginine levels indicate an increased risk of mortality and cardiovascular disease. We evaluated whether low plasma levels of homoarginine are associated with elevated, overall and cause-specific mortality. ⋯ Low plasma concentrations of homoarginine are a risk marker for overall mortality and especially for cardiovascular mortality in the older general population. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Feb 2014
Irisin as a predictor of glucose metabolism in children: sexually dimorphic effects.
Irisin, a novel myokine, increases energy expenditure and glucose tolerance and, thus, improves carbohydrate homeostasis in humans. This hormone has potential therapeutic applications for weight loss and improvement in insulin resistance in subjects with obesity and diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM). In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to associate circulating levels of irisin and several anthropometric and metabolic parameters among Arab children. ⋯ Serum irisin levels were higher in girls than in boys and correlated negatively with HOMA-IR. They were also independently associated with FBG predominantly in girls, suggesting that this hormone may play a crucial role in glucose metabolism from an early age.