1 1942 176 EPIDEMIOLOGY OF LIVER CANCER IN AFRICA: CURRENT AND FUTURE TRENDS. HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA (HCC) IS A DISEASE OF GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH SIGNIFICANCE WITH MORTALITY ON THE RISE, DESPITE THE PREVENTABLE NATURE OF ITS RISK FACTORS ESPECIALLY IN AFRICA. IT IS NOW THE SIXTH MOST COMMON CANCER WORLDWIDE, FIFTH IN MALES, AND NINTH IN FEMALES. HCC INCIDENCE AND MORTALITY ARE PREDICTED TO INCREASE IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES CONSTRAINED BY LIMITED RESOURCES TO COMBAT ENDEMIC LEVELS OF VIRAL INFECTION AND SYNERGISTIC ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS. THE CHANGING NATURE OF HCC ETIOLOGY IS PARTICULARLY ILLUSTRATED HERE WITH THE TRADITIONAL RISK FACTORS LIKE VIRAL HEPATITIS COEXISTING ALONGSIDE HIGH HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV) PREVALENCE AND RAPIDLY INCREASING URBANIZATION THAT HAVE PROMOTED A SHARP INCREASE IN ADDITIONAL RISK FACTORS LIKE COINFECTION, TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS, AND OBESITY. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SOME DIFFERENCES IN ETIOLOGY BETWEEN NORTH AFRICA AND SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, RISK FACTORS LIKE CHRONIC VIRAL HEPATITIS B AND C, AFLATOXIN EXPOSURE, AND IRON OVERLOAD PREDOMINATE. AGGRESSIVE HEPATITIS B GENOTYPES, COMBINED WITH HEPATITIS B VIRUS/HEPATITIS C VIRUS/HIV COINFECTIONS AND AFLATOXIN EXPOSURE, PROMOTE A MORE AGGRESSIVE MOLECULAR PHENOTYPE. IN PARALLEL TO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE MOLECULAR ETIOLOGY OF HCC, POLICY AND PLANNING INITIATIVES TO ADDRESS THE BURDEN OF HCC MUST BE ANCHORED WITHIN THE REALITY OF THE LIMITED RESOURCES AVAILABLE. ESTABLISHMENT AND COORDINATION OF CANCER REGISTRIES ACROSS AFRICA IS NEEDED TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF DATA NECESSARY TO GALVANIZE ACTION. PREVENTIVE MEASURES INCLUDING HEPATITIS B VACCINATION PROGRAMS, MEASURES TO PREVENT MATERNAL-TO-CHILD AND CHILD-TO-CHILD TRANSMISSION, DELIVERY OF UNIVERSALLY ACCESSIBLE ANTIRETROVIRAL AND ANTIVIRAL TREATMENTS, AND REDUCTION OF DIETARY AFLATOXIN EXPOSURE CAN CONTRIBUTE MARKEDLY TO REDUCE HCC INCIDENCE. FINALLY, THE DEVELOPMENT OF BIOMARKERS AND NEW THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS WILL NEED A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNIQUE GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC CHARACTERISTICS OF HCC ON THE CONTINENT. WE PRESENT A NARRATIVE REVIEW OF HCC IN AFRICA, DISCUSSING PRESENT AND FUTURE TRENDS. 2020 2 1385 48 DIABETES IN CHILDHOOD CANCER SURVIVORS: EMERGING CONCEPTS IN PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS. WITH ADVANCEMENTS IN CANCER TREATMENT AND SUPPORTIVE CARE, THERE IS A GROWING POPULATION OF CHILDHOOD CANCER SURVIVORS WHO EXPERIENCE A SUBSTANTIAL BURDEN OF COMORBIDITIES RELATED TO HAVING RECEIVED CANCER TREATMENT AT A YOUNG AGE. DESPITE AN OVERALL REDUCTION IN THE INCIDENCE OF MOST CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS IN CHILDHOOD CANCER SURVIVORS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DECADES, THE CUMULATIVE INCIDENCE OF CERTAIN LATE EFFECTS, IN PARTICULAR DIABETES MELLITUS (DM), HAS INCREASED. THE IMPLICATIONS ARE SIGNIFICANT, BECAUSE DM IS A KEY RISK FACTOR FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, A LEADING CAUSE OF PREMATURE DEATH IN CHILDHOOD CANCER SURVIVORS. THE UNDERLYING PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF DM IN CANCER SURVIVORS IS MULTIFACTORIAL. DM DEVELOPS AT YOUNGER AGES IN SURVIVORS COMPARED TO CONTROLS, WHICH MAY REFLECT AN "ACCELERATED AGING" PHENOTYPE IN THESE INDIVIDUALS. THE TREATMENT-RELATED EXPOSURES (I.E., CHEMOTHERAPY, RADIATION) THAT INCREASE RISK FOR DM IN CHILDHOOD CANCER SURVIVORS MAY BE MORE THAN ADDITIVE WITH ESTABLISHED DM RISK FACTORS (E.G., OLDER AGE, OBESITY, RACE, AND ETHNICITY). EMERGING RESEARCH ALSO POINTS TO PARALLELS IN CELLULAR PROCESSES IMPLICATED IN AGING- AND CANCER TREATMENT-RELATED DM. STILL, THERE REMAINS MARKED INTER-INDIVIDUAL VARIABILITY REGARDING RISK OF DM THAT IS NOT EXPLAINED BY DEMOGRAPHIC AND THERAPEUTIC RISK FACTORS ALONE. RECENT STUDIES HAVE HIGHLIGHTED THE ROLE OF GERMLINE GENETIC RISK FACTORS AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH RISK OF DM IN BOTH THE GENERAL AND ONCOLOGY POPULATIONS. THIS REVIEW SUMMARIZES OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF RECOGNIZED RISK FACTORS FOR DM IN CHILDHOOD CANCER SURVIVORS TO HELP INFORM TARGETED APPROACHES FOR DISEASE SCREENING, PREVENTION, AND TREATMENT. FURTHERMORE, IT HIGHLIGHTS THE EXISTING SCIENTIFIC GAPS IN UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS OF INDIVIDUAL THERAPEUTIC EXPOSURES AND THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH THEY EXERT THEIR EFFECTS THAT UNIQUELY PREDISPOSE THIS POPULATION TO DM FOLLOWING CANCER TREATMENT. 2023 3 30 40 A BRIEF LOOK AT HASHIMOTO'S DISEASE, ADRENAL INCIDENTALOMAS, OBESITY AND INSULIN RESISTANCE-COULD ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS BE THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SAME COIN? HASHIMOTO'S DISEASE (HD) IS THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF HYPOTHYROIDISM IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. THE EXACT PATHOMECHANISM BEHIND IT HAS NOT BEEN CLEARLY ESTABLISHED; HOWEVER, AN INTERPLAY OF GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY, ENVIRONMENTAL TRIGGERS (INCLUDING DIET) AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS SEEMS TO BE INVOLVED. AMONG THE LATTER, INCREASINGLY MORE ATTENTION HAS BEEN PAID TO SOME HORMONALLY ACTIVE SUBSTANCES, KNOWN AS ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS, WHICH ARE COMMONLY USED WORLDWIDE. HD HAS BECOME A CONDITION WIDELY REPORTED IN THE MEDIA, ACTING AS A CULPRIT FOR INEXPLICABLE WEIGHT GAIN, CHRONIC FATIGUE OR WEAKNESS. NEVERTHELESS, THE RECOGNITION OF HD IS UNDENIABLY INCREASING AND REPRESENTS