Relationship between serum calcium and CA 19-9 levels in colorectal cancer

AIM: To examine the calcium metabolism of colorectal cancer (CRC) in patients with colorectal cancer and control patients. METHODS: Seventy newly diagnosed CRC patients were included. The healthy control group was age and gender matched (n=32). Particular attention was devoted to the relationship between serum calcium of patients, and levels of AFP, CEA, carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) (that could be considered as prognostic factors). Furthermore, the Ca-sensing receptor (CaSR) gene A986S polymorphism was investigated in these patients, as well as the relationship between different CaSR genotypes and the data stated above. RESULTS: A lower level of ionized calcium (also corrected for albumin) was found in the serum of CRC patients with normal 25(OH) vitamin D levels. The ionized calcium concentration was inversely correlated with the serum level of CA 19-9. There was no difference in the distribution of CaSR genotypes, between CRC patients and general population. The genotypes did not correlate with other data examined. CONCLUSION: Based on these results, lower levels of serum calcium might be a pathogenic and prognostic factor in colorectal cancer

A normoglykaemia elérésének korlátai inzulinkezelt 2-es tipusú cukorbetegekben

Insulin therapy is the most effective treatment of diabetes. It is proven to prevent microvascular disease and likely to decrease the risk of cardiovascular complications. However, these benefits are associated with a 2-3 times increased risk of hypoglycaemia and a faster weight gain compared to other antidiabetic medications. In addition, one study found elevated all-cause mortality among patients on intensive therapy (requiring more frequent insulinisation). Insulin has growth factor properties that may translate to increased mitogenicity. These factors could prevent the medical team or the patient from initiation or intensification of insulin therapy. The authors describe evidence on long-term remission related to transient intensified insulin therapy at diabetes diagnosis. The currently recommended method of insulin initiation is once daily basal insulin treatment that offers different schedules for intensification. The authors review the pharmacokinetics of analogue insulins that translate to similar efficacy to human insulins with a 20-30% lower risk of hypoglycaemia. Orv. Hetil., 2015, 156(36), 1443-1450

Effect of secular trends on age-related trajectories of cardiovascular risk factors: the Whitehall II longitudinal study 1985-2009

Secular trends in cardiovascular risk factors have been described, but few studies have examined simultaneously the effects of both ageing and secular trends within the same cohort

Adiponectin, biomarkers of inflammation and changes in cardiac autonomic function: Whitehall II study

BACKGROUND: Biomarkers of inflammation and adiponectin are associated with cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) in cross-sectional studies, but prospective data are scarce. This study aimed to assess the associations of biomarkers of subclinical inflammation and adiponectin with subsequent changes in heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) in non-diabetic and diabetic individuals. METHODS: Data are based on up to 25,050 person-examinations for 8469 study participants of the Whitehall II cohort study. Measures of CAN included HR and several HRV indices. Associations between baseline serum levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) and adiponectin and 5-year changes in HR and six HRV indices were estimated using mixed-effects models adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index (BMI), metabolic covariates and medication. A modifying effect of diabetes was tested. RESULTS: Higher levels of IL-1Ra were associated with higher increases in HR. Additional associations with measures of HRV were observed for hsCRP, IL-6 and IL-1Ra, but these associations were explained by BMI and other confounders. Associations between adiponectin, HR and HRV differed depending on diabetes status. Higher adiponectin levels were associated with more pronounced decreases in HR and increases in three measures of HRV reflecting both sympathetic and vagal activity, but these findings were limited to individuals with type 2 diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Higher IL-1Ra levels appeared as novel risk marker for increases in HR. Higher adiponectin levels were associated with a more favourable development of cardiovascular autonomic function in individuals with type 2 diabetes independently of multiple confounders

Pregesztációs és gesztációs diabétesszel társuló terhesség miatt gondozott asszonyok szülést követő keresztmetszeti vizsgálata: Szövődmények és kardiovaszkuláris kockázati tényezők patogenetikája = Cross-sectional study of women cared for a pregnancy complicated by pregestational and gestational diabetes after delivery: Pathogenetics of complications and cardiovascular risk factors

