title: Circulating Nampt and RBP4 levels in patients with carotid stenosis undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity is a risk factor for atherosclerotic vascular disease. Altered adipokine secretion, including increased production of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (Nampt) and retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) may link adipose tissue dysfunction to cardiovascular complications.
  
  
  METHODS
  We determined Nampt and RBP4 serum concentrations in 193 consecutive patients with carotid stenosis prior to carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in relation to recently experienced ischemic events, markers of atherosclerosis and obesity, as well as anthropometric and clinical characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nampt but not RBP4 was significantly higher in symptomatic patients who experienced an ischemic event within 6 months before surgery compared to asymptomatic patients (p=0.001). In multivariate regression analysis Nampt was the only independent predictor of symptomatic carotid stenosis. Nampt correlated with peripheral leukocyte blood count (p<0.0001) and with the number of macrophages/foam cells within carotid plaques (p=0.042). However, Nampt and RBP4 serum concentrations did not correlate with the maximum percentage of carotid stenosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest circulating Nampt as an independent predictor of recently experienced ischemic events in patients with carotid stenosis despite the lack of an association between Nampt and carotid atherosclerosis severity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Research Laboratories and Clinic of Visceral, Transplantation, Thoracic, and Vascular Surgery, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. gabriela.aust@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aust
authors.forename: Migle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uptaite-Patapoviene
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scholz
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.forename: Silvio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rohm
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blüher
mesh_terms: D052242:Adiponectin / Q000097:blood; D000368:Aged; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000150:complications; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016894:Endarterectomy, Carotid; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000150:complications; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase / Q000097:blood*; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D054839:Retinol-Binding Proteins, Plasma / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D052242:Adiponectin; D020738:Leptin; C101326:RBP4 protein, human; D054839:Retinol-Binding Proteins, Plasma; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase