Master’s Thesis at the University of Babylon on Acute Coronary Syndrome
As part of the activities of the Department of Clinical Biochemistry, the College of Medicine at the University of Babylon held a defense session for the master’s thesis of student Aqeel Muslim Kazem entitled:
“Evaluation of Heart-type Fatty Acid Binding Protein and Endothelin-1 as Cardiovascular Biomarkers in Acute Coronary Syndrome in Babylon – Iraq”,
supervised by Prof. Dr. Abdul-Sameea Hassan Al-Taee and Prof. Dr. Hassan Salem Abd Al-Sada.
The defense session was attended by the head of the department, Prof. Dr. Tareq Hussein Mughair, several faculty members, researchers, academics, and postgraduate students.
During his defense, the researcher explained that acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is an acute ischemic condition of the heart caused by thrombosis resulting from the rupture or erosion of unstable atherosclerotic plaques in the coronary arteries. This condition is among the most common and serious cardiovascular diseases and has received growing global attention in recent years. ACS arises from damage to the integrity of the atherosclerotic plaque in a coronary vessel, where thrombus formation on the plaque surface leads to varying degrees of obstruction of coronary blood flow. In addition, coronary spasm may also occur to different extents. As a result of these changes, the clinical picture of the disease manifests.
The study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum levels of some novel cardiac biomarkers such as heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP), growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), and endothelin-1, in both patients and healthy individuals, in addition to exploring their relationship with conventional biomarkers such as troponin I and the lipid profile. Another aim was to determine whether there was a correlation between troponin levels and the presence of myocardial infarction with or without ST-segment elevation.
The study showed significant differences in biomarker levels between ACS patients and healthy individuals. Levels of H-FABP and GDF-15 were markedly higher among patients, while endothelin-1 levels were also elevated compared to the healthy group. H-FABP demonstrated moderate diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.69) in distinguishing patients from healthy individuals, whereas GDF-15 had limited performance (AUC = 0.50). In addition, troponin levels were associated with dyslipidemia, reflecting its role in cardiovascular risk assessment.
The results indicate that H-FABP, GDF-15, and endothelin-1 levels were significantly elevated in ACS patients, highlighting their importance as potential indicators of disease severity and myocardial injury. The study also showed a clear association between dyslipidemia and cardiac events, along with a relationship between these biomarkers, suggesting shared pathological pathways. However, ROC curve analysis demonstrated that GDF-15 had limited diagnostic accuracy, while H-FABP showed moderate accuracy.