Prevalence of impaired fasting glycemia, impaired glucose tolerance, and type 2 diabetes in hemodialyzed patients when applying new diagnostic criteria.

OBJECTIVE: Recently, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) proposed a new diagnostic entity for diabetes mellitus that has not been applied in renal failure patients so far. Our goal was to apply the new impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) criteria in a group of hemodialyzed patients to provide data on glucose alterations in chronic renal failure. DESIGN AND PATIENTS: We evaluated 74 hemodialyzed patients, (38 women, 36 men) without diagnosed diabetes. Blood was collected at fasting and at 120 minutes after a 75-g glucose intake, and insulin levels were determined. The weight, height, waist circumference, and hip circumference of each patient were measured, and the body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio were calculated. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Values of fasting plasma glycemia and 120-minute oral glucose tolerance test were (mean +/- SD) 78 +/- 9.4 mg/dL and 121 +/- 39 mg/dL, respectively. Among the 74 subjects studied, 5 patients had IFG, none of them showing a glucose level above 110 mg/dL. If the ADA 1997 criteria were applied, these patients would be classified as normal. On the other hand, 15 of the 74 patients showed IGT, this prevalence being higher compared with that of the general population. Finally, in 5 of the 74 patients the presence of type 2 diabetes was shown by the second test. According to sex, no differences were observed in the prevalence of IFG, IGT, or diabetes. Glucose alterations are characteristics that need to be identified in chronic renal failure patients. Our results suggests that the glucose tolerance test might be evaluated during hemodialysis treatment to define its prevalence.

HNF1 alpha gene coding regions mutations screening, in a Caucasian population clinically characterized as MODY from Argentina.

INTRODUCTION: There are at least six subtypes of Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY) with distinctive genetic causes. MODY 3 is caused by mutations in HNF1A gene, an insulin transcription factor, so mutations in this gene are associated with impaired insulin secretion. MODY 3 prevalence differs according to the population analyzed, but it is one of the most frequent subtypes. Therefore, our aims in this work were to find mutations present in the HNF1A gene and provide information on their prevalence. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Mutations screening was done in a group of 80 unrelated patients (average age 17.1 years) selected by clinical characterization of MODY, by SSCP electrophoresis followed by sequenciation. RESULTS: We found eight mutations, of which six were novel and four sequence variants, which were all novel. Therefore the prevalence of MODY 3 in this group was 10%. Compared clinical data between the non-MODY 3 patients and the MODY 3 diagnosed patients did not show any significant difference. DISCUSSION: Eight patients were diagnosed as MODY 3 and new data about the prevalence of that subtype is provided. Our results contribute to reveal novel mutations, providing new data about the prevalence of that subtype.

Aspectos metabólicos y complicaciones de la hiperuricemia / Metabolic aspects and complications of hyperuricemia

El resultado de observaciones epidemiológicas inicia en la actualidad una reevaluación del ácido úrico en diferentes enfermedades metabólicas, enfermedad cardiovascular y renal. El rol de la hiperuricemia como factor de riesgo cardiovascular independiente es difícil de evaluar aún en análisis de modelos multivariados, dado que existen resultados inconclusos e inconsistentes en la mayoría de los estudios. Esta dificultad se observa por la fuerte asociación del ácido úrico con otros factores clásicos de riesgo cardiovascular que no permiten diferenciar el riesgo. Durante muchos años se lo consideró una sustancia biológicamente inerte, pero posteriormente se encontró que tiene muchas propiedades biológicas que podrían ser beneficiosas o perjudiciales para los seres humanos. Existen en la actualidad una controversia sobre si su rol es protector por tener propiedades anti-oxidante o lesivo por sus propiedades pro-oxidantes en la placa arterioesclerótica y en tejido adiposo lo que podría determinar que no solo se trate de un marcador de riesgo, sino que conforme un factor causal en las enfermedades metabólicas como la diabetes mellitus, el síndrome metabólico, las enfermedades cardiovasculares y/o renales. En esta revisión hemos actualizado estos conceptos de manera de intentar esclarecer dicho rol, para en un futuro se pueda instituir normas, que actualmente no están establecidas, para decidir si se debe tratar la hiperuricemia, en qué casos, con que niveles de corte y cuáles serían sus objetivos terapéuticos en cada circunstancia.

The results of epidemiological observations have led to a revaluation of uric acid role in different metabolic, cardiovascular and renal illnesses. The role of hyperuricemia as an independent cardiovascular risk factor is difficult to evaluate even in multivariate models analysis, since there are inconclusive and weak results in most studies. This difficulty is observed due to the strong association of uric acid with other classic cardiovascular risk factors which do not allow its distinction as an independently risk factor. For many years it was considered a biologically inert substance, but later, it was found that it has many biological properties which could be beneficial or harmful for human beings. Nowadays there is a controversial discussion about its role, whether it is protective for having anti-oxidant properties or harmful due to its pro-oxidants in the atherosclerotic plaque and in adipose tissue which could determine that it is not only a risk marker, but also a causal factor for metabolic illnesses as diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular and/or renal illnesses. In this consensus we have updated these concepts trying to clarify the mentioned role, so that in the future, regulations could be introduced, which are not established so far, in order to decide whether hyperuricemia must be treated, in which cases, which cut-off levels must be used and which should be the therapeutic objectives in each circumstance.

Infección urinaria en niños: evaluación imagenológica / Children urinary infection: imaging assessment

La infección del tracto urinario (ITU) es frecuente en pediatría y es considerada un marcador biológico de enfermedad anatómica o funcional del aparato urinario en niños. Se realizó un estudio prospectivo en cuatro hospitales públicos de Uruguay cuyos objetivos fueron: conocer la prevalencia de enfermedad nefrourinaria asociada; comparar resultados de la cistouretrografía miccional (CUM) realizada en dos oportunidades distintas; analizar en menores de 2 años los hallazgos centellogr ficos en relación con la presencia de "par metros sugestivos de pielonefritis aguda (PNA)"; conocer la evolución centellogr fica. A todos los niños con ITU sintom tica se les realizó ecografía renal y de vías urinarias. Se practicó CUM a menores de 5 años y a mayores de esa edad en casos seleccionados, en un primer período al mes pos ITU y en el segundo se autorizó realizarla intratratamiento. Se realizó centellograma renal en agudo a los menores de 2 años y a mayores en casos seleccionados. Se incluyeron 168 niños. De las ecografías, 21 por ciento tenían alteraciones. De las CUM, 30 por ciento fueron patológicas (26 por ciento de los varones y 32 por ciento de las niñas estudiados). En el segundo período aumentaron significativamente los estudios realizados, sin diferencia en el número ni severidad de reflujo vesicoureteral (RVU) detectados (total: 26 por ciento). La mitad de los centellogramas fueron patológicos, predominantemente im genes de PNA. En los menores de 2 años con dos o m s "par metros sugestivos de PNA" la mitad de los centellogramas fueron normales. Se destaca la importancia de evaluar anatómica y funcionalmente el aparato urinario a todos los niños desde su primer ITU.