Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research
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Obesity and diabetes are associated with impaired iron metabolism. We aimed to examine the independent relationship between diabetes and iron after controlling for body weight (or obesity) in women aged 20-49 y. Data from the 2015-2018 NHANES was used in this investigation. ⋯ Women with diabetes were more likely to have iron deficiency, anemia, and iron deficiency anemia than those without diabetes (18.1% vs. 8.6%, p<0.001), (24.4% vs. 8.4%, p<0.001) and (14.8% vs. 5.2%, p<0.001), respectively. Among women with obesity, those with diabetes had lower predicted ferritin (β=-0.19, p=0.016), BII (β=-0.99, p=0.016), and hemoglobin (β=-0.27, p=0.042) than those without diabetes. The study shows that diabetes is linked to lower iron stores, this is exacerbated in those with obesity.
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The study aimed to investigate the predictive value of clinical characteristics, major computed tomography angiography (CTA) indexes of carotid AS (carotid lumen stenosis and plaque burden), and inflammatory pericarotid adipose tissue for acute stroke risk in patients with a moderate or higher degree of carotid stenosis. In all, 119 patients with unilateral carotid stenosis who underwent head and neck computed tomography angiography were included and assigned to the stroke group or non-stroke group according to magnetic resonance imaging. Pericarotid adipose tissue attenuation value, net enhancement value in the base phase and the enhancement phase, and atherosclerotic features (plaque burden and lumen stenosis) were recorded. ⋯ The AUC of pericarotid adipose tissue attenuation (PCAT) attenuation, lumen stenosis, the novel prediction model independently constructed based on PCAT attenuation, and lumen stenosis resulted in 0.838 (95% CI 0.759-0.899), 0.700 (95% CI 0.826-0.944), and 0.942 (95% CI 0.884-0.977), respectively. The model had a sensitivity and specificity of 0.909 and 0.893, respectively, when the cutoff value was 0.388. We found that the risk model combining pericarotid adipose tissue attenuation value and lumen stenosis has significant predictive values for the presence of symptomatic stroke among patients with a moderate or higher degree of carotid stenosis.
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Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is a plant with known antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties. Homeopathic drops containing chamomile extract are often used for ear pain and chronic ear infections. We aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of over-the-counter eardrops containing chamomile against organisms causing bacterial conjunctivitis and otitis externa. ⋯ We observed a marked reduction in the number of S. aureus CFUs upon exposure to any of the three preparations of chamomile-containing eye drops, which was almost immediate at 10% concentration. Streptococcus pneumoniae reduction happened at 5 min and continued through the 45-min observation period for all three concentrations. Our findings suggest that over-the-counter ear drops containing chamomile extract could potentially be used as a non-prescription treatment for mild cases of otitis externa and bacterial conjunctivitis.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
EXPRESS: Rosiglitazone improves insulin resistance but does not improve exercise capacity in individuals with impaired glucose tolerance: A randomized clinical study.
Dysmetabolic states, such as type 2 diabetes (T2D), characterized by insulin resistance (IR), are associated with fatty liver, increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, and decreased functional exercise capacity (FEC). Rosiglitazone (RO) improves exercise capacity and IR in T2D. However, the effects of RO on FEC and other markers of CVD risk in prediabetes are unknown. ⋯ RO did not improve exercise capacity during an 18-month intervention despite improved IR and glycemia in people with IGT. Future studies should explore why effects on FEC with RO occur in T2D but not IGT. Understanding these questions may help in targeting therapeutic approaches in T2D and IGT.