Higher LRG1 is a significant predictor for arterial stiffness, endothelial function, and PAD. The pathobiological basis and the temporal relationships of these associations need to be explored by further mechanistic and prospective studies to understand the clinical significance of these findings.
CKD in older persons was significantly associated with cognitive and functional decline. Future research should target the development and evaluation of strategies to delay or prevent cognitive decline and physical disability in elderly adults with impaired kidney function.
Risks of cardiovascular and end-stage renal diseases in native Asian subjects with Type 2 diabetes vary substantially among different ethnic groups. Differences in prevalence of diabetic kidney disease may partially explain the ethnic disparities.
PurposeOsteopontin (OPN) is a proinflammatory cytokine with diverse functions. Increased levels of OPN in vitreous fluid have been reported in patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR); however, studies on circulating OPN levels in DR are limited. We aim to examine the association of plasma OPN levels with the presence and severity of DR in a multiethnic cohort with type 2 diabetes mellitus (type 2 diabetes) in Singapore.MethodsPlasma levels of OPN were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Digital color fundus photographs were assessed for DR. DR severity was categorized into non-proliferative DR (NPDR) and proliferative DR (PDR). Gradable fundus photographs and OPN measurements for 443 patients were used for analysis. A logistic regression model was used to evaluate the association of OPN with DR.ResultsDR was diagnosed in 174 (39.3%) patients, including 132 (75.9%) with NPDR and 42 (24.1%) with PDR. The median of OPN was higher in the patients with DR (64.7 [49.7–89.5] ng/ml) than in the patients without DR (51.7 [38.9–66.9] ng/ml; p<0.001). After adjustment for clinical and biochemical factors, a 1-unit increase in nature logarithm (ln)-transformed OPN was associated with the presence of DR (2.770 [1.599–3.800], p<0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) increased statistically significantly after the addition of OPN (0.805[0.763–0.846] versus 0.825 [0.785–0.865], p=0.011). In the severity analyses, the median of OPN was statistically significantly higher in the patients with PDR (76.8 [55.0–103.6] ng/ml) than in the patients with NPDR (61.7 [47.7–87.3] ng/ml; p=0.017). After adjustment, the 1-unit increase in lnOPN remained associated with NPDR (2.673 [1.519–4.704], p=0.001) and PDR (3.389 [1.254–9.226], p=0.017), respectively (p-trend=0.001).ConclusionsPlasma OPN levels were associated with the presence and severity of DR in patients with type 2 diabetes, suggesting OPN may be useful as a potential biomarker for DR.
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