A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH BURDEN. AT THE SAME TIME, IMPROVING ACCESS TO IMAGING TESTS HAS INCREASED THE NUMBER OF INCIDENTALLY DIAGNOSED ADRENAL TUMORS. ABOVE ALL, THE WIDESPREAD USE OF CHEST COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (CT) DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS CONTRIBUTED TO FREQUENT INCIDENTAL DETECTION OF ADRENAL LESIONS. FORTUNATELY, A VAST MAJORITY OF THESE FINDINGS ARE ASYMPTOMATIC BENIGN TUMORS WITH NO EXCESSIVE HORMONAL ACTIVITY, AND THEREFORE, THEY ARE DEFINED AS ADRENAL INCIDENTALOMAS (AIS). INTERESTINGLY, RECENT STUDIES HAVE INDICATED THAT PATIENTS WITH AIS ARE MORE PRONE TO OBESITY AND INSULIN RESISTANCE. ALTHOUGH MUTUAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE THYROID AND THE ADRENAL GLANDS HAVE BEEN STUDIED WIDELY, STILL, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE POSSIBLE PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN THYROID AUTOIMMUNITY AND THE OCCURRENCE OF ADRENAL INCIDENTALOMAS. THIS ARTICLE PRESENTS A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE COMMON ENDOCRINE DISORDERS WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON THE FREQUENTLY COEXISTING INSULIN RESISTANCE AND/OR OBESITY. FURTHERMORE, IN RESPONSE TO THE RECENT GROWING INTEREST IN ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS, WITH THEIR TRANSGENERATIONAL EPIGENETIC EFFECTS THAT INFLUENCE HORMONAL SYSTEM FUNCTION, A CONCISE OVERVIEW OF THE TOPIC HAS ALSO BEEN INCLUDED. 2023 4 1388 32 DIABETIC PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE: NON-INVASIVE ASSESSMENT OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK. THE PREVALENCE AND BURDEN OF DIABETES MELLITUS AND CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE ON GLOBAL HEALTH AND SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS ALREADY HEAVY AND STILL RISING. DIABETES MELLITUS BY ITSELF IS LINKED TO ADVERSE CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS, AND THE PRESENCE OF CONCOMITANT CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE FURTHER AMPLIFIES CARDIOVASCULAR RISK. THE CULMINATION OF TRADITIONAL (MALE GENDER, SMOKING, ADVANCED AGE, OBESITY, ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION AND DYSLIPIDEMIA) AND NON-TRADITIONAL RISK FACTORS (ANEMIA, INFLAMMATION, PROTEINURIA, VOLUME OVERLOAD, MINERAL METABOLISM ABNORMALITIES, OXIDATIVE STRESS, ETC.) CONTRIBUTES TO ADVANCED ATHEROSCLEROSIS AND INCREASED CARDIOVASCULAR RISK. TO DECREASE THE MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY OF THESE PATIENTS DUE TO CARDIOVASCULAR CAUSES, TIMELY AND EFFICIENT CARDIOVASCULAR RISK ASSESSMENT IS OF HUGE IMPORTANCE. CARDIOVASCULAR RISK ASSESSMENT CAN BE BASED ON LABORATORY PARAMETERS, IMAGING TECHNIQUES, ARTERIAL STIFFNESS PARAMETERS, ANKLE-BRACHIAL INDEX AND 24 H BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS. NEWER METHODS INCLUDE EPIGENETIC MARKERS, SOLUBLE ADHESION MOLECULES, CYTOKINES AND MARKERS OF OXIDATIVE STRESS. IN THIS REVIEW, THE AUTHORS PRESENT SEVERAL NON-INVASIVE METHODS OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK ASSESSMENT IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETES MELLITUS AND CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE. 2021 5 6030 34 THE BURGEONING CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE EPIDEMIC IN INDIANS - PERSPECTIVES ON CONTEXTUAL FACTORS AND POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS. CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES (CVD) ARE THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AND DISABILITY IN INDIA. THE CVD EPIDEMIC IN INDIANS IS CHARACTERIZED BY A HIGHER RELATIVE RISK BURDEN, AN EARLIER AGE OF ONSET, HIGHER CASE FATALITY AND HIGHER PREMATURE DEATHS. FOR DECADES, RESEARCHERS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE REASON FOR THIS INCREASED BURDEN AND PROPENSITY OF CVD AMONG INDIANS. IT CAN PARTLY BE EXPLAINED BY POPULATION-LEVEL CHANGES AND THE REMAINING BY INCREASED INHERENT BIOLOGICAL RISK. WHILE INCREASED BIOLOGICAL RISK CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO PHENOTYPIC CHANGES CAUSED BY EARLY LIFE INFLUENCES, SIX MAJOR TRANSITIONS CAN BE CONSIDERED LARGELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE POPULATION-LEVEL CHANGES IN INDIA-EPIDEMIOLOGICAL, DEMOGRAPHIC, NUTRITIONAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL-CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC. ALTHOUGH CONVENTIONAL RISK FACTORS EXPLAIN SUBSTANTIAL POPULATION ATTRIBUTABLE RISK, THE THRESHOLDS AT WHICH THESE RISK FACTORS OPERATE ARE DIFFERENT AMONG INDIANS COMPARED WITH OTHER POPULATIONS. THEREFORE, ALTERNATE EXPLANATIONS FOR THESE ECOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES HAVE BEEN SOUGHT AND MULTIPLE HYPOTHESES HAVE BEEN PROPOSED OVER THE YEARS. PRENATAL FACTORS THAT INCLUDE MATERNAL AND PATERNAL INFLUENCES ON THE OFFSPRING, AND POSTNATAL FACTORS, RANGING FROM BIRTH THROUGH CHILDHOOD, ADOLESCENCE AND YOUNG ADULTHOOD, AS WELL AS INTER-GENERATIONAL INFLUENCES HAVE BEEN EXPLORED USING THE LIFE COURSE APPROACH TO CHRONIC DISEASE. IN ADDITION TO THIS, RECENT RESEARCH HAS ILLUSTRATED THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ROLE OF INHERENT BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES IN LIPID METABOLISM, GLUCOSE METABOLISM, INFLAMMATORY STATES, GENETIC PREDISPOSITIONS AND EPIGENETIC INFLUENCES FOR THE INCREASED RISK. A MULTIFACETED AND HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CVD PREVENTION THAT TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION POPULATION-LEVEL AS WELL AS BIOLOGICAL RISK FACTORS WOULD BE NEEDED TO CONTROL THE BURGEONING CVD EPIDEMIC AMONG INDIANS. 