Role of diet in hyperuricemia and gout.

Background: Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis, affecting 41 million adults worldwide. The global burden of gout has been increasing over the last three decades, yet its management remains suboptimal. The primary aim of this manuscript is to review the impact of various diets such as the DASH, Mediterranean, and low purine diets; weight loss; and individual foods, including alcohol, caffeine, cherry, dairy, high-fructose corn syrup, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin C on hyperuricemia and clinical gout outcomes such as flares and tophi.

Determinants of mortality in systemic sclerosis: a focused review.

Scleroderma (systemic sclerosis) is an autoimmune rheumatic disorder that is characterized by fibrosis, vascular dysfunction, and autoantibody production that involves most visceral organs. It is characterized by a high morbidity and mortality rate, mainly due to disease-related complications. Epidemiological data describing mortality and survival in this population have been based on both population and observational studies.

Cardiovascular pleiotropic effects of statins and new onset diabetes: is there a common link: do we need to evaluate the role of KATP channels?

Statins are considered the main stay of treatment in the prevention of cardio-vascular morbidity and mortality. They have multiple pleiotropic effects, like stabilization of atherosclerotic plaques, inhibition of platelet aggregation, and vascular smooth muscle proliferation; in addition to their lipid lowering action. Statins manifest these pleiotropic effects because they activate KATP channels in the cardiac and vascular tissue.

Giant cell arteritis - a series of cases and review of literature.

Giant cell arteritis is the most frequently occurring primary vasculitis in European and North American adults over the age of 50 years. It usually presents with constitutional symptoms like fatigue, malaise and fevers with a temporal headache. We present a series of three interesting cases of the disease, discuss the differential diagnosis and review the literature on the same.

Sulfonylureas: do we need to introspect safety again?

Introduction: Sulfonylureas (SUs) are the most commonly prescribed medications for type 2 diabetes mellitus worldwide. Differences among SUs for kinetic and adenosine triphosphate sensitive potassium (KATP) channels selectivity and consequential extrapancreatic effects, although recognized in literature, are not considered by treatment guidelines.

Areas Covered: The roles of SUs in various system-related adverse effects have not been well understood.