Inverse Association of Serum Leptin with Flow-Mediated Dilatation Independent of Body Fat Distribution, Insulin Resistance, Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Young Women

Chronic hyperleptinemia found in obesity has been shown to be associated with endothelial dysfunction, an early and fundamental event in the development of atherosclerosis. We examined whether elevated leptin levels are associated with decreased endothelial function in young women. Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) in the brachial artery, fat mass by dual-energy absorptiometry, Matsuda index, an insulin sensitivity index derived from an oral glucose tolerance test, serum leptin, adiponectin, hepatic enzymes, lipid profile, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and urinary 8-epi-prostaglandin F-2α (8-epi-PGF2α), a marker of oxidative stress, were measured in 44 young women. After adjustment for age, FMD was associated inversely with percentage of body fat, trunk fat and leg fat. In addition, FMD showed inverse associations with serum leptin, log hsCRP and log alanine aminotransferase (all p<0.05 or less). In multiple regression analysis only leptin emerged as an independent determinant of FMD (standardized betaã€-0.325) and explained 11% of FMD variability. In conclusion, leptin serum levels had an impact on arterial distensibility in young women, a finding that raises the possibility that leptin levels in the general population during early adulthood may already be relevant to the development of vascular dysfunction

Association of Postbreakfast Triglyceride and Visit-to-Visit Annual Variation of Fasting Plasma Glucose with Progression of Diabetic Nephropathy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) was measured at baseline and after a median follow-up of 6.0 years in 161 patients with type 2 diabetes. Intrapersonal means and SD of HbA1c, systolic BP, fasting, and postmeal plasma glucose (FPG and PMPG, resp.) and serum triglycerides (FTG and PMTG, resp.) were calculated in each patient during the first 12 months after enrollment. Associations of these variables with nephropathy progression (15 patients with progression of albuminuric stages and 5 with ACR doubling within the microalbuminuric range) were determined by multivariate logistic regression analysis providing odds ratio with 95% confidential interval. Patients with nephropathy progression, compared with those without nephropathy progression, had higher HbA1c (p<0.01). They also had higher means and SD of FPG (both p<0.05), FTG (both p<0.05), and PMTG (p=0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that SD-FPG (1.036, 1.001–1.073, p=0.04) and PMTG (1.013, 1.008–1.040, p=0.001) were significant predictors of progression of nephropathy even after adjustment for mean FPG and SD-FTG, age, sex, BMI, waist circumference, diabetes duration and therapy, means and SDs of HbA1c, PPG, FTG and systolic BP, baseline ACR, smoking status, and uses of antihypertensive and lipid-lowering medications. Consistency of glycemic control and management of postmeal TG may be important to prevent nephropathy progression in type 2 diabetic patients

Into the Womb - Born Again : A VR Experience of Being Warmly Swaddled Using “Otonamaki” from Japanese Method

Some relaxation methods create a sensation of returning to the fetal stage, but often involve large pieces of equipment such as a floating tank. This study develops a portable virtual reality (VR) system that brings users back into the fetal state of relaxation. It explores the effects of being swaddled in a stretchable cloth that simulates the feeling of being in the mother’s womb. The user’s entire body is wrapped in cloth using a Japanese technique called Otonamaki. While being swaddled, participants experience an artistic video and sound representation of the womb. The heart rates and questionnaire answers of swaddled people and those from the control group were compared. Questionnaire results show that being swaddled can reduce subjective tension. Heart rate results show no signs of mental stress caused by swaddling. The future plan is to incorporate this VR setup into medical devices and therapy to relieve tension