1-es és a 2-es típusú cukorbetegek terhessége során romolhatnak a diabéteszes szövődmények. Kevéssé ismert azonban a terhesség hatása a betegség hosszútávú kimenetelére. Nem tisztázottak a gesztációs diabétesz (GDM) késői anyai következményei sem. Jelen vizsgálatban hasonló módszerekkel pregesztációs (1-es és 2-es típusú) diabéteszben és korábban GDM-ben szenvedő (kGDM) asszonyokat vizsgáltunk évekkel szülésük után. A terhességük előtt is cukorbeteg asszonyokban gyakori a túlsúly, a hypertonia és a dohányzás. A kGDM kohorszban összefüggést találtunk a glukóz intolerancia (GI) súlyossága és a metabolikus szindróma gyakorisága között. GI asszonyokban magasabb osteoprotegerin szinteket, az oGTT során károsodott leptinválaszt észleltünk. kGDM betegeinkben magasabb resistin és alacsonyabb adiponectin értékeket találtunk. Az adiponectin negatívan korrelált ismert CV kockázati tényezőkkel. kGDM asszonyokban fokozott CV kockázatot igazoltunk a Framingham rizikópontszám alkalmazásával kontrollokhoz képest. Károsodott volt a centrális érfali rugalmasságot jellemző carotis-femoralis pulzushullám sebesség, ill. az endothelfüggő vazodilatációt jellemző postocclusiv reaktív hyperaemia index is kGDM-ben. Független kapcsolatot találtunk a D3 vitamin szint, az inzulinérzékenység és a beta-sejt működés között. Eredményeink alapján mind a pregesztációs, mind a gesztációs diabétesz szülést követő szoros követése javasolt a szövődmények kialakulásának kivédésére, késleltetésére. | Diabetic complications can progress during pregnancy of type 1 or type 2 diabetic women. However the long term consequences of a diabetic pregnancy are not well described. Similarly there is uncertainty regarding the late maternal consequences of gestational diabetes (GDM). This study aimed to investigate women with pregestational (type 1 and type 2) diabetes and with prior gestational diabetes (pGDM) using similar methodology years after delivery. In women with pregestational diabetes high frequency of obesity, hypertension, and smoking was found. In the pGDM cohort we found a dose-response relationship between the severity of glucose intolerance (GI) and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS). Among women with GI we found elevated osteoprotegerin levels and an abnormal leptin response during an oGTT. In pGDM women resistin levels were elevated, adiponectin levels decreased. Adiponectin negatively correlated with several CV risk factors. In pGDM women an elevated CV risk was proven using the Framingham risk score compared to controls. pGDM women had abnormal carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity and postocclusive reactive hyperemia index that measures endothel-dependent vasodilation. There was an independent relationship between levels of vitamin D3 and insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function. Our results support the recommendation for the follow-up of women with gestational or pregestational diabetes to prevent or delay its late complications

Age trajectories of glycaemic traits in non-diabetic South Asian and white individuals: the Whitehall II cohort study.

South Asian individuals have an increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes, but little is known about the development of glycaemic traits in this ethnic group. We compared age-related changes in glycaemic traits between non-diabetic South Asian and white participants

The impact of currently recommended antihypertensive therapy on depression and other psychometric parameters: preliminary communication.

AIMS: Current evidence on the psychological effects of antihypertensive medications is controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of current antihypertensive medication on different psychometric parameters and on serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) level. METHODS: Psychometric, haemodynamic, arterial stiffness and laboratory parameters were evaluated before and 3 months after the initiation of antihypertensive medication in untreated hypertensive patients (HT, n=31), and once in healthy controls (CONT, n=22). Subjects completed the following psychometric tests: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A), Symptom Checklist 90 Revised (SCL-90), Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego Autoquestionnaire, Big Five Inventory, Pain Vigilance and Awareness Questionnaire and Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire. Amlodipine and/or perindopril compounds were preferred medications. Serum BDNF was measured with ELISA. RESULTS: Brachial systolic blood pressure, as well as pulse wave velocity were significantly improved in the HT group over the 3-month follow-up (153.3+/-15.9 mmHg vs. 129.5+/-10.0 mmHg and 8.2+/-1.4 m/s vs 7.5+/-1.6 m/s, respectively). Similarly, we found improvements in BDI (0.73 points) and in several Scl-90 subscales. Serum BDNF was not different between CONT and HT and did not change for therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that initiation of currently recommended antihypertensive medications in newly diagnosed patients may have a significant impact on psychological well-being of patients and could influence quality of life as well

