Relationship between serum B12 concentrations and mortality:experience in NHANES

BACKGROUND: There is conflicting evidence in the literature on the association between (elevated) serum B12 concentrations and subsequent disease or mortality. We evaluated in the NHANES general population the association of serum B12 concentrations as well as vitamin B12 supplement intake with all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer-related mortality, while taking into account demographic and lifestyle factors and significant other diseases which are known to be associated with poorer outcome. METHODS: The main outcomes of our study were all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and cancer-related mortality. Mortality status and cause of death were determined by NHANES-linked National Death Index public access files through December 31, 2015. The association of serum B12 concentrations and vitamin B12 supplement intake with mortality was assessed with Cox proportional hazard (PH) models, with adjustment for a number of relevant demographic and lifestyle factors and comorbidity. RESULTS: The final study population of 24,262 participants had a mean age of 48 (SD 19) years; 50.1% were males. The median follow-up duration was 109 months (range 1-201 months). On the census day of December 31, 2015, 3023 participants were determined as deceased (12.5%). The fully adjusted Cox PH model indicated that low serum B12 concentrations  700 pmol/l were associated with an increase in cardiovascular mortality only (HR 1.45, 95% CI 1.01-2.06, p = 0.042). Participants with a diagnosis of hypertension, dyslipidemia, CVD, and cancer more frequently used vitamin B12-containing supplements than those without these diagnoses. We could not demonstrate an association between vitamin B12 supplement intake and mortality, when adjusted for comorbidity. CONCLUSIONS: In the general population of NHANES, low serum B12 concentrations were associated with a moderate increase in all-cause mortality. There was a small but significant increase in cardiovascular mortality in the groups with low or high serum B12. High intake of vitamin B12 in the form of supplements was not associated with any adverse effect on mortality and therefore can be regarded as safe

What supervisors say in their feedback:construction of CanMEDS roles in workplace settings

The CanMEDS framework has been widely adopted in residency education and feedback processes are guided by it. It is, however, only one of many influences on what is actually discussed in feedback. The sociohistorical culture of medicine and individual supervisors' contexts, experiences and beliefs are also influential. Our aim was to find how CanMEDS roles are constructed in feedback in a postgraduate curriculum-in-action. We applied a set of discourse analytic tools to written feedback from 591 feedback forms from 7 hospitals, including 3150 feedback comments in which 126 supervisors provided feedback to 120 residents after observing their performance in authentic settings. The role of Collaborator was constructed in two different ways: a cooperative discourse of equality with other workers and patients; and a discourse, which gave residents positions of power-delegating, asserting and 'taking a firm stance'. Efficiency-being fast and to the point emerged as an important attribute of physicians. Patients were seldom part of the discourses and, when they were, they were constructed as objects of communication and collaboration rather than partners. Although some of the discourses are in line with what might be expected, others were in striking contrast to the spirit of CanMEDS. This study's findings suggest that it takes more than a competency framework, evaluation instruments, and supervisor training to change the culture of workplaces. The impact on residents of training in such demanding, efficiency-focused clinical environments is an important topic for future research

Lower Extremity Amputation Rates in People With Diabetes Mellitus:A Retrospective Population Based Cohort Study in Zwolle Region, The Netherlands

OBJECTIVE: Lower extremity amputations are a major complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). In a previous Dutch study, the incident rate of major amputations was 89.2 per 100 000 person years. The primary aim of this study was to describe the lower extremity amputation rates in people with DM in the Zwolle region, where preventive and curative footcare is organised according to the guidelines of the International Working Group of the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF). The secondary aim was to evaluate outcomes and underlying characteristics of these people.METHODS: This was a retrospective regional population based cohort study. Data from all people with DM treated in primary and secondary care, living in the region Zwolle were collected. All amputations in the period 2017 to 2019 were analysed. Comparisons were made between those with and without an amputation.RESULTS: In the analysis 5 915 people with DM were included, with a mean age of 67.8 (IQR 57.9, 75.9) years. Of those people, 47% were women and the median HbA1c was 53 (IQR 47, 62) mmol/mol. Over the three year study period, a total of 68 amputations were performed in 59 people: 46 minor, 22 major. This translated into an average annual crude amputation incidence rate of non-traumatic major and minor amputations of 41.5 and 86.9 per 100 000 person years among people with diabetes. Compared with those not undergoing amputations, those who underwent an amputation were more often men, older, mainly had T2DM, were treated in secondary care, had higher diastolic blood pressure, worse diabetic footcare profile, longer DM duration and higher HbA1c. At the end of the follow up, 111 people died: 96 (1.6%) without and 15 (25.4%) with amputations (p &lt; .001).CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective study provides detailed insight into the rate of amputations in Dutch people with diabetes in the region Zwolle. Compared with previous Dutch estimates, these data suggest a considerable decrease in major amputation incidence rate.</p

