Context: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is an important endocrine disorder in perinatology, associated with several maternal and neonatal complications. Development of national guidelines can inform clinicians, health policymakers, and researchers about the most recent evidence and practical issues of diagnosis and management of GDM.
Objectives: We aimed to develop clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of GDM in Iranian pregnant women.
Evidence acquisition: The Iranian Endocrine Society constituted a task force, consisting of obstetrician-gynecologists, endocrinologists, a clinical nutritionist, a clinical epidemiologist, and a librarian, to review the published literature and propose national guidelines for the diagnosis and management of GDM. The consensus was reached on all recommendations in several group meetings with a majority decision. The evidence and recommendations were graded according to the American College of Physicians' Guideline Grading System.
Results: The proposed guidelines included recommendations for screening, diagnosis, and management of GDM in Iran.
Conclusions: By using an evidence-based approach, these national GDM guidelines can address important clinical issues in the diagnosis and management of Iranian women with GDM.
Publishing in peer-reviewed high-quality journals is a gold standard method for disseminating scientific work. Choosing the right journal is one of the most important and difficult aspects of publishing research results. Submitting to an inappropriate journal is one of the most common reasons for fast rejection of manuscripts, resulting in time wasted by the authors and journals' editors. Here, we discuss important factors that should be considered for choosing the right journal to get your work published successfully and effectively. The most important factors for journal targeting are: (1) The journal's characteristics, including its scientific prestige, performance, publishing model, acceptance possibility, and specialty; (2) the manuscript's characteristics, including its relevance to the journal's aim and scope, its intrinsic value, meaning the novelty of the research, soundness of the methodology, potential impact in the field, and its implication; and (3) authors' priorities and limitations.
Objectives: The study aimed to compare the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study (MDRD) and the Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations for the detection of cardiovascular risk.
Methods: Data of 9,970 Tehranian participants aged ≥ 20 years were analyzed. The prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), its risk factors, and 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk were compared across the categories of glomerular filtration rate based on the MDRD and CKD-EPI equations. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) was defined as the estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 according to each equation.
Results: The prevalence of CKD weighted to the 2016 Tehranian urban population was 11.0% (95% confidence interval: 10.3 - 11.6) and 9.7% (9.1 - 10.2) according to the MDRD and CKD-EPI equations, respectively. Besides, 8.3% and 1.5% of the participants with CKDMDRD and non-CKDMDRD were reclassified to non-CKDCKD-EPI and CKDCKD-EPI categories, respectively. Participants with CKDCKD-EPI but without CKDMDRD were more likely to be male and older, and more frequently had diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and CVD, when compared to those without CKD according to both equations; they were also more likely to be male, older, and smokers, and had less dyslipidemia and more CVD, when compared to those with CKD by using both equations. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, compared to CKDMDRD, the odds of CKDCKD-EPI were significantly higher for older age and lower for the female gender.
Conclusions: Compared to MDRD, the CKD-EPI equation provides more appropriate detection of cardiovascular risk, which is caused by the reclassification of older individuals and fewer females into lower eGFR categories.
Background: Poor self-management behavior is one of the causes of the high number of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Indonesia.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to measure the effectiveness of TPA-based community empowerment as a form of education in improving the blood glucose control practices of patients with T2DM in Yogyakarta.
Methods: This study used quantitative methods with a quasi-experimental non-equivalent pre-posttest control group design. The subjects of this study were "Prolanis member" patients with T2DM in the four primary health care centers in Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Purposive sampling was done at four primary care in Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. From 138 T2DM patients, only 102 were eligible to become respondents. The questionnaires were adapted to the recommendations of endocrine experts' associations to measure the level of T2DM patients' knowledge, attitude and practices. Intervention was done for three months, from October to December 2019. Measurements were made before and after the TPA.
Results: Attitude and behavior scores showed a significant increase (P < 0.05) after TPA intervention. Meanwhile, the average score of knowledge after the TPA intervention showed no significant increase (P > 0.05). Good self-management behavior in patients with T2DM was observed in Sleman Regency. Education through TPA based community empowerment should be considered as an appropriate intervention to improve DM management practice. Patients can receive material that is delivered easily because of the relaxed and pleasant environment during TPA.
Conclusions: TPA-based community empowerment can create a relaxed and pleasant environment to improve blood glucose control practices in patients with T2DM.
Background: The burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is on the rise worldwide; diabetes and hypertension are mentioned as the main contributors.
Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate the multiplicative and additive interaction of diabetes and hypertension in the incidence of CKD.
Methods: In this population-based cohort study, 7342 subjects aged 20 years or above (46.8% male) were divided into four groups: no diabetes and hypertension; diabetes and no hypertension; hypertension and no diabetes; and both diabetes and hypertension. The multivariable Cox regression was used to determine the effect of diabetes, hypertension, and their multiplicative interaction on CKD. The following indices were used to determine the additive interaction of diabetes and hypertension: the relative excess risk of interaction, the attributable proportion due to interaction, and the synergism index.
