Cardio metabolic risk factors for atrial fibrillation in type 2 diabetes mellitus: Focus on hypertension, metabolic syndrome and obesity

Objective. Atrial fibrillation (AF) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been little explored so far. However, there are several cardio metabolic risk factors for AF in T2DM patients, such as arterial hypertension, obesity or the metabolic syndrome. Our objective was to evaluate cardio metabolic risk factors for AF in T2DM patients. Methods. We studied the medical records of T2DM patients hospitalized in the Internal Medicine department of an emergency referral hospital in Bucharest, Romania. The study was observational, retrospective and carried out between January-June 2018. Results. The study group included 221 T2DM patients (with a mean age of 68.65 ± 10.64, ranging between 37-93 years): 116 women (52.49%; with a mean age of 70.53 ± 10.69, ranging between 37-93 years) and 105 men (47.51%; with a mean age of 66.57 ± 10.23, ranging between 38-91 years). 92 patients had AF (41.63%): 40 women (34.48%) and 52 men (49.52%). 180 patients (81.45%) were hypertensive: 103 women (88.79%) and 77 men (73.33%). 113 patients (51.13%) had metabolic syndrome: 58 women (50.00%) and 55 men (52.38%). 77 patients (34.84%) were obese: 45 women (38.79%) and 32 men (30.48%). AF patients associated obesity in 26 cases (28.26%), hypertension in 73 cases (79.35%) and metabolic syndrome in 56 cases (60.87%). Conclusions. Out of the study group, 92 T2DM patients (41.63%) had AF, men being more likely to suffer from AF than women (p=0.0288). Hypertension affected 180 patients (81.45%) and in greater proportion women vs. men (p=0.0051). The metabolic syndrome and obesity were discovered in 113 patients (51.13%) and 77 patients (34.84%), respectively, with no significant differences in terms of gender. In our research, the highest cardio metabolic risk factors for AF in T2DM were hypertension (OR = 3.6675) and the metabolic syndrome (OR = 3.3388)

Pheochromocytoma – clinical manifestations, diagnosis and current perioperative management

Pheochromocytoma is a neuroendocrine tumor characterized by the excessive production of catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine). The diagnosis is suspected due to hypertensive paroxysms, associated with vegetative phenomena, due to the catecholaminergic hypersecretion. Diagnosis involves biochemical tests that reveal elevated levels of catecholamine metabolites (metanephrine and normetanephrine). Functional imaging, such as 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy (123I-MIBG), has increased specificity in identifying the catecholamine-producing tumor and its metastases. The gold-standard treatment for patients with pheochromocytoma is represented by the surgical removal of the tumor. Before surgical resection, it is important to optimize blood pressure and intravascular volume in order to avoid negative hemodynamic events

Pheochromocytoma – clinical manifestations, diagnosis and current perioperative management

Pheochromocytoma is a neuroendocrine tumor characterized by the excessive production of catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine). The diagnosis is suspected due to hypertensive paroxysms, associated with vegetative phenomena, due to the catecholaminergic hypersecretion. Diagnosis involves biochemical tests that reveal elevated levels of catecholamine metabolites (metanephrine and normetanephrine). Functional imaging, such as 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy (123I-MIBG), has increased specificity in identifying the catecholamine-producing tumor and its metastases. The gold-standard treatment for patients with pheochromocytoma is represented by the surgical removal of the tumor. Before surgical resection, it is important to optimize blood pressure and intravascular volume in order to avoid negative hemodynamic events

A review of macrophage microRNAs' role in human asthma

There is an imbalance in asthma between classically activated macrophages (M1 cells) and alternatively activated macrophages (M2 cells) in favor of the latter. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in regulating macrophage proliferation and differentiation and control the balance of M1 and M2 macrophage polarization, thereby controlling immune responses. Here we review the current published data concerning miRNAs with known correlation to a specific human macrophage phenotype and polarization, and their association with adult asthma. MiRNA-targeted therapy is still in the initial stages, but clinical trials are under recruitment or currently running for some miRNAs in other diseases. Regulating miRNA expression via their upregulation or downregulation could show potential as a novel therapy for improving treatment efficacy in asthma

