Assessment of Risk Factors for Development of Type-II Diabetes Mellitus Among Working Women in Berhampur, Orissa

Objectives:

1) Assess general health condition and anthropological parameters of the working women. 2) Identify prevalence of Type-II Diabetes among them. 3) Assess risk factors associated with development of diabetes. 4) Educate them about Life Style Modifications.

Materials and Methods:

A cross sectional study was carried out in six educational institutes. A total of 100 working women were selected as study population. During the two-month study period, Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) was estimated to identify the diabetics and the Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT). Information from the study population was collected through pre-tested questionnaire using several anthropometric measurements.

Results:

Out of 100 women, 24 were having FBS compatible with IGT or diabetes. The incidence was highest in 46 to 55 yr age group. 75% of women with diabetes or IGT were in higher income group. Body Mass Index was more than 25 kg/m² in maximum (75%) women having diabetes or IGT. 92% women with diabetes or IGT had their Waist Hip Ratio ≥0.85. Moreover, orientation towards healthy life style modification to control diabetes and its prevention was poor among the study population.

Conclusion:

Prevalence of diabetes and IGT was higher among urban working women and is increasing with increase in age. Obesity plays a major role in development of Type 2 diabetes. Several long- and short-term steps should be taken for promotion of healthy life style modifications to prevent diabetes and emergence of its complications.     

Adverse host factors exacerbate occult HIV-associated nephropathy

In the present study, we hypothesized that HIV-1-induced occult HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) would become apparent in the presence of adverse host factors. To test our hypothesis, Vpr mice (which display doxycycline-dependent Vpr expression in podocytes) with two, three, and four copies of the angiotensinogen (Agt) gene (Vpr-Agt-2, Vpr-Agt-3, and Vpr-Agt-4) were administered doxycycline for 3 weeks (to develop clinically occult HIVAN) followed by doxycycline-free water during the next 3 weeks. Subsequently, renal biomarkers were measured, and kidneys were harvested for renal histology. Vpr-Agt-2 developed neither proteinuria nor elevated blood pressure, and displayed minimal glomerular and tubular lesions only, without any microcyst formation. Vpr-Agt-3 showed mild glomerular and tubular lesions and microcyst formation, whereas Vpr-Agt-4 showed moderate proteinuria, hypertension, glomerular sclerosis, tubular dilation, microcysts, and expression of epithelial mesenchymal transition markers. Vpr-Agt-4 not only displayed enhanced renal tissue expression of Agt, renin, and angiotensin-converting enzyme, but also had higher renal tissue concentrations of angiotensin II. Moreover, renal cells in Vpr-Agt-4 showed enhanced expression of transforming growth factor-β, connective tissue growth factor, and vascular endothelial growth factor. These findings indicate that adverse host factors, such as the activation of the renin-angiotensin system, promote the progression of occult HIVAN to apparent HIVAN.     

A topical parathyroid hormone/parathyroid hormone-related peptide receptor antagonist stimulates hair growth in mice

One of the biggest hurdles in developing peptides for the treatment of hair growth disorders is that there has been no effective method of delivering them topically. Murine hair growth can be stimulated with ip injections of the PTH/PTHrP receptor antagonist, PTH (7-34). We sought to determine whether we could deliver PTH (7-34) topically and achieve stimulation of hair growth. We prepared a topical cream by mixing PTH (7-34) into a liposome vehicle (Novasome A). We applied the cream daily to the backs of 5-wk-old female SKH-1 hairless mice for 1 wk. After the 1 wk of treatment, there was marked stimulation of hair growth in the SKH-1 hairless mice. Relative to controls, mice treated with PTH (7-34) had 216% longer hairs (P < 0.001), 40% more visible hairs (P < 0.001), and 43% more hair follicles stained with 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (P < 0.01). A unique aspect of skin is the possibility to directly target it via topical treatment. Our study is the first to report the hair-stimulating effect of a PTH/PTHrP receptor antagonist topically applied to skin in vivo. Thus, we introduce a novel paradigm to develop topical PTH analogs for treating disorders of hair growth.