Relationships between lifestyle patterns and cardio-renal-metabolic parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A cross-sectional study

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Pancreatic tumor insulin responsiveness

The aim : Pancreatic cancer, a rapidly progressive malignancy, is often diagnosed in patients with diabetes. The incidence of pancreatic cancer has risen dramatically over recent decades. Early diagnosis of this malignancy is generally difficult because the symptoms do not become apparent until the disease has progressed, generally leading to a poor outcome. To achieve earlier diagnosis, we analyzed the clinical characteristics of pancreatic cancer patients showing deterioration of plasma glucose levels while hospitalized. Method : Thirty-six cases were divided into 2 groups ; those diagnosed with diabetes more than a year prior to identification of pancreatic cancer and diabetes secondary to pancreatic cancer. These 2 groups were further subdivided according to the tumor site (head or body / tail), allowing analysis of 4 subgroups. Anthropometric measurements, laboratory values were determined. Results : Both groups with diabetes lost at least 4 kg and showed HbA1c deterioration of at least 1% within 5 months of the pancreatic cancer diagnosis. The post-meal elevation of serum C-peptide immunoreactivity (CPR) was significantly decreased in the group with cancer of the pancreatic head, and this was unrelated to tumor size. Conclusion : Characteristically, pancreatic head cancer was associated with decreased endogenous insulin secretion as compared to body / tail cancer

Breakfast skipping is associated with persistently increased arterial stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes

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Delayed Methotrexate Elimination after Administration of a Medium Dose of Methotrexate in a Patient with Genetic Variants Associated with Methotrexate Clearance

Polymorphisms in methotrexate transporter pathways have been associated with methotrexate toxicities and clearance. Recent genome-wide association studies have revealed that the SLCO1B1 T521C variant is associated with methotrexate elimination. We present a case of a pediatric patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who suffered from persistently high plasma methotrexate concentrations and acute kidney injuries after the admin-istration of a medium dose of methotrexate. Subsequent genetic analysis showed that he was a carrier of dys-functional genetic variants associated with methotrexate clearance. This case highlights that polymorphisms of methotrexate transporter pathways can adversely affect methotrexate elimination in a clinically significant manner

Lower intake of saturated fatty acids is associated with persistently higher arterial stiffness in patients with type?2 diabetes

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Relation between the serum albumin level and nutrition supply in patients with pressure ulcers : retrospective study in an acute care setting

This retrospective study examined the validity of the commonly used serum albumin level as an indicator of nutrition status of patients with pressure ulcer(s), particularly because the serum albumin level is affected by various factors and may not be specific to malnutrition. Specifically, we investigated whether nutrition supply or inflammation affects the serum albumin level in 82 patients with pressure ulcers(s) (29 in whom pressure ulcer was present upon admission and 53 in whom pressure ulcer developed after hospital admission). Serum albumin levels, blood test including C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and blood count, caloric intake, and depth and healing of pressure ulcers were compared between various subgroups of patients. Serum albumin levels correlated with red blood cell counts and hemoglobin and CRP levels but not with caloric intake. The correlation with CRP before and after several weeks of pressure ulcer treatment was negative. The serum albumin level upon admission was higher in patients in whom the ulcer healed than in those in whom it did not heal as well as in patients who were discharged than in those who died in the hospital. The serum albumin level appears to reflect inflammation, wound healing, and disease severity rather than nutrition supply in patients with pressure ulcer

OCT with a Visible Broadband Light Source Applied to High-Resolution Nondestructive Inspection for Semiconductor Optical Devices

Optical coherence tomography with a visible broadband light source (vis-OCT) was developed for high-resolution and nondestructive measurements of semiconductor optical devices. Although a near-infrared (NIR) light source should be used for medical OCT to obtain deep penetration of biological samples, a visible broadband light source is available as a low-coherence light source for industrial products. Vis-OCT provides higher axial resolution than NIR-OCT, because the axial resolution of an OCT image is proportional to the square of the center wavelength of the light source. We developed vis-OCT with an axial resolution of less than 1 μm in air and obtained cross-sectional profiles and images of ridge-type waveguides having heights and widths of several μm. Additionally, we performed cross-sectional measurements and imaging of a stacked semiconductor thin layer. The measured values were similar to those measured by scanning electron microscopy, and the effectiveness of vis-OCT for nondestructive inspection of semiconductor optical devices was demonstrated

Extended Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection during Robotic Prostate Surgery for Intermediate- to High-risk Prostate Cancer: A Propensity Score-matched Analysis for Biochemical Recurrence-free Survival

Background: There are pros and cons regarding the benefit of extended pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) during surgery for prostate cancer (PCa). A randomized controlled trial failed to demonstrate any survival benefits, and the therapeutic role of PLND remains unclear. We evaluated early survival outcome using a propensity score (PS)-matched analysis. 　Methods: Three hundred ninety-nine patients with intermediate- to high-risk PCa were enrolled. They were determined to have a lymph node (LN) invasion probability of greater than 7% on the established nomogram. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network classification was used as risk stratification. Biochemical recurrence (BCR)-free survival was compared between the two groups divided by the threshold of the LN yield set at 15. 　Results: The mean LN yield was 23.7 and 3.4 in the sufficient (n = 217) and insufficient (n = 182) LN yield groups, respectively. In the unmatched cohort, the advantage of the 3-year BCR-free survival for sufficient LN yield remained at 10.0% (hazard ratio [HR] 0.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.43-1.07; p = 0.098). In the PS-matched cohort with 133 patients in each group, the difference in the 3-year BCR-free survival rate widened to 15.8% (HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.31-0.93; p = 0.027). A Cox regression multivariate analysis performed on the model with postoperative pathological factors showed an independent predictive value of LN yield. 　Conclusions: The results demonstrate the therapeutic role of PLND in intermediate- to high-risk PCa. The benefit of PLND depends on the surgeon adhering to the template and removing a sufficient number of LNs in patients with an optimal risk-range.journal articl

Financial Intermediary Function of Social Lending : A Case of Kiva's Lending Process

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