2023 6 4062 39 MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH SERVICES AND AN INTEGRATED, LIFE-CYCLE APPROACH TO THE PREVENTION OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES. DESCRIBED AS THE 'INVISIBLE EPIDEMIC', NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES (NCDS) ARE THE WORLD'S LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH. MOST ARE CAUSED BY PREVENTABLE FACTORS, INCLUDING POOR DIET, TOBACCO USE, HARMFUL USE OF ALCOHOL AND PHYSICAL INACTIVITY. DIABETES, CANCER AND CARDIOVASCULAR AND CHRONIC LUNG DISEASES WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR 38 MILLION (68%) OF GLOBAL DEATHS IN 2012. SINCE 1990, PROPORTIONATE NCD MORTALITY HAS INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY AS POPULATIONS HAVE AGED AND COMMUNICABLE DISEASES DECLINE. THE MAJORITY OF NCD DEATHS, ESPECIALLY PREMATURE NCD DEATHS (<70 YEARS, 82%), OCCUR IN LOW-INCOME AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES, AND AMONG POOR COMMUNITIES WITHIN THEM. ADDRESSING NCDS IS RECOGNISED AS CENTRAL TO THE POST-2015 AGENDA; ACCORDINGLY, NCDS HAVE A SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE AND TARGET IN THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS. WHILE DEATHS FROM NCDS OCCUR MAINLY IN ADULTHOOD, MANY HAVE THEIR ORIGINS IN EARLY LIFE, INCLUDING THROUGH EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS OPERATING BEFORE CONCEPTION. GOOD NUTRITION BEFORE CONCEPTION AND INTERVENTIONS AIMED AT PREVENTING NCDS DURING THE FIRST 1000 DAYS (FROM CONCEPTION TO AGE 2 YEARS), CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE MAY BE MORE COST-EFFECTIVE THAN MANAGING ESTABLISHED NCDS IN LATER LIFE WITH COSTLY TESTS AND DRUGS. FOLLOWING A LIFE-COURSE APPROACH, MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH INTERVENTIONS, BEFORE DELIVERY AND DURING CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE, CAN PREVENT NCDS AND SHOULD INFLUENCE GLOBAL HEALTH AND SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THIS PAPER DESCRIBES HOW SUCH AN APPROACH MAY BE PURSUED, INCLUDING THROUGH THE ENGAGEMENT OF NON-HEALTH SECTORS. IT ALSO EMPHASISES EVALUATING AND DOCUMENTING RELATED INITIATIVES TO UNDERWRITE SYSTEMATIC AND EVIDENCE-BASED CROSS-SECTORAL ENGAGEMENT ON NCD PREVENTION IN THE FUTURE. 2017 7 933 35 CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE. THE DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE (CKD) HAVE EVOLVED OVER TIME, BUT CURRENT INTERNATIONAL GUIDELINES DEFINE THIS CONDITION AS DECREASED KIDNEY FUNCTION SHOWN BY GLOMERULAR FILTRATION RATE (GFR) OF LESS THAN 60 ML/MIN PER 1.73 M(2), OR MARKERS OF KIDNEY DAMAGE, OR BOTH, OF AT LEAST 3 MONTHS DURATION, REGARDLESS OF THE UNDERLYING CAUSE. DIABETES AND HYPERTENSION ARE THE MAIN CAUSES OF CKD IN ALL HIGH-INCOME AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES, AND ALSO IN MANY LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES. INCIDENCE, PREVALENCE, AND PROGRESSION OF CKD ALSO VARY WITHIN COUNTRIES BY ETHNICITY AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, POSSIBLY THROUGH EPIGENETIC INFLUENCE. MANY PEOPLE ARE ASYMPTOMATIC OR HAVE NON-SPECIFIC SYMPTOMS SUCH AS LETHARGY, ITCH, OR LOSS OF APPETITE. DIAGNOSIS IS COMMONLY MADE AFTER CHANCE FINDINGS FROM SCREENING TESTS (URINARY DIPSTICK OR BLOOD TESTS), OR WHEN SYMPTOMS BECOME SEVERE. THE BEST AVAILABLE INDICATOR OF OVERALL KIDNEY FUNCTION IS GFR, WHICH IS MEASURED EITHER VIA EXOGENOUS MARKERS (EG, DTPA, IOHEXOL), OR ESTIMATED USING EQUATIONS. PRESENCE OF PROTEINURIA IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RISK OF PROGRESSION OF CKD AND DEATH. KIDNEY BIOPSY SAMPLES CAN SHOW DEFINITIVE EVIDENCE OF CKD, THROUGH COMMON CHANGES SUCH AS GLOMERULAR SCLEROSIS, TUBULAR ATROPHY, AND INTERSTITIAL FIBROSIS. COMPLICATIONS INCLUDE ANAEMIA DUE TO REDUCED PRODUCTION OF ERYTHROPOIETIN BY THE KIDNEY; REDUCED RED BLOOD CELL SURVIVAL AND IRON DEFICIENCY; AND MINERAL BONE DISEASE CAUSED BY DISTURBED VITAMIN D, CALCIUM, AND PHOSPHATE METABOLISM. PEOPLE WITH CKD ARE FIVE TO TEN TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DIE PREMATURELY THAN THEY ARE TO PROGRESS TO END STAGE KIDNEY DISEASE. THIS INCREASED RISK OF DEATH RISES EXPONENTIALLY AS KIDNEY FUNCTION WORSENS AND IS LARGELY ATTRIBUTABLE TO DEATH FROM CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, ALTHOUGH CANCER INCIDENCE AND MORTALITY ARE ALSO INCREASED. HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IS SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER FOR PEOPLE WITH CKD THAN FOR THE GENERAL POPULATION, AND FALLS AS GFR DECLINES. INTERVENTIONS TARGETING SPECIFIC SYMPTOMS, OR AIMED AT SUPPORTING EDUCATIONAL OR LIFESTYLE CONSIDERATIONS, MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE TO PEOPLE LIVING WITH CKD. INEQUITY IN ACCESS TO SERVICES FOR THIS DISEASE DISPROPORTIONALLY AFFECTS DISADVANTAGED POPULATIONS, AND HEALTH SERVICE PROVISION TO INCENTIVISE EARLY INTERVENTION OVER PROVISION OF CARE ONLY FOR ADVANCED CKD IS STILL EVOLVING IN MANY COUNTRIES. 2017 8 1034 32 CKD IN ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIANS. CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE (CKD) IS ONE COMPONENT OF A SPECTRUM OF CHRONIC DISEASE IN ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIANS. CKD IS MARKED BY ALBUMINURIA, WHICH PREDICTS RENAL FAILURE AND NONRENAL NATURAL DEATH. RATES VARY GREATLY BY COMMUNITY AND REGION AND ARE MUCH HIGHER IN REMOTE AREAS. THIS REFLECTS THE HETEROGENEOUS CHARACTERISTICS AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF ABORIGINAL PEOPLE. CKD IS MULTIDETERMINANT, AND EARLY-LIFE INFLUENCES (NOTABLY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT), INFECTIONS (INCLUDING POSTSTREPTOCOCCAL GLOMERULONEPHRITIS), METABOLIC/HEMODYNAMIC PARAMETERS, AND EPIGENETIC/GENETIC FACTORS PROBABLY CONTRIBUTE. CKD IS ASSOCIATED INTIMATELY WITH CARDIOVASCULAR RISK. ALBUMINURIA PROGRESSES OVER TIME, WITH A HIGH INCIDENCE OF NEW ONSET OF PATHOLOGIC LEVELS OF ALBUMINURIA IN ALL AGE GROUPS. ALL THE USUAL MORPHOLOGIC FINDINGS ARE FOUND IN RENAL BIOPSY SPECIMENS. HOWEVER, GLOMERULAR ENLARGEMENT IS NOTABLE IN INDIVIDUALS FROM REMOTE REGIONS, BUT NOT THOSE LIVING CLOSER TO POPULATION CENTERS. GLOMERULOMEGALY PROBABLY REPRESENTS COMPENSATORY HYPERTROPHY CAUSED BY LOW NEPHRON NUMBER, WHICH PROBABLY UNDERLIES THE ACCENTUATED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO RENAL DISEASE. IN THE LAST DECADE, HEALTH CARE SERVICES HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED TO ACCOMMODATE SYSTEMATIC CHRONIC DISEASE SURVEILLANCE AND MANAGEMENT. AFTER A RELENTLESS INCREASE FOR 3 DECADES, RATES OF ABORIGINAL PEOPLE STARTING RENAL REPLACEMENT THERAPY, AS WELL AS CHRONIC DISEASE DEATHS, APPEAR TO BE STABILIZING IN SOME REGIONS. OFFICIAL ENDORSEMENT OF THESE SYSTEM CHANGES, PLUS ONGOING REDUCTIONS IN THE INCIDENCE OF LOW BIRTH WEIGHT AND INFECTIONS, HOLD PROMISE FOR CONTINUED BETTER OUTCOMES. 