Background: The epidemic of type 2 diabetes poses an enormous and growing burden on health care globally. While the prevalence of diabetes is increasing worldwide, the developing countries will bear the greatest burden of this disease. Diabetes is one of the most common causes of kidney failure and nephropathy is a strong predictor of cardiovascular complications and death in these patients. Microalbuminuria represents a latent and early pre-symptomatic phase of nephropathy which can be stopped from progressing to an advanced stage if detected and treated early. The cost effectiveness of this screening and intervention has been researched and proven in the developed world, however similar studies in developing countries are non-existent. Microalbuminuria is not currently tested for in the public primary care sector. Aim and objectives: The aim was to assess the feasibility of introducing a screening test for microalbuminuria and the associated costs and consequences at Elsies River Community Health Centre (CHC) in the Metropolitan District of Cape Town. The objectives of the study are to assess the feasibility of implementing the test in our context, to assess any additional cost to the health services, to assess any measurable benefits in the quality of care for the patients, to extrapolate the likely long term consequences in terms of health outcomes, use of resources and costs and to make a policy recommendation to the Department of Health. Method: A cost and consequence study that describes the introduction of microalbuminuria testing in a cohort of type 2 diabetic patients at Elsies River Community Health Centre, Metro District Health Services, Cape Town, South Africa. Point of care status analyser microalbuminuria screening was introduced to the CHC after training of the chronic care team, and their fidelity to the protocol measured. All patients who met the inclusion criteria were screened. Patients whose first results were abnormal had a repeat test after 3-6 months, if both results were abnormal patient was diagnosed microalbuminuria positive, however a patient with a second normal result required a third test. Interventions included addition of an Angiotesin Converting Enzyme inhibitor to their treatment, more intensive glycaemic, blood pressure or lipid control via medication or lifestyle changes and treatment adherence health education. Field notes were taken by the researcher during visits and a recorded focus group interview conducted with the health workers to explore their views on the feasibility of the screening and intervention. Cost was assessed by the estimation of the additional resources required and the likely long term health outcomes extrapolated from available data and literature. Results: 15.2% of the sample population was noted to be microalbuminuria positive and they all received interventions. Additional cost required to screen a cohort of 100 patients was R1,109.40 per annum, out of which 15 patients at risk of developing nephropathy were identified and the cost of treating these patients was R1,393.20 for the first year. Qualitative data revealed that the test and interventions are feasible with an additional cost of staff time, medication and other materials which have been included in the cost above. Conclusion: This study represents the first attempt to successfully introduce screening for microalbuminuria in our public primary health care context. The chronic care team showed reasonable fidelity to the protocol and demonstrated the feasibility of screening and treating patients. The balance of costs and long term benefits suggests that this represents excellent value for money in a South African primary care setting.

<p>Endotelin-1 je najpotentniji vazokontstriktorni peptid koji značajno doprinosi funkcionalnim i strukturnim bubrežnim promenama i poslednjih godina se izdvojio kao značajan faktor u razvoju i progresiji dijabetesne nefropatije. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je odrediti nivo plazmatskog endotelina-1 kod bolesnika sa tipom 2 &scaron;ećerne bolesti u odnosu na zdravu populaciju kao i ispitati odnos plazmatskog endotelina-1 i funkcionog statusa bubrega kod bolesnika sa &scaron;ećernom bolesti tip 2 i dijabetesnom nefropatijom. U istraživanje je uključeno sto dvadeset ispitanika sa tipom 2 dijabetesa i sekundarno inzulin zavisni, koji&nbsp; su podeljeni u dve grupe u odnosu na izmerenu jačinu glomerulske filtracije: Grupa I (n=60) ispitanici sa jačinom glomerulske filtracije većom od 60 ml/min/1.73m2 i grupa II (n=60) ispitanici sa jačinom glomerulske filtracije manjom od 60 ml/min/1.73m2. Kod svih ispitanika izmerena je plazmatska