ABSTRACT
Purpose: To determine the correlation between serum inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers of patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods: Serum samples were obtained from 100 diabetic patients. Patients were divided into three groups: group 1 (patients with no DR, n = 27), group 2 (DR with DME, n = 34), and group 3 (DR without DME, n = 39). Serum concentrations of C?reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin?6 (IL?6) were measured by quantitative turbidimetric immunoassay and sandwich chemiluminescence immunoassay, respectively. Metabolic parameters such as glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol, low?density lipoprotein (LDL), high?density lipoprotein (HDL), triglyceride (TG), serum creatinine, and blood urea were determined by automated analyzer om?360 after standardization. Results: The levels of IL?6 and CRP differed significantly in patients with DR and without DR (P < 0.001 and P = 0.045, respectively). We also found a positive correlation between IL?6 and CRP with the severity of DR. When DR patients with DME were compared to patients without DME, only IL?6 was observed to be significantly elevated (P < 0.001). None of the metabolic markers correlated significantly with DR and DME. Conclusion: Significantly raised levels of serum inflammatory biomarkers can be used to elucidate the significant role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of DR. Therefore, circulating biomarkers can serve as diagnostic and therapeutic predictors for monitoring the onset and progression of DR and DME.
ABSTRACT
Hyperbilirubinemia is one of the most prevalent problems in neonates. Jaundice is observed during first week of life in approximately 60% of term neonates and 80% of preterm neonates. Phototherapy is the most common therapeutic modality used in the treatment of uncomplicated neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Objective: To study electrolyte (Ca, Na, K, Cl) changes in the term neonates following phototherapy in neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Methods: This study was performed on 100 term neonates (65 males, 35 females) admitted to the Department of Pediatrics, Bebe Nanki Mother and Child Care Centre, Government Medical College, Amritsar, Punjab with unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia and were managed with phototherapy. These neonates were completely normal on physical examination. Electrolytes were checked at 0 hr (at the time of admission) and after 48 hours of phototherapy or at discontinuation of phototherapy (second sample) whichever was earlier. The first sample was considered as control. Results: After phototherapy, among electrolytes (Ca, Na, K ,Cl) there was significant fall in serum calcium (ionized) level. 16 neonates developed hypocalcemia after 48 hr or less of phototherapy and 11 neonates developed hypocalcemia after 48 hr or up to 96 hr of phototherapy. The difference between pre and post phototherapy serum calcium (ionized) levels was found to be statistically significant (p <0.005). Of the 27 term neonates who developed hypocalcemia, 7 (26%) developed jitteriness and none of them developed irritability, seizures and aponea. No statistically significant fall/rise in levels of Na, K, Cl were observed in term neonates after phototherapy. The incidence of potassium, sodium and chloride changes following phototherapy was found to be nonsignificant irrespective of gestational age, birth weight and duration of phototherapy. Conclusion: The study concluded that among electrolytes (Ca, Na, K, Cl), phototherapy induced hypocalcemia is a significant problem. Thus calcium supplementation should be considered.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate the role of Fetuin A levels in predicting glycemic outcome in individuals with impaired fasting glucose. Research Design and Methods: A total of 742 young individuals were recruited for the study out of which 177 had impaired fasting glucose, 468 had normoglycemia and 97 individuals with diabetes. These individuals were offsprings of diabetics (either mother or father or both) and were siblings amongst themselves belonging to age group of 18-35 years. Various biochemical investigations such as fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated Hb, serum insulin, C-peptide and Fetuin A were carried out. People with impaired fasting glucose were followed and analyzed according to glycemic outcome and quartile of Fetuin A level. Results: A total of 66 individuals with prediabetes reverted back to normal, 28 progressed to diabetes and 83 remained with prediabetes over a mean±S.D follow up of 24±4.1 months. People in the highest quartile of fetuin A had the highest Insulin, Insulin Resistance, Increased loss of beta cell activity, decreased sensitivity to insulin and a higher rate of progression to diabetes (relative risk 11.96, 95% CI 5.9 to 24.01, p<0.001) and a significantly lower rate of reversion to normoglycemia (relative risk 5.62, 95% CI 3.16 to 9.9, p<0.001) than those in other Fetuin A quartiles. fetuin A correlated positively with Insulin (r= +0.289, p<0.001), C-peptide (r=+ 0.177, p<0.001), %β cell function(r= -0.368, p<0.001), insulin resistance (r= +0.436, p<0.001) and glycosylated Hb (r=+0.958, p<0.05) and negatively with % sensitivity to insulin( r= -0.287, p<0.001). Cox regression analysis showed that baseline fetuin A, insulin levels and fasting glucose levels were predictive of reversion to normoglycemia. Conclusions: Increased fetuin A levels had an adverse impact on glycemic outcomes thus suggesting that fasting plasma glucose and Fetuin A can be used as a tool to determine the susceptibility of an individual to develop pre-diabetes and thus diabetes mellitus.