Clinical chemistry
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Vitamin B₁₂ deficiency is common among the elderly, and early detection is clinically important. However, clinical signs and symptoms have limited diagnostic accuracy and there is no accepted reference test method. ⋯ This study supports the use of holoTC as the first-line diagnostic procedure for vitamin B₁₂ status.
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The term "prediabetes" is used to describe a condition that involves impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG). IGT is defined by a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test plasma glucose concentration >140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L) but <200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L), and IFG is defined by a fasting plasma glucose concentration ≥100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L), but <126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L). Studies have shown that people with prediabetes tend to develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years and are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease and death even before the development of diabetes. ⋯ Approximately 57 million Americans have prediabetes and are consequently at risk for cardiometabolic complications. Lifestyle modifications (dietary restriction and exercise) and certain medications can prevent the development of diabetes in persons with prediabetes. Lifestyle intervention also has been demonstrated to decrease cardiovascular disease risk markers, although data on clinical events are lacking.