Effect of variety and processing method on functional properties of traditional sweet potato flour (“elubo”) and sensory acceptability of cooked paste (“amala”)

“Amala” is a generic term in Nigeria, used to describe a thick paste prepared by stirring flour (“elubo”) from yam, cassava or unripe plantain, in hot water, to form a smooth consistency. In order to overcome its high perishability and increase the utilization of sweet potato roots, three varieties of sweet potato roots were processed into flour using two methods. The interactive effect of variety and the processing method had a significant effect (P < 0.05) on all the functional properties of the flour except yellowness, setback viscosity, and peak time. Acceptable sweet potato “amala” with average sensory acceptability score of 7.5 were obtained from yellow-fleshed varieties irrespective of the processing method. Flour that produced acceptable “amala” were characterized by lower values of protein (2.20–3.94%), fiber (1.30–1.65%), total sugar (12.41–38.83 lg/mg), water absorption capacity (168–215 g/100 g), water solubility (8.29–14.65%), swelling power (0.52–0.82 g/g), and higher peak time (6.9–8.7 min)

The bone marrow compartment is modified in the absence of galectin-3

Galectin-3 (gal-3) is a β-galactoside binding protein present in multivalent complexes with an extracellular matrix and with cell surface glycoconjugates. In this context, it can deliver a variety of intracellular signals to modulate cell activation, differentiation and survival. In the hematopoietic system, it was demonstrated that gal-3 is expressed in myeloid cells and surrounding stromal cells. Furthermore, exogenous and surface gal-3 drive the proliferation of myeloblasts in a granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-dependent manner. Here, we investigated whether gal-3 regulates the formation of myeloid bone marrow compartments by studying galectin-3−/− mice (gal-3−/−) in the C57BL/6 background. The bone marrow histology of gal-3−/− mice was significantly modified and the myeloid compartments drastically disturbed, in comparison with wild-type (WT) animals. In the absence of gal-3, we found reduced cell density and diaphyseal disorders containing increased trabecular projections into the marrow cavity. Moreover, myeloid cells presented limited capacity to differentiate into mature myeloid cell populations in gal-3−/− mice and the number of hematopoietic multipotent progenitors was increased relative to WT animals. In addition, bone marrow stromal cells of these mice had reduced levels of GM-CSF gene expression. Taken together, our data suggest that gal-3 interferes with hematopoiesis, controlling both precursors and stromal cells and favors terminal differentiation of myeloid progenitors rather than proliferation

Size-resolved fluxes of sub-100-nm particles over forests

Dry deposition of atmospheric particles is critically dependent on particle size and plays a key role in dictating the mass and number distributions of atmospheric particles. However, modeling dry deposition is constrained by a lack of understanding of controlling dependencies and accurate size-resolved observations. We present size-resolved particle number fluxes for sub-100-nm particle diameters (Dp) over a deciduous forest derived using eddy covariance applied to data from a fast mobility particle sizer. The size-resolved particle number fluxes in 18 diameters between 8 and 100 nm were collected during leaf-on and are statistically robust. Particle deposition velocities normalized by friction velocity (v d +) are approximately four times smaller than comparable values for coniferous forests reported elsewhere. Comparison of the data with output from a new one-dimensional mechanistic particle deposition model designed for broadleaf forest exhibits greater accord with the measurements than two previous analytical models, but modeled v d + underestimate observed values by at least a factor of two for all Dp between 6 and 100 nm. When size-resolved particle deposition velocities for Dp &lt;100 nm are normalized by friction velocity, the key controlling role of particle diffusivity is strongly manifest. On the basis of analyses of these new measurements and recently published size-resolved particle number fluxes from a conifer forest, we present working parameterizations for size-resolved particle deposition velocities over forests that could reasonably be applied in regional and global atmospheric chemistry transport models