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Biomedical subjects

J R Attali

Publications and source records attributed to J R Attali.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Universal rather than selective screening for gestational diabetes mellitus may improve fetal outcomes.

AIM: The benefit of treating gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has recently been shown. The aim of this study was to compare offspring and maternal health benefits from selective or universal screening for GDM. METHODS: The incidence of outcomes was compared in three series of pregnant women: 1) the 159 consecutive women with GDM out of the 1909 women who delivered between October 2000 and September 2001: during this period screening for GDM was based on risk factors (risk factor-GDM); 2) the 265 consecutive women with GDM out of the 2111 women who delivered during the year 2002: during this period screening for GDM was universal (universal-GDM); 3) 1255 women with no GDM during year 2002 (controls). RESULTS: After adjustment for age, pregravid body mass index, parity, and ethnicity, the risk of large for gestational age (Odds ratio 2.19[95% confidence interval 1.36-3.54], P < 10(-3)), delivery before 37 weeks of gestation (OR 2.44 [95CI 1.32-4.51], P = 0.004), jaundice (OR 3.31[95CI 1.58-6.93], P = 0.002), hospitalization in the department of pediatrics (OR 2.35 [95CI 1.53-3.61], P < 10(-3)) was higher in the GDM-risk factor group than in the control group, whereas it was similar in the universal-GDM group and the control group. Compared with the control group, the risk of anticipated delivery and hospital stay > 4 days after delivery was increased in the GDM-risk factor group (OR 2.69[1.88-3.84], P < 10(-3); and OR 2.6 [1.82-3.71], P < 10(-3) respectively) and the universal-GDM group (OR 1.54 [1.15-2.07] P = 0.004; and OR 1.49 [1.13-1.97], P = 0.005 respectively). CONCLUSION: This observational study suggests that universal rather than selective screening for GDM may improve outcomes. Universal screening might reduce delay of diagnosis and care.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Fas/Fas-Ligand pathway is impaired in patients with type 2 diabetes. Influence of hypertension and insulin resistance.

OBJECTIVES: In type 2 diabetic patients with no cardiac history or symptoms, 1) to evaluate whether the soluble forms of Fas (sFas) and Fas-ligand (sFasL), involved in apoptosis, may be markers of silent coronary disease or related to hypertension or microangiopathic complications; 2) to examine the effect of short-term glycemic control on sFas and sFasL. METHODS: (1) sFas and sFasL were measured with the ELISA method in 44 asymptomatic diabetic patients, 33 with hypertension, and with a normal myocardial scintigraphy (n=14), with silent myocardial ischemia (SMI) and without (n=15) or with (n=15) significant coronary stenoses; and in 14 controls; (2) sFas and sFasL were measured in 15 poorly controlled diabetic patients before and after 7 days of CSII treatment. RESULTS: (1) sFas and sFasL differed in the four groups of patients (p=0.003 each). sFas was significantly higher in the patients with SMI without (p=0.035) and with coronary stenoses (p=0.002) than in the control group. sFasL was lower in the three groups of diabetic patients (p<0.05 each) than in control group. In the diabetic population, sFas correlated positively with hypertension (p=0.021), and sFasL negatively with hypertension (p=0.027) and HOMA index in the non-insulin treated patients (p=0.049); (2) sFas did not differ before or after CSII, and there was a marginal decrease in sFasL. CONCLUSION: Fas-mediated apoptosis is involved in type 2 diabetes and might be associated with hypertension and/or its vascular consequences. sFasL might be affected by insulin resistance. sFas and sFasL are not effective markers of SMI.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Blood glucose changes and adjustments of diet and insulin doses in type 1 diabetic patients during scuba diving (for a change in French regulations).

