Triglycerides are independently associated with albuminuria in Taiwanese Type 2 diabetic patients.

BACKGROUND: Lipid abnormalities in albuminuria in patients with Type 2 diabetes differ by race. AIM: To perform a biochemical investigation of association between dyslipidemia and albuminuria in Type 2 diabetes in Taiwan. MATERIALS/ SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We recruited a total of 2349 Chinese patients with Type 2 diabetes from two medical centers in Taiwan over a 1-yr period. Patients were categorized into those with normoalbuminuria, microalbuminuria, and macroalbuminuria defined as albumin-to-creatinine ratio of <30, 30- 299, and ≥300 µg/mg. We then investigated the significance of the clinical and biochemical parameters and risk of albuminuria. RESULTS: We found significant differences in total cholesterol (TC) between those with normoalbuminuria and micro/ macroalbuminuria, no significant difference in LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) among the 3 subgroups, a significant difference in HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) between those with normoalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria, and significant increases in triglyceride (TG) paralleling increases in albuminuria. TG was found by logistic regression to be significantly associated with micro/macroalbuminuria in our unadjusted model [odds ratio (OR) = 1.859 (1.596~2.165)], and remained significant after adjusting for various confounders [OR = 1.415 (1.123~1.784)]. Increases in albuminuria paralleled quartile increases in serum TG (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that TG increases significantly throughout the 3 stages of albuminuria in Taiwanese Type 2 diabetic patients, but TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C do not.

The relationship between diabetic autonomic neuropathy and diabetic risk factors in a Taiwanese population.

This study looked at spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) between patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and healthy controls. The association between diabetic autonomic neuropathy (DAN) with HRV parameter changes and DM risk factors (including nephropathy) was investigated. HRV parameters were compared between 271 patients with DM and 160 controls. A statistically significant difference was found between the two groups for each parameter. Patients with DM were then divided into three groups by the levels of individual risk factors: body mass index, total cholesterol, 2-h postprandial plasma glucose concentration, glycosylated haemoglobin, duration of DM and the albumin-creatinine ratio. HRV parameters decreased significantly in patients with DM as the risk factor level progressed. This study identified previously known and new potential risk factors for the development of DAN, which may be important for the development of risk reduction strategies.

Evaluation of a no-rinse enamel conditioning prior to sealant application: an in vitro study of comparison to traditional etching technique.

Moisture contamination is a major factor in sealant application, often determining clinical success or failure. A new enamel conditioner using HNO3 (2.5%) has been introduced that does not require a water rinse after etching. The aim of this study is to compare etching characteristics using sealant retention from shear bond strength tests for traditional etch conditioning using H3PO4 (37%) and the HNO3 (2.5%) conditioner with and without a water rinse. We used 28 crown-intact extracted human teeth. We evaluated eight shear bond strength tests per group, on cylindrical sealant stubs (3.24 mm diameter x 3 mm height) for 12 groups (three etch conditions, two prophylactic methods, and two enamel surface type). The highest mean values of shear bond strength of 22.0 MPa was measured for H3PO4, and the lowest of 12.7 MPa for HNO3 (2.5%) without water wash. No significant differences (P < 0.05) were found between water rinse and air blast post-treatment groups after HNO3 conditioning.