Intermittent hypoxia is an independent marker of poorer glycaemic control in patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes.

AIM: This study investigated the association between intermittent hypoxia and glycaemic control in patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (T2D) not treated for sleep apnoea. METHODS: This was a single-centre cross-sectional study of stable patients with T2D and HbA1c ≥7% (53 mmol/mol). Patients underwent overnight pulse oximetry and, if intermittent hypoxia-defined by a 4% oxyhaemoglobin desaturation index ≥15-was observed, respiratory polygraphy was performed. All participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Questionnaire and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The association between intermittent hypoxia and poorer glycaemic control (defined by an HbA1c level above the median of 8.5%) was estimated by multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Out of 145 patients studied, 54 (37.2%) had intermittent hypoxia (with sleep apnoea confirmed in 53). Patients with intermittent hypoxia had 0.7% (7.7 mmol/mol) higher median HbA1c levels than patients without intermittent hypoxia (P=0.001). Intermittent hypoxia was associated with poorer glycaemic control after adjusting for obesity, age at onset and duration of diabetes, insulin requirement, sleep quality and depressive mood (OR: 2.31, 95% CI: 1.06-5.04, model adjusted for body mass index; OR: 2.46, 95% CI: 1.13-5.34, model adjusted for waist-to-height ratio). CONCLUSION: Intermittent hypoxia, a consequence of sleep apnoea, is frequent and has a strong independent association with poorer glycaemic control in patients with uncontrolled T2D.

[Chronic complications in type 1 diabetes mellitus. Analysis of a cohort of 291 patients with a mean evolution time of 15 years]. / Complicaciones crónicas en la diabetes mellitus tipo 1. Análisis de una cohorte de 291 pacientes con un tiempo medio de evolución de 15 años.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Micro- and macrovascular complications are the main cause of morbidity and mortality in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D). Given the scarcity of data on the subject in our population, we have analyzed the prevalence of vascular complications and possible risk factors in a cohort of T1D patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study including patients aged 18 and over diagnosed of T1D with at least 6 months' evolution, seen in the Hospital del Mar, Barcelona and Hospital de Granollers during 2008 was carried out. RESULTS: We recruited 291 patients (166 men) with a mean age of 38 years and a T1D duration of 15.3 years. There was one or more diabetes-related vascular complications in 110 (37.8%) patients. Of these, 104 (35.7%) had microvascular complications, 22 (7.6%) macrovascular, and 16 (5.5%) both. Patients with microvascular complications had a higher prevalence of tobacco use (57% smokers Vs. 47.5%, P<.05), dyslipidemia (65.4% Vs. 28.3%, P <.05), hypertension (43.3% Vs. 23.5%, P <.05) and metabolic syndrome (41.3% Vs. 18.7%, P<.001). Moreover, they were older, had a longer duration of diabetes and higher values of glycosylated hemoglobin, triglycerides and systolic blood pressure. In the logistic regression analysis, diabetes duration (OR: 1.19 [95%CI: 1.07-1.32], P=.002), glycosylated hemoglobin levels (OR: 3.33 [95%CI: 1.58-7.03], P=.002) and the absence of metabolic syndrome (OR: 0.04 [95% CI:0.002-0.72], P=.03) showed an independent association with microangiopathy. Patients with T1D and macroangiopathy had longer diabetes duration (23.3±12.6 years Vs. 14.7±10.9 years, in patients without complications, P <.001), higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome (50% Vs. 24.9%, in patients without complications, P=.011) and were more frequently receiving lipid lowering treatment (59.1% Vs. 27.1%, in patients without complications, P=.002). In the multiple regression model, only diabetes duration (OR: 1.047 [95% CI: 1.01-1.09], P=.019) remained independently associated with macroangiopathy. CONCLUSIONS: More than 1/3 of the T1D patients suffered a diabetes-related complication, mainly microvascular, at the time of the study. Diabetes duration and metabolic syndrome are the two mostly strongly related factors to chronic complications of DM1.

Cutoff values of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire to predict a normal health related quality of life.