Urinary Epidermal Growth Factor/Creatinine Ratio and Graft Failure in Renal Transplant Recipients:A Prospective Cohort Study

Graft failure (GF) remains a significant limitation to improve long-term outcomes in renal transplant recipients (RTR). Urinary epidermal growth factor (uEGF) is involved in kidney tissue integrity, with a reduction of its urinary excretion being associated with fibrotic processes and a wide range of renal pathologies. We aimed to investigate whether, in RTR, uEGF is prospectively associated with GF. In this prospective cohort study, RTR with a functioning allograft >= 1-year were recruited and followed-up for three years. uEGF was measured in 24-hours urine samples and normalized by urinary creatinine (Cr). Its association with risk of GF was assessed by Cox-regression analyses and its predictive ability by C-statistic. In 706 patients, uEGF/Cr at enrollment was 6.43 [IQR 4.07-10.77] ng/mg. During follow-up, 41(6%) RTR developed GF. uEGF/Cr was inversely associated with the risk of GF (HR 0.68 [95% CI 0.59-0.78]; P <0.001), which remained significant after adjustment for immunosuppressive therapy, estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate, and proteinuria. C-statistic of uEGF/Cr for GF was 0.81 (P <0.001). We concluded that uEGF/Cr is independently and inversely associated with the risk of GF and depicts strong prediction ability for this outcome. Further studies seem warranted to elucidate whether uEGF might be a promising marker for use in clinical practice

Real-life 24-week changes in glycemic parameters among European users of flash glucose monitoring with type 1 and 2 diabetes and different levels of glycemic control

AIM: To evaluate real-life changes of glycemic parameters among flash glucose monitoring (FLASH) users who do not meet glycemic targets.METHODS: De-identified data were obtained between 2014 and 2021 from patients using FLASH uninterrupted for a 24-week period. Glycemic parameters during first and last sensor use were examined in four identifiable groups: type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on basal-bolus insulin, T2DM on basal insulin, and T2DM without insulin treatment. Within each group, subgroup analyses were performed in persons with initial suboptimal glycemic regulation (time in range (TIR; 3.9-10 mmol/L) &lt; 70%, time above range (TAR; &gt;10 mmol/L) &gt; 25%, or time below range (TBR; &lt;3.9 mmol/L) &gt; 4%).RESULTS: Data were obtained from 1,909 persons with T1DM and 1,813 persons with T2DM (1,499 basal-bolus insulin, 189 basal insulin, and 125 non-insulin users). In most of the performed analyses, both overall and in the various subgroups, significant improvements were observed in virtually all predefined primary (TIR) and secondary endpoints (eHbA1c, TAR, TBR and glucose variability).CONCLUSIONS: 24-weeks FLASH use in real life by persons with T1DM and T2DM with suboptimal glycemic regulation is associated with improvement of glycemic parameters, irrespective of pre-use regulation or treatment modality.</p

Role of HDL cholesterol and estimates of HDL particle composition in future development of type 2 diabetes in the general population:the PREVEND study

<p>Background and Aims: High-density lipoproteins (HDLs) may directly stimulate beta-cell function and glucose metabolism. We determined the relationships of fasting high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), plasma apolipoprotein (apo) A-I and apoA-II, and HDL-C-to-apoA-I and HDL-C-to-apoA-II ratios, as estimates of HDL particle composition, with incident type 2 diabetes mellitus.</p><p>Methods: A prospective study was carried out in the Prevention of Renal and Vascular End-Stage Disease (PREVEND) cohort after exclusion of subjects with diabetes at baseline (n = 6820; age, 28-75 years). The association of HDL-related variables with incident type 2 diabetes was determined by multivariate logistic regression analyses.</p><p>Results: After a median follow-up of 7.7 years, 394 incident cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus were ascertained (5.8%). After adjustment for age, sex, family history of diabetes, body mass index, hypertension, alcohol, and smoking, odd ratios (ORs) for diabetes were 0.55 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.47-0.64; P <.001), 0.81 (0.71-0.93; P = .002), 0.02 (0.01-0.06; P <.001), and 0.03 (0.01-0.060; P <.001) per 1-SD increase in HDL-C and apoA-I and in the HDL-C-to-apoA-I and the HDL-C-to-apoA-II ratios, respectively. In contrast, apoA-II was not related to incident diabetes (OR = 1.02; 95% CI, 0.90-1.16; P=0.71). The relationships of HDL-C and the ratios of HDL-C to apoA-I and HDL-C to apoA-II remained significant after further adjustment for baseline glucose and triglycerides (ORHDL = 0.74 [95% CI, 0.61-0.88], ORHDL/APOA-I = 0.14 [0.04-0.44], and ORHDL/APOA-II = 0.12 [0.04-0.36]; all P</p><p>Conclusions: Higher HDL-C, as well as higher HDL-C-to-apoA-I and HDL-C-to-apoA-II ratios are strongly and independently related to a lower risk of future type 2 diabetes.</p>

