Pulmonary Function and Retrobulbar Hemodynamics in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

BACKGROUND: The primary goals of this study were to evaluate early changes in pulmonary function and retrobulbar hemodynamics and to examine the correlation between these parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes during the preclinical stages of diabetic retinopathy. METHODS: For the single-time point measurements, 63 subjects with type 2 diabetes without diabetic retinopathy (diabetes group) and 32 healthy subjects (control group) were selected to evaluate any early changes in pulmonary function and retrobulbar hemodynamics and to examine the correlation between these parameters. In the longitudinal follow-up study, 32 subjects who were newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were divided into 2 groups according to their resistivity index (≤0.7 and >0.7). Early changes in pulmonary function and retrobulbar hemodynamics were studied in these groups and compared with the previous values. RESULTS: For the single-time point measurements, the fasting plasma glucose, 2-h postprandial blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin A1c, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels as well as the pulmonary function parameters were significantly higher in the diabetes group than in the control group. The pulmonary function parameters were negatively and significantly correlated with glycosylated hemoglobin A1c and the duration of diabetes. The retrobulbar hemodynamics were positively correlated with glycosylated hemoglobin A1c and diabetes duration; in contrast, the correlation between retrobulbar hemodynamics and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c. In the longitudinal follow-up study, the pulmonary function of the 2 groups categorized by their resistivity index levels indicated that subjects with resistivity index levels ≤0.7 showed significantly better pulmonary function, and the pulmonary function of this group showed improvement and a significantly smaller decrease. The incidence of diabetic retinopathy in the group with resistivity index levels ≤0.7 (9 of 22, 40.9%) was significantly lower than that in the group with resistivity index levels >0.7. CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary function and retrobulbar hemodynamics changed during the preclinical stages of diabetic retinopathy. Regulating glycemia may improve retrobulbar hemodynamics in the retrobulbar arteries (ie, central retinal artery, posterior ciliary artery, and arteria ophthalmica). By detecting the retrobulbar resistivity index and the levels of glycosylated hemoglobin A1c, we could predict future changes in pulmonary function during the preclinical stages of diabetic retinopathy as well as the degree of retinopathy. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration NCT02774733.).

25-(OH)VitD3, as a risk indicator in diagnosis of adenocarcinoma.

Vitamin D (VitD) comes from sunlight exposure and food intake. Apart from regulating calcium homeostasis and bone function, its levels also associate with the presence of development of adenocarcinoma. VitD can interact with VitD receptor (VDR), which heterodimerizes with retinoic X receptor (RXR) and then induces transcription of proteins that function in cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and angiogenesis. We reviewed and discussed the genes and their associated polymorphisms involved in the correlation between development of adenocarcinoma and VitD deficiency to highlight how VitD may be instrumental in cancerization. Furthermore, pilot epidemiological data show that the detection of 25-hydroxy-Vitamin D3 ((36.5±10.7 nmol/L, n=129) vs (81.4±19.8 nmol/L, n=81)) can be a promising approach in cancer diagnosis. In this review, we suggest that 25-hydroxy-Vitamin D3 can act as an indicator and/or risk assessment factor in early diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of adenocarcinoma.

Aromatherapy and the central nerve system (CNS): therapeutic mechanism and its associated genes.

Molecular medical research on aromatherapy has been steadily increasing for use as an adjuvant therapy in managing psychiatric disorders and to examine its therapeutic mechanisms. Most studies, as well as clinically applied experience, have indicated that various essential oils, such as lavender, lemon and bergamot can help to relieve stress, anxiety, depression and other mood disorders. Most notably, inhalation of essential oils can communicate signals to the olfactory system and stimulate the brain to exert neurotransmitters (e.g. serotonin and dopamine) thereby further regulating mood. However, little research has been done on the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects, thus their mechanism of action remains ambiguous. Several hypotheses have been proposed regarding the therapeutic mechanism of depression. These have mainly centered on possible deficiencies in monoamines, neurotrophins, the neuroendocrine system, c-AMP, cation channels as well as neuroimmune interactions and epigenetics, however the precise mechanism or mechanisms related to depression have yet to be elucidated. In the current study, the effectiveness of aromatherapy for alleviating psychiatric disorders was examined using data collected from previously published studies and our unpublished data. A possible signaling pathway from olfactory system to the central nerve system and the associated key molecular elements of aromatherapy are also proposed.