vrednost endotelina-1 i izvr&scaron;ena procena funkcionog statusa bubrega merenjem jačine glomerulske filtracije, efektivnog bubrežnog protoka plazme i ostalih parametara bubrežne funkcije: serumske koncentracije cistatina C, uree, kreatinina, mokraćne kiseline kao i određivanje 24h albuminurije i proteinurije. Dobijeni rezultati upoređivani su sa rezultatima kontrolne grupe ispitanika (n= 30). Postoji statistički značajna razlika u medijanama vrednosti endotelina-1 između ispitivanih grupa (p&lt;0.001). Značajno niže vrednosti plazmatske koncentracije endotelina-1 su imali ispitanici kontrolne grupe (0.80 &plusmn;0.3) u odnosu na ispitanike sa &scaron;ećernom bolesti i JGF&gt;60 ml/min (1.4&plusmn;0.4) kao i u odnosu na dijabetesne bolesnike sa JGF&lt;60ml/min (2.5 &plusmn;0.8). Značajno vi&scaron;e vrednosti endotelina-1 su&nbsp; imali bolesnici sa &scaron;ećernom bolesti i većim stepenom redukcije jačine glomerulske filtracije u odnosu na bolesnike sa manjim stepenom redukcije jačine glomerulske filtracije (p&lt;0.001). U grupi bolesnika sa tipom 2 &scaron;ećerne bolesti postoji statistički značajna inverzna korelacija između plazmatskog nivoa endotelina-1 i izmerene vrednosti jačine glomerulske filtracije i efektivnog bubrežnog protoka plazme (r= -0,75; p=0,000; r= -0,74; p=0,000) odnosno bolesnici sa &scaron;ećernom bolesti kod kojih postoje povi&scaron;ene vrednosti plazmatskog endotelina-1 imaju veći stepen redukcije jačine glomerulske filtracije i efektivnog bubrežnog protoka plazme. Kod bolesnika sa tipom 2 dijabetes melitusa i različitim stepenom bubrežne hipofunkcije endotelin-1 u značajnoj meri utiče na vrednosti jačine glomerulske filtracije i efektivnog bubrežnog protoka plazme ali i druge funkcijske parametre bubrega i samim tim može imati važnu ulogu u nastanku i razvoju dijabetesne nefropatije.</p> / <p>Endothelin-1, potent vasoconstrictor peptide may contribute to the functional and structural renal changes and in recent years emerged as a significant factor in the development&nbsp; and progression of diabetic nephropathy. The aim of&nbsp; this study was to determine the level of plasma endothelin-1 levels in patients with type 2 diabetes and compared to healthy&nbsp; population as well as to examine the relationship of plasma endothelin-1 and the functional status of the kidneys in patients with type 2 diabetes. The study included one hundred&nbsp; and&nbsp; twenty patients&nbsp; with type 2 diabetes and insulin-dependent secondary, which are divided into two groups with respect to the measured GFR: Group I (n = 60) subjects with by glomerular filtration rate greater than 60 ml /min/1.73m2 and group II (n&nbsp; =&nbsp; 60) subjects with by glomerular filtration rate of less than 60ml/min/1.73m2 . Plasma levels of endothelin-1, glomerular filtration rate and effective renal plasma flow were determined using appropriate methods in all subjects. Other renal function parameters such as serum&nbsp; concentrations of cystatin C, urea, creatinine, uric acid, 24h albuminuria and proteinuria were measured additionaly. The results were compared with control groups of subjects (n= 30). There was a statistically significant difference in median values of endothelin-1 between the groups (p&lt;0.001). Significantly lower plasma concentrations of endothelin-1 had control subjects (0.80&nbsp; &plusmn;&nbsp; 0.3) compared to subjects with diabetes and GFR&gt;60 ml/min (1.4 &plusmn; 0.4) and in relation to diabetic patients with GFR &lt;60 ml/min (2.5 &plusmn; 0.8). Significantly higher values of endothelin-1 had patients with diabetes and a higher degree of reduction of glomerular filtration rate compared with patients with a lower degree of&nbsp; reduction of glomerular filtration rate (p &lt;0.001). In the group of patients with type 2 diabetes, there was a statistically significant inverse correlation between plasma levels endothelin-1 and the measured values of glomerular filtration rate and effective renal plasma flow (r= -0.75; p=0.000; r= -0.74; p=0.000) and patients with diabetes who have the higher values of&nbsp; plasma endothelin-1 have a higher degree of reduction of glomerular filtration rate and effective renal plasma flow. In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and various degrees of renal hypofunction endothelin-1 significantly affects the value of the glomerular filtration rate and effective renal plasma flow or other parameters of renal function and thus can play an important role in thedevelopment of diabetic nephropathy.</p>

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2005. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2005. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