2010 9 726 37 CAN TYPE 1 DIABETES BE AN UNEXPECTED COMPLICATION OF OBESITY? TYPE 1 DIABETES (T1D) IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON CHRONIC AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES, CHARACTERIZED BY ABSOLUTE INSULIN DEFICIENCY CAUSED VIA INFLAMMATORY DESTRUCTION OF THE PANCREATIC BETA-CELL. GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS PLAY A ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF DISEASES. ALMOST (1/5) OF CASES INVOLVE PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE OF 20. IN RECENT YEARS, THE INCIDENCE OF BOTH T1D AND OBESITY HAS BEEN INCREASING, ESPECIALLY AMONG CHILDREN, ADOLESCENTS, AND YOUNG PEOPLE. IN ADDITION, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST STUDY, THE PREVALENCE OF OVERWEIGHT OR OBESITY IN PEOPLE WITH T1D HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. THE RISK FACTORS OF WEIGHT GAIN INCLUDED USING EXOGENOUS INSULIN, INTENSIFYING INSULIN THERAPY, FEAR OF HYPOGLYCEMIA AND RELATED DECREASE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS, SUCH AS EMOTIONAL EATING AND BINGE EATING. IT HAS ALSO BEEN SUGGESTED THAT T1D MAY BE A COMPLICATION OF OBESITY. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BODY SIZE IN CHILDHOOD, INCREASE IN BODY MASS INDEX VALUES IN LATE ADOLESCENCE AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF T1D IN YOUNG ADULTHOOD IS CONSIDERED. MOREOVER, THE COEXISTENCE OF T1D AND T2D IS INCREASINGLY OBSERVED, THIS SITUATION IS CALLED DOUBLE OR HYBRID DIABETES. THIS IS ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED RISK OF THE EARLIER DEVELOPMENT OF DYSLIPIDEMIA, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, CANCER, AND CONSEQUENTLY A SHORTENING OF LIFE. THUS, THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO SUMMARIZE THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN OVERWEIGHT OR OBESITY AND T1D. 2023 10 5654 41 SEX, NUTRITION, AND NAFLD: RELEVANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION. NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) IS THE MOST COMMON FORM OF CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE AND REPRESENTS AN INCREASING PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE GIVEN THE LIMITED TREATMENT OPTIONS AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH SEVERAL OTHER METABOLIC AND INFLAMMATORY DISORDERS. THE EPIDEMIC, STILL GROWING PREVALENCE OF NAFLD WORLDWIDE CANNOT BE MERELY EXPLAINED BY CHANGES IN DIET AND LIFESTYLE THAT OCCURRED IN THE LAST FEW DECADES, NOR FROM THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC RISK FACTORS. IT IS CONCEIVABLE THAT ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS, WHICH ACT AS ENDOCRINE AND METABOLIC DISRUPTORS, MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE SPREADING OF THIS PATHOLOGY DUE TO THEIR ABILITY TO ENTER THE FOOD CHAIN AND BE INGESTED THROUGH CONTAMINATED FOOD AND WATER. GIVEN THE STRICT INTERPLAY BETWEEN NUTRIENTS AND THE REGULATION OF HEPATIC METABOLISM AND REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTIONS IN FEMALES, POLLUTANT-INDUCED METABOLIC DYSFUNCTIONS MAY BE OF PARTICULAR RELEVANCE FOR THE FEMALE LIVER, DAMPENING SEX DIFFERENCES IN NAFLD PREVALENCE. DIETARY INTAKE OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS CAN BE PARTICULARLY DETRIMENTAL DURING GESTATION, WHEN ENDOCRINE-DISRUPTING CHEMICALS MAY INTERFERE WITH THE PROGRAMMING OF LIVER METABOLISM, ACCOUNTING FOR THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGIN OF NAFLD IN OFFSPRING. THIS REVIEW SUMMARIZES CAUSE-EFFECT EVIDENCE BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS AND INCREASED INCIDENCE OF NAFLD AND EMPHASIZES THE NEED FOR FURTHER STUDIES IN THIS FIELD. 2023 11 74 46 A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH AND CURRENT PERSPECTIVE OF NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. IN RECENT TIMES, NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) HAS BEEN CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MAJOR CAUSES OF LIVER DISEASE ACROSS THE WORLD. NAFLD IS DEFINED AS THE DEPOSITION OF TRIGLYCERIDES IN THE LIVER AND IS ASSOCIATED WITH OBESITY AND METABOLIC SYNDROME. HYPERINSULINEMIA, INSULIN RESISTANCE (IR), FATTY LIVER, HEPATOCYTE INJURY, UNBALANCED PROINFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES, MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, OXIDATIVE STRESS, LIVER INFLAMMATION, AND FIBROSIS ARE THE MAIN PATHOGENESIS IN NAFLD. RECENT STUDIES SUGGEST THAT THE ACTION OF INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA THROUGH CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, INCREASED INTESTINAL PERMEABILITY, AND ENERGY UPTAKE PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN NAFLD. MOREOVER, POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME ALSO CAUSES NAFLD DEVELOPMENT THROUGH IR. AGE, GENDER, RACE, ETHNICITY, SLEEP, DIET, SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE, AND GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC PATHWAYS ARE SOME CONTRIBUTING FACTORS OF NAFLD THAT CAN EXACERBATE THE RISK OF LIVER CIRRHOSIS AND HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA (HCC) AND EVENTUALLY LEAD TO DEATH. NAFLD HAS VARIOUS PRESENTATIONS, INCLUDING FATIGUE, UNEXPLAINED WEIGHT LOSS, BLOATING, UPPER ABDOMINAL PAIN, DECREASED