Post-transplantation plasma malondialdehyde is associated with cardiovascular mortality in renal transplant recipients:a prospective cohort study

Background. In renal transplant recipients (RTRs), cardiovascular mortality is the most common cause of long-term renal graft loss. Oxidative stress (OS) has been associated with cardiovascular disease and is known to be enhanced in RTRs. We aimed to prospectively investigate whether the concentration of the OS biomarker malondialdehyde (MDA) is associated with long-term risk of cardiovascular mortality in a large cohort of RTRs. Methods. The plasma MDA concentration was measured using the thiobarbituric acid reaction assay in 604 extensively phenotyped RTRs with a functioning allograft for >= 1 year. The association between MDA and cardiovascular mortality was assessed using Cox proportional hazard regression analyses in the overall cohort and within subgroups according to significant effect modifiers. Results. Median circulating MDA concentration at baseline was 5.38 [interquartile range (IQR) 4.31-6.45] mu mol/L. During a follow-up period of 6.4 (IQR 5.6-6.8) years, 110 (18%) RTRs died, with 40% of deaths due to cardiovascular causes. MDA concentration was significantly associated with the risk for cardiovascular mortality {hazard ratio [HR] 1.31 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-1.67] per 1-SD increment}, independent of adjustment for potential confounders, including renal function, immunosuppressive therapy, smoking status and blood pressure. The association between MDA concentration and the risk for cardiovascular mortality was stronger in RTRs with relatively lower plasma ascorbic acid concentrations [<= 42.5 mu mol/L; HR 1.79 (95% CI 1.30-2.48) per 1-SD increment] or relatively lower estimated glomerular filtration rates [<= 45 mL/min/1.73 m(2); HR 2.09 (95% CI 1.45-3.00) per 1-SD increment]. Conclusions. Circulating MDA concentration is independently associated with long-term risk for cardiovascular mortality, particularly in RTRs with relatively lower ascorbic acid concentrations or renal function. Further studies are warranted to elucidate whether OS-targeted interventions could decrease cardiovascular mortality in RTRs.Dutch Kidney Foundation C00.1877 Comision Nacional de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnologica F 7219011

Analysis of variance for testing method of cement in determination of strength

AbstractThe statistical tools such as descriptive statistics, full factorial design and analysis of source of variation were used to identify the potential factors that impact the validity of testing method for determining the strength of cement. The results showed that personal error impacted both accuracy and precision of test greatly. Experimental time associated with temperature fluctuation resulted in strength variation but did not impact the precision of test in all curing ages. Different compactions did not impact the precision of test but resulted in the strength variation on 3 d and 28 d significantly. Different methods for the initial moist air curing significantly impacted the precision of testing method and resulted in the strength variation of cement on 1 d

Favourable serum calcification propensity with intraperitoneal as compared with subcutaneous insulin administration in type 1 diabetes

Background: Serum calcification propensity can be monitored using the maturation time of calciprotein particles in serum (T-50 test). A shorter T-50 indicates greater propensity to calcify; this is an independent determinant of cardiovascular disease. As the intraperitoneal (IP) route of insulin administration mimics the physiology more than the subcutaneous (SC) route in persons with type 1 diabetes (T1DM), we hypothesized that IP insulin influences determinants of calcium propensity and therefore result in a longer T-50 than SC insulin administration. Methods: Prospective, observational case-control study. Measurements were performed at baseline and at 26 weeks in age and gender matched persons with T1DM. Results: A total of 181 persons, 39 (21.5%) of which used IP and 142 (78.5%) SC insulin were analysed. Baseline T-50 was 356 (45) minutes. The geometric mean T-50 significantly differed between both treatment groups: 367 [95% confidence interval (CI) 357, 376] for the IP group and 352 (95% CI 347, 357) for the SC group with a difference of -15 (95% CI -25, -4) minutes, in favour of IP treatment. In multivariable analyses, the IP route of insulin administration had a positive relation on T-50 concentrations while higher age, triglycerides and phosphate concentrations had an inverse relation. Conclusion: Among persons with T1DM, IP insulin administration results in a more favourable calcification propensity time then SC insulin. It has yet to be shown if this observation translates into improved cardiovascular outcomes