Results: Diabetes and hypertension had no significant multiplicative interaction in men (hazard ratio of 0.93, P value: 0.764) and women (hazard ratio of 0.79, P value: 0.198); furthermore, no additive interaction was found in men (relative excess risk due to interaction of 0.79, P value: 0.199; attributable proportion due to interaction of 0.22, P value: 0.130; synergy index of 1.44, P value: 0.183) and women (relative excess risk due to interaction of -0.26, P value: 0.233, attributable proportion due to interaction of -0.21, P value: 0.266; synergy index of 0.48, P value: 0.254).
Conclusions: This study demonstrated no synergic effect between diabetes and hypertension on the incidence of CKD.
Background: Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan by abstinence from food and drink every day from dawn to sunset. Studies have reported contradictory results with respect to the changes in body weight and biochemical parameters. No study has been conducted on the association between fasting and body weight and biochemical parameters in the Indian setting on healthy Muslim subjects.
Objectives: To assess the effect of fasting during Ramadan on biochemical parameters such as lipid profile, liver function test, renal function test, antioxidant status, random blood sugar, hemoglobin, body composition, and blood pressure in a sample of healthy individuals.
Methods: In this study, 52 healthy free-living participants (25 males, 27 females, 21-64 years) who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and completed both follow-ups (before and after Ramadan) were studied. Participants were fasting 12 hours a day for at least 21 days, including menstruating women. It was a free-living study with no dietary restrictions. Anthropometry, lipid profile, liver and renal function tests were measured by standard methods. Body composition was analyzed by bioelectrical impedance.
Results: Significant beneficial changes in albumin, alanine aminotransferase, creatinine, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were observed, while total cholesterol, random blood sugar, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase enzymes remained unchanged after Ramadan. Fasting did bring in some changes in body composition; among both men and women, mean weight loss ranged from 0.81 - 1.4 kg in majority of the subjects, which was due to loss in muscle mass. Moderate changes in intra- and extracellular water content was observed after fasting.
Conclusions: Significant improvements were observed in HDL levels and liver function tests, which can be attributed to the loss of body weight. Improvement in liver function tests may be related to the changes in cytokines and alteration in sleep patterns. Ramadan-like fasting, along with the nutritional education prior to fasting, may be beneficial and effective in the spiritual and overall well-being.
Background: Noonan syndrome is an autosomal dominant condition with an incidence of 1:1000 to 1:2500. The disorder is associated with distinct dysmorphic features, cardiac anomalies, developmental delay and delayed puberty. Short stature is a recognised feature of Noonan syndrome.
Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the effect of growth hormone treatment in patients with Noonan syndrome.
Methods: Retrospective data was collected from patients with Noonan syndrome treated with growth hormone. The results were analysed with variables expressed as mean values and standard deviation scores.
Results: Twelve Noonan syndrome patients (M: F = 10:2) treated with growth hormone were identified. The mean age of starting growth hormone was 8 years, with baseline height standard deviation score of -2.96 (range: -1.64 to -5.54). The height standard deviation score significantly improved to -2.50 (P = 0.0035) and then -2.22 (P = 0.0025), following one and two years of treatment, respectively. The average height velocity for the patients prior to starting treatment was 5.16cm/year (range: 2.4 - 8.2 cm/year), which significantly improved to 7.76cm/year (ranging from 4.1 to 12.8 cm/year) after one year of growth hormone treatment (P = 0.020) and to 6.51cm/year at the end of two years.
Conclusions: Our study has shown that growth hormone treatment significantly improves the height standard deviation score of patients with Noonan syndrome over a two-year course of growth hormone therapy without any side effects. Further research is required to analyse the long-term effect of growth hormone therapy in patients with Noonan syndrome, including the impact on final adult height.
Background: Thyroid cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the world. Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) accounts for 80% of all types of thyroid neoplasm. Epigenetic alterations such as DNA methylation are known as the main cause of different types of cancers through inactivation of tumor suppressor genes.
Objectives: In the present study, the expression and methylation of suggested gene namely nucleolar protein 4 (NOL4) in PTC in comparison to multi nodular goiter (MNG) have been studied.
Methods: Forty-one patients with PTC and 38 patients affected by MNG were recruited. Thyroid tissues were obtained during thyroidectomy. RNA and DNA were extracted from thyroid tissues. Quantitative RT-PCR assay was performed for determining the mRNA level of NOL4 while methylation-sensitive high resolution methylation was applied for assessing the methylation status with designing six pairs primers for six regions on gene promoter which were named from NOL4 (a) to NOL4 (f).
Results: Methylation assessment of 81 CpG islands in the promoter region of NOL4 gene revealed that NOL4 (f), the nearest region to the start codon, was significantly hypermethylated in PTC cases compared to MNG cases. NOL4 level in PTC cases in comparison with MNG cases were downregulated. The methylation status and mRNA level of NOL4 (f) were associated with age of diagnosis (Age of the patient at the time of diagnosis), lymph node metastasis, and advanced stages of disease.
Conclusions: These data suggested an aberrant promoter hyper-methylation of NOL4 in PTC cases may be linked with its downregulation. Therefore, NOL4 gene can be proposed as a potential tumor suppressor gene in PTC tissues.