OBJECTIVE: In France, diabetic subjects were not allowed to dive. The principal risk is hypoglycemia during immersion. However scuba diving is allowed in many countries. To follow blood glucose changes, food intake and insulin adjustments in type 1 diabetic patients when diving, and to propose specific guidelines for such patients willing to practice recreational scuba diving. METHODS: Fifteen well-controlled (mean HbA1c: 7.2%) type 1 diabetic patients without complications were volunteer to dive under strict medical monitoring. They dove 8 times in 4 days in autumn at a depth of 20 meters, in 12 degrees C to 16 degrees C water. A strict protocol based on blood glucose was implemented to prevent hypoglycaemia. RESULTS: No case of hypoglycemia was observed and no faintness was reported underwater. Mean blood glucose before diving was 200 mg/dl (11 mmol/l). There was a mean fall in blood glucose of 40 mg/dl (2.2 mmol/l) during dives, a mean decrease in daily insulin doses by 19.3% on the last day. Daily energy intake was 3,225 Kcal in average. A continuous glucose monitoring (CGMS) was performed in one patient and showed a rather stable glycemia during immersion but a decrease within the 8 hours after. CONCLUSION: When respecting a strict protocol to prevent hypoglycaemia, the risk of hypoglycaemia appears quite low. We recommend an ideal glycemic goal of 200-250 mg/dl (11-13.75 mmol/l) before immersion, a higher reduction of insulin doses (-30%) and taking carbohydrates on board in any case. The present data have recently led the French diving federation (FESSM) to allow type 1 diabetic patients to dive with some restrictive qualification requirements: dives within the "safety curve" (no decompression curve), in above 14 degrees C water, depth limited to the median space range (6 to 20 meters), plus mandatory guidance by a diving instructor.

Blood Glucose↗
PubMed2005

Markers for silent myocardial ischemia in diabetes. Are they helpful?

Silent myocardial ischemia (SMI) and silent coronary stenoses (CS) are two to seven times more frequent in diabetic patients than in non-diabetic patients. In addition to this, they have a higher predictive value for cardiovascular events than the classical cardiovascular risk factors, either taken alone or combined. Coronary arterial disease is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the diabetic population. Altogether, these data suggest that screening for SMI and silent CS is an important issue. We assume that detecting SMI and silent CS improves patient management, and leads to optimised follow-up, action taken on nutrition, exercise and lifestyle, management of the cardiovascular risk factors, and revascularisation procedures whenever possible. However, screening for SMI and silent CS is expensive and may induce morbidity. Selecting the patients with a high a priori risk of SMI and silent CS is therefore of major concern. Carotid or lower limb peripheral arterial disease, proteinuria, male gender, an age greater than 60 years, and two or more cardiovascular risk factors among smoking, microalbuminuria, dyslipidemia, hypertension, a family history of premature cardiac disease, and cardiac autonomic neuropathy have been demonstrated to be the best current predictors of SMI and silent CS. New markers, such as adhesion molecules, Lp(a), inflammation parameters or homocysteine, and endothelium function assessment might be of further help in the future.

Arterial Occlusive Diseases↗
PubMed2005

High prevalence and severity of cardiac autonomic neuropathy in Vietnamese diabetic patients.

AIMS: Malnutrition is frequent in Vietnamese people and may influence cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN). The aim of the present study was to investigate cardiac autonomic function in healthy subjects living in Vietnam and the prevalence of CAN in Vietnamese diabetic patients. METHODS: One hundred and five diabetic patients (BMI = 19.8 +/- 0.3 kg/m(2)), 50 Type 1 and 55 Type 2, living in Hué (Vietnam) were selected and compared with 60 non-diabetic healthy Vietnamese controls (BMI = 20.8 +/- 0.2 kg/m(2)) and also European controls. CAN function was evaluated by five standardized tests: three tests for heart rate variations (HRV) which depend mainly on parasympathetic activity, and two tests for blood pressure (BP) response which depend mainly on sympathetic activity. RESULTS: With age taken into account, 41 of the 60 Vietnamese controls had at least mild CAN, as defined by one abnormal test for HRV when compared with the European control series, and 11 of them had two or three abnormal tests. Among the Vietnamese control men, those with abnormal HRV had lower BMI than those without (P = 0.036). Seven Vietnamese controls had postural hypotension and 16 had an abnormal BP response to the handgrip test. Compared with the Vietnamese controls, 71 diabetic patients (67.6%), 40 Type 1 and 31 Type 2, had at least mild CAN, 37 of them had two or three abnormal HRV tests, and 56 diabetic patients (53.3%) had an abnormal BP response to the sympathetic tests. Abnormal HRV were associated with significantly lower BMI, waist and hip circumferences, longer diabetes duration and higher fasting blood glucose. In the logistic regression analyses, abnormal HRV were associated significantly with duration of diabetes and BMI in patients with Type 2 diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac autonomic dysfunction is frequent in normal Vietnamese subjects. CAN appears to be a more frequent complication of diabetes in Vietnam than in Western countries and diabetic parasympathetic dysfunction is frequently associated with sympathetic disorders. This confirms the deleterious effect a poor nutritional state has on cardiac autonomic function.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Impairment of lymphatic function in women with gynoid adiposity and swelling syndrome.

