Internal medicine
-
The aim of our study was to investigate clinical and nutritional factors associated with renal involvement in patients with type 2 diabetes. ⋯ Our data suggest that a high salt intake, in addition to arteriosclerosis, is associated with renal involvement in our cohort with type 2 diabetes.
-
Review Meta Analysis
Lifestyle interventions for adults with impaired glucose tolerance: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects on glycemic control.
Previous meta-analyses have demonstrated that lifestyle modification can reduce the blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes, although the effects of changes in the blood glucose level on impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) remain controversial. This review therefore aimed to determine the efficacy of lifestyle interventions in adults with IGT. ⋯ Lifestyle modification based on physical or dietary interventions or both is associated with improvements in the 2-hour plasma glucose and FPG levels in IGT patients.
-
Review
Autoimmune hepatitis: recent advances in the pathogenesis and new diagnostic guidelines in Japan.
Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is thought to be associated with various genetic and immunological abnormalities. Concerning the pathogenesis of AIH, increasing attention has been paid to genome-wide association studies, toll-like receptors and Treg/Th17 balance. For Japanese patients with AIH, novel diagnostic guidelines have been proposed in view of the differential clinical features between Japanese and Caucasian patients. ⋯ Histologically, centrilobular necrosis without portal inflammation is particularly characteristic in the acute hepatitis phase. Some patients become resistant to steroid therapy and have a very poor prognosis once they progress to acute hepatic failure. Therefore, additional revision of the current diagnostic criteria, including severity grading, will be needed in the future.
-
Thyroid hormone plays an important role in regulating the lipid and glucose metabolism. Previously, much attention has been drawn to define the pathophysiological relationship between thyroid dysfunction and the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). ⋯ Nevertheless, multiple TSH-mediated physiological adaptations, including alteration of the serum lipids, body mass index, blood pressure and insulin sensitivity, have led to the difficulty of clearly examining the association between the TSH level and CVD prevalence. The current review aims to 1) summarize the evidence for the role of thyroid dysfunction and TSH abnormality in CVD pathogenesis and 2) explore the possible underlying molecular mechanisms of TSH-mediated cardiovascular pathology in hopes of providing better therapeutic strategies for the patients with deregulated TSH.
-
Multicenter Study
The Differences in the Epidemiology and Predictors of Death between Candidemia Acquired in Intensive Care Units and Other Hospital Settings.
The burden of candidemia is shifting from intensive care units (ICU) to non-ICU settings. This study aimed to define the differences in epidemiology and predictors of death between ICU-acquired candidemia (ICUAC) and non-ICUAC. ⋯ The Candida species and antifungal resistance profiles in patients with ICUAC were similar to non-ICUAC patients, but led to worse outcomes. The protective and risk factors for death may therefore be relevant for the clinical management of patients with candidemia in ICU and non-ICU settings.