Why 24-h urine albumin excretion rate method still is used for screening of diabetic nephropathy in Isfahan laboratories?

The first step in diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy is measurement of albumin in a spot urine sample. The aim of this study was assessment of the accuracy of urinary albumin to creatinine ratio [UACR] in random urine specimens [RUS] for microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria screening in Iranian diabetic patients. A total of 200 diabetic patients participated to our study. 24 h timed urine specimens followed by RUS were collected. 24-h urine albumin excretion [24-h urinary albumin excretion [UAE]] and UACR in RUS were measured. Data were analyzed by Pearson's correlation, receiver operating characteristic [ROC] curve and McNemar test. A total of 165 patients finalized the study. Pearson's correlation of coefficient for 24-h UAE versus UACR was 0.64. The area under ROC curve for UACR was 0.83 in microalbuminuria and 0.91 in macroalbuminuria. The cutoff point of 30 mg/g in UACR method had 86% sensitivity and 60% specificity for microalbuminuria screening and cut-off point of 300 mg/g had 75% sensitivity and 99% specificity for macroalbuminuria screening respectively. UACR in RUS showed acceptable performance as a screening test for diagnosis of both micro and macroalbuminuria in Iranian diabetic patients

[Comparison of androgenic alopecia distribution among type 2 diabetes and healthy women in Isfahan city: a brief report]

Insulin resistant is important risk factors of diabetes and leads to development of chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Recent studies showed association between androgenic alopecia and insulin resistant. However, findings are controversial. Alopecia in women is a common heritable hair loss in central part of head. Aim of this study was investigation of androgenic alopecia distribution in type II diabetes and healthy women and hypothesis testing of relationship between diabetes and androgenic alopecia. This is a case-control study. Case and control groups were selected from type H diabetes and healthy women respectively that were refered to clinics of Alzahra, Noor and Amin Hospitals in Isfahan City, Iran in 2011. Participants were selected based on random sampling. Sample size was estimated 141 subjects in each group. Participants were visited by doctor and severity of androgenic alopecia was determined based on Ludwish criteria. Data were analyzed with SPSS software and chi[2] test. P<0.05 was considered as significant. Mean age and body mass index were 58.96+12.8 year and 25.6+4.15 kg/m- respectively in whole population. Findings not show any significant association between type II diabetes and androgenic alopecia [P<0.05]. Comparison of distribution of alopecia severity according to Ludwish criteria separately showed similar result. In addition to, there was not any significant relationship between diabetes and alopecia after adjusting with body mass index as confounding factor [P<0.05]. In the present study, there was not any significant relationship between type II diabetes and androgenic alopecia among diabetes and healthy women. However, more researches need to investigate this relationship in both gender and assess insulin resistant indices as homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance and androgenic alopecia

Effect of honey vinegar syrup on blood sugar and lipid profile in healthy subjects

The impact of honey or vinegar on several metabolic abnormalities has been studied separately, a mixture of these two ingredients known as honey vinegar syrup [HVS] has not been investigated previously so far. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of HVS consumption [Iranian's traditional syrup] on glycemic parameters and lipid profiles in healthy individuals. We conducted a 4-week, randomized, controlled, parallel study consisting of two groups of nonobese healthy volunteers. All subjects were asked to stay on their normal diet. Intervention group [n = 36] received a cup of HVS daily in the evening snack for 4-week [250 cc syrup contains 21.66 g honey vinegar]. Assessments of fasting blood sugar [FBS], insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance [HOMA-IR], total cholesterol [TC], triglyceride [TG], high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C] and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C] were conducted at the baseline and after 4-week of study. We observed no significant effect of HVS on FBS, HOMA-IR, LDL-C and TG. A significant effect of HVS was found on increasing fasting insulin and HOMA-IR and reduction in TC level only in intervention group [DELTA =3.39 P = 0.01, DELTA =1.65 P = 0.03, DELTA = -9.43 P = 0.005, respectively]. Changes of FBS, TG and LDL-C were 1.83 mg/dl, -1.53 mg/dl and - 3.99 mg/dl respectively in the intervention group. These changes were not significant. An unfavorable and significant reduction in HDL-C level was also observed between two groups [DELTA = -4.82 P < 0.001 in the intervention group]. Honey vinegar syrup increased fasting insulin level and decreased TC level in the intervention group. HVS had an unfavorable effect on HDL-C level. Further prospective investigations are warranted to confirm these findings

[ association between iron status and carotid intima-media thickness for the prediction of early-stage atherosclerosis]

Abnormal iron homeostasis such as iron deficiency or iron excess is associated with the pathogenesis of many chronic diseases including diabetes and cardiovascular disease [CVD]. Iron may stimulate the progression of atherosclerosis by increasing the oxidative stress. Changes in carotid intima-media thickness [CIMT] have been validated as a vascular indicator of atherosclerosis progression. The purpose of this study was to apply CIMT to investigate the association between iron status and the initial stages of atherosclerosis. 140 healthy premenopausal women aged 18 to 50 years who had no chronic or acute disease were selected randomly from one of the Tabriz university sub specialized clinics. Blood samples were taken to assay iron status parameters. CIMT was measured noninvasively by ultrasonography. Based on CIMT results, the subjects were classified as "healthy" [CIMT 0.8 mm]. Student's t-test was used to determine the mean differences between the two groups. The mean +/- SD age of the participants was 32.76 +/- 8.1 years. The mean iron, ferritin, hematocrit and mean corpuscular volume [MCV] were significantly higher and the total iron binding capacity [TIBC] was lower [P<0.05] among the "at risk" group. However, there was no significant differences in red blood cell count or hemoglobin levels between the two groups [P>0.05]. Results of this study showed a relative correlation between iron status parameters and CIMT as the initial indicator of CVD. Regarding the contradictions found in the literature, more research is needed to clarify the situation