Medicina
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Multicenter Study
Unlocking the Dietary Puzzle: How Macronutrient Intake Shapes the Relationship between Visfatin and Atherosclerosis in Type 2 Diabetes.
Background and Objectives. Optimal nutrition for type 2 diabetes (T2DM) aims to improve glycemic control by promoting weight loss and reducing adipose tissue, consequently improving cardiovascular health. Dietary alterations can influence adipose tissue metabolism and potentially impact adipocytokines like visfatin, thereby affecting atherosclerosis development. ⋯ Conclusions: Dietary compliance was limited, as only 31% adhered even to three of eight recommendations. A common dietary pattern characterized by low carbohydrate and fiber but high fat, total fat, saturated fat, and salt intake was identified. This pattern amplifies the statistical association between visfatin and subclinical atherosclerosis.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Laser Therapy Effects on Periodontal Status: A Randomized Study Using Gaussian Network Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling Approach.
Background and Objectives: This paper aims to assess the role of laser therapy in periodontitis through an innovative approach involving computational prediction and advanced modeling performed through network analysis (Gaussian graphical models-GGMs) and structural equations (SEM). Materials and Methods: Forty patients, exhibiting periodontal pockets with a minimum depth of 5 mm, were randomly divided into two groups: a control group and a laser group. Four specific indicators were measured for each tooth, namely periodontal pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), bleeding on probing (BOP), and plaque index (PI), and the mean of six measured values was recorded at five time markers (baseline, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and 4 years). ⋯ Scaling, root planing, and chlorhexidine 1% were conducted for the control group, and scaling, root planing and erbium, chromium:yttrium-scandium-gallium-garnet (Er,CR:YSGG) laser therapy were conducted for the laser group. Results: The main results highlight that the addition of laser treatment to scaling and root planing led to notable clinical improvements, decreasing the PPD values, reducing the BOP scores, and increasing the CAL. Conclusions: Notable relationships between the specific indicators considered were highlighted by both the GGMs and by SEM, thus confirming their suitability as proxies for the success of periodontal treatment.
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Worldwide, sepsis is a well-recognized cause of death. Acute kidney injury (AKI) may be related to sepsis in up to 70% of AKI cases. Sepsis-associated AKI (SA-AKI) is defined as the presence of AKI according to the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes criteria in the context of sepsis. ⋯ Interestingly, the presence of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as well as microRNAs (miRNAs), such as PlncRNA-1, miR-22-3p, miR-526b, LncRNA NKILA, miR-140-5p and miR-214, which are implicated in the pathogenesis of SA-AKI, may also serve as potential therapeutic targets. The combination of omics technologies represents an innovative holistic approach toward providing a more integrated view of the molecular and physiological events underlying SA-AKI as well as for deciphering unique and specific phenotypes. Although more evidence is still necessary, it is expected that the incorporation of integrative omics may be useful not only for the early diagnosis and risk prognosis of SA-AKI, but also for the development of potential therapeutic targets that could revolutionize the management of SA-AKI in a personalized manner.
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Background and Objectives: Despite the increasing use of biomarkers, differentiation between Alzheimer's disease (AD), behavioral variant Frontotemporal Dementia (bvFTD), and Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) remains a challenge. Apraxia is a supportive feature for diagnosing AD but is underrepresented in other dementia types. Herein, we investigated the presence and characteristic profiles of limb, verbal, and non-verbal apraxia in three major dementia types. ⋯ Finally, apraxia is correlated with cognitive decline. Conclusions: Apraxia profile evaluation could contribute to the differentiation between AD and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). Both TULIA and ABA-2 are reliable tools that can be performed as bed-side tests in clinical practice.
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Background and Objectives: Hepatitis B (HB) is a major global health problem and a potentially life-threatening disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Also, it is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Thanks to serological surveys, testing hepatitis B surface antibodies (anti-HBs) allows for serological assessments of their prevalence. ⋯ Higher prevalence, but not statistically significant, was noticed in women (4.1%, 95% CI: 2.8-5.4) compared with men (3.5, 95% CI: 2.4-4.8) (p = 0.542). Also, there was a significant difference across the age groups, where those ≥60 years old had a prevalence of 65.9% (95% CI: 51.9-79.9) and the age category of 1-19-year-olds had just 0.2% (95% CI: 0.0-0.4) (p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the anti-HBs seroprevalence of the general population in Vojvodina and provides an opportunity to better shape the national preventive strategy related to HBV.