Interferon Upregulation Associates with Insulin Resistance in Humans.

In humans, insulin resistance is a physiological response to infections developed to supply sufficient energy to the activated immune system. This metabolic adaptation facilitates the immune response but usually persists after the recovery period of the infection and predisposes the hosts to type 2 diabetes and vascular injury. In patients with diabetes, superimposed insulin resistance worsens metabolic control and promotes diabetic ketoacidosis.

Biochemical composition of the glomerular extracellular matrix in patients with diabetic kidney disease.

In the glomeruli, mesangial cells produce mesangial matrix while podocytes wrap glomerular capillaries with cellular extensions named foot processes and tether the glomerular basement membrane (GBM). The turnover of the mature GBM and the ability of adult podocytes to repair injured GBM are unclear. The actin cytoskeleton is a major cytoplasmic component of podocyte foot processes and links the cell to the GBM.

Cardiovascular Protection Associated With Cilostazol, Colchicine, and Target of Rapamycin Inhibitors.

An alteration in extracellular matrix (ECM) production by vascular smooth muscle cells is a crucial event in the pathogenesis of vascular diseases such as aging-related, atherosclerosis and allograft vasculopathy. The human target of rapamycin (TOR) is involved in the synthesis of ECM by vascular smooth muscle cells. TOR inhibitors reduce arterial stiffness, blood pressure, and left ventricle hypertrophy and decrease cardiovascular risk in kidney graft recipients and patients with coronary artery disease and heart allograft vasculopathy.

Histological Manifestations of Diabetic Kidney Disease and its Relationship with Insulin Resistance.

Histological manifestations of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) include mesangiolysis, mesangial matrix expansion, mesangial cell proliferation, thickening of the glomerular basement membrane, podocyte loss, foot process effacement, and hyalinosis of the glomerular arterioles, interstitial fibrosis, and tubular atrophy. Glomerulomegaly is a typical finding. Histological features of DKD may occur in the absence of clinical manifestations, having been documented in patients with normal urinary albumin excretion and normal glomerular filtration rate.

The differential effect of animal versus vegetable dietary protein on the clinical manifestations of diabetic kidney disease in humans.

Background: Patients with diabetes are at a high risk for kidney disease and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Inadequate glycemic control or conventional cardiovascular risk factors do not fully explain these vascular complications. Insulin resistance has been established as a powerful and independent risk factor for both CVD and diabetic kidney disease (DKD).

The effects of glucagon and the target of rapamycin (TOR) on skeletal muscle protein synthesis and age-dependent sarcopenia in humans.

Background And Aims: Human target of rapamycin (TOR) is a kinase that stimulates protein synthesis in the skeletal muscle in response to amino acids and physical activity.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted on the PubMed database from its inception up to May 2021 to retrieve information on the effects of TOR and glucagon on muscle function. Articles written in English regarding human subjects were included.

Insulin Resistance is Associated with Subclinical Vascular Injury in Patients with a Kidney Disease.

Patients with kidney disease have a strikingly high cardiovascular risk in the absence of conventional cardiovascular risk factors, including smoking or elevation of cholesterol associated with low-density lipoprotein. Kidney failure remains independently associated with increased cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes, underlining the specific adverse influence of kidney disease on cardiovascular risk. Vascular injury develops in asymptomatic patients with kidney failure early in the course of the disease.

Insulin resistance underlies the elevated cardiovascular risk associated with kidney disease and glomerular hyperfiltration.

The curve that describes the relationship between glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and cardiovascular risk is U-shaped, indicating that both reduced GFR (kidney failure) and elevated GFR (glomerular hyperfiltration) are equivalent cardiovascular risk factors. The elevated cardiovascular risk associated with abnormal GFR is not explained by standard cardiovascular risk factors. The relationship between GFR and all-cause mortality follows a similar pattern, so that altered GFR (either low or high) increases the risk for overall mortality.

Effect of diet composition on insulin sensitivity in humans.

Diet composition has a marked impact on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Prospective studies show that dietary patterns with elevated amount of animal products and low quantity of vegetable food items raise the risk of these diseases. In healthy subjects, animal protein intake intensifies insulin resistance whereas plant-based foods enhance insulin sensitivity.

Metabolic effects of glucagon in humans.

Diabetes is a common metabolic disorder that involves glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids. Either insulin deficiency or insulin resistance may cause diabetes. Insulin deficiency causes type 1 diabetes and diabetes associated with total pancreatectomy.

Mitochondrial β-oxidation of saturated fatty acids in humans.

Mitochondrial β-oxidation of fatty acids generates acetyl-coA, NADH and FADH. Acyl-coA synthetases catalyze the binding of fatty acids to coenzyme A to form fatty acyl-coA thioesters, the first step in the intracellular metabolism of fatty acids. l-carnitine system facilitates the transport of fatty acyl-coA esters across the mitochondrial membrane.

The importance of the ionic product for water to understand the physiology of the acid-base balance in humans.

Human plasma is an aqueous solution that has to abide by chemical rules such as the principle of electrical neutrality and the constancy of the ionic product for water. These rules define the acid-base balance in the human body. According to the electroneutrality principle, plasma has to be electrically neutral and the sum of its cations equals the sum of its anions.