Early Recognition of Overweight Hyperglycaemia May Improve Clinical Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes.

Diabetes is the ninth leading cause of death, directly accounting for 1.5 million deaths annually worldwide. Despite several breakthrough discoveries, little progress has been made in type 2 diabetes outcomes over the past 100 years.

Siddha Self-Inquiry for Flow, Bliss, and Uvagai: Mindfulness for Intuitive Lifestyle in Complex Cardiac Disease.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mental health disorders contribute to significant healthcare expenses. Lifestyle approaches that empower and enable patients to participate in their recovery are needed with the increasing complexity of cardiac patients. Traditional Tamil medical practice of Siddha self-inquiry meditation targets holistic health through intuitive lifestyle transformation.

Home-Based Arm Cardiac Rehabilitation in Disabled Veterans: A Pilot Study.

One of the cornerstones of treatment after acute coronary syndromes is cardiac rehabilitation (CR). However, traditional CR remains underused in the United States due to comorbidities and geographical limitations. To evaluate feasibility and safety of our individually tailored CR program, we evaluated twelve weeks of tele-monitored home-based arm ergometer and weight training exercises in seven Veterans.

A rare case of osteomyelitis and tenosynovitis in secondary syphilis.

We describe a case of secondary syphilis presenting with osteomyelitis and tenosynovitis of the thumb. With appropriate therapy, the patient's symptoms resolved and seroreversion occurred. MRI showed improvement with treatment.

Stress cardiomyopathy of the critically ill: Spectrum of secondary, global, probable and subclinical forms.

Stress cardiomyopathy (SC) typically presents as potential acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in previously healthy people. While there may be physical or mental stressors, the initial symptom is usually chest pain. This form conforms to the published Mayo diagnostic criteria, is well reported and as the presentation is initially cardiac, is considered primary SC.

Awareness of kidney disease and relationship to end-stage renal disease and mortality.

Background: Often, patients with chronic kidney disease are reported to be unaware of it. We prospectively evaluated the association between awareness of kidney disease to end-stage renal disease and mortality.

Methods: We utilized 2000-2009 data from the National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Early Evaluation Program.

Oxidative stress in the cardiorenal metabolic syndrome.

Excess visceral adiposity contributes to inappropriate activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system despite a state of volume expansion and of salt retention that contributes to subclinical elevations of pro-oxidant mechanisms. These adverse effects are mediated by excess generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and diminished antioxidant defense mechanisms. Excess tissue (i.

Combination of direct renin inhibition with angiotensin type 1 receptor blockade improves aldosterone but does not improve kidney injury in the transgenic Ren2 rat.

Enhanced renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) activation contributes to proteinuria and chronic kidney disease by increasing glomerular and tubulointerstitial oxidative stress, promotion of fibrosis. Renin activation is the rate limiting step in angiotensin (Ang II) and aldosterone generation, and recent work suggests direct renin inhibition improves proteinuria comparable to that seen with Ang type 1 receptor (AT(1)R) blockade. This is important as, even with contemporary use of AT(1)R blockade, the burden of kidney disease remains high.

Evidence-based hypertension treatment in patients with diabetes.

Both impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes are associated with substantially increased prevalence of hypertension, cardiovascular and renal disease. The goal for hypertension treatment in diabetic patients is in evolution, because of recent clinical trials. For example, the results of the recent Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes-BP Arm (ACCORD BP) trial failed to show an additional benefit on cardiovascular event reduction at a mean systolic BP of 119 mm Hg.

Mineralocorticoid receptor-dependent proximal tubule injury is mediated by a redox-sensitive mTOR/S6K1 pathway.

Background/aims: The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine kinase that regulates phosphorylation (p) of its target ribosomal S6 kinase (S6K1), whose activation can lead to glomerular and proximal tubular cell (PTC) injury and associated proteinuria. Increased mTOR/S6K1 signaling regulates signaling pathways that target fibrosis through adherens junctions. Recent data indicate aldosterone signaling through the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) can activate the mTOR pathway.

