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Objective: To determine whether plasma concentrations of thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) in patients with type 2 diabetes were associated with components of metabolic syndrome (MS), including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1, and LDL cholesterol.Research Design and Methods: We studied 136 consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes. Diagnosis of MS was diagnosed by current criteria. Hypercholesterolemia (HC) was defined as serum LDL cholesterol >140 mg/dl (3.6 mmol/l) or treatment with a statin. For comparisons, diabetic patients were divided into four groups: those with no MS and no HC (n = 38), with MS but not HC (n = 39), with no MS but with HC (n = 26), and with both MS and HC (n = 33).Results: Considering all patients with type 2 diabetes, plasma PAI-1 was strongly associated with MS components such as BMI, triglyceride, alanine aminotransferase, a homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, and hs-CRP. Plasma TAFI only correlated positively and independently with LDL cholesterol. Plasma concentrations of plasmin-alpha2-antiplasmin complex (PAP), a measure of fibrinolytic activity in blood, showed a significant negative correlation with plasma PAI-1 but not TAFI. Diabetic patients with both MS and HC had the highest serum hs-CRP concentrations and the lowest plasma PAP concentrations.Conclusions: LDL cholesterol is a main determinant of plasma TAFI in patients with type 2 diabetes. Coexistence of MS and HC synergistically accelerates inflammation and impairment of fibrinolysis via elevated concentrations of both TAFI and PAI-1, which inhibit fibrinolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Three blood markers of inflammation (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [hsCRP], interleukin [IL]-6, and fibrinogen) were compared with markers of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) (history of stroke or cardiac ischemia and measured toe-brachial index [TBI]) to determine whether inflammatory markers are associated with atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes., Research Design and Methods: Of 103 patients with type 2 diabetes, 26 had CVD. TBI was plethysmographically determined in both great toes. Serum hsCRP was immunonephelometrically determined. Plasma IL-6 was measured by an enzyme immunoassay., Results: Both ABI and TBI were lower in diabetic patients with CVD than in those without CVD (1.05 +/- 0.19 vs. 1.14 +/- 0.09, P < 0.05, and 0.75 +/- 0.20 vs. 0.95 +/- 0.21, P < 0.001, respectively). By linear regression, right TBI but not right ABI showed a significant negative correlation with serum hsCRP (r = -0.372, P < 0.01) and plasma fibrinogen (r = -0.224, P < 0.05). Serum hsCRP was also negatively correlated with lower TBI, but not lower ABI. We found no significant correlation between plasma IL-6 and ABI or TBI., Conclusions: TBI was strongly associated with CVD, serum hsCRP, and plasma fibrinogen. Of these inflammatory markers, serum hsCRP may be the most promising marker for vascular inflammation.