The current study sought to investigate the factors, in particular anthropometric parameters, associated with an impairment of capillary permeability and lymphatic function in a large series of women complaining of a swelling syndrome. One hundred ninety-seven women with a swelling syndrome were investigated, 43 of whom were obese (body mass index [BMI]>30 kg/m2), 77 overweight (BMI=25 to 30 kg/m2). Thirty-five of the 197 women had abdominal adiposity (waist-to-hip ratio [WHR]>0.85). Capillary filtration of albumin and lymphatic function were studied by means of an isotopic test using 99mtechnetium-labeled albumin and venous compression. This test allowed measurement of interstitial albumin retention (AR) and the evaluation of lymphatic function by analyzing the radioactivity disappearance curve after removal of venous compression with the fast Fourier transform (low frequency/high frequency [LF/HF]). Body composition was studied by the bioelectrical impedance method. WHR correlated with fasting blood glucose (P=.03), serum triglyceride (P<.0001), and apoprotein B (P=.008) levels. AR was increased (> or =8 %) in 117 women (59.4%) and LF/HF (> or =1 %) in 149 cases (75.6%). Extracellular water (ECW) was increased (>107% of the theoretical value) in 144 cases (73.1%). LF/HF correlated negatively with age (P=.001), BMI (P=.006), WHR (P<.0001), and fat mass (P=.002). In the multivariate analysis taking age, BMI, and WHR as independent variables, LF/HF correlated significantly with WHR (P<.005). There was a trend to a higher prevalence of an increase in AR in the women with an increase in ECW (61.8 %) as compared with those without an increase in ECW (52.8%). We conclude that abdominal adiposity is associated with metabolic disorders secondary to insulin resistance as previously demonstrated, whereas lymphatic dysfunction is mainly associated with gynoid adiposity. Besides microcirculatory disorders, changes in the secretory regulation of hormones involved in salt and water retention are likely to play an important role in ECW excess.

Abdomen↗
PubMed2003

Cardiac autonomic neuropathy in diabetic patients: influence of diabetes duration, obesity, and microangiopathic complications--the French multicenter study.

The current study sought to examine in a large series of diabetic patients the prevalence of symptoms of autonomic neuropathy and subclinical cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) and their determinants, particularly the influence of diabetes duration, obesity, and microangiopathic complications. Three hundred ninety-six patients, 245 type 1 and 151 type 2, were recruited in 7 French departments of diabetology. CAN was detected by measuring heart rate variability during 3 standardized tests: deep-breathing, Valsalva, and lying-to-standing tests. At least 24.5% of the patients had one or more symptoms suggesting overt autonomic neuropathy. They were older than those free of dysautonomic symptom (P<.001). The deep-breathing test correlated negatively with body mass index (BMI) in type 2 diabetic patients (P<.0001). In the whole population, the deep-breathing and Valsalva tests correlated negatively with diabetes duration (P=.0004 and.019, respectively) and the log urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (P<.002 and.001, respectively). The prevalence of CAN (51%) was higher than the prevalence of other diabetic complications. The rate of moderate and severe CAN (defined by 2 or 3 abnormal CAN function tests) was higher in type 1 than in type 2 diabetic patients (P=.031). It correlated with diabetes duration (P=.026) and was higher in the patients with retinopathy than in those without (P=.035). Among type 2 diabetic patients, the prevalence of CAN was higher in the obese ones (P=.033); in a logistic regression taking age, diabetes duration, and obesity as independent variables, CAN was associated independently with obesity (P=.034). Mild or moderate CAN was found in 33.8% and 13.0% of the 80 patients with diabetes duration less than 18 months. We conclude that CAN is found early in the course of diabetes and should be considered as a prognostic marker of microangiopathic complications. Obesity could be involved in the impairment of CAN function in type 2 diabetics and body weight control could provide an approach to reducing neuropathic complications.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Are silent coronary stenoses predictable in diabetic patients and predictive of cardiovascular events?

