OBJECTIVETo determine serum levels of resistin and visfatin in the patients with acute Kawasaki disease before and after intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) treatment.

METHODSA total of 50 children with acute Kawasaki disease were treated with IVIG for 48 hours between January 2011 and January 2013. As controls, 30 healthy children and 30 children with acute infectious diseases were included. Serum levels of resistin and visfatin were measured by ELISA both before and after the treatment.

RESULTSThe baseline serum levels of resistin and visfatin were significantly higher in patients with acute Kawasaki disease than in the two control groups of subjects (i.e., healthy children and patients with acute infectious diseases; P<0.05). In the 50 patients with Kawasaki disease, 38 were not responding and 12 were responding. Serum resistin levels before treatment were significantly higher in non-responders than those in responders (P<0.05). A significant decrease in serum levels of resistin after treatment was observed in IVIG responders (P<0.05). Serum visfatin levels were not significantly different between IVIG responders and non-responders (P>0.05). Additionally, serum resistin and visfatin levels were not significantly different between acute Kawasaki disease patients with and without coronary artery lesions.

CONCLUSIONSResistin and visfatin may play important roles in the development of Kawasaki disease and serum resistin may be used as a novel outcome indicator of the IVIG treatment.

Acute Disease ; Child, Preschool ; Cytokines ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous ; therapeutic use ; Infant ; Male ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome ; blood ; drug therapy ; Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase ; blood ; Resistin ; blood

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of Shilajit, a medicine of Ayurveda, on the serum changes in cytokines and adipokines caused by non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS: After establishing fatty liver models by feeding a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks, 35 Wistar male rats were randomly divided into 5 groups, including control (standard diet), Veh (HFD + vehicle), high-dose Shilajit [H-Sh, HFD + 250 mg/(kg·d) Shilajit], low-dose Shilajit [L-Sh, HFD + 150 mg/(kg·d) Shilajit], and pioglitazone [HFD + 10 mg/(kg·d) pioglitazone] groups, 7 rats in each group. After 2-week of gavage administration, serum levels of glucose, insulin, interleukin 1beta (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), adiponectin, and resistin were measured, and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was calculated. RESULTS: After NAFLD induction, the serum level of IL-10 significantly increased and serum IL-1β, TNF-α levels significantly decreased by injection of both doses of Shilajit and pioglitazone (P<0.05). Increases in serum glucose level and homeostasis model of HOMA-IR were reduced by L-Sh and H-Sh treatment in NAFLD rats (P<0.05). Both doses of Shilajit increased adiponectin and decreased serum resistin levels (P<0.05). CONCLUSION The probable protective role of Shilajit in NAFLD model rats may be via modulating the serum levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-10, adipokine and resistin, and reducing of HOMA-IR.
Adiponectin ; Animals ; Cytokines ; Diet, High-Fat ; Glucose ; Insulin Resistance ; Interleukin-10 ; Liver ; Male ; Minerals ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/pathology* ; Pioglitazone/therapeutic use* ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Resins, Plant ; Resistin/therapeutic use* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Body fat is an important source of adipokine, which is associated with energy balance and inflammatory and immune responses. However, the role of adipokines in coronary artery complications in Kawasaki disease (KD) has not yet been fully explained. We investigated whether serum adipokine level can be a useful marker for patients with KD who are at higher risk of developing coronary artery lesion (CAL). We measured adipokine levels and other inflammatory parameters in 40 patients with KD, 32 febrile controls, and 15 afebrile controls. Interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and other laboratory parameters were also measured before and after intravenous immunoglobulin therapy, and in the convalescent phase. At admission, the serum resistin levels in KD children were significantly higher than those in controls (177.56 ng/mL in KD children, 76.48 ng/mL in febrile controls, and 17.95 ng/mL in afebrile controls). In patients with KD, resistin levels were significantly associated with decreased hemoglobin levels (P=0.049) and increased IL-6 levels (P=0.014). The serum IL-6 levels were significantly higher and body mass index was significantly lower in the group of KD with CALs than those without CALs (228.26 ng/mL vs. 39.18 ng/mL and 15.09 vs. 16.60, respectively). In conclusion, resistin is significantly elevated in KD patients, although it has no prognostic value of predicting coronary artery lesion in the acute stage.
Biological Markers/*blood ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Coronary Vessels/pathology ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Hemoglobins/analysis ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous/therapeutic use ; Inflammation/blood/immunology ; Interleukin-6/*blood ; Male ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome/*blood/pathology ; Resistin/*blood ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/*blood