UNLABELLED: One of the objectives in the treatment of the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is improving the patient's quality of life. However, we do not dispose of validated criteria to determine the questionnaire's scoring threshold that has to be reached in order to be able to assert that the patients' quality of life has normalized. OBJECTIVE: To determine the normality punctuation cutoff in the IBD specific quality of life questionnaire IBDQ-36. METHOD: Cross-sectional study in a random sample of IBD patients, who have completed the questionnaires IBDQ-36 and EuroQol-5D. The IBDQ-36 normality was calculated according to its equivalence with the EuroQol-5D tariff ≥ 0.90, which corresponds to the 95% CI of the average obtained in a Spanish general population. RESULTS: 218 patients were included. According to the EuroQol-5D tariff, 70 patients were considered to have a normal quality of life and 148 a quality of life poorer than the general population. The IBDQ-36 scoring was significantly higher in the normal quality of life group (222.9 ± 22.8 vs. 171.4 ± 44.8 in the bad quality of life group, p<0.001). According to the linear regression between IBDQ-36 and EuroQol-5D, the cutoff point is 209, with a sensitivity and specificity to predict normality of 0.74 and 0.71 respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Scores of the IBDQ-36 equal or superior to 209 suggest quality of life comparable to that perceived by the general population. This study allowed to set a threshold of normality in the management of the inflammatory bowel diseases.

Inducible myocardial ischaemia in asymptomatic Type 2 diabetic patients.

BACKGROUND: to define the prevalence of inducible myocardial ischaemia in asymptomatic Type 2 diabetic patients and its relation to urinary albumin excretion rate (AER). METHODS: 98 Type 2 diabetic patients aged 56+/-7 years, and 20 non-diabetic volunteers were recruited. Dypiridamole plus exercise thallium-201 myocardial single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was performed in all participants. Exclusion criteria were: age <30 or >70 years, evidence of cardiovascular disease, anomalous ECG, autonomic neuropathy or serum creatinine level >177 micromol/l. RESULTS: 36 out of 98 diabetic patients (37%) showed abnormal thallium SPECT (considered as inducible myocardial ischaemia), versus one out of 20 (5%) in control group (odds ratio 7.3 (95% CI 1.1-50.5), P<0.005). Among diabetic patients, prevalence of inducible ischaemia was greater in those with higher urinary AER (AER <30:30-300:> 300 mg/24 h: 26: 53: 88%, and greater in the normoalbuminuric group compared to the control group (26 vs. 5%; P<0.05). An AER >30 mg/24 h was the only independent factor associated with inducible myocardial ischaemia in the multivariate analysis (P=0.009). CONCLUSIONS: raised urinary AER in asymptomatic diabetic patients is a risk factor for present myocardial ischaemia demonstrated by thallium dypiridamole tomography. The prevalence of inducible myocardial ischaemia in asymptomatic diabetic patients without known coronary disease is much higher than in non-diabetic population.

Diagnostic efficiency of serum IGF-I, IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), IGF-I/IGFBP-3 molar ratio and urinary GH measurements in the diagnosis of adult GH deficiency: importance of an appropriate reference population.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the diagnostic role of serum IGF-I, IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), IGF-I/IGFBP-3 molar ratio and urinary GH (uGH) excretion in adult GH deficiency (GHD). DESIGN: Twenty-seven adults (age range: 18-71 years) with severe GHD, defined by a peak GH response to an insulin tolerance test below 3microg/l in patients with at least one additional pituitary hypofunction. Reference values were established from a selected age- and body mass index-matched population (154 healthy adults grouped in four age groups). METHODS: IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were measured by RIA (Nichols) and results expressed as standard deviation (s.d.) scores from our reference population and assay normative data (s.d. score Nichols). uGH was measured by IRMA. RESULTS: Within the control group, IGF-I, IGFBP-3, IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio standardisation regarding our control population and IGF-I with respect to the assay normative data resulted in disappearance of age-related differences. However, IGFBP-3 s.d. score Nichols resulted in mean values between +1.4 and +2.5 s.d. score. Greatest diagnostic efficiency was for IGF-I standardised with respect to our controls (97.2%), followed by s.d. score IGFBP-3 (92.9%). s.d. score IGF/IGFBP-3 ratio and uGH showed poor diagnostic efficiency. Any combination of at least two abnormal parameters raised specificity to 100%. IGF-I standardised with respect to assay reference (s.d. score Nichols) showed similar diagnostic value (95.0%) whereas IGFBP-3 showed low sensitivity (33. 3%). Within the GHD patients, those with three or more additional deficiencies had lower s.d. score IGF-I than those with only two or one. CONCLUSION: We underline the importance of an appropriate reference population for correct interpretation of GH secretion markers. Considering our results, specificity obtained with two simultaneous abnormal parameters when referred to an adequate reference population may add valuable information to alternative GH stimulation tests to confirm adult GHD.

[Nursing achievement. Measurement of nursing time]. / Producto enfermero. Medida del tiempo por procesos.

