Adipose Tissue Insulin Resistance Predicts the Severity of Liver Fibrosis in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and NAFLD.

CONTEXT: Although type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a risk factor for liver fibrosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the specific contribution of insulin resistance (IR) relative to other factors is unknown. OBJECTIVE: Assess the impact on liver fibrosis in NAFLD of adipose tissue (adipose tissue insulin resistance index [adipo-IR]) and liver (Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance [HOMA-IR]) IR in people with T2D and NAFLD. DESIGN: Participants were screened by elastography in the outpatient clinics for hepatic steatosis and fibrosis, including routine metabolites, cytokeratin-18 (a marker of hepatocyte apoptosis/steatohepatitis), and HOMA-IR/adipo-IR. SETTING: University ambulatory care practice. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 483 participants with T2D. INTERVENTION: Screening for steatosis and fibrosis with elastography. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Liver steatosis (controlled attenuation parameter), fibrosis (liver stiffness measurement), and measurements of IR (adipo-IR, HOMA-IR) and fibrosis (cytokeratin-18). RESULTS: Clinically significant liver fibrosis (stage F ≥ 2 = liver stiffness measurement ≥8.0 kPa) was found in 11%, having more features of the metabolic syndrome, lower adiponectin, and higher aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase, liver fat, and cytokeratin-18 (P < 0.05-0.01). In multivariable analysis including just clinical variables (model 1), obesity (body mass index [BMI]) had the strongest association with fibrosis (odds ratio, 2.56; CI, 1.87-3.50; P < 0.01). When metabolic measurements and cytokeratin-18 were included (model 2), only BMI, AST, and liver fat remained significant. When fibrosis stage was adjusted for BMI, AST, and steatosis (model 3), only Adipo-IR remained strongly associated with fibrosis (OR, 1.51; CI, 1.05-2.16; P = 0.03), but not BMI, hepatic IR, or steatosis. CONCLUSIONS: These findings pinpoint to the central role of dysfunctional, insulin-resistant adipose tissue to advanced fibrosis in T2D, beyond simply BMI or steatosis. The clinical implication is that targeting adipose tissue should be the priority of treatment in NAFLD.

Assessment of Household Food Insecurity During a Medical Mission to Chincha, Peru.

Introduction Food insecurity directly influences health outcomes and is an important consideration for medical missions seeking to address chronic disease, particularly those serving disaster-prone communities. The region of Peru in which we held an inaugural mission is vulnerable to developing food insecurity following natural disasters. We, therefore, sought to evaluate food insecurity to understand the community's needs and inform future public health efforts. Methods In this cross-sectional pilot study, a convenience sample representing the households of patients attending a student-run health fair at the community medical center in Chincha, Peru was assessed for food insecurity. An adult female (n = 30) of each randomly selected family attending the fair was asked to complete the Household Food Security Survey (HFSS) developed by the US Department of Agriculture. The survey items were aggregated into a single, continuous food security scale reflecting the severity of hunger within a household. Results Two-thirds of respondents (n = 20) acknowledged anxiety about having enough food at home over the past 12 months, making it the most common concern. Nearly three in five respondents were concerned about their ability to provide a balanced diet. We found that 16.7% of all households were food insecure with severe hunger, 26.7% were food insecure with moderate hunger, 30% were food insecure without hunger, and 26.7% were food secure. Conclusion Nearly three-quarters of families attending our clinic experience some degree of food insecurity. Families with children were disproportionately affected. The high levels of food insecurity many years after a natural disaster support the development of future social programs such as food pantries. We intend to continue our partnership in Chincha and perform the HFSS survey on a periodic basis to monitor hunger.