APPETITE, HEADACHE, ANXIETY, POOR SLEEP, INCREASED THIRST, PALPITATION, AND A FEELING OF WARMTH. SOME STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT NAFLD WITH SEVERE CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19) HAS POOR OUTCOMES. THE GOLD STANDARD FOR NAFLD DIAGNOSIS IS LIVER BIOPSY. OTHER DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS ARE IMAGING TESTS, SERUM BIOMARKERS, MICROBIOTA MARKERS, AND TESTS FOR EXTRAHEPATIC COMPLICATIONS. THERE ARE NO SPECIFIC TREATMENTS FOR NAFLD. THEREFORE, THE MAIN CONCERN FOR NAFLD IS TREATING THE COMORBID CONDITIONS SUCH AS ANTI-DIABETIC AGENTS FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS, STATINS TO REDUCE HCC PROGRESSION, ANTIOXIDANTS TO PREVENT HEPATOCELLULAR DAMAGE, AND BARIATRIC SURGERY FOR PATIENTS WITH A BMI OF >40 KG/M(2) AND >35 KG/M(2) WITH COMORBIDITIES. LIFESTYLE AND DIETARY CHANGES ARE CONSIDERED PREVENTIVE STRATEGIES AGAINST NAFLD ADVANCEMENT. INADEQUATE TREATMENT OF NAFLD FURTHER LEADS TO CARDIAC CONSEQUENCES, SLEEP APNEA, CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE, AND INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE. IN THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW, WE HAVE BRIEFLY DISCUSSED THE RISK FACTORS, PATHOGENESIS, CLINICAL FEATURES, AND NUMEROUS CONSEQUENCES OF NAFLD. WE HAVE ALSO REVIEWED VARIOUS GUIDELINES FOR NAFLD DIAGNOSIS ALONG WITH EXISTING THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES FOR THE MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION OF THE DISEASE. 2022 12 6631 54 UNDERSTANDING THE MANIFESTATION OF DIABETES IN SUB SAHARAN AFRICA TO INFORM THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES AND PREVENTIVE STRATEGIES: A NARRATIVE REVIEW. BACKGROUND: GLOBALLY, THE BURDEN OF DIABETES MELLITUS HAS INCREASED TO EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS. ESTIMATES FROM THE INTERNATIONAL DIABETES FEDERATION PREDICT THAT THE GREATEST FUTURE INCREASE IN THE PREVALENCE OF DIABETES MELLITUS WILL OCCUR IN AFRICA. METHODS: THIS ARTICLE REVIEWS LITERATURE ON THE MANIFESTATION OF DIABETES IN ADULT PATIENTS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA HIGHLIGHTING THE DISTINCT PHENOTYPES, PLAUSIBLE EXPLANATIONS FOR THIS UNIQUE MANIFESTATION AND THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF COMPREHENSIVELY DEFINING AND UNDERSTANDING THE AFRICAN DIABETES PHENOTYPE. RESULTS: THERE ARE FEW STUDIES ON THE MANIFESTATION OR PHENOTYPE OF DIABETES IN AFRICA. THE LIMITED DATA AVAILABLE SUGGESTS THAT, COMPARED TO THE WESTERN WORLD, THE MAJORITY OF PATIENTS WITH DIABETES IN AFRICA ARE YOUNG AND RELATIVELY LEAN IN BODY SIZE. IN ADDITION, HYPERGLYCAEMIA IN MOST CASES IS CHARACTERISED BY A SIGNIFICANTLY BLUNTED ACUTE FIRST PHASE OF INSULIN SECRETION IN RESPONSE TO AN ORAL OR INTRAVENOUS GLUCOSE LOAD AND PANCREATIC BETA CELL SECRETORY DYSFUNCTION, RATHER THAN PERIPHERAL INSULIN RESISTANCE PREDOMINATES. GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS LIKE CHRONIC INFECTIONS/INFLAMMATION, EARLY LIFE MALNUTRITION AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS ARE THOUGHT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THESE DISTINCT DIFFERENCES IN MANIFESTATION. CONCLUSIONS: WHILE PUBLISHED DATA IS LIMITED, THERE APPEARS TO BE DISTINCT PHENOTYPES OF DIABETES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA. LARGE AND MORE DETAILED STUDIES ARE NEEDED ESPECIALLY AMONG NEWLY DIAGNOSED PATIENTS TO FULLY CHARACTERIZE DIABETES IN THIS REGION. THIS WILL FURTHER IMPROVE THE UNDERSTANDING OF MANIFESTATION OF DIABETES AND GUIDE THE FORMULATION OF OPTIMAL THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES AND PREVENTIVE STRATEGIES OF THE CONDITION ON THE CONTINENT. 2019 13 360 30 AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION AND BIOMARKERS OF HEALTH EFFECT. RECENTLY, THE AIR POLLUTION SITUATION OF OUR COUNTRY IS VERY SERIOUS ALONG WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF URBANIZATION AND INDUSTRIALIZATION. STUDIES INDICATE THAT THE EXPOSURE OF AIR POLLUTION CAN CAUSE A RISE OF INCIDENCE AND MORTALITY OF MANY DISEASES, SUCH AS CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD), ASTHMA, MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION, AND SO ON. HOWEVER, THERE IS NOW GROWING EVIDENCE SHOWING THAT SIGNIFICANT AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH EARLY BIOMARKERS IN VARIOUS SYSTEMS OF THE BODY. IN ORDER TO BETTER PREVENT AND CONTROL THE DAMAGE EFFECT OF AIR POLLUTION, THIS ARTICLE SUMMARIZES COMPREHENSIVELY EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES ABOUT THE BAD EFFECTS ON THE BIOMARKERS OF RESPIRATORY SYSTEM, CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM, AND GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC SYSTEM EXPOSURE TO AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION. 2017 14 4803 26 OBESITY AND MALE INFERTILITY. THE WORLDWIDE PREVALENCE OF OBESITY IS INCREASING AMONG BOTH SEXES, WITH ASSOCIATED IMPACTS ON CHRONIC HEALTH AND MEDICAL COMORBIDITIES. SIMILARLY, THE EFFECTS OF OBESITY ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ARE INCREASINGLY BEING RECOGNIZED. ADIPOSITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED FERTILITY IN MEN, WITH A COMPLEX AND MULTIFACTORIAL ETIOLOGY. THE REPORTED EFFECTS OF OBESITY ON SEMEN PARAMETERS AND IMPAIRED FERTILITY ARE CONTRASTING, WITH SOME STUDIES SHOWING A CLEAR REDUCTION IN REPRODUCTIVE OUTCOMES ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED BODY MASS INDEX, WHILE OTHERS DO NOT SHOW SUCH IMPACTS. THESE CONTROVERSIES MAY BE DUE TO THE COMPLEX PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND INTERPLAY BETWEEN GONADOTROPINS AND END ORGANS, AS WELL AS GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC CHANGES AND OXIDATIVE STRESS ON MALE FERTILITY AND FUNCTION. THESE DIFFERENT ASPECTS HAVE LED TO HETEROGENEOUS PARTICIPANTS IN STUDIES AND VARYING IMPLICATIONS FOR ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE OUTCOMES AS WELL AS OFFSPRING HEALTH. TREATMENT MODALITIES TO MANAGE OBESITY INCLUDE LIFESTYLE, MEDICAL, AND SURGICAL OPTIONS, WITH EMERGING AND EFFECTIVE MEDICAL TREATMENTS SHOWING PROMISE IN REPRODUCTIVE OUTCOMES. 