<p>Uvod: Dijabetes melitus (DM) je oboljenje koje poprima karakteristike globalne epidemije. Sve ţe&scaron;&scaron;e oboljevaju pacijenti mlaŤeg ţivotnog doba. Simptomi DM tip 2 su blagi, ţesto neprimetni, te se oboljenje otkriva kada se ve&scaron; manifestuju komplikacije. Dijabetesna nefropatija (DN) je jedna od mnogobrojnih komplikacija dijabetes melitusa tip 2, koja se zavr&scaron;ava terminalnom bubreţnom insuficijencijom. DN se ţesto neblagovremeno dijagnostikuje, zbog ţega se kasno zapoţinje leţenje. Rano otkrivanje DN od kljuţnog je znaţaja, jer omogu&scaron;ava primenu terapijskih postupaka usmerenih na oţuvanje preostalih zdravih nefrona i prevenciju terminalne bubreţne slabosti. Cilj: Prikazati poreme&scaron;aj difuzije molekula vode unutar bubrega kod DN, kori&scaron;&scaron;enjem mapa prividnog koeficijenta difuzije, kvantifikacijom vrednosti prividnog koeficijenta difuzije (ADC) i frakcione anizotropije (FA). Materijal i metode: U prospektivnu studiju bilo je ukljuţeno 10 zdravih dobrovoljaca i 91 pacijent oboleo od DM tip 2. Pacijenti oboleli od DM tip 2 podeljeni su u ţetiri grupe na osnovu vrednosti procenjene jaţine glomerularne filtracije (JGF) (grupe: I JGF &ge; 90, II 89-60, III 59-30, IV &le; 29 ml/min/1,73m&sup2;). Svim ispitanicima uraŤen je MR pregled bubrega, uz primenu DWI (b=0 i b=400 s/mm&sup2;) i DTI (b=1000 s/mm&sup2;) sekvence, na aparatu jaţine 1.5T. ADC i FA vrednosti raţunate su u &scaron;est regija od interasa, po tri u korteksu i meduli svakog bubrega. Dobijene vrednosti komparirane su sa laboratorijskim parametrima bubreţne funkcije (urea, kreatinin, mokra&scaron;na kiselina) i procenjenom JGF. Rezultati: Ne postoje statistiţki znaţajne razlike ADC i FA vrednosti parenhima, korteksa i medule levog i desnog bubrega kod zdravih dobrovoljaca i DM pacijenata. Kod DM pacijenata ADC je ve&scaron;a u korteksu nego u meduli (p=0,00), a FA vrednost je ve&scaron;a u meduli nego u korteksu (p=0,284). Urea, kreatinin i cistatin C imaju negativnu korelaciju sa ADC korteksa, medule i parenhima (p&lt;0,05), a JGF ima pozitivnu korelaciju sa ADC korteksa, medule i parenhima, kao i sa FA medule (p&lt;0,05) kod DM pacijenata. Na osnovu Post hoc testa za ADC, kod DM pacijenata postoje razlike izmeŤu I i IV grupe, izmeŤu II i IV grupe i III i IV grupe (p&le;0,05). IzmeŤu godina ţivota, teţine, BMI, JGF, HbA1c, uree i &Scaron;UK-a, postoji razlika DM pacijenata i zdravih dobrovoljaca (p&lt;0,05). Niţa je vrednost FA medule DM pacijenata u odnosu na zdrave dobrovoljce (p&lt;0,05). Postoji razlika ADC korteksa, medule i parenhima izmeŤu zdravih dobrovoljaca i DM pacijenata IV grupe, kao izmeŤu DM pacijenata I i II grupe u odnosu na IV grupu. TakoŤe postoji razlika izmeŤu FA medule zdravih dobrovoljaca i DM pacijenata I i IV grupe (p&lt;0,05). Regresiona analiza pokazala je uticaj kreatinina na ADC desnog bubrega i ADC oba bubrega, dok procenjena JGF i cistatin C imaju uticaj na ADC desnog i levog bubrega, ADC oba bubrega i FA levog bubrega (p&lt;0,05). Traktografija je prikazala naru&scaron;enu arhitektoniku kod pacijenata sa o&scaron;te&scaron;enom bubreţnom funkcijom. Zakljuţak: Postoji korelacija laboratorijskih parametara bubreţne funkcije i procenjene JGF sa ADC i FA vrednostima bubrega, &scaron;to ukazuje na ulogu funkcionalnog magnetno rezonantnog imidţinga u dijagnostici dijabetesne nefropatije. Neophodna su dalja istraţivanja koja &scaron;e doprineti standardizaciji MR protokola i potvrdi znaţaja MR biomarkera u dijagnostici DN. Na osnovu na&scaron;ih rezultata vrednost FA medule osetljiviji je parametar od ADC vrednosti u otkrivanju ranog o&scaron;te&scaron;enja bubrega u sklopu dijabetes melitusa.</p> / <p>Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a disease that takes on the characteristics of a global epidemic. Patients of younger age are more and more commonly affected. Symptoms of type 2 DM are mild, often imperceptible, and therefore the disease is usually detected when complications are already manifested. Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the many complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus that leads to terminal renal failure. Diagnosis of DN is often late, causing the delay of the treatmen. Early detection of DN is crucial because it allows the application of therapeutic procedures aimed at preserving the remaining healthy nephrons and preventing terminal renal failure. Objective: To investigate a diffusion of water molecule within a kidney in DN using apparent diffusion coefficient maps, by quantification of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) values in diabetic patients with DM type 2. Material and methods: The prospective study comprised 10 healthy volunteers and 91 DM type 2 patients. DM patients were divided into four groups based on the values of the estimated glomerular filtration (eGFR) (groups: I eGFR &ge; 90, II 89-60, III 59-30, IV &le; 29 ml/min/1.73m&sup2;). All subjects were scanned by 1.5T MR using DWI (b=0 and b=400 s/mm&sup2;) and DTI (b=1000 s/mm&sup2;) sequences. ADC and FA values were calculated in six regions of interest, three in cortex and three in medulla of each kidney. Obtaned values were compared to laboratory parameters of renal function (urea, creatinine, uric acid) and eGFR. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between ADC and FA values of parenchyma, cortex and medulla of the left and the right kidney in healthy volunteers and DM patients. In DM patients, the ADC value was higher in the cortex than in the medulla (p=0.00) and the FA value was higher in the medulla than in the cortex (p=0.284). The negative correlation was found between urea, creatinine and cystatin C with ADC cortex, medulla and parenchyma (p&lt;0.05), and the eGFR was positively correlated with ADC cortex, medulla and parenchyma, and with FA medulla (p&lt;0.05) in DM patients. Based on the Post hoc test for ADC, in DM patients there were differences between I and IV group, between II and IV group, III and IV group (p&le;0,05). Regarding age, weight, BMI, GFR, HbA1c, urea, and glucose in the serum, there was a difference between DM patients and healthy volunteers (p&lt;0.05). The FA of medulla in DM patients was lower than of healthy volunteers (p&lt;0.05). There were differences in ADC of cortex, medulla, and parenchyma between healthy volunteers and DM patients of IV group, as well as between DM patients of I and II group compared to IV group. There were differences of medulla FA values between healthy volunteers and group I, accompanied by healthy and IV group of DM patients (p&lt;0.05). Regression analysis showed the influence of creatinine on ADC of right kidney and ADC of both kidneys, while eGFR and cystatin C have an effect on ADC of right and left kidney, ADC of both kidneys and FA of left kidney (p&lt;0.05). The tractography showed the disturbed architectonics in patients with impaired renal function. Conclusion: There is correlation of laboratory parameters of renal function and eGFR with ADC and FA values of the kidney, indicating the role of functional magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of DN. Further research that will contribute to standardizing the MR protocol and confirming the importance of MRI biomarker in the diagnosis of DN are needed. Based on our results, the values of medulla FA is more sensitive parameter than the ADC value in detecting early kidney damage in the context of diabetes mellitus.</p>

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 2009. / Härtill 4 uppsatser. Även tryckt utgåva.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 2010. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

The diploma aims to ascertain the opinions of diabetics on the current system of reimbursements of medical devices and medical procedures from the public health insurance. The diploma thesis is strategically divided into theoretical and practical bases. The theoretical bases are divided into three parts. The first part is focused on the disease diabetes mellitus, the second part provides a basic description of the concept of health insurance, and the third part describes the facts arising from the relationship between health insurance and diabetes, including e.g. provision and reimbursement of medical devices or medical procedures. The practical bases include the thesis objective, hypotheses, methods, research results and discussion. In order to process the data, a quantitative research strategy was used, and the data were collected by the questioning method and the questionnaire technique. The questionnaire I drew up for the diploma thesis started with the introductory page on which I introduced myself to the respondents and informed them about the purpose of the questionnaire survey, anonymity and use of the obtained data. The research set comprised the diabetics registered with a selected physician running an outpatient diabetes office. I distributed 300 questionnaires and received 248 completed questionnaires. So the rounded return rate was 82.7%. From the total number of 248 questionnaires, only 232 questionnaires could be used for the research, while 16 questionnaires were excluded because the respondents gave incomplete, inaccurate or logically incorrect answers to the questions important