Does addressing prediabetes help to improve population health?

Peer reviewe

Heterogeneity in glucose response curves during an oral glucose tolerance test and associated cardiometabolic risk

We aimed to examine heterogeneity in glucose response curves during an oral glucose tolerance test with multiple measurements and to compare cardiometabolic risk profiles between identified glucose response curve groups. We analyzed data from 1,267 individuals without diabetes from five studies in Denmark, the Netherlands and the USA. Each study included between 5 and 11 measurements at different time points during a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test, resulting in 9,602 plasma glucose measurements. Latent class trajectories with a cubic specification for time were fitted to identify different patterns of plasma glucose change during the oral glucose tolerance test. Cardiometabolic risk factor profiles were compared between the identified groups. Using latent class trajectory analysis, five glucose response curves were identified. Despite similar fasting and 2-h values, glucose peaks and peak times varied greatly between groups, ranging from 7-12 mmol/L, and 35-70 min. The group with the lowest and earliest plasma glucose peak had the lowest estimated cardiovascular risk, while the group with the most delayed plasma glucose peak and the highest 2-h value had the highest estimated risk. One group, with normal fasting and 2-h values, exhibited an unusual profile, with the highest glucose peak and the highest proportion of smokers and men. The heterogeneity in glucose response curves and the distinct cardiometabolic risk profiles may reflect different underlying physiologies. Our results warrant more detailed studies to identify the source of the heterogeneity across the different phenotypes and whether these differences play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease

Evaluation of a type 2 diabetes prevention program using a commercial weight management provider for non-diabetic hyperglycemic patients referred by primary care in the UK

Objectives: To determine if a diabetes prevention program (DPP) delivered by a commercial weight management provider using a UK primary care referral pathway could reduce the progression to type 2 diabetes (T2D) in those diagnosed with non-diabetic hyperglycemia (NDH—being at high risk of developing T2D). Research design: This is a quasi-experimental translational research study. Methods: 14 primary care practices identified, recruited and referred patients with NDH (fasting plasma glucose ≥5.5 to ≤6.9mmol/L and/or glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) ≥42 to 47mmol/mol (6.0%–6.4%)) and a body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2 to a DPP. Eligible patients were asked to contact Weight Watchers to book onto their DPP, an intensive lifestyle intervention which included a 90min activation session followed by the offer of 48 weekly Weight Watchers community group meetings. Patients’ blood tests were repeated by primary care, weight change plus self-reported data was recorded by Weight Watchers. Results: 166 patients were referred to the program and 149 were eligible. 79% of eligible patients attended an activation session (117 eligible patients) and 77% started the weekly sessions. The study sample was primarily female (75%), white (90%), with 5% living in the most deprived quintile in the UK. Using intention to-treat analysis, the DPP resulted in a mean reduction in HbA1c of 2.84 mmol/mol at 12 months (from 43.42±1.28 to 40.58±3.41, p<0.01). 38% of patients returned to normoglycemia and 3% developed T2D at 12 months. There was a mean weight reduction in BMI of 3.2 kg/m2 at 12 months (35.5 kg/m2 ±5.4 to 32.3 kg/ m2 ±5.2, p<0.01). Conclusion: A UK primary care referral route partnered with this commercial weight management provider can deliver an effective DPP. The lifestyle changes and weight loss achieved in the intervention translated into considerable reductions in diabetes risk, with an immediate and significant public health impact