Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is currently the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. As there is systemic as well as local inflammation in COPD patients and evaluating the stage of the disease is not possible by spirometery alone, we evaluated High-Sensitivity C-reactive Protein (hs-CRP) in a group of COPD patients as an available and cost effective auxiliary marker in determining COPD stages.Methods: In a cross-sectional study in 160 COPD patients who were admitted for exacerbations in Razi Hospital in Rasht, Data on patients' demographic characteristics, pulmonary function test (PFT) and laboratory results consist of arterial blood gases and HSCRP levels were analyzed.Results: A significant positive correlation was seen between serum HSCRP level and stages of the disease (as GOLD criteria). There was a significant relationship between HSCRP level and patients' sex, BMI, and smoking history in a way that men and smokers showed higher and patients with normal BMI showed lower HSCRP levels. The patients with higher PCO2 also showed a higher level of serum HSCRP.Conclusions: This survey supports the role of HSCRP as a simple auxiliary marker in staging and determining the prognosis of COPD for early management.

The relationship between high levels of anti-Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) IgG in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and cerebrovascular atherosclerosis commends a possible similar association in other vessels. We aimed to investigate the association of VZV-seropositivity with coronary artery atherosclerosis. We recruited 88 newly diagnosed patients with more than 50% stenosis in at least one of the main coronary arteries. As the control group, 99 age-matched individuals with normal/insignificant coronary artery findings were included. Clinical, paraclinical, and demographical data were gathered at the time of sampling. High‐ sensitivity C‐ reactive protein (hsCRP) levels were measured by nephelometry. VZV-seropositivity was determined by measuring of anti-VZV IgG level in plasma. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the correlation of data with coronary vascular atherosclerosis. The frequency of VZV-seropositivity was significantly higher in the atherosclerosis group compared to the controls (OR=1. 88; 95%CI=1. 03-3. 44). The plasma levels of anti-VZV IgG were significantly higher in patients with atherosclerosis (Median=2. 70, IQR=1. 53-4. 30 AU/mL) than in the controls (Median=2. 10, IQR=1. 70-3. 10 AU/mL, p=0. 034). The hsCRP levels in patients and controls were 5. 19± 2. 00 and 1. 51± 1. 07 mg/L, respectively. The correlation between hsCRP and anti-VZV IgG level in plasma was observed (r=0. 40, p<0. 001). The levels of hsCRP and anti-VZV IgG increased based on the number of diseased vessels but only the difference in hsCRP levels reached a significant level (p<0. 001 and p=0. 168, respectively). Our data suggest that VZV-seropositivity and hsCRP elevation jointly increase the risk of atherosclerosis. The multifactorial nature of atherosclerosis; however, leaves more options for the inflammatory milieu to be generated.

Background: Considering the increasing incidence of coronary artery stenosis as well as its related complications, the importance of its etiology, and inconsistent reports, we aimed to determine the relationship between High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) serum levels and severity of coronary atherosclerosis.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on the patients who referred to Taleghani Hospital, Tehran, Iran and met the inclusion criteria in 2011. Regarding the severity of the disease, the angiographic findings were categorized to mild (<10), moderate (10 - 50), and severe (>50) using the Gensini score classification.1 mL blood sample was taken from each patient and transferred to the laboratory after clotting. After centrifugation, the serum hsCRP level was measured and classified in 3 levels of 1, 1 to 3, and more than 3 mg / L. The relationship between hsCRP serum levels and the severity of coronary atherosclerosis was analyzed using Chi-square test (N=85, P value<0.010).Results: This study was performed on 85 patients with the mean age of 55.7±7.06 years. Besides, 64.7% of the participants were male. According to the results, 34.1%, 37.7%, and 28.2% of the patients experienced mild, moderate, and severe disease intensity, respectively. Moreover, the serum hsCRP levels were<1, between1 and 3, and>3 mg / L in 28.2%, 27.1%, and 44.7% of the patients, respectively. The hsCRP serum levels were significantly higher in the patients with moderate and severe artery stenosis compared to those with mild stenosis (P<0.010).Conclusions: The hsCRP serum levels were significantly related to the severity of coronary atherosclerosis.

Background: Inflammatory processes are proved in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) as one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is known as an antioxidant drug with anti-inflammatory effects. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of NAC on hsCRP in CKD patients on peritoneal dialysis. Methods: This quasi-experimental self-controlled study examined adult CKD patients on peritoneal dialysis referred to the peritoneal dialysis clinic. The participants were assigned into two groups (A: CRP of 5-15 mg/L and B: CRP < 5 mg/L), and both groups were treated with oral NAC 600mg twice a day for eight weeks. First, the hsCRP was measured before and after the intervention, and then all the collected data were analyzed. Results: Forty patients (n = 24 in the group A and n = 26 in the group B) participated in this study. NAC decreased the hsCRP level in both groups (P = 0. 001 in the group A vs. P = 0. 002 in group B); however, the decrease was more prominent in the group A (P = 0. 013). The hsCRP decrease was more significant in women (P = 0. 002) in general and women in the group B (P = 0. 02) in particular. The hsCRP variation had a significant relationship with the underlying disease (P = 0. 009). There was no significant correlation between the hsCRP variation with age (r =-0. 173, P = 0. 285) and the duration of dialysis. Conclusions: The administration of NAC (600 mg, twice a day for eight weeks) significantly decreased the level of hsCRP in patients on peritoneal dialysis, especially in those with CRP = 5-15 mh/L. The decrease has no relationship with age and duration of dialysis; however, it was more highlighted in women.