Toll-like receptor 2 expression on monocytes and microvascular complications in type 2 diabetic patients

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic debilitating illness, and atherosclerotic changes are inevitable and usually neglected during the follow-up of diabetic patients. Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) is under trial in many studies to hold responsibility for atherosclerosis process progression as they suggest a malfunction of these receptors expressed on monocytes in diabetic patients. This study aimed to assess the association between the TLR2 and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Egyptian diabetic patients and to investigate its relationship with some diabetic complications.MethodsThis study included a 60 diabetic patients group 1 (diabetic complicated), group 2 (diabetic non-complicated) and 30 age-matched normal healthy blood donors.ResultsToll-like receptors (TLRs) expression was significantly associated with T2DM. In this study, the mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) of TLR2 was 596.9 ± 84.78 in group 1, 326.23 ± 62.98 in group 2 while in group 3 it was 208.47 ± 156.73. There was a significant correlation between MFI of TLR2 and random blood sugar (RBS) and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) (p < 0.05).ConclusionTLR2 was overexpressed in diabetic patients with microvascular complications compared to diabetic non-complicated patients and normal healthy controls.     

Circulating CCL20: A potential biomarker for active vitiligo together with the number of Th1/17 cells

Background

Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease with varying pathological features. Activation of the CCL20-CCR6 axis plays an important role in chronic inflammatory diseases. However, whether CCL20-CCR6 and Th1/17 cells are indicative of active vitiligo is unclear.

Fasting glucose and its association with 20-year all-cause and cause-specific mortality in Chinese general population

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to explore the relationship between fasting glucose levels and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in Chinese population.MethodsThe role of fasting blood glucose levels as a predictor of all-cause and cause-specific mortality was estimated in 9930 participants from four Chinese general populations with a 20-year follow-up. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to identify the relationship between fasting glucose and mortality.ResultsThere were 1471 deaths after a median follow-up of 20.2 years (a total of 187,374 person-years), including 310 cardiovascular deaths, 581 cancer deaths, and 580 other-cause deaths. After adjustment for age, sex, urban or rural, northern or southern of China, types of work, education level, physical exercise, smoking status, drinking status, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, and serum total cholesterol at baseline, the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all-cause mortality in the fasting blood glucose categories of <60, 60–69, 70–79, 90–99, 100–109, 110–125, and ≥126 mg/dl were 1.38 (1.04–1.84), 1.20 (1.01–1.43), 1.18 (1.03–1.36), 1.18 (0.99–1.41), 1.48 (1.16–1.88), 1.17 (0.84–1.62), and 2.23 (1.72–2.90), respectively, in contrast to the reference group (80–89 mg/dl). The HRs and 95% CIs for cardiovascular disease mortality in these groups were 2.58 (1.44–4.61), 1.41 (0.95–2.10), 1.56 (1.15–2.11), 1.29 (0.88–1.89), 1.36 (0.78–2.37), 1.05 (0.52–2.11), and 2.73 (1.64–4.56), respectively.ConclusionsBoth low and high fasting glucose were significantly associated with increased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in Chinese general population.     

2018 European Conference on Donor Health and Management

The third European Conference on Donor Health and Management (ECDHM) was held in Copenhagen from 5th to 7th September 2018 and was co‐organised by the ECDHM committees and European Blood Alliance. This is an international conference with a focus on ‘donor health’, including donors of blood, organs and other substances of human origin, and remains the only conference focusing exclusively on donor medicine. This overview presents a selection of research topics in relation to iron, the keynote speeches and plenary talks. The keynote speeches cover the epidemiology of donors and recipients, whole‐blood donor recruitment and retention and the safety of donors and recipients of plasma and plasma products. Talks from the plenary speakers reviewed modern multi‐omic approaches to study red cell quality and the central, perennial question of what motivates a donor to give blood and how can this be encouraged.     

Haemodynamic profiles of etomidate vs propofol for induction of anaesthesia: a randomised controlled trial in patients undergoing cardiac surgery

Background

Etomidate is frequently selected over propofol for induction of anaesthesia because of a putatively favourable haemodynamic profile, but data confirming this perception are limited.

Impact of whole egg intake on blood pressure,lipids and lipoproteins in middle-aged and older population: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background and aimEffects of whole egg consumption on cardiovascular diseases (CVD) risk in the middle-aged and older population remain unclear due to inconsistent findings from observational and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). This meta-analysis aimed to assess the impacts of whole egg and egg category (whole eggs versus egg substitutes) intake quantity on CVD risk factors from systematically searched RCTs. Egg substitutes were hypothesized to have minimal effects of the blood lipid and lipoprotein profile as they are void of dietary cholesterol.Methods and resultsAs many as 434 studies identified from PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL and Medline (Ovid) databases were screened and data were extracted from 8 selected RCTs. Quality of the selected studies were assessed and the overall effect sizes of weighted mean differences (WMD) were calculated using a random effects model. Non-differential effects in blood pressures, lipids and lipoproteins were observed when >4 whole eggs/week compared to ≤4 whole eggs/week were consumed. Intake of >4 whole eggs/week compared to equivalent amounts of egg substitutes caused greater elevations in blood total cholesterol (WMD: 0.198 mmol/L; 95% CIs: 0.056, 0.339), HDL cholesterol (WMD: 0.068 mmol/L; 95% CIs: 0.006, 0.130) and LDL cholesterol (WMD: 0.171 mmol/L; 95% CIs: 0.028, 0.315) but did not differentially affect triglycerides concentration.ConclusionOverall, the results support the notion that quantity of whole egg intake does not affect CVD risk factors and consuming egg substitutes may also be beneficial compared to whole eggs on lowering CVD risk in the middle-aged and older population.