title: Plasma Homocysteine and Asymmetrical Dimethyl-l-Arginine (ADMA) and Whole Blood DNA Methylation in Early and Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Pilot Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the plasma levels of homocysteine and asymmetrical dimethyl-l-arginine (ADMA) and the degree of whole blood DNA methylation in patients with early and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and in controls without maculopathy of any sort.
  
  
  METHODS
  This observational case-control pilot study included 39 early AMD patients, 27 neovascular AMD patients and 132 sex- and age-matched controls without maculopathy. Plasma homocysteine and ADMA concentrations and the degree of whole blood DNA methylation were measured. Quantitative variables were compared by Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney test. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the significance of the association between early or wet AMD and some variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences in mean plasma homocysteine and ADMA concentrations and in the degree of whole blood DNA methylation between patients with early or neovascular AMD and their controls. Similarly, logistic regression analysis disclosed that plasma homocysteine and ADMA levels were not associated with an increased risk for early or neovascular AMD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We failed to demonstrate an association between early or neovascular AMD and increased plasma homocysteine and/or ADMA. Results also suggest that the degree of whole blood DNA methylation is not a marker of AMD.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Surgical , Microsurgical, and Medical Sciences, Section of Ophthalmology, University of Sassari , Sassari , Italy .|b Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Sassari , Sassari , Italy .
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pinna
authors.affiliation: c Department of Biomedical Sciences , Section of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Sassari , Sassari , Italy and.
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zinellu
authors.affiliation: a Department of Surgical , Microsurgical, and Medical Sciences, Section of Ophthalmology, University of Sassari , Sassari , Italy .
authors.forename: Donatella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tendas
authors.affiliation: a Department of Surgical , Microsurgical, and Medical Sciences, Section of Ophthalmology, University of Sassari , Sassari , Italy .
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Blasetti
authors.affiliation: b Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Sassari , Sassari , Italy .|c Department of Biomedical Sciences , Section of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Sassari , Sassari , Italy and.
authors.forename: Ciriaco
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carru
authors.affiliation: b Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Sassari , Sassari , Italy .|d Department of Biomedical Sciences, Laboratory of Epidemiology and Biostatistics , University of Sassari , Sassari , Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Castiglia
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004247:DNA / Q000097:blood*; D019175:DNA Methylation; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012307:Risk Factors; D057135:Wet Macular Degeneration / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine; C018524:N,N-dimethylarginine; D004247:DNA; D001120:Arginine
keywords: Early AMD; neovascular AMD; plasma asymmetrical dimethyl-l-arginine; plasma homocysteine; whole blood DNA methylation