for the research. In order to achieve the set objective, two hypotheses were raised. The first one was: Type 1 diabetics are satisfied with the number of medical devices reimbursed from the public health insurance more than type 2 diabetics. Based on the research results, the conclusiveness of this hypothesis was found statistically significant so it was confirmed that type 1 diabetics are satisfied with the number of medical devices reimbursed from the public health insurance more than type 2 diabetics. The second hypothesis was: Type 1 diabetics are satisfied with the number of medical procedures reimbursed from the public health insurance more than type 2 diabetics. Based on the research results, the conclusiveness of this hypothesis was not found statistically significant in this case so type 1 diabetics are not satisfied with the number of medical procedures reimbursed from the public health insurance more than type 2 diabetics. The diploma thesis could be helpful in extending the knowledge of not only diabetics but also the general public. I would also be very glad if my thesis was used by health insurers as a source of information about clients covered by public health insurance, namely about people with the chronic disease diabetes mellitus. In later years, this thesis might also inspire further research in this issue.

La dysfonction endothéliale est un problème majeur au niveau mondial du fait de son implication dans de nombreuses pathologies. Ainsi, la dysfonction endothéliale est considérée comme un facteur pronostique défavorable dans les maladies cardiovasculaires. Les principaux mécanismes impliqués dans la dysfonction endothéliale sont la réduction de la formation et/ou de la biodisponibilité du monoxyde d’azote (NO), et la présence d’un stress oxydant. Le but de ce travail était d’évaluer des traitements phytothérapeutiques pouvant prévenir et/ou améliorer la dysfonction endothéliale. Le criblage de plus de trois cent plantes en fonction de leur capacité à induire une relaxation vasculaire et une inhibition de la NADPH oxydase (données confidentielles) a conduit à s’intéresser à Lindera obtusiloba. Ensuite, la capacité d’un extrait alcoolique de Lindera obtusiloba (LOE) à améliorer in vitro et in vivo la dysfonction endothéliale en activant la eNOS et en réduisant le stress oxydant a été testée. En conclusion, ces travaux indiquent que LOE possède des effets vasoprotecteurs in vitro et in vivo dans plusieurs modèles expérimentaux comme l’hypertension artérielle induite par l’angiotensine II, le diabète de type 2, l’athérosclérose et la thrombose pulmonaire. Ces effets bénéfiques impliquent, au moins en partie, la stimulation de la formation endothéliale du NO, la réduction du stress oxydant vasculaire via l’inhibition de la NADPH oxydase et l’inhibition de l’agrégation plaquettaire. Ainsi, LOE pourrait être un excellent candidat pour la prévention et/ou le traitement phytothérapeutique des maladies cardiovasculaires associées à une dysfonction endothéliale. / Endothelial dysfunction is a major worldwide topic because it is an important component and risk factor of a number of common human diseases. Therefore, endothelial dysfunction is considered a hallmark for vascular diseases, and has also been shown to be predictive of future adverse cardiovascular events. The main characteristic is a reduced NO production and bioavailability, and an increased vascular oxidative stress. The goal of the present research was to find a candidate for cardiovascular protective herbal medicine for the treatment of endothelial dysfunction. Through measurement of changes in isometric tension of porcine coronary artery rings, Lindera obtusiloba was selected amongst three hundred plants. Thereafter, the aim of our research was to determine whether an ethanolic extract of L. obtusiloba stems (LOE) improves endothelial dysfunction via activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and reduction of oxidative stress oxidase in vitro and in several animal models of cardiovascular diseases, and, if so, to elucidate the underlying mechanism. Altogether, the present findings indicate that LOE has vasoprotective effects both in vitro and in vivo including the Ang II-induced hypertention in rats, a type 2 diabetic mice model, and an atherosclerotic mice model, and a thromboembolism mice model, which involve its ability to stimulate the formation of NO, to reduce oxidative stress in the arterial wall, and to inhibit platelet aggregation. In conclusion, our studies reveal that LOE might be an interesting candidate as a cardiovascular protective herbal medicine in pathologies with endothelial dysfunction.