2023 15 5646 29 SEX DIFFERENCES AND EMERGING NEW RISK FACTORS FOR ATHEROSCLEROSIS AND ITS THROMBOTIC COMPLICATIONS. CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES (CVD) REMAIN THE WORLD'S LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AND DISABILITY IN BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, BUT WITH DIFFERENT PROGNOSTICS AND OUTCOMES BETWEEN SEXES. ALTHOUGH THE BURDEN OF CVD IS GENERALLY RELATED TO THE CONVENTIONAL RISK FACTORS, THE RELEVANCE OF NON-TRADITIONAL RISK FACTORS IS INCREASINGLY BEING RECOGNIZED TO EXPLAIN THE SO-CALLED "RESIDUAL RISK". MEN AND WOMEN SHARE MANY SIMILARITIES REGARDING CLASSICAL CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS BUT HAVE DIFFERENT DISEASE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY, CLINICAL PRESENTATIONS, PREVALENCE, AND OUTCOMES OF CVDS. HOW SEX-SPECIFICITIES REGARDING THE EFFECTS OF NON-TRADITIONAL RISK FACTORS MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE EVOLUTION OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS AND ITS CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS IN MALES AND FEMALES REMAIN LARGELY UNDERANALYZED. THE PRESENT REVIEW SUMMARIZES THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE FOR SEX DIFFERENCES IN ATHEROSCLEROTIC PLAQUE COMPOSITION AND CLINICAL EVOLUTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH RISK FACTORS, SUCH AS INFLAMMATION, LIPOPROTEIN(A), HEMOSTASIS, INTRAPLAQUE CALCIFICATION, AND DEPRESSION. WE FURTHER DISCUSS THE POTENTIAL SEX-DIFFERENTIAL IMPACT OF CHRONIC INFECTIOUS DISEASES, GUT MICROBIOME AND, EPIGENETIC GENE EXPRESSION REGULATION FOR ATHEROSCLEROSIS AND THE EFFECT OF FEMALE-SPECIFIC DISORDERS IN CVD. 2021 16 264 37 ADVANCING ASTHMA CARE: THE GLASS IS ONLY HALF FULL! OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS, THERE HAS BEEN A CONCERTED EFFORT IN THE UNITED STATES TO REDUCE MORBIDITY RELATED TO CHRONIC DISEASE, INCLUDING ASTHMA. ATTENTION WAS INITIALLY DIRECTED TOWARD ASTHMA IN RESPONSE TO THE RECOGNITION THAT ASTHMA MORTALITY WAS INCREASING AND THAT THE BURDEN OF DISEASE WAS SIGNIFICANT. THESE EFFORTS TO ADDRESS ASTHMA MORTALITY LED TO MANY NEW INITIATIVES TO DEVELOP CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES, IMPLEMENT THE ASTHMA GUIDELINES INTO CLINICAL PRACTICE, CONDUCT RESEARCH TO FILL THE GAPS IN THE GUIDELINES, AND CONTINUOUSLY REVISE THE ASTHMA GUIDELINES AS MORE INFORMATION BECAME AVAILABLE. AN ASSESSMENT OF OUR PROGRESS SHOWS SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN RELATION TO REDUCING ASTHMA MORTALITY AND HOSPITALIZATIONS. CONSEQUENTLY, WE ARE NOW AT A CROSSROADS IN ASTHMA CARE. ALTHOUGH WE HAVE RECOGNIZED SOME REMARKABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN REDUCING ASTHMA MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY, THE AVAILABILITY OF NEW TOOLS TO MONITOR DISEASE ACTIVITY, INCLUDING BIOMARKERS AND EPIGENETIC MARKERS, ALONG WITH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS TO MONITOR ASTHMA CONTROL HOLD SOME PROMISE IN IDENTIFYING GAPS IN DISEASE MANAGEMENT. THESE ADVANCES SHOULD PROMPT THE EVOLUTION OF NEW STRATEGIES AND NEW TREATMENTS TO FURTHER REDUCE DISEASE BURDEN. IT NOW BECOMES IMPERATIVE TO CONTINUE A FOCUS ON WAYS TO FURTHER REDUCE THE BURDEN OF ASTHMA AND PREVENT ITS ONSET. 2011 17 4188 40 METABOLIC ASSOCIATED FATTY LIVER DISEASE IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS: MECHANISMS OF A SILENT EPIDEMIC AND THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS. NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) IS NOW IDENTIFIED AS A HEPATIC SIGN OF METABOLIC SYNDROME AND IS THE MOST FREQUENT CAUSE OF CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE IN ALL AGES. IT IS ASSUMED THAT A GENETIC PREDISPOSITION ASSOCIATED WITH EPIGENETIC FACTORS PARTICIPATES IN THE EVOLUTION OF THIS CONDITION. VISCERAL OBESITY AND INSULIN RESISTANCE (IR) HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CONSIDERED THE MOST IMPORTANT CAUSATIVE FACTORS OF METABOLIC SYNDROME (METS) AND NAFLD, BUT CURRENTLY, THE INTERACTION BETWEEN GENETIC HERITAGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IS INCREASINGLY CONSIDERED FUNDAMENTAL IN THE GENESIS OF METABOLIC DISORDERS ASSOCIATED WITH NAFLD. IN FACT, IN PATIENTS WITH NAFLD, INSULIN RESISTANCE, ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION, ABDOMINAL OBESITY, DYSLIPIDEMIA AND REDUCED INTESTINAL PERMEABILITY HAVE OFTEN BEEN FOUND, AS WELL AS A HIGHER PREVALENCE OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA, POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME AND OSTEOPENIA, WHICH DEFINE A METS FRAMEWORK. EARLY DIAGNOSIS IS NEEDED TO PREVENT DISEASE PROGRESSION THROUGH PRIMARILY LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS. UNFORTUNATELY, AT PRESENT, THERE ARE NO MOLECULES RECOMMENDED FOR PEDIATRIC PATIENTS. HOWEVER, SEVERAL NEW DRUGS ARE IN CLINICAL TRIALS. FOR THIS REASON, TARGETED STUDIES ON THE INTERACTION BETWEEN GENETICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NAFLD AND METS AND ON THE PATHOGENETIC MECHANISMS THAT DETERMINE THE EVOLUTION IN NON-ALCOHOLIC STEATOHEPATITIS (NASH), SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED. THEREFORE, IT IS DESIRABLE THAT FUTURE STUDIES MAY BE USEFUL IN IDENTIFYING PATIENTS AT RISK OF DEVELOPING NAFLD AND METS EARLY. 2023 18 4080 24 MATERNAL LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS: TARGETING PRECONCEPTION HEALTH. ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE ARE OBESE, PREDISPOSING BOTH MOTHER AND BABY TO UNFAVOURABLE PREGNANCY OUTCOMES AND INITIATING AN INTERGENERATIONAL CYCLE OF CHRONIC METABOLIC DISORDERS. HERE WE SUMMARISE RECENT RESEARCH ON THE INFLUENCE OF MATERNAL METABOLIC HEALTH ON OFFSPRING SUSCEPTIBILITY TO FUTURE CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES. CURRENT PRIMARY LIFESTYLE APPROACHES (I.E., DIET AND EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS) TO HALT THE SUCCESSION OF INHERITED AND EPIGENETIC METABOLIC ABNORMALITIES HAVE MET WITH LIMITED SUCCESS DUE TO LATE IMPLEMENTATION, POOR ADHERENCE, AND/OR GENERIC GUIDELINES. IN OUR OPINION, SUCH INTERVENTIONS MUST COMMENCE PRIOR TO CONCEPTION TO IMPROVE BOTH MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH OUTCOMES, WITH NEW APPROACHES URGENTLY NEEDED TO INCREASE ADHERENCE TO PRIMARY LIFESTYLE CHANGES AMONG REPRODUCTIVE-AGE WOMEN. 2020 19 3884 64 KIDNEY DISEASE IN DIABETES. PERSONS WITH DIABETES MAKE UP THE FASTEST GROWING GROUP OF KIDNEY DIALYSIS AND TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS IN THE UNITED STATES. IN 1985, WHEN THE FIRST EDITION OF DIABETES IN AMERICA WAS PUBLISHED, 20,961 PERSONS WITH DIABETES WERE RECEIVING RENAL REPLACEMENT THERAPY, REPRESENTING 29% OF ALL NEW CASES OF END-STAGE RENAL DISEASE (ESRD). BY 2012, 239,837 PERSONS WITH DIABETES WERE ON RENAL REPLACEMENT THERAPY, ACCOUNTING FOR 44% OF ALL NEW ESRD CASES. THE INCREASED COUNT REFLECTS GROWTH IN DIABETES PREVALENCE AND INCREASED ACCESS TO DIALYSIS AND TRANSPLANTATION. THOSE WITH A PRIMARY DIAGNOSIS OF DIABETES HAVE LOWER SURVIVAL RELATIVE TO OTHER CAUSES OF ESRD, PRIMARILY BECAUSE OF THE COEXISTENT MORBIDITY ASSOCIATED WITH DIABETES, PARTICULARLY CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES (CVD). WHILE SURVIVAL ON DIALYSIS HAS SLOWLY IMPROVED ACROSS MODALITIES SINCE THE 1990S, IT REMAINS REDUCED IN PERSONS WITH DIABETES, HALF OF WHOM DIE WITHIN 3 YEARS OF BEGINNING DIALYSIS IN THE UNITED STATES. SIMILAR TO PERSONS WITH ESRD IN GENERAL, THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH AMONG ADULTS WITH DIABETES WHO STARTED DIALYSIS IN 1995-2009 WERE CVD (58% OF THE DEATHS) AND INFECTIONS (13% OF THE DEATHS). KIDNEY TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS WITH DIABETES HAVE MUCH BETTER SURVIVAL THAN THOSE ON DIALYSIS, INDICATING A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT OF THE TYPE OF RENAL REPLACEMENT THERAPY (TRANSPLANT VERSUS DIALYSIS) ON LONG-TERM SURVIVAL. KIDNEY FAILURE AFFECTS ABOUT 1% OF PERSONS WITH DIABETES IN THE UNITED STATES. A CONSIDERABLY HIGHER PROPORTION, ABOUT 40%, HAVE LESS SEVERE KIDNEY DISEASE. SINCE THE SECOND EDITION OF DIABETES IN AMERICA WAS PUBLISHED IN 1995, A WEALTH OF NEW INFORMATION HAS CONTRIBUTED SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF KIDNEY DISEASE ASSOCIATED WITH DIABETES. IN 2002, THE NATIONAL KIDNEY FOUNDATION'S KIDNEY DISEASE OUTCOME QUALITY INITIATIVE PUBLISHED A UNIFORM DEFINITION OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE (CKD) AND CLASSIFICATION OF ITS STAGES IRRESPECTIVE OF UNDERLYING CAUSE, THUS PROVIDING A COMMON LANGUAGE FOR DEFINING BOTH THE SEVERITY AND PROGNOSIS OF KIDNEY DISEASE. THE DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION OF CKD WERE SUBSEQUENTLY UPDATED AND REFINED BY THE KIDNEY DISEASE: IMPROVING GLOBAL OUTCOMES IN 2012. ACCORDINGLY, CKD IS CLASSIFIED BASED ON BOTH ALBUMINURIA AND GLOMERULAR FILTRATION RATE (GFR) CATEGORIES, AND TOGETHER WITH KIDNEY FAILURE, THESE CONDITIONS ARE COLLECTIVELY REFERRED TO AS CKD, REGARDLESS OF ETIOLOGY. IN ADDITION, THE KIDNEY DISEASE: IMPROVING GLOBAL OUTCOMES RECOMMENDS USING EQUATIONS TO ESTIMATE GFR (EGFR), WHICH INCLUDE THE ROUTINELY OBTAINED VARIABLES SERUM CREATININE, AGE, SEX, AND RACE/ETHNICITY. THE USE OF SERUM CYSTATIN C, AN ENDOGENOUS FILTRATION MARKER LESS INFLUENCED THAN SERUM CREATININE BY VARIATIONS IN MUSCLE MASS, DIET, AND TUBULAR SECRETION, HAS EMERGED AS AN ALTERNATIVE OR AN ADJUNCT TO SERUM CREATININE-BASED EQUATIONS, PARTICULARLY IN PERSONS WITH DIABETES, IN WHOM EARLY KIDNEY DISEASE IS OFTEN CHARACTERIZED BY ELEVATED GFR. SINCE THE LATE 1990S, NEW MOLECULAR MECHANISMS HAVE BEEN DEFINED THAT ARE HELPING TO EXPLAIN THE DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION OF DIABETIC KIDNEY DISEASE. GLOMERULAR STRUCTURAL LESIONS WERE FOUND TO EXPLAIN 95% OF THE VARIABILITY IN ALBUMIN EXCRETION AND 78% OF GFR VARIABILITY. THE LATTER PERCENTAGE INCREASED TO 92% BY ADDING INDICES OF GLOMERULAR-TUBULAR JUNCTION ABNORMALITIES AND INTERSTITIAL EXPANSION TO THE REGRESSION MODELS. PODOCYTE INJURY APPEARS TO PLAY AN ESSENTIAL ROLE IN THE PROGRESSION OF DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY. IN PERSONS WITH EITHER TYPE 1 OR TYPE 2 DIABETES, PODOCYTE CHANGES MAY OCCUR EVEN BEFORE THE INCREASE IN ALBUMINURIA, SUGGESTING THAT DIABETES ITSELF MAY INDUCE PODOCYTE ALTERATIONS. MUCH HAS ALSO BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT THE PROGNOSTIC IMPLICATIONS OF CKD. ELEVATED ALBUMINURIA AND LOW GFR ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ESRD, FATAL AND NONFATAL CVD, AND ALL-CAUSE MORTALITY. A META-ANALYSIS OF 1,024,977 PARTICIPANTS (NEARLY 13% WITH DIABETES) FROM 30 GENERAL POPULATION AND HIGH-RISK CARDIOVASCULAR COHORTS AND 13 CKD COHORTS INDICATED THAT WHILE THE ABSOLUTE RISKS FOR ALL-CAUSE AND CVD MORTALITY ARE HIGHER IN THE PRESENCE OF DIABETES, THE RELATIVE RISKS OF ESRD OR DEATH BY EGFR AND ALBUMINURIA ARE SIMILAR WITH OR WITHOUT DIABETES. THESE FINDINGS UNDERSCORE THE IMPORTANCE OF KIDNEY DISEASE PER SE AS A PREDICTOR OF IMPORTANT CLINICAL OUTCOMES, REGARDLESS OF THE UNDERLYING CAUSE OF KIDNEY DISEASE. NEW BIOMARKERS OF DIABETIC KIDNEY DISEASE APPEAR TO HAVE ADDITIONAL PROGNOSTIC INFORMATION BEYOND THAT PROVIDED BY ALBUMINURIA. THESE MARKERS INCLUDE KIDNEY INJURY MOLECULE 1, LIVER FATTY ACID-BINDING PROTEIN, N-ACETYL-BETA-D-GLUCOSAMINIDASE, NEUTROPHIL GELATINASE-ASSOCIATED LIPOCALIN, BETA-TRACE PROTEIN, BETA(2)-MICROGLOBULIN, AND TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR RECEPTORS 1 AND 2. MANY CONCEPTS ABOUT RISK FACTORS FOR CKD ILLUSTRATED IN THIS CHAPTER HAVE NOT CHANGED SINCE 1995, AND WHERE THEY HAVE, THOSE CHANGES ARE DISCUSSED. IN PARTICULAR, MAJOR ADVANCES HAVE BEEN