High Serum Uric Acid Is Associated with Tubular Damage and Kidney Inflammation in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

Background: Uric acid presents different roles in an organism. High serum uric acid concentrations may induce inflammatory pathways and promote kidney damage through different mechanisms. Therefore, this study investigated the association among high serum uric acid concentrations, renal tubular damage, and renal inflammation assessed via estimation of urinary kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and inflammatory cytokines in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Reference limits of the urinary gamma-glutamyltransferase in a healthy population and effects of short-term storage on the enzyme activity.

Background: Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is present mainly in proximal renal tubule, and urinary GGT is an indicator of tubular damage since it may show renal changes before they are identified by using conventional measurements. Therefore, it is of interest to establish the reference limits of urinary GGT for a healthy population, as well as to investigate the stability of GGT in urine samples stored at 4 °C and -20 °C.

Methods: GGT was assessed in urine samples from 127 healthy patients by use of a reference method based on the 5-Amino-2-Nitrobenzoate formation.

Urinary inflammatory cytokines as indicators of kidney damage in type 2 diabetic patients.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate whether urinary levels of interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) are altered in normoalbuminuric patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and whether these cytokines are able to identify diabetic kidney disease (DKD) among these patients.

Methods: This study included 125 T2DM patients classified into 3 groups according to urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (uACR): uACR <10mg/g creatinine, uACR 10-30mg/g creatinine and uACR >30mg/g creatinine. Urinary inflammatory cytokines were measured.

Urinary kidney injury molecule-1 and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as indicators of tubular damage in normoalbuminuric patients with type 2 diabetes.

Objectives: Renal dysfunction has been reported in normoalbuminuric patients, demonstrating the necessity to improve the diagnostic and prognostic tools for diabetic kidney disease (DKD) investigation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether the urinary levels of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) are increased in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients with normal or mildly increased albuminuria.

Design And Methods: In this study, 117 type 2 DM patients classified into three groups according to urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (uACR): uACR<10mg/g creatinine, uACR 10-30mg/g creatinine and uACR>30mg/g creatinine were enrolled.

Prognostic value of red blood cell distribution width in prediction of in-hospital mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Red blood cell indices may add important prognostic information to risk stratification scores, such as Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk score. However, the incremental predictive value of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) on this score has not been assessed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess whether the RDW has additional prognostic value on the GRACE risk score in prediction of in-hospital mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Assessment of ischemia-modified albumin levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Oxygen metabolism has an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Abundant amounts of ROS have been identified in the synovial fluid of RA patients. The accumulation of ROS in cells also serves as an important intracellular signaling of molecules that amplify the synovial inflammatory-proliferative response.

Hba(1c) as a tool for the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes: comparison with fasting glucose.

Background: Glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) has been proposed for the diagnosis of diabetes. However, several countries have not incorporated its use for this purpose yet and there is no consensus on a suitable cut-off point of HbA(1c) for the diagnosis of diabetes. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic characteristics of HbA(1c) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) for the assessment of type 2 diabetes.