Eugen Moţa

Peritoneal dialysis – risk factor for glycemic variability assessed by continuous glucose monitoring system

Abstract Background and Aims. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is accompanied by a multitude of factors that influence glycemic variability, and HbA1c does not detect dynamic glucose changes. In this study we wanted to assess glycemic variability, using a 72-hour continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS), in 31 patients stratified according to the presence of type 2 diabetes and PD. Materials and Methods. The study included 31 patients (11 type 2 diabetic PD patients, 9 non diabetic PD patients and 11 type 2 diabetic patients without PD). Glycemic variability was assessed on CGM readings by: Mean Amplitude of Glycemic Excursion (MAGE), Mean of Daily Differences (MODD), Fractal Dimensions (FD), Mean Interstitial Glucose (MIG), Area Under glycemia Curve (AUC), M100, % time with glucose >180/<70 mg/dl. Results. The PD diabetic patients presented AUC, MIG and inter-day glycemic variability (MODD) significantly higher than diabetic patients without PD. In PD patients, the type of dialysis fluid in the nocturnal exchange and peritoneal membrane status did not significantly influence glycemic variability. Conclusions. CGMS is more useful than HbA1c in quantifying the metabolic imbalance of PD patients. PD induces inter-day glycemic variability and poor glycemic control, thus being a potential risk factor for chronic complications progression in diabetic patients.

Insulin Resistance Markers in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract Insulin resistance (IR) is a fundamental disorder of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM), but it is also involved in the etiopathogenesis of type 1 DM, with important implications in the onset and progression of micro- and macrovascular complications in type 1 DM. Overweight plays the main role in the increased incidence of both types of DM, exacerbating IR. The epidemic increase of overweight and obesity makes it difficult to diagnose the exact phenotype of DM, as IR and autoimmunity often coexist. Many studies showed an increase in incidence of micro- and macrovascular complications in patients with type 1 DM with IR, compared to patients with type 1 DM without IR. The gold standard of IR evaluation is represented by the method of euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp, applied on a reduced scale in research. Thus, it is necessary to identify early IR markers (clinical or biological markers), less laboured ones, that could be used on a large scale in current medical practice, for the IR determination in type 1 DM. Clinicians and health experts should prevent/ reduce the epidemic of overweight and obesity in young people, thus decreasing IR, and implicitly the chronic complications of DM.

Glycated Albumin – More Than the Missing Link in the Evaluation of Diabetes Control

Abstract Diabetes mellitus represents a major public health problem in the world and glycemic control is very important in subjects with diabetes. Glycation of many proteins is increased in subjects with diabetes compared with persons without diabetes. Glycated albumin (GA) has emerged as a possible glycation index for intermediate-term diabetes control. There is evidence that GA can be considered a better parameter than glycated haemoglobin in many conditions including pregnancy, chronic kidney disease, liver diseases and anemia. Several reports indicate that GA plays a role in the pathogeny of diabetes complications, mainly in diabetic nephropathy and retinopathy. There are several limitations for using GA including the lack of standardization in the laboratories. Several studies are needed in order to understand the place of GA in the pathogeny of diabetes complications and the role in assessing the metabolic control

Associations of smoking with cardiometabolic profile and renal function in a Romanian population-based sample from the PREDATORR cross-sectional study

