title: Vitamin D Status in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Inflammation, Arterial Stiffness and Circulating Progenitor Cell Number.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Suboptimal vitamin D status was recently acknowledged as an independent predictor of cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality in several clinical settings, and its serum levels are commonly reduced in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Patients affected by RA present accelerated atherosclerosis and increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality with respect to the general population. In RA, it has been reported an impairment of the number and the activity of circulating proangiogenic haematopoietic cells (PHCs), including CD34+, that may play a role in endothelial homeostasis. The purpose of the study is to investigate the association between vitamin D levels and PHCs, inflammatory markers, and arterial stiffening in patients with RA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CD34+ cells were isolated from 27 RA patients and 41 controls. Vitamin D levels, C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, pulse wave velocity (PWV), and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) were also evaluated. CD34+ count and vitamin D levels were lower in RA patients as compared to controls, while fibrinogen, CRP, PWV and cIMT were higher in RA patients. CD34+ cell number appeared to be associated with vitamin D levels, and negatively correlated to fibrinogen and early atherosclerosis markers (PWV and cIMT); vitamin D levels appear also to be inversely associated to fibrinogen.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RA patients with moderate disease activity presented with low vitamin D levels, low CD34+ cell count, increased PWV and cIMT; we found that vitamin D deficiency is associated to CD34+ cell reduction in peripheral blood, and with fibrinogen levels. This suggests that vitamin D might contribute to endothelial homeostasis in patients with RA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lo Gullo
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mandraffino
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bagnato
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Caterina Oriana
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Aragona
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Egidio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Imbalzano
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemical, Physiological and Nutritional Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Ascola
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery and Oncology, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rotondo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and of Morphologic and Functional Images, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cinquegrani
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and of Morphologic and Functional Images, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Enricomaria
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mormina
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Saitta
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio Giovanni
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Versace
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Adriana
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sardo
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lo Gullo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemical, Physiological and Nutritional Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Saverio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Loddo
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saitta
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D002452:Cell Count; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013234:Stem Cells; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000502:physiology*; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D; D005340:Fibrinogen; D002097:C-Reactive Protein