title: Detection of circulating alpha-actinin in non-insulin-dependent diabetics with autonomic dysfunction.
abstract: The presence of cardiac proteins in serum has been related to ischemic heart diseases such as acute myocardial infarction and angina pectoris, which are more frequent in non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients. Silent myocardial ischemia, which is also more frequent in these patients, occurs in association with autonomic dysfunction. We used Western blot analysis to search the myocardial protein alpha-actinin in sera from non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients with or without autonomic dysfunction. Of the 24 diabetic patients with neuropathy, 18 were positive for circulating alpha-actinin; this protein was found in only 1 of the 22 diabetic patients without neuropathy. Our results showed a significant correlation between non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients with neuropathy and detectable circulating alpha-actinin in serum, and suggest that the determination by immunoblotting of serum alpha-actinin in these patients may be an effective method to detect myocardial cell impairment, and to identify diabetic patients that may need special consideration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences and Clinical Psychology, University of Almería, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prados
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Melguizo
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Arånega
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Escobar-Jimenez
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cobo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aránega
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D015415:Biomarkers