Serum C peptide level and renal function in diabetes mellitus

C peptide is an active peptide hormone with potentially important physiological effects. C peptide has the capacity to diminish glomerular hyperfiltration and reduce urinary albumin excretion in both experimental and human type 1 diabetes. The present study is aimed at correlating the serum C peptide level with that of renal clearance, urinary albumin excretion and duration of diabetes. This is a prospective cross sectional study. Patients with diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus were evaluated for their baseline clinical and laboratory profile. Both males and females above the age of 18 years were included in the study. The laboratory investigations include fasting serum C peptide, HbA1C, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, urine albumin and creatinine. Creatinine clearance was calculated using modification of diet in renal disease formula from serum creatinine value. A total of 168 patients were included in the study, among them 90 were females (53.57%) and 78 males (46.43%). Mean age of the patients was 57.64 years. Pearson correlation test showed negative correlation of serum C peptide level with creatinine clearance, though statistically not significant. Negative correlation was also seen between serum C peptide, and urine albumin, urine albumin creatinine ratio, HbA1C and duration of diabetes. Mean urine albumin was higher in patients with subnormal C peptide level. Duration of disease was more in patients with lower serum C peptide level. The study has shown weak association of serum C peptide level with microalbuminuria and creatinine clearance. Risk of albuminuria is more in patients with low serum C peptide level

Limitations to Intellectual Progress in Ecosystem Science

Are ecosystem scientists poised to make great leaps forward in developing understanding, and in applying it to real-world problems? The challenge is to deal simultaneously with the multidimensional complexity of time and space. An intellectual limitation is the false assumption that there will be simple, all-inclusive answers to complex, ecological questions, whereas the elegance of creative, innovative thought and approach is to discover ways to simplify questions or systems being studied to obtain fundamental, inclusive answers. Ecology must be an integrative science and will flourish from creative integration and synthesis. How are vision and creativity enhanced? Is the rate of breakthroughs in ecosystem science appropriate for a healthy, robust scientific field? Teams and team-building are critical components of successful ecosystem science, but efforts should be made to promote inter-disciplinary teams. There is a continuing need to attract the brightest and best into ecosystem science by utilizing the popularity of the ecosystem concept, the challenge of solving complex problems, and the awareness of how such solutions are of value to humanity. More undergraduate courses, textbooks, and scientific journals focused on ecosystem science are needed, however time limitations have become serious problems for scientists. Being busy is good, but if being busy leads to fragmentation of effort, loss of focus, superficial scholarship, and inability to meet commitments, then being busy represents a major intellectual limitation. The weak connection between ecosystem science and policy in the United States is frustrating, primarily because of fragmentation of approach and implementation. However, many opportunities exist for intellectual progress in ecosystem science