Microalbuminuria is a major determinant of elevated plasma retinol-binding protein 4 in type 2 diabetic patients

Plasma retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) may be a new adipokine linked to obesity-induced insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. The impact of diabetic nephropathy on plasma RBP4 levels, however, is not known. We tested the hypothesis that microalbuminuria is associated with elevated plasma concentrations of RBP4 in type 2 diabetic subjects. Retinol, its binding protein and transthyretin (TTR) were measured in the plasma and urine of 62 type 2 diabetic subjects, 26 of whom had microalbuminuria. The results were compared to 35 healthy control subjects. Despite no differences in plasma retinol, concentrations of the RBP4 were significantly elevated in plasma of diabetic patients and significantly higher in those with microalbuminuria. The higher plasma levels of the binding protein in subjects with microalbuminuria were accompanied by both significantly elevated plasma TTR and increased urinary levels of RBP4. There were no correlations of plasma-binding protein levels and parameters of insulin resistance. Our study suggests that plasma RBP4 levels in type 2 diabetic patients are affected by incipient nephropathy. Therefore, further studies evaluating RBP4 as a regulator of systemic insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes will need to take renal function into consideration

A systemic review of existing serological possibilities to diagnose canine osteoarthritis with a particular focus on extracellular matrix proteoglycans and protein

Extra-cellular matrix (ECM) components are important and their stabilization is significant in maintaining normal healthy joint environment. In osteoarthritis (OA), ECM components are altered and indicate disease progression. The joint ECM is composed of proteoglycans (aggrecan, perlecan, inter a-trypsin inhibitor), glycoproteins (fibronectin, lubricin, COMP) and collagen types (most abundantly collagen type II) which represent structural and functional transformation during disease advancement. ECM investigation revealed significant biomarkers of OA that could be used as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool in different canine orthopedic diseases. This review deliberates our current findings of how the components of ECM change at the molecular level during disease progression in canine OA

Evaluation of Transmitral Pressure Gradients in the Intraoperative Echocardiographic Diagnosis of Mitral Stenosis after Mitral Valve Repair

OBJECTIVE: Acute mitral stenosis (MS) following mitral valve (MV) repair is a rare but severe complication. We hypothesize that intraoperative echocardiography can be utilized to diagnose iatrogenic MS immediately after MV repair. METHODS: The medical records of 552 consecutive patients undergoing MV repair at a single institution were reviewed. Post-cardiopulmonary bypass peak and mean transmitral pressure gradients (TMPG), and pressure half time (PHT) were obtained from intraoperative transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) examinations in each patient. RESULTS: Nine patients (9/552 = 1.6%) received a reoperation for primary MS, prior to hospital discharge. Interestingly, all of these patients already showed intraoperative post-CPB mean and peak TMPGs that were significantly higher compared to values for those who did not: 10.7±4.8 mmHg vs 2.9±1.6 mmHg; p<0.0001 and 22.9±7.9 mmHg vs 7.6±3.7 mmHg; p<0.0001, respectively. However, PHT varied considerably (87±37 ms; range: 20-439 ms) within the entire population, and only weakly predicted the requirement for reoperation (113±56 vs. 87±37 ms, p = 0.034). Receiver operating characteristic curves showed strong discriminating ability for mean gradients (AUC = 0.993) and peak gradients (area under the curve, AUC = 0.996), but poor performance for PHT (AUC = 0.640). A value of ≥7 mmHg for mean, and ≥17 mmHg for peak TMPG, best separated patients who required reoperation for MS from those who did not. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative TEE diagnosis of a peak TMPG ≥17 mmHg or mean TMPG ≥7 mmHg immediately following CPB are suggestive of clinically relevant MS after MV repair

Blood pressure-lowering effects of nifedipine/candesartan combinations in high-risk individuals: Subgroup analysis of the DISTINCT randomised trial

The DISTINCT study (reDefining Intervention with Studies Testing Innovative Nifedipine GITS - Candesartan Therapy) investigated the efficacy and safety of nifedipine GITS/candesartan cilexetil combinations vs respective monotherapies and placebo in patients with hypertension. This descriptive sub-analysis examined blood pressure (BP)-lowering effects in high-risk participants, including those with renal impairment (estimated glomerular filtration rate<90 ml min-1, n=422), type 2 diabetes mellitus (n=202), hypercholesterolaemia (n=206) and cardiovascular (CV) risk factors (n=971), as well as the impact of gender, age and body mass index (BMI). Participants with grade I/II hypertension were randomised to treatment with nifedipine GITS (N) 20, 30, 60 mg and/or candesartan cilexetil (C) 4, 8, 16, 32 mg or placebo for 8 weeks. Mean systolic BP and diastolic BP reductions after treatment in high-risk participants were greater, overall, with N/C combinations vs respective monotherapies or placebo, with indicators of a dose-response effect. Highest rates of BP control (ESH/ESC 2013 guideline criteria) were also achieved with highest doses of N/C combinations in each high-risk subgroup. The benefits of combination therapy vs monotherapy were additionally observed in patient subgroups categorised by gender, age or BMI. All high-risk participants reported fewer vasodilatory adverse events in the pooled N/C combination therapy than the N monotherapy group. In conclusion, consistent with the DISTINCT main study outcomes, high-risk participants showed greater reductions in BP and higher control rates with N/C combinations compared with respective monotherapies and lesser vasodilatory side-effects compared with N monotherapy

The CogBIAS longitudinal study protocol: cognitive and genetic factors influencing psychological functioning in adolescence.

BACKGROUND: Optimal psychological development is dependent upon a complex interplay between individual and situational factors. Investigating the development of these factors in adolescence will help to improve understanding of emotional vulnerability and resilience. The CogBIAS longitudinal study (CogBIAS-L-S) aims to combine cognitive and genetic approaches to investigate risk and protective factors associated with the development of mood and impulsivity-related outcomes in an adolescent sample. METHODS: CogBIAS-L-S is a three-wave longitudinal study of typically developing adolescents conducted over 4 years, with data collection at age 12, 14 and 16. At each wave participants will undergo multiple assessments including a range of selective cognitive processing tasks (e.g. attention bias, interpretation bias, memory bias) and psychological self-report measures (e.g. anxiety, depression, resilience). Saliva samples will also be collected at the baseline assessment for genetic analyses. Multilevel statistical analyses will be performed to investigate the developmental trajectory of cognitive biases on psychological functioning, as well as the influence of genetic moderation on these relationships. DISCUSSION: CogBIAS-L-S represents the first longitudinal study to assess multiple cognitive biases across adolescent development and the largest study of its kind to collect genetic data. It therefore provides a unique opportunity to understand how genes and the environment influence the development and maintenance of cognitive biases and provide insight into risk and protective factors that may be key targets for intervention.This work was supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013)/ERC grant agreement no: [324176]

Preventive measures reducing superficial mycobiotic contamination of grain

Search for the preventive measures reducing the accumulation of mycotoxin producers in food raw material was carried out. Active ventilation was used; the impact of the electro-chemically activated air (ozone) and electro-chemically activated water (anolyte) on the micromycetes prevailing in grain raw material for food (GRMF) was determined. The GRMF was dried by active ventilation using the ozone-air mixture. Ozone (concentration 1250 ppb) disinfects the surface of the raw material and creates conditions unfavourable for the increase of mycobiotic contamination in drying upper layers of the grain mound. Within 8 days the contamination of GRMF in a mound decreased by 50%, while in its lower layers – more than 3 times. Ventilation of the mound with the above-mentioned concentration of the ozone-air mixture has ceased the active functioning of Fusarium avenaceum, F. graminearum, F. poae, F. solani, F. tricinctum F. sporotrichioides micromycetes and has considerably retarded the development of Alternaria alternata and other fungi. Anolyte (0.05% of chlorine concentration) reduced the mycobiotic contamination of GRMF by almost 2.5 times. The optimal treatment duration is from 0.5 to 1 hour. The optimal technical parameters, allowing the use of these measures for the preparation of grain food safety technologies, were elaborated; they are designed for more efficient protection of human health against micromycetes and their toxic metabolites, which are abundantly produced and released into the environment

Factors determining accumulation of mycotoxin producers in cereal grain during harvesting

During the meteorologically contrasting period of 2003-2005, the contamination of winter wheat, malt barley and fodder barley grain with micromycetes during grain harvesting and preparation for storage was investigated. Micromycetes of over 70 species ascribed to 16 genera were isolated and identifi ed, the density of their populations in grain was determined. Micromycetes with a population density of >50% were attributed to dominant species. Short biological characteristic, ecological peculiarities of the dominating micromycetes are provided; factors determining intensity of their development and abilities to synthesise and excrete toxic metabolites are indicated. The importance of grain drying for stabilisation of its contamination with micromycete propagules is highlighted. It is noted that in grain dried in shaft dryer using air at 90°C the number of cfu (colony forming units) was reduced from 2.2 to 8.2 times. When active ventilation is applied, conditions favourable for the development of micromycetes remain longest in the upper layers of the mound. The airfl ow passing through the layer of damp grain inhibits the development of micromycetes, but an increase of comparative air fl ow for more than 500 m3·(t·h)-1 did not reduce the abundance of micromycete cfu. After drying Alternaria alternata, Fusarium avenaceum, F. culmorum, Penicillum verrucosum dominated in wheat grain; Aspergillus fl avus, Bipolaris sorokiniana, Fusarium chlamydosporum, F. culmorum, F. tricinctum in malts barley grain; Fusarium avenaceum, F. culmorum, F. tricinctum, Alternaria alternata in fodder barley grain. It has been determined that all micromycetes recorded on grain after drying are potential producers of toxic metabolites, i.e. are hazardous to human health