Biomarkers of the early response to treatment of visceral leishmaniasis: A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Early biomarkers of the response to treatment are lacking and may help to reduce mortality by the vector-borne disease visceral leishmaniasis (VL). METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted to investigate plasma cytokines and clinical laboratory data as biomarkers of the early response to specific treatment for VL in 36 patients. RESULTS: The mean interleukin 6 (IL-6) concentration on the 7th day was 2.3% of the pre-treatment concentration, interleukin 10 (IL-10) was 8.0%, and interleukin 8 (IL-8) was 8.2%. On the 7th day, IL-10 was below half of the pre-treatment concentration in 100.0%, IL-8 in 95.5% and IL-6 in 90.9%. The spleen and liver sizes, haemoglobin, interleukin 1 beta (IL-1ß) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) showed a slower recovery. Fever disappeared in 91% on the 7th day, 69.4% had a normal white cell count, and 77.8% had a normal platelet value by this time. CONCLUSIONS: The plasma cytokines IL-6, IL-10 and IL-8 were demonstrated to be excellent markers of the early response to VL treatment and if tested before the 7th day, will likely prove to be better than fever measurement.

Glycoinsulinemic parameters associated with vitamin D status in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis therapy

ABSTRACT Evidence indicates that the physiological role of vitamin D goes beyond regulating classical domains of minerals and hormones. It is reported that the low status of Vitamin D may contribute to the occurrence of metabolic disorders, with emphasis on insulin resistance, atherosclerotic events and metabolic syndrome. In this sense, this study aimed to verify the association between metabolic and anthropometric parameters and vitamin D status in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis. This was a cross-sectional study conducted with 95 patients with chronic kidney disease treated at clinics in Teresina, Piaui, Brazil. Lipid and inflammatory profile, glycemia, insulin and vitamin D status were determined. Data were analyzed using STATA software, adopting significance level of p<0.05. The results pointed to a significant association between vitamin D concentrations and adiposity of patients. It was observed that the high blood glucose and HOMA-IR values presented statistical association with vitamin D concentrations, and conditioned greater chances of their inadequacy. There was no correlation between nutrient concentrations and cytokines evaluated in the study. Therefore, it was concluded that the increase in levels of glycoinsulinemic parameters (insulin and HOMA-IR) seems to influence vitamin D status in patients with chronic kidney disease.

RESUMEN La evidencia indica que el papel fisiológico de la vitamina D va más allá de regular los dominios clásicos del eje mineral y hormonal. Hay trabajos que muestran que el bajo nivel de vitamina D puede contribuir a la aparición de trastornos metabólicos, con énfasis en la resistencia a la insulina, eventos ateroscleróticos y síndrome metabólico. En este sentido, el objetivo de este estudio fue verificar la asociación entre parámetros metabólicos y antropométricos y el estado de vitamina D en pacientes renales crónicos en hemodiálisis. Se trata de un estudio transversal realizado con 95 pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica atendidos en consultas externas de Teresina, Piauí, Brasil. Se determinó el perfil lipídico e inflamatorio, la glicemia, la insulina y el estado de vitamina D. Los datos se analizaron utilizando programa STATA , con un nivel de significancia de p<0,05. Los resultados apuntaron a una asociación significativa entre las concentraciones de vitamina D y la adiposidad de los pacientes. Se observó que los valores elevados de glucosa en sangre y HOMA-IR se asociaron estadísticamente con las concentraciones de vitamina D y condicionaron mayores posibilidades de su insuficiencia. No hubo correlación entre las concentraciones de nutrientes y las citocinas evaluadas en el estudio. Por tanto, se concluyó que el aumento de los niveles de parámetros glucoinsulinémicos (insulina y HOMA-IR) parece influir en el estado de la vitamina D en pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica.