Serum Levels of Myonectin Are Lower in Adults with Metabolic Syndrome and Are Negatively Correlated with Android Fat Mass.

Myonectin has shown beneficial effects on lipid regulation in murine models; therefore, it may have implications in the pathophysiology of metabolic syndrome (MS). We evaluated the relationship between serum myonectin and serum lipids, global and regional fat mass, intramuscular lipid content, and insulin resistance (IR) in adults with metabolic risk factors. This was a cross-sectional study in sedentary adults who were diagnosed with MS or without MS (NMS). Serum myonectin was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, lipid profile by conventional techniques, and free fatty acids (FFA) by gas chromatography. Body composition was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and intramuscular lipid content through proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the right vastus lateralis muscle. IR was estimated with the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR). The MS (n = 61) and NMS (n = 29) groups were comparable in age (median (interquartile range): 51.0 (46.0-56.0) vs. 53.0 (45.5-57.5) years, p > 0.05) and sex (70.5% men vs. 72.4% women). MS subjects had lower serum levels of myonectin than NMS subjects (1.08 (0.87-1.35) vs. 1.09 (0.93-4.05) ng·mL-1, p < 0.05). Multiple linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, fat mass index and lean mass index showed that serum myonectin was negatively correlated with the android/gynoid fat mass ratio (R2 = 0.48, p < 0.01), but not with the lipid profile, FFA, intramuscular lipid content or HOMA-IR. In conclusion, serum myonectin is lower in subjects with MS. Myonectin negatively correlates with a component relevant to the pathophysiology of MS, such as the android/gynoid fat mass ratio, but not with other components such as FFA, intramuscular fat or IR.

Clinical, histopathological, and molecular characterization of leprosy in an endemic area of the colombian caribbean.

Background: Mycobacterium leprae was considered the only causal agent of leprosy until Mycobacterium lepromatosis was identified' which it has been suggested has greater pathogenicity and is linked to diffuse lepromatous leprosy (DLL) and Lucio's phenomenon (LPh). Our objective is to identify Mycobacterium spp. in an endemic area of leprosy in Colombia. Methods: The study included cases with a diagnosis of leprosy by clinical and histopathological analysis. DNA extraction and two specific rounds of semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were performed in paraffin biopsies skin to identify M. leprae and M. lepromatosis. Demographic, clinical, and histopathological data were extracted and tabulated for analysis. Results: Forty-one cases of leprosy were analyzed. The most frequent clinical diagnosis was lepromatous leprosy (36.6%); there was one case with DLL and two with LPh. The most common histopathological finding was tuberculoid leprosy (36.59%); three cases had negative histopathology. M. lepromatosis was not detected; all cases corresponded to M. leprae including cases with negative histopathology' DLL, and LPh. Conclusion: In this study, M. leprae was the causative agent of leprosy, encompassing even its most severe phenotypic forms. It is appropriate to consider PCR as an indispensable tool for the diagnosis of leprosy and to continue to carry out the active search for M. lepromatosis.

Concordance of estimated glomerular filtration rate according to the formulas used in Colombia for patients with chronic kidney disease not on dialysis / Concordancia de la filtración glomerular estimada según las fórmulas utilizadas en Colombia en pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica no en diálisis

Abstract Introduction: the Colombian guidelines for chronic kidney disease (CKD) recommend estimating glomerular filtration (GF) using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation. No studies have been performed in the Colombian population to compare the accuracy of this equation to that of others used in clinical practice. Design and methods: we evaluated the GF estimation performance of the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD-4), Cockroft-Gault (CG) and body surface area adjusted Cockroft-Gault (CG-BSA) equations against the CKD-EPI equation in 757 adult patients. Performance was evaluated using bias, precision and accuracy measurements. Results: the mean GF by CKD-EPI was 37.32±12.71 mL/min/1.73m2; by MDRD-4 it was 39.8±13.2 mL/min/1.73m2, by CG it was 35±12.6 mL/min and by CG-BSA it was 34.52±11.34 mL/ min/1.73m2. All the equations had bias with respect to GF by CKD-EPI. The most accurate equation was GF estimated by MDRD-4 (MeGF) with 97.1 and 99.74% of measurements within 15 and 30%, respectively; and the least accurate was GF estimated by CG (CGeGF) with 59.7 and 81.77% of the measurements within 15 and 30%, respectively. The concordance correlation coefficient between GF by CKD-EPI and MDRD-4 was 0.97, with CG and CG-BSA at 0.78 and 0.85, respectively Conclusions: the most accurate alternative equation for estimating glomerular filtration in this Colombian population is MDRD-4, which has a high concordance with the CKD-EPI equation. Estimation of GF with the CG equation is not recommended.

Resumen Introducción: las guías colombianas de enfermedad renal crónica (ERC) recomiendan estimar la filtración glomerular (FG) con la fórmula de epidemiología de la enfermedad renal crónica (CKD-EPI). No se han realizado estudios que comparen en la población colombiana la exactitud de esta fórmula con otras utilizadas en la práctica clínica. Diseño y métodos: en 757 pacientes adultos evaluamos el desempeño para estimar la FG por las fórmulas de la modificación de la dieta en la enfermedad renal (MDRD-4), Cockroft-Gault (CG) y Cockroft-Gault corregida para la superficie corporal (CG-SC) comparada con la fórmula de CKD-EPI. El desempeño se evaluó con mediciones del sesgo, precisión y exactitud. Resultados: la media de la FG por CKD-EPI fue 37.32±12.71 mL/min/1.73m2, por MDRD-4 de 39.8±13.2 mL/min/1.73m2, por CG fue 35±12.6 mL/min y por CG-SC de 34.52±11.34 mL/ min/1.73m2. Todas las fórmulas tuvieron un sesgo con relación a la FG por CKD-EPI. La fórmula más exacta fue la FG estimada por MDRD-4 (FGeM) con una proporción de mediciones dentro del 15 y 30% en 97.1 y 99.74% de las mediciones respectivamente, y la menos exacta fue la FG estimada por CG (FGeCG) con 59.7 y 81.77% de las mediciones dentro del 15 y 30% respectivamente. El coeficiente de correlación de concordancia entre la FG por CKD-EPI y MDRD-4 fue de 0.97, con CG y CG-SC de 0.78 y 0.85, respectivamente. Conclusiones: la fórmula alterna más exacta para estimar la filtración glomerular en esta población colombiana es la MDRD-4 que tiene una alta concordancia con la fórmula de CKD-EPI. Se sugiere no utilizar la estimación de la FG con la fórmula de CG.

Negative Correlation between Altitude and COVID-19 Pandemic in Colombia: A Preliminary Report.

It has been suggested that high altitude can reduce the infectivity and case fatality rate of COVID-19. We investigated the relationship between altitude and the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia. Epidemiological data included the number of positive cases, deaths, and the case fatality rate of COVID-19. In particular, we analyzed data from 70 cities with altitudes between 1 and 3,180 m. Correlations and linear regression models adjusted to population density were performed to examine the relationship and contribution of altitude to epidemiological variables. The case fatality rate was negatively correlated with the altitude of the cities. The incidence of cases and deaths from COVID-19 had an apparent correlation with altitude; however, these variables were better explained by population density. In general, these findings suggest that living at high altitude can reduce the impact of COVID-19, especially the case fatality rate.