Differential associations between glomerular filtration rate and duration of obesity depending on the presence or absence of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction.

Background: A robust and consistent association between increasing body mass index (BMI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been reported in several observational studies. Obesity remains the main preventable risk factor for CKD because it largely mediates diabetes and hypertension, the 2 most common etiologies for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Obesity is associated weakly with early stages of kidney disease but strongly with kidney progression to ESKD, even after adjustment for hypertension and diabetes.

Cardiovascular disease predicts diabetic peripheral polyneuropathy in subjects with type 2 diabetes: A 10-year prospective study.

Background: The relationship between cardiovascular disease and diabetic peripheral neuropathy is mainly sustained by data retrieved from cross-sectional studies focused on cardiovascular risk factors. We aimed to assess the presence of cardiovascular disease as a risk factor for developing diabetic peripheral neuropathy in a type 2 diabetes mellitus population.

Method: A 10-year prospective, primary care, multicentre study in a randomly selected cohort.

Serum alanine aminotransferase predicts interventricular septum thickness and left ventricular mass in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background: Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is a marker of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and predicts type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) as well as coronary events independently of traditional risk factors and the features of the metabolic syndrome. The extent to which interventricular septum thickness (IVS) and left ventricular mass (LVM) are associated with ALT levels in cohorts of individuals with body weights ranging from overweight to morbid obesity and NAFLD remains still unknown.

Materials And Methods: This was a cross-sectional pilot study involving 151 young White participants with liver ultrasound-proven NAFLD.

A pilot study of occupational injury and illness experienced by classical musicians.

Limited attention is paid to the hazards experienced by orchestra musicians in the occupational health and safety literature. Within that literature, the primary focus has been on noise exposure. A focus on this area is warranted because high sound pressure levels are a product of this work environment.

Evolution of lipid profiles after bariatric surgery.

Background: The most commonly encountered dyslipidemia in obese individuals is characterized by a cluster of interrelated plasma lipid and lipoprotein abnormalities including hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL cholesterol values, and increased small, dense LDL cholesterol particles. The aim of this study was to assess the changes in lipid profiles at baseline (pre-operatively) and at follow-up (6, 12, and 18 months) after a laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGBP). A retrospective observational study was performed involving all patients who consecutively underwent a LRYGBP between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2009.

Transforming growth factor beta 1 as a biomarker of diabetic peripheral neuropathy: cross-sectional study.

Background: Simple and efficient screening methods are lacking for diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), the most common and most difficult to treat of the long-term diabetic complications. Increased levels of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFbeta1) in type 2 diabetic patients (T2DM) plays an immunomodulatory role in diabetic nephropathy and, possibly, in atherosclerotic evolution. Since preliminary interrelationships between experimental DPN and TGFbeta1 have been observed, we sought to assess whether TGFbeta1 could be a biomarker molecule for human DPN.

Prevalence of cardiovascular disease and risk factors in a type 2 diabetic population of the North Catalonia diabetes study.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs), and their control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) at primary care settings from the North Catalonia Diabetes Study (NCDS).

Data Sources: In this multicentre cross-sectional descriptive study, data were collected from a random sample of 307 patients with T2DM. The prevalence of CVD, CVRF, metabolic syndrome (MS), coronary heart disease (CHD) risk at 10 years (Framingham Point Scores), and CVRF control was evaluated.

Correlation between insulin resistance surrogates and echocardiographic findings in asymptomatic patients with morbid obesity: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To assess the relationship between insulin resistance (IR) and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) in asymptomatic patients with morbid obesity (MO).

Methods: The study cohort consisted of 231 patients (165 women and 66 men) with MO (mean body mass index [BMI] of 46.0 kg/m2) and a control group of 93 age-and sex-matched apparently healthy control subjects (56 women and 37 men; mean BMI of 24.

Hypogonadal hypogonadism and osteoporosis in men.

In recent years, osteoporosis in men has become increasingly recognized as an important clinical and public health problem. Many similarities exist in various aspects of osteoporosis in men and women, but this article focuses on the sex difference, bone biology, epidemiology, and consequences of fractures. Although maintenance of bone integrity depends on the action of sex hormones in both sexes, menopause is a much more obvious indicator of estrogen deficiency than is the subtle decrease of testosterone in aging men.

Down and out in New York City: a participant-observation study of the poor and marginalized.

Poor and marginalized individuals have greater difficulty accessing health care compared to more privileged members of society. Classic theories on poverty help to explain the relationship between poverty and health. In an attempt to understand the experiences and perceived needs of the poor as well as their interactions with health care providers, a participant-observation study was conducted.