OBJECTIVE: To study the nursing duties according to pathology, measuring the time required to give the necessary patient care. Both direct and indirect activities were analyzed. The patients were classified according to the Diagnostically Related Group (DRG) system. METHODS: The study was conducted with hospitalized ophthalmology patients. To increase accuracy the different methods of measuring the work loads were adjusted. A modified Delphi method was used as a time standard. The amount of time spent on direct and indirect activities per patient was analyzed according to the DRG for each day in the hospital as well as each shift. Differences between pathologies were also accounted for. RESULTS: The patients in the various groups had the following mean times per activity: DRG 036-1010.5 minutes; DRG 042 912.3 minutes; DRG 039-335.3 minutes; DRG 040-302.9 minutes. There are some significant differences between some pathologies but if they are adjusted for their average say they are not significant. CONCLUSION: The work load of ophthalmology nurses depends basically in the average stay in the hospital and not the pathology.

Renal function changes in hypertensive patients with non-insulin- dependent diabetes mellitus.

A group of 146 patients with non-insulin- dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) was studied. They were divided into two groups of 73 age and sex matched patients, according to the presence or absence of hypertension. We recorded the presence of macrovascular and microvascular complications of NIDDM, family history, body mass index (BMI), glycemic control and lipidic profile. Renal parameters included plasma creatinine, urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER), glomerular filtration rate (GFR), effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) and filtration fraction. Hypertensive patients had a higher BMI (30 +/- 4.8 kg/m2 vs. 27.6 +/- 4.4 kg/m2, P < 0.005), total cholesterol (6.34 +/- 1.47 mmol/l vs. 5.72 +/- 1.14 mmol/liter, P < 0.01), creatinine (91.1 +/- 25.6 mumol/liter vs. 81.3 +/- 20.3 mumol/liter, P < 0.05) and UAER [63.7 (range 1 to 5160) mg/24 hr vs. 27.3 (3 to 5500) mg/24 hr, P < 0.001]. GFR was lower in the group with hypertension (113 +/- 35 ml.min-1.1.73 m-2 vs. 127 +/- 29 ml.min-1.1.73 m-2, P < 0.05), but there were no differences in ERPF. The difference in GFR was only apparent in patients without established diabetic nephropathy. Hypertensive patients had higher frequency of ischemic heart disease (18% vs. 6%, P < 0.05) and diabetic nephropathy (62% vs. 38%, P < 0.005). We conclude hypertensive NIDDM patients, when compared with normotensive NIDDM patients, are more obese, hypercholesterolemic and have a higher frequency of ischemic heart disease and diabetic nephropathy. Hypertensive NIDDM patients have a worse renal function than normotensives before clinical proteinuria appears. The deterioration of GFR in hypertensive NIDDM patients possibly has an important influence on the progression of diabetic nephropathy.

Pharmacokinetics of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim association in hens.

A pharmacokinetic study of sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) and trimethoprim (TMP) was carried out on Warren hens after intravenous (iv) dosage of 4:1, and oral administration of dosages of 5:1, and 2.5:1. The SMZ and TMP half-lives were 8.2 and 2.4 hr, respectively. The ratio between SMZ and TMP serum levels (S/T ratio), after iv administration of the 4:1 dosage, was approximately 20 and remained constant for only 1 hr, while after 5:1 and 2.5:1 oral dosages, the S/T ratio was 40 and 20, respectively, and remained invariable for 12 hr. The oral bioavailability of SMZ and TMP was .46 and .36, respectively. The apparently slower elimination of TMP from serum following oral administration should provide an extended duration of the synergistic antibacterial effect when this route of administration is employed. Finally, the 2.5:1 combination, after oral administration, resulted in an appropriate synergistic ratio (S/T ratio = 20:1) of the drugs in the serum.

Pharmacokinetic evaluation and mammary excretion of tamethicillin in the healthy goat.

We evaluated the pharmacokinetics and the mammary excretion of a new beta-lactam antibiotic derivative, the diethylaminoethyl ester of methicillin, commonly known as tamethicillin. Tamethicillin is a hydrolyzable weak basic ester (pro-drug) that is converted to methicillin in the body. Its pharmacokinetic profile compares favorably with that of methicillin. In this sense, tamethicillin had five times greater distribution volume than methicillin, and both its slow phase half-time (t 1/2) and elimination half-time (t 1/2 Kel) were clearly greater. In addition, our experimental studies on mammary excretion in the goat have demonstrated a better selectivity for the udder of tamethicillin as compared with methicillin. Results of 2 years of field experience show that tamethicillin can be considered a useful alternative for the treatment of mastitis in livestock, especially in mastitis due to beta-lactamase-producing Staphylococcus.