Abstract Background: The impact of smoking on morbidity is well known, but in Romania, limited data are available regarding the smoking prevalence and relationship with cardiometabolic profile and kidney function. Objectives: To assess the association of smoking with cardiometabolic traits and kidney function, in a Romanian population-based sample from the PREDATORR study. Methods: PREDATORR was an epidemiological cross-sectional study. Between 2012 and 2014, participants were randomly selected from the lists of general practitioners and enrolled if they were aged 20 to 79 years, born and living in the past 10 years in Romania. Sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics were collected through interviewer-administered questionnaires. Results: Overall, 2704 participants were included in the analysis, 18% of them being current smokers and 30.8% former smokers. Current smokers compared to non-smokers had higher total cholesterol (220.6 ± 50.4 versus 213.9 ± 86.8 mg/dl, P = 0.017), LDL-cholesterol (137.8 ± 45.2 versus 130.7 ± 83.7 mg/dl, P = 0.004) and glomerular filtration rate (96.9 ± 16.8 versus 90.7 ± 19.1 ml/min/1.73 m2, P <0.001) in women and higher triglycerides (170.7 ± 129.8 versus 144.3 ± 94.2 mg/dl, P = 0.007), glomerular filtration rate (97.6 ± 17 versus 90.3 ± 18 ml/min/1.73 m2, P < 0.001) and lower HDL-cholesterol (48 ± 15.5 versus 50.4 ± 14.1 mg/dl, P = 0.002) in men. Active smoking was associated with hypercholesterolaemia [OR: 1.40 (95% CI: 1.01–1.96), P = 0.04] and low HDL-cholesterolaemia [OR: 1.39 (95% CI: 1.01–1.91), P = 0.04] and negatively associated with overweight/obesity [OR: 0.67 (95% CI: 0.48–0.94), P = 0.02]. Male former smokers had higher prevalence of abdominal obesity (82.4% versus 76.4%, P = 0.02), hypertriglyceridaemia (43.6% versus 35.6%, P = 0.01), hypertension (64% versus 56.4%, P = 0.01) and ischaemic vascular disease (40.5% versus 30.9%, P = 0.003) than male non-smokers. Conclusion: The PREDATORR study showed a high prevalence of smoking in the adult Romanian population providing data on the association of smoking with cardiometabolic traits.

Estimated Glucose Disposal Rate (eGDR) – A Marker for the Assessment of Insulin Resistance in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract Background and Aims: Studies have shown an increased incidence of chronic complications in people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) with insulin resistance (IR) compared to people with T1DM without IR. Estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR) is an important indicator of IR in patients with T1DM, lower eGDR levels indicating greater IR. It was shown that T1DM patients with chronic complications (diabetic retinopathy - DR, diabetic peripheral neuropathy - DPN or diabetic kidney disease - DKD) exhibit higher IR compared to patients without chronic complications. The aim of our study was to evaluate eGDR as a marker for the assessment of IR in T1DM patients. Materials and Methods: The study was observational, cross-sectional and included 140 T1DM patients with diabetes duration>10 years. The collected data were analyzed using the Statistic Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 software (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA). Results: eGDR presented statistically significant correlations (p<0.05) with the presence of metabolic syndrome (MS), obesity, chronic complications of T1DM, cardiovascular risk (CVR) and smoking status in patients with T1DM duration >10 years. Conclusions: eGDR represents a reliable marker for assessing the IR in T1DM.

Blood Pressure Variability and Risk for Progression of Cardiovascular and Renal Diseases in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract Accurate measurement of blood pressure (BP) and evaluation of global cardiovascular risk is crucial for diagnosis and treatment of hypertensive patients. When hypertension and diabetes mellitus are associated, the risk for cardiovascular events is bigger than the sum of the components. Beyond systolic and diastolic BP values as targets for antihypertensive treatment, recent guidelines recognize BP variability as an independent predictor for future cardiovascular events. 24 hours ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) and home BP monitoring (HBPM) are two methods used in patient day to day life conditions for BP measurements. Increased variability of systolic and/or diastolic BP within one day (“short-term BP variability”) and also over longer periods (“long-term BP variability”) showed by ABPM and/or HBPM is associated with target-organ damage and cardiovascular events. This review is focused on the prognostic importance of BP variability in hypertensive patients with diabetes mellitus.

Is Non Dipping Hypertension Associated with Dyslipidemia, Type 2 Diabetes or Chronic Kidney Disease?

Abstract Background and aims. Hypertension and dyslipidemia (DLP) increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), especially in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). A non dipping pattern is very common in CKD. The aim of the study was to determine whether there is a difference between dipping/non dipping hypertension in subjects with CKD and DLP with or without lipid-lowering therapy (LLT). Material and methods. We performed a retrospective study that included 129 subjects from the Nephrology- Hypertension Out-patient Department of the University Campus Bio-Medico, Rome from January 2011 to April 2013. Results. From a total of 129 CKD subjects, 73 (56.59%) subjects had a non dipping pattern and 56 (43.41%) had a dipper pattern. We found statistically significant differences between the dipping and non-dipping pattern in subjects with CKD stages 1-2 versus stages 3-4 (p=0.018). When we analyzed the association between non-dipping status with DLP and type 2 diabetes (T2D), we did not find a statistically significant result. Conclusions. Only CKD significantly influenced the dipping/non dipping pattern in the study group