Association of Circulating Vitamin D, VDBP, and Vitamin D Receptor Expression with Severity of Diabetic Nephropathy in a Group of Saudi Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients.

Background: As the seventh leading cause of death by 2030, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is considered the most common chronic metabolic disease worldwide. Vitamin D metabolic axis players were identified as good candidates for T2DM. We aimed to analyze the circulating levels of total 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OHD), vitamin D receptor (VDR) transcript and VD-binding protein (VDBP) in a sample of Saudi T2DM and to correlate these profiles with diabetic nephropathy and insulin resistance.

Cystatin C is an early marker of contrast-induced nephropathy in patients with sepsis in the intensive care unit.

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is becoming an increasingly common cause of acute kidney injury in hospitalized patients. To evaluate the prevalence of CIN in critically ill patients, we conducted a prospective study on intensive care unit patients who had undergone diagnostic computed tomography scan or non-coronary angiography with intravenous administration of iodinated contrast media. Patient demographics, disease characteristics and biochemical markers, including cystatin C, creatinine and urea, were compared between the patients who developed and those who did not develop CIN.