Table 2.
Blood lipid profiles and cholesterol metabolic gene expressions in study subjects
| Normal range | Non-MTX users (n = 32) | MTX users (n = 67) | P valuea | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TC, mg/dl | ≤200 mg/dl | 167.5 (162.8 to 192.4) | 172.0 (169.3 to 185.5) | 0.367 |
| TG, mg/dl | ≤150 mg/dl | 81.0 (75.7 to 105.1) | 71.0 (73.2 to 90.7) | 0.344 |
| TC/HDL-C | <4 | 1.34 (1.25 to 1.71) | 1.38 (1.30 to 1.59) | 0.884 |
| HDL-C, mg/dl | ≥60 mg/dl | 66.0 (59.4 to 71.8) | 69.0 (65.0 to 74.0) | 0.410 |
| LDL-C, mg/dl | ≤100 mg/dl | 85.7 (79.6 to 102.6) | 89.0 (85.8 to 99.9) | 0.673 |
| LDL-C/HDL-C | 2.72 (2.51 to 3.07) | 2.60 (2.53 to 2.88) | 0.736 | |
| ABCA/18S | 0.09 (0.03 to 0.77) | 0.15 (0.43 to 2.60) | 0.021 | |
| HY27/18S | 0.07 (-0.05 to 1.41) | 0.19 (0.32 to 5.40) | 0.037 | |
Results are expressed as median (95% CI) (n = 99). Normal ranges of plasma lipid profiles: TC (total cholesterol) ≤200 mg/dl; TG (triglyceride) ≤150 mg/dl; HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol) ≥60 mg/dl; LDL-C (low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol) ≤100 mg/dl.
aData were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U test. Bold text in tables represent significantly different (p < 0.05)
ABCA1 = ATP-binding cassette transporter A1; HY27 = 27-hydroxylase; MTX = methotrexate.