Comparison of serum erythropoietin levels in smokers and nonsmokers with periodontitis: A biochemical study

Effect of nonsurgical periodontal therapy and smoking status on hematological variables related to anemia of chronic disease in chronic periodontitis patient: a case-control study

Background: Chronic infectious, inflammatory, or neoplastic disorders are associated with anemia of chronic disease. Chronic inflammatory diseases such as periodontitis may contribute to masked anemia, especially in smokers. This study was aimed at verifying and comparing the efficacy of nonsurgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) for improving anemia among chronic periodontitis patients with and without the habit of smoking. Methods: Thirty systemically healthy individuals with chronic periodontitis were divided into two groups of 15 each, smokers (group A) and nonsmokers (group B). The groups were compared based on hematological parameters such as serum erythropoietin (SE) and serum ferritin (SF) levels at baseline and 3 months after NSPT for anemia evaluation. Results: The baseline SE levels in groups A and B were 11.84 and 15.19 mIU/mL (p=0.031), respectively; the corresponding levels at 3 months after NSPT were 13.00 and 17.74 mIU/mL (p=0.022). The baseline SF levels in groups A and B were 95.49 and 44.86 ng/mL (p=0.018), respectively; the corresponding levels at 3 months after NSPT were 77.06 and 39.05 ng/mL (p=0.009). Group B showed a significant increase and decrease in the SE and SF levels, respectively, at 3 months after NSPT (p=0.035 and p=0.039, respectively), whereas group A showed insignificant changes (p=0.253 and p=0.618, respectively). Conclusion: NSPT led to an improvement in anemia among chronic periodontitis patients. However, the improvement is less in smokers compared to that in nonsmokers. Furthermore, SF and SE levels might serve as effective biomarkers for assessing anemia in smokers and nonsmokers with chronic periodontitis.

Long-Term Effects of Environmental Lead on Erythropoietin Production in Young Adults: A Follow-Up Study of a Prospective Cohort in Kosovo

Background and Aims

Epidemiologic cross-sectional studies examining the relationship between environmental lead (Pb) exposure and erythropoietin (EPO) production have reported contrasting results. It is unknown, however, if exposure to Pb earlier in life has an effect on EPO production later in life. Here, using a prospective study, we evaluate the association between prenatal, early childhood, and concurrent Pb exposure and EPO concentration in young adulthood.

Methods

From our prospective birth cohort study in Mitrovica (a mining town) and Pristina (a control town), Kosovo, from 1985 to 1998, we located and assessed blood lead concentration (BPb) and serum EPO in 101 participants (mean age 24.9 years) in 2011. We examined the association between BPb and EPO, stratified by hemoglobin (Hgb), and controlling for potential confounders.

Results

These results resemble the findings in the original full cohort at 4.5 and 6.5 years of age, at which time we reported that the maintenance of a normal Hgb required increased EPO production among participants exposed to high levels of environmental Pb. In contrast, when the original cohort was 9.5 and 12 years of age, they were no longer capable of hyper-production of EPO in order to maintain normal levels of Hgb, suggestive of cumulative toxicity to the peritubular cells of the kidney that are responsible for EPO synthesis.

Conclusion

Our results, along with previously reported findings on this cohort, suggest that a dramatic reduction of Pb exposure may allow for a reversal of the impact that prolonged Pb exposure may have on EPO production.

Telmisartan alone or in combination with etanercept improves anemia associated with rheumatoid arthritis in rats: a possible role of anti-inflammatory and reno-protective effects

BACKGROUND

There are conflicting data regarding angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) induced anemia and its beneficial anti-inflammatory effect in rheumatoid arthritis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of telmisartan administration either alone or in combination with etanercept on anemia of chronic inflammatory diseases in a model of rheumatoid arthritis in rats.

METHODS

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was induced by Freund's Complete Adjuvant (FCA; 1 mg/0.1 ml paraffin oil), injected subcutaneously on days 0, 30 and 40. Rats with RA received dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), etanercept (0.3 mg/kg 3 times/week; sc), telmisartan (1.5 mg/kg/day; orally) or combination of etanercept and telmisartan. Arthritis parameters (footpad circumference change and paw volume change), erythrocyte indices (hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin level changes), iron profile (serum iron and serum ferritin), serum levels of erythropoietin (EPO), hepcidin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL)-6 were evaluated, along with measuring serum urea and creatinine levels.