Analgesia preventiva versus analgesia postoperatoria con paracetamol + ketorolaco en colecistectomía laparoscópica / Preventive versus postoperative analgesia with paracetamol + ketorolac in laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Resumen: Introducción: La analgesia preventiva es la administración de un fármaco o realización de una intervención capaz de inhibir o bloquear la respuesta dolorosa con la finalidad de prevenir el dolor asociado a un procedimiento quirúrgico. Objetivo: Identificar si existen diferencias en el control del dolor postoperatorio utilizando analgesia preventiva versus analgesia postoperatoria, manejado con paracetamol + ketorolaco en pacientes sometidos a colecistectomía laparoscópica electiva. Material y métodos: Ensayo clínico controlado, comparativo, aleatorizado, longitudinal, unicéntrico, prospectivo, homodémico, doble ciego; con 70 pacientes divididos en dos grupos. En el grupo 1 que recibió analgesia preventiva se usó paracetamol + ketorolaco y en el grupo 2 se utilizó el mismo esquema de manera postquirúrgica inmediata. Se midió tensión arterial, frecuencia cardíaca, escala verbal numérica del dolor y presencia de efectos secundarios de los fármacos en distintos momentos. Prueba estadística T de Student con significancia estadística de p < 0.05. Resultados: A los 60 minutos la tensión arterial diastólica en el grupo 1 tuvo diferencia de medias -4.20 con p = 0.027 y la escala verbal numérica presentó diferencia de medias de -0.71 y p = 0.002. A las cuatro horas la tensión arterial diastólica mostró diferencia de medias de -3.5 y p = 0.033. Las náuseas se constataron en 2.9% para el grupo 1 y 8.6% para el grupo 2. Conclusiones: Existe una mejor respuesta al dolor en aquellos pacientes que reciben un esquema de analgesia preventiva en comparación a los que se les administra un esquema de analgesia postquirúrgica inmediata.

Abstract: Introduction: Preventive analgesia is the administration of a drug or performance of an intervention capable of inhibiting or blocking the painful response in order to prevent the pain associated with a surgical procedure. Objective: To identify whether there are differences in postoperative pain control using preventive analgesia versus postoperative analgesia, managed with paracetamol + ketorolac in patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Material and methods: Controlled clinical trial, randomized, longitudinal, unicentric, prolective, homodemic, double blind; 70 patients divided into two groups. group 1 received preventive analgesia using paracetamol + ketorolac and group 2 same scheme in an immediate postsurgical manner. Bloodpressure, heartrate, numerical verbal scale of pain and presence of side effects of drugs at different times were measured. Student's t-test with statistical significance of p < 0.05. Results: At 60 minutes the diastolic blood pressure in group 1 had difference of means -4.20 with p = 0.027 and numerical verbal scale presented difference of means of -0.71 and p = 0.002. At four hours diastolic bloodpressure showed difference of means of -3.5 and p = 0.033. Nausea was reported in 2.9% for group 1 and 8.6% for group 2. Conclusions: There is a better response to pain in those patients who receive a preventive analgesia scheme compared to those who are administered an immediate post-surgical analgesia scheme.

Advanced Liver Fibrosis Is Common in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Followed in the Outpatient Setting: The Need for Systematic Screening.

