title: Carotid intima-media thickness and serum paraoxonase-1 activity in patients with Helicobacter pylori.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate serum paraoxonase(PON)-1 activity and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in patients with Cytotoxin-associated antigen(CagA)-positive and negative Helicobacter pylori strains.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study group included a total of 134 individuals, of whom 103 were H. pylori positive, and 31 were H. pylori negative. Five biopsies were collected from each patient for histological examination: two from the antrum, two from the corpus, and one from the incisura angularis. The presence of H. pylori was determined using a modified Gram staining protocol. Peripheral blood was collected from each patient to determine levels of triglyceride, TC, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol. IgG antibodies against CagA protein were analyzed by enzyme immunoassays. PON-1 activity was measured by colorimetric method. Carotid intima-media thickness and atherogenic plaques were measured using a grey scale color Doppler ultrasound. Data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The right, the left and the mean CIMT were significantly higher in H. pylori (+) group versus H. pylori (-) group (p < 0.001 for all). However, the mean PON-1 concentration was significantly lower in H. pylori (+) group versus H. pylori (-) group (p < 0.001). The right, the left and the mean CIMT of CagA (+) group were significantly higher than that of CagA (-) group and controls, while PON-1 concentrations of CagA (+) group were significantly lower than that of CagA (-) group and controls (for all p = 0.0001). The right, the left and the mean CIMT of CagA (-) group were significantly higher than that of the control group, while the mean PON-1 concentration were significantly lower (for all p = 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Decreased PON-1 activity may be an etiopathogenetic factor in increased atherosclerosis in patients with H. pylori infection, especially in those infected with the CagA positive strain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Namik Kemal University Faculty of Medicine, Tekirdag, Turkey. rafetmete@yahoo.com  
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mete
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oran
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alpsoy
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gunes
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tulubas
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Turan
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Topcu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aydin
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yildirim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D043303:Aryldialkylphosphatase / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D043303:Aryldialkylphosphatase; C468406:PON1 protein, human