RESULTS

All treated groups showed improvement of the measured parameters in comparison to RA-control subgroup. Telmisartan either alone or in combination with etanercept significantly improved arthritis and erythrocyte indices. Telmisartan showed significant increase in EPO and decrease in hepcidin compared to etanercept. Combination group showed significant improvement in serum iron, ferritin, EPO, hepcidin, TNF-α, IL-6, urea and creatinine, compared to etanercept. Telmisartan either alone or in combination, but not etanercept alone, significantly decreased creatinine level.

CONCLUSION

Telmisartan improved anemia and arthritis parameters and showed anti-inflammatory and reno-protective effects, in a rat model of rheumatoid arthritis.

Tobacco smoking causes secondary polycythemia and a mild leukocytosis among heavy smokers in Taif City in Saudi Arabia

Tobacco smoking is a common risk factor of cardiovascular diseases, cancers and heart health problems. In Taif, the number of secondary polycythemia patients is increasing dramatically and most of those patients are heavy smokers. Therefore, this study is an attempt to understand the pathophysiological mechanism behind that problem. Whole blood and serum samples were collected from forty healthy people and forty tobacco smokers, voluntary for this study. Complete blood counts revealed a significant increase in the red blood cell count, hemoglobin concentrations, hematocrit and neutrophils with some elevations in total white blood cells, lymphocytes and monocytes. Moreover, serum analysis of both erythropoietin and interleukin-7 showed a significant reduction in their levels among smokers which were about 35% and 65% respectively. Gene expression study showed a significant upregulation of RAG-1, RAG-2 and EPOR-1 genes caused by tobacco smoking. In conclusion, data presented in the current study suggest that tobacco smoking might cause alveolar tissue inflammation and vascular injury causing an immune response that elevates the white blood cells count. Another suggestion is that tobacco smoking defects the pulmonary gaseous exchange mechanism leading to the secondary polycythemia indicated by the increase in red blood cell count, hemoglobin levels, hematocrit and by the low serum erythropoietin levels.

SemNet: Using Local Features to Navigate the Biomedical Concept Graph

Literature-Based Discovery (LBD) aims to connect scientists across silos by assembling models of the literature to reveal previously hidden connections. Unfortunately, LBD systems have been unable to achieve user adoption on a large scale. This work develops opens source software in Python to convert a database of semantic predications of all of PubMed's 27.9 million indexed abstracts into a semantic inference network and biomedical concept graph in Neo4j. The developed software, called SemNet, queries a modified version of the publicly available SemMedDB and computes feature vectors on source-target pairs. Each unique United Medical Language System (UMLS) concept is represented as a node and each predication as an edge. Each node is assigned one of 132 node labels (e.g., Amino Acid, Peptide, or Protein (AAPP); Gene or Genome (GG); etc.) and each edge is labeled with one of 58 predications (e.g. treats, causes, inhibits, etc.). SemNet computes a single feature value for each metapath, or sequence of node types, between a source node and user-specified target node(s). Several different types of metapath-based features (count, degree weighted path count, and HeteSim metric) are computed and vectorized. SemNet employs an unsupervised learning algorithm for rank aggregation (ULARA) to rank identified source nodes that are most relevant to the user-specified target nodes(s). Statistical analysis of correlation among identified source nodes or resultant literature network features are used to identify patterns that can guide future research. Analysis of high residual nodes is used to compare and contrast SemNet rankings between different targets of interest. An example SemNet use case is presented to assess “the differential impact of smoking on cognition in males and females” using the following target nodes: nicotine, learning, memory, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cigarette smoke, X chromosome, and Y chromosome. Detailed rankings are discussed. Overall results suggest a hypothesis where smoking negatively impacts cognition to a greater extent in females, but smoking has stronger cardiovascular impacts in males. In summary, SemNet provides an adoptable method for efficient LBD of PubMed that extends beyond omics-only relationships to true multi-scalar connections that can provide actionable insight for predictive medicine, research prioritization, and clinical care.