Search

Background and Objectives: Early vascular aging determines a more rapid course of age-related arterial changes. It may be induced by a proinflammatory state, caused by hyperuricemia and metabolic syndrome and their interrelationship. However, the impact of serum uric acid (SUA) on early arterial stiffening and vascular function remains uncertain. Materials and Methods: A total of 696 participants (439 women aged 50–65 and 257 men aged 40–55) from the Lithuanian High Cardiovascular Risk (LitHiR) primary prevention program were enrolled in the study. They underwent anthropometric measurements and laboratory testing along with arterial parameters’ evaluation. Quality carotid stiffness (QCS), carotid-radial pulse wave velocity (crPWV), carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) were registered. Results: We found that hyperuricemia was significantly associated with inflammation, registered by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in both sexes. A very weak but significant association was observed between cfPWV and SUA in men and in women, while, after adjusting for risk factors, it remained significant only in women. A positive, weak, but significant association was also observed for QCS, both right and left in women. No relationship was observed between crPWV, FMD, CIMT, and SUA.

Background and Objectives: Metabolic syndrome is defined as three or more of five components; therefore, there are 16 possible different clusters of metabolic risk factors that are under one diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. In this study, we evaluated the different clusters of metabolic syndrome (MetS) across serum uric acid (SUA) quartiles and analyzed the association of these clusters with SUA levels, respectively, in both men and women. Materials and Methods: A total of 606 subjects were recruited to a cross-sectional study from the ongoing Lithuanian High Cardiovascular Risk primary prevention program (LitHiR). All of the study subjects were diagnosed with MetS (according to the 2005 National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III MetS definition). Results: In the middle-aged population of patients with MetS living in Lithuania, a high proportion of hyperuricaemia was detected—35.5% (95% Cl 31.7% to 39.4%). For women possessing all five MetS components, the chances of having hyperuricaemia are 2.807 higher than for women with three risk factors (p < 0.001). However, men do not have a statistically significantly higher chance of having hyperuricaemia, depending on the number of MetS components in our population. Using multivariable models, the statistically significant chance of having hyperuricaemia was observed only in women possessing all five MetS components (OR = 2.386, p < 0.0001), compared to any other of 15 MetS clusters. After adjustment for age and sex, the chance of having hyperuricaemia for individuals with the cluster of all five MetS components, compared to any other of 15 MetS clusters, remained (OR = 1.982, p = 0.001). Also, a lower probability (OR = 0.653, p = 0.039) of having hyperuricaemia was observed for individuals having the combination of abnormal plasma glucose, blood pressure, and waist circumference. Conclusions: Patients with the clustering of all five metabolic syndrome components are at higher risk for having hyperuricaemia than patients with any other combination of MetS clusters. This risk is even higher for women. It could be beneficial for patients presented with all five MetS components to be screened for SUA concentration in the primary CVD prevention program.

Purpose and Originality: The purpose of this research was to identify main contextual (macro and meso) factors influencing cross-sector partnerships creating the collaborative value and to give some empirical evidences from Lithuania as young developed country. The originality of this research is achieved by revealing cross-sector partnership contextual elements and their impact on cross-sector partnership management and collaborative value creation. Method: The purpose of the research was achieved using the interpretivist approach to analyse and explain contextual elements of cross-sector partnership. The data was collected by applying the exploratory qualitative research. The main method was the semi-structural interviews with representatives from business organizations and NGOs, and brokers/intermediaries of NGO and business partnerships). The method of qualitative content analysis was used for the analysis of research data. Results: Results of this research argues that collaborative value creation in cross-sector partnership is affected by partnership context, which is described by macro and meso stimulating and restraining factors. Analysing the case of Lithuania, it was found, that stimulating macro level factors are connected to the growth of society awareness, a favourable attitude towards international investors, while meso level factors were formed by the transformation of business organization behaviour, the increasing competition and the increasing role of social responsibility in the business. Restraining macro level factors were linked to NGO regulation problems, limited financial resources, the lack of civil society maturity and government institution support, while meso level factors were described as the lack of institutional memory and no appropriate strategic approach towards partnerships. Society: The research results suppose presumptions of the change in the knowledge of the management of cross-sector partnership, by giving new and fresh understanding about the influence of macro and meso level factors on the collaborative value creation in cross-sector partnership. Limitations / further research: The content of collaborative value creation allows to state that the multidimensional nature of collaborative value creation concept creates many challenges to the researchers in their attempts to develop a holistic portrait of the complex phenomenon and to identify the major value attributes and dimensions. Therefore, future researches could focus on the determination of the impact of the contextual factors on cross-sector partnership development. A comparative analysis of the countries with the same economic and social development level is recommended.