MADE IN ELUCIDATING THE GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC COMPLEXITY OF CKD, WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO DEFINING CELLULAR METABOLIC MEMORY AND THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE LONGLASTING EFFECTS OF STRICT GLYCEMIC CONTROL OBSERVED IN PERSONS WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES OR TYPE 2 DIABETES. IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PERSONS WITH DIABETES AND CKD HAVE EXTENDED THE TIME COURSE FROM ONSET OF SEVERE ALBUMINURIA TO ESRD AND REDUCED THE OCCURRENCE OF CVD. IN TYPE 1 DIABETES, THE COMBINED DIABETES CONTROL AND COMPLICATIONS TRIAL (DCCT) AND ITS LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP, THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF DIABETES INTERVENTIONS AND COMPLICATIONS (EDIC) OBSERVATIONAL STUDY, INDICATED THAT INTENSIVE EARLY METABOLIC CONTROL REDUCED THE RISK OF IMPAIRED GFR BY 50% AND OF CVD OUTCOMES BY 42%, WITH A SPECIFIC 57% DECREASE IN MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION, STROKE, OR DEATH FROM CVD, EFFECTS THAT WERE PARTLY MEDIATED BY THE REDUCED INCIDENCE OF DIABETIC KIDNEY DISEASE. AMONG PERSONS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES, A META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS INDICATED THAT MORE INTENSIVE GLYCEMIC CONTROL (GLYCOSYLATED HEMOGLOBIN [A1C] <7%) WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A SIGNIFICANT 10% REDUCTION IN ALBUMINURIA BUT HAD NO EFFECTS ON MORTALITY, KIDNEY FAILURE, OR OTHER VASCULAR OUTCOMES. THE ACTION TO CONTROL CARDIOVASCULAR RISK IN DIABETES (ACCORD) TRIAL, TARGETING AN A1C LEVEL <6.0% IN THE INTENSIVE INTERVENTION ARM, REPORTED AN INCREASED RISK OF CVD DEATH FOR INTENSIVE VERSUS CONVENTIONAL GLYCEMIC CONTROL, ALTHOUGH IT REMAINS UNCLEAR WHETHER THIS EFFECT WAS RELATED TO MORE HYPOGLYCEMIC EPISODES, THE USE OF ADDITIONAL HYPOGLYCEMIC MEDICINES, OR TO THE TARGET GLYCEMIC LEVEL ITSELF. LIKEWISE, THE MODEST GAINS IN INTERMEDIATE OUTCOMES IN THE INTENSIVE TREATMENT ARMS OF THE ACTION IN DIABETES AND VASCULAR DISEASE: PRETERAX AND DIAMICRON MODIFIED RELEASE CONTROLLED EVALUATION (ADVANCE) AND THE VETERANS AFFAIRS DIABETES (VADT) TRIAL WERE COUNTERBALANCED BY A TWOFOLD TO THREEFOLD HIGHER RISK OF SEVERE HYPOGLYCEMIA. TOGETHER, THESE TRIALS INDICATE THAT GLYCEMIC CONTROL IS EXTREMELY USEFUL UP TO A POINT, BUT MORE AGGRESSIVE GLYCEMIC CONTROL MAY BE HARMFUL. SIMILARLY, FOR BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL, 2014-2015 RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE GUIDELINE-WRITING GROUPS ENDORSE LESS INTENSIVE AND MORE INDIVIDUALIZED BLOOD PRESSURE TARGETS FOR DIABETES AND CKD THAN IN THE PAST. PERSONS WITH DIABETES AND CKD REQUIRE MULTIDISCIPLINARY MANAGEMENT INVOLVING A COMBINATION OF TREATMENTS AND BEHAVIORAL ADJUSTMENTS TO DELAY PROGRESSION OF CKD AND TO PREVENT THE ASSOCIATED COMPLICATIONS. THE STENO-2 STUDY, A LANDMARK PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED TRIAL IN DENMARK, DEMONSTRATED THAT COMPARED WITH CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT, INTENSIVE MULTIFACTORIAL INTERVENTION LED TO 46% LOWER DEATH RATE, 56% LESS SEVERE ALBUMINURIA, 43% LOWER INCIDENCE OF DIABETIC RETINOPATHY, AND 47% LOWER INCIDENCE OF AUTONOMIC NEUROPATHY DURING THE 13.3-YEAR STUDY PERIOD. 2018 20 6822 35 [GENDER MEDICINE. SEX- AND GENDER-SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF CLINICAL MEDICINE]. GENDER MEDICINE STUDIES SEX- AND GENDER-BASED DIFFERENCES IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND PREVENTION OF DISEASES, THE AWARENESS AND PRESENTATION OF SYMPTOMS, AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THERAPY. GENDER MEDICINE IS PART OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE, CONSIDERING DIFFERENCES IN BIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS INDIVIDUALLY. THERE ARE DIFFERENCES IN GENES, CHROMOSOMES, HORMONES, AND METABOLISM AS WELL AS DIFFERENCES IN CULTURE, ENVIRONMENT, AND SOCIETY. LIFELONG INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS WILL INFLUENCE THE HEALTH AND ILL-HEALTH OF MEN AND WOMEN IN DIFFERENT WAYS. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS PROVIDE EVIDENCE OF THE IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENT AND LIFESTYLE DURING VULNERABLE PHASES ON BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES, EFFECTING FUTURE GENERATIONS. MATERNAL LIFESTYLE AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS DURING PREGNANCY CAN IMPACT THE HEALTH OF OFFSPRING IN LATER LIFE ALREADY IN UTERO IN A SEX-SPECIFIC WAY. PAIN, STRESS, AND COPING STYLES DIFFER BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN. WOMEN EXPERIENCE MORE DRAMATIC PHYSICAL CHANGES DURING THEIR LIFETIME, WHICH ARE ASSOCIATED WITH SPECIFIC BURDENS AND PSYCHOSOCIAL ALTERATIONS. WOMEN WITH MULTIPLE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES SUFFERING FROM STRESS DEVELOP DEPRESSION MORE FREQUENTLY. HOWEVER, MEN ARE OFTEN NOT DIAGNOSED AND TREATED APPROPRIATELY IN CASES OF DEPRESSION OR OSTEOPOROSIS, DISEASES THAT ARE TYPICALLY CONSIDERED "FEMALE." THERE ARE PROMINENT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN IN MEDICINE REGARDING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM, INFLAMMATION, AND NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES SUCH AS OBESITY, TYPE 2 DIABETES, HYPERTENSION, AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. WOMEN EXPERIENCE MORE OFTEN AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES AND SUFFER MORE FREQUENTLY FROM (CHRONIC) PAIN, NEURODEGENERATIVE CHANGES, AND FUNCTIONAL DISABILITIES. MEN HAVE SHORTER LIFE EXPECTANCY BUT RELATIVELY MORE HEALTHY YEARS OF LIFE, WHICH IS IN GREATER PART ASCRIBED TO PSYCHOSOCIAL DETERMINANTS. STATE-OF-THE-ART CLINICAL MEDICINE COMPRISES INDIVIDUAL RISK FACTORS BASED ON SEX- AND GENDER-SENSITIVE HEALTH PROGRAMS IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE FOR MEN AND WOMEN. 2014