OBJECTIVE: Assess the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and of liver fibrosis associated with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in unselected patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 561 patients with T2DM (age: 60 ± 11 years; BMI: 33.4 ± 6.2 kg/m2; and HbA1c: 7.5 ± 1.8%) attending primary care or endocrinology outpatient clinics and unaware of having NAFLD were recruited. At the visit, volunteers were invited to be screened by elastography for steatosis and fibrosis by controlled attenuation parameter (≥274 dB/m) and liver stiffness measurement (LSM; ≥7.0 kPa), respectively. Secondary causes of liver disease were ruled out. Diagnostic panels for prediction of advanced fibrosis, such as AST-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) and Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index, were also measured. A liver biopsy was performed if results were suggestive of fibrosis. RESULTS: The prevalence of steatosis was 70% and of fibrosis 21% (LSM ≥7.0 kPa). Moderate fibrosis (F2: LSM ≥8.2 kPa) was present in 6% and severe fibrosis or cirrhosis (F3-4: LSM ≥9.7 kPa) in 9%, similar to that estimated by FIB-4 and APRI panels. Noninvasive testing was consistent with liver biopsy results. Elevated AST or ALT ≥40 units/L was present in a minority of patients with steatosis (8% and 13%, respectively) or with liver fibrosis (18% and 28%, respectively). This suggests that AST/ALT alone are insufficient as initial screening. However, performance may be enhanced by imaging (e.g., transient elastography) and plasma diagnostic panels (e.g., FIB-4 and APRI). CONCLUSIONS: Moderate-to-advanced fibrosis (F2 or higher), an established risk factor for cirrhosis and overall mortality, affects at least one out of six (15%) patients with T2DM. These results support the American Diabetes Association guidelines to screen for clinically significant fibrosis in patients with T2DM with steatosis or elevated ALT.

Nanocarriers as Potential Drug Delivery Candidates for Overcoming the Blood-Brain Barrier: Challenges and Possibilities.

The design of a drug that successfully overcomes the constraints imposed by the blood-brain barrier (BBB, which acts as a gatekeeper to the entry of substances into the brain) requires an understanding of the biological firewall. It is also of utmost importance to understand the physicochemical properties of the said drug and how it engages the BBB to avoid undesired side effects. Since fewer than 5% of the tested molecules can pass through the BBB, drug development pertaining to brain-related disorders takes inordinately long to develop. Furthermore, in most cases it is also unsuccessful for allied reasons. Several drug delivery systems (DDSs) have shown excellent potential in drug delivery across the BBB while demonstrating minimal side effects. This mini-review summarizes key features of the BBB, recapitulates recent advances in our understanding of the BBB, and highlights existing strategies for the delivery of drug to the brain parenchyma.

Ultrasound Detection of Human Botfly Myiasis of the Scalp: A Case Report.

Dermatobia hominis, also known as the human botfly, is an insect native to Central and South America that is known to parasitize both human and animal hosts through cutaneous infestation by its developing larvae. While human botfly myiasis has been commonly diagnosed through dermatologic findings, the presenting lesions and associated symptoms can be non-specific and often misconstrued as other more common cutaneous diagnoses. Here, we present a case of botfly myiasis of the scalp in which ultrasound was utilized to visualize the larvae and confirm the diagnosis prior to larval removal. In this report, we discuss our patient's presentation, ultrasound imaging, and clinical course/treatment in order to convey how ultrasound imaging, when available, is a valuable tool in establishing the diagnosis of human botfly myiasis.

A body of knowledge representation model of ecotourism products in southeastern Ecuador.

The corpus of knowledge or Bodies of Knowledge (BOK) term it used to describe a set of structures than codify all concept, terms, techniques, and sustainable activities that constitute the domain of the exercise of a profession or specific area of knowledge in our case in Ecotourism context. Ecotourism combines passion for travel with the interest in the preservation of nature and it is related to concepts of sustainability, conservation and participation of the local community, this term has been used to promote tourism activities in the natural environment and attract tourists interested in nature and culture of places to visit. In the Amazon rainforest ecotourism is an activity that contributes both to the awareness of travelers and the communities, in addition to income generated by this activity helps to preserve this heritage. The aim of this article is to contribute to the estimation of discrete choice models in order to analyze individual preferences, by analyzing the demand for ecotourism products in Ecuador's southeastern region, province of Zamora Chinchipe, using data obtained from surveys conducted during 2018, which provide information about the preferences of visitors to the area, through discrete choice experiments, and supported on BOK model. This experiment consisted in the creation of twelve choice scenarios defined by two hypothetical ecotourism products each. Thus, the alternatives were defined in terms of the following attributes: price, hiking, participation in rituals, tasting local cuisine, visit to crafts center and experience of community life (codes of BOK).