OBJECTIVES: We have previously shown that silent coronary stenoses (CS) were predictors of subsequent major cardiac events in diabetic patients with silent myocardial ischemia (SMI). The aim of this study was to determine their correlates and their prognostic value for other cardiovascular events. METHODS: 362 asymptomatic diabetic patients, without prior myocardial infarction, with > or =1 additional risk factor and a normal resting electrocardiogram underwent a myocardial scintigraphy to detect SMI. The patients with SMI subsequently underwent a coronary angiography to detect CS. A total of 345 (95.3%) patients were followed up for 41 +/- 24 months with regard to the occurrence of stroke, gangrene or a peripheral revascularization procedure, exercise occurrence of angina, and nonfatal arrhythmia. RESULTS: 121 patients had SMI and 44 had CS. The univariate correlates of CS were age > 65 years (Odds Ratio 2.1 [CI 95%: 1.1-4.0]; p=0.021), male gender (OR 3.1 [1.5-6.3]; p=0.001), smoking (OR 2.8 [1.4-5.6]; p=0.004), > or =2 risk factors (OR 2.1 [1.09-4.09]; p=0.024) and peripheral arterial disease (OR 3.2 [1.2-8.7]; p=0.018). Logistic regression showed that age > 65 years (p=0.034), male gender (p=0.001) and > or =2 risk factors (p=0.013) were independently associated with the presence of CS. The univariate predictors of the 16 minor events were peripheral arterial disease (OR 8.8 [2.7-28.5]; p<0.001), CS (OR 4.9 [1.7-14.2]; p=0.002), SMI (OR 3.7, [1.3-10.5]; p=0.009) and smoking (OR 3.2 [1.1-9.2]; p=0.024). In the multivariate analysis, arterial occlusive disease (p<0.001), smoking (p<0.036) and CS (p=0.044) were independent predictors of events. CONCLUSION: Silent CS predict major cardiac events but also other cardiovascular events and are more common in diabetic patients > 65 years-old, of male gender and with > or =2 risk factors.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

In vivo kinetics of 123 iodine-labelled insulin in skeletal muscle of patients with type 2 diabetes. Effect of metformin.

BACKGROUND: The capillary filtration of albumin (CFA) is often increased in diabetic patients. However, the transcapillary transfer of insulin is considered to be a key stage in insulin action. The aim was to study the in vivo kinetics of 123I-labelled human insulin in the skeletal muscle of type 2 diabetic patients with an increase in CFA and to evaluate the effect of metformin, using a noninvasive method. METHODS: Ten type 2 diabetic patients and 6 healthy control subjects were investigated. After an i.v injection of 123I-labelled insulin, venous samples were drawn during 75 minutes and radioactivity was counted externally by a gammacamera on the contralateral forearm before, during and after venous compression. The changes in the serum percentages of bound and free 123I were followed during the entire test and the forearm iodine bound to insulin was estimated by multiplying the forearm counted radioactivity by the serum percentage of bound iodine at the same time. RESULTS: In the diabetic patients the maximal increase in the forearm iodine bound to insulin during venous compression was lower (p=0.06), and 10 minutes after removal of venous compression the forearm retention of labelled insulin was significantly lower (p<0.0005) than in controls. After one month of metformin treatment, retention of labelled insulin significantly increased (p<0.001) but was still significantly lower than in the controls (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The in vivo kinetics of (123) I-labelled insulin procedure allows the study of skeletal muscle metabolism provided venous compression is exerted. In type 2 diabetic patients a reduction of insulin transfer from capillary to tissue despite an increase in CFA, and a reduction of the time spent by insulin in the tissues contribute to insulin resistance. The latter disorder may be improved by metformin.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Impairment of coronary microvascular dilation in response to cold pressor--induced sympathetic stimulation in type 2 diabetic patients with abnormal stress thallium imaging.

Coronary microcirculation dysfunction may be associated with myocardial perfusion defects on thallium imaging in diabetic patients without coronary artery stenosis. Microvascular coronary adaptation to increased myocardial oxygen demand in response to sympathetic stimulation evoked by the cold pressor test was examined in 22 type 2 diabetic patients with thallium imaging defects and in 15 control subjects. Both the diabetic patients and control subjects had angiographically normal coronary arteries and no other risk factors. Despite a similar increase in the rate-pressure product in the two groups (22.6 +/- 12.4% in diabetic patients and 31.8 +/- 8.2% in control subjects, NS), coronary blood flow increase in the left anterior descending artery (mean flow velocity measured by intracoronary Doppler multiplied by the cross-sectional area measured by digital angiography) was significantly lower in diabetic patients than in control subjects (14.7 +/- 19.8 vs. 75.5 +/- 13.5%, respectively; P = 0.0001). In addition, when there was a positive correlation between the two parameters in control subjects (r = 0.651, P < 0.01), there was no relationship in diabetic patients (r = 0.054). In conclusion, vasodilation of the coronary microcirculation in response to sympathetic stimulation evoked by the cold pressor test is impaired in type 2 diabetic patients without epicardial artery lesions. This microvascular impairment during sympathetic stimulation may explain exercise-induced myocardial perfusion abnormalities observed in these patients and may impair microcirculatory coronary vasodilation during current life stress episodes such as exercise, mental stress, or cold exposition.

Blood Flow Velocity↗
PubMed2001

Predictive value of cardiac autonomic neuropathy in diabetic patients with or without silent myocardial ischemia.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the predictive value of silent myocardial ischemia (SMI) and cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) in asymptomatic diabetic patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We recruited 120 diabetic patients with no history of myocardial infarction or angina, a normal 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), and two or more additional risk factors. SMI assessment was carried out by means of an ECG stress test, a thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy with dipyridamole, and 48-h ECG monitoring. CAN was searched for by standardized tests evaluating heart rate variations. Accurate follow-up information for 3-7 years (mean 4.5) was obtained in 107 patients. RESULTS: There was evidence of SMI in 33 patients (30.7%). CAN was detected in 33 of the 75 patients (38.9%) who were tested, and a major cardiac event occurred in 11 of them. Among these 75 patients, the proportion of major cardiac events in the SMI+ patients was not significantly higher than that in the SMI- patients (6 of 25 vs. 5 of 50 patients), whereas it was significantly higher in the CAN+ patients than in the CAN- patients (8 of 33 vs. 3 of 42 patients; P = 0.04), with a relative risk of 4.16 (95% CI 1.01-17.19) and was the highest in the patients with both SMI and CAN (5 of 10 patients). After adjusting for SMI, there was a significant association between CAN and major cardiac events (P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: In asymptomatic diabetic patients, CAN appears to be a better predictor of major cardiac events than SMI. The risk linked to CAN appears to be independent of SMI and is the highest when CAN is associated with SMI.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Lower-limb vascularization in diabetic patients. Assessment by thallium-201 scanning coupled with exercise myocardial scintigraphy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate, by thallium-201 scanning, circulation in the muscles of the lower limb (LL) in diabetic patients without clinical peripheral vascular disease but with a high cardiovascular risk profile. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 80 diabetic patients (76 patients with type 2 diabetes, mean age 57.3 years, duration of diabetes 13.0 +/- 7.5 years) with more than one additional cardiovascular risk factor but no claudication were investigated. After stress testing, 1.5 MBq/kg thallium-201 was administered to perform myocardial single-photon emission computed tomography followed by LL scanning. Muscle blood flow was considered abnormal if the asymmetry in thallium-201 uptake between the two buttocks and/or thighs and/or calves was > 10%. RESULTS: Muscle perfusion defects were found in 42% of the patients, mainly in the calves. These defects correlated with retinopathy (P = 0.042) and the HbA1c level (P = 0.044). In patients with defects in the buttock and/or thigh, the prevalence of nephropathy and retinopathy was higher than in those with isolated defects in the calf (P = 0.032 and 0.023, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that LL scanning coupled with myocardial scintigraphy is a convenient method of investigating peripheral muscle circulation. Proximal perfusion defects in patients without clinical