title: [Changes of endothelial function indices and their relation to platelet activation in idiopathic atrial fibrillation].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the changes of endothelial function indices and their relation to platelet activation in patients with idiopathic atrial fibrillation (AF).
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 61 patients with idiopathic AF with 34 age- and sex-matched healthy persons as control. Platelet counts in the blood were tested, and plasma levels of NOx were analyzed using Griess method. The plasma levels of von Willibrand factor (vWF) and soluble P-selectin (sP-selectin) were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to healthy control, the patients with idiopathic AF had significantly lower levels of plasma NOx (18.2-/+7.3 vs 24.3-/+7.8 micromol/L, P=0.049) and higher levels of plasma sP-selectin (25.6-/+6.2 vs 22.4-/+4.8 ng/ml, P=0.007). No significant differences were found in the platelet counts or plasma vWF levels between the two groups. A significant inverse correlation was found between plasma NOx and sP-selectin (r=-0.405, P=0.025) in patients with idiopathic AF.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AF per se may impair the endothelial function and activate platelet function, suggesting the role of endothelial dysfunction in activated platelet function in AF patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Command, Guangzhou 510010, China. furb7@sohu.com
authors.forename: Rui-bin
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Ping-sheng
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Shu-lin
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qiu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000097:blood*; D019007:P-Selectin / Q000097:blood*; D015539:Platelet Activation; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019007:P-Selectin; D014841:von Willebrand Factor; D009569:Nitric Oxide