A Case for Early Screening for Diabetic Kidney Disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a public health dilemma contributing to increasing global morbidity and mortality. There is increasing recognition that early detection and management of CKD is critical in delaying disease progression as well as improving mortality rates. However, kidney disease is a silent process and usually goes undetected until more advanced stages, wherein the opportunity to intervene and improve kidney-related outcome is diminished, since awareness of CKD is low in earlier stages.

Hypertension in Cardiovascular and Kidney Disease.

The relationship between hypertension and chronic kidney disease (CKD) is bidirectional in nature and, generally, management strategies for cardiovascular risk reduction also attenuate progression of CKD. Prevalent hypertension increases with diminishing kidney function, and the management strategy changes with level of kidney function. In this review, we will examine the evidence for management of hypertension, as a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease in CKD, and the impact of this management on progression of CKD.

Angiotensin II activation of mTOR results in tubulointerstitial fibrosis through loss of N-cadherin.

Background/aims: Angiotensin (Ang) II contributes to tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Recent data highlight mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) signaling in tubulointerstitial fibrosis; however, the mechanisms remain unclear. Thereby, we investigated the role of Ang II on mTOR/S6K1-dependent proximal tubule (PT) injury, remodeling, and fibrosis.

RETRACTED: Ventricular Ectopic Beats: An Overview of Management Considerations.

Ventricular ectopic beats are commonly seen in daily clinical practice. Majority of them being asymptomatic, some can cause symptoms. In a normal heart, their occurrence is of no clinical significance.

The role of oxidative stress in the metabolic syndrome.

Loss of reduction-oxidation (redox) homeostasis and generation of excess free oxygen radicals play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetes, hypertension, and consequent cardiovascular disease. Reactive oxygen species are integral in routine in physiologic mechanisms. However, loss of redox homeostasis contributes to proinflammatory and profibrotic pathways that promote impairments in insulin metabolic signaling, reduced endothelial-mediated vasorelaxation, and associated cardiovascular and renal structural and functional abnormalities.

Is there a future for direct renin inhibitors?

Importance Of The Field: The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is a key regulator of blood pressure (BP), as well as volume and electrolytes, in both hypertensive and normotensive individuals. Inappropriate activation of the RAAS is important in hypertension-induced cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Renin is the rate-limiting step in the RAAS cascade, which makes direct renin inhibitors (DRIs) an attractive target for RAAS suppression and treatment of hypertension.

Exercise guidelines for adults: past, present & future.

The importance of regular physical exercise in promoting health has been well established by several large, primarily observational studies over the past 25 years. Despite current government and specialty organization recommendations, many adult Americans are not engaged in any physical activity. This article will review current guidelines for exercise, some of the research supporting the recommendations, and what role low-intensity physical activity may have in the future.

Intraperitoneal drug therapy: an advantage.

The peritoneum is a cavity which has been successfully utilized by nephrologists to perform peritoneal dialysis (PD) in patients with renal failure. The physiologic characteristic of the peritoneal cavity not only helps remove toxic metabolites from the body, but also provides a useful portal of entry in the body for several pharmacological agents. Several medications such as antibiotics are given via the intraperitoneal (IP) route in PD patients to treat episodes of peritonitis.

Exercise and weight loss improve exercise capacity independent of cardiac function in metabolic syndrome.

Hypertension, diabetes and obesity cause cardiac diastolic dysfunction (DD) which could reduce exercise capacity. Our aim was to determine if 10% weight loss by exercise at 60% VO(2max) five days/week (approximately -375 kcal/session) and caloric restriction (approximately -600 kcal/d) over 6 months improves exercise capacity and DD in Metabolic syndrome (MetS). Eighteen subjects (40 +/- 1y, women = 6, BMI = 33.

Biocompatible peritoneal dialysis solutions: do we have one?

Clinical experience and literature evidence suggest that peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a safe and effective treatment in short term (3 to 5 years) for stage 5 chronic kidney disease patients. A major limitation to long-term PD has been peritoneal membrane structural and functional alterations over time, resulting in significant technique failure. Much evidence implicates glucose contained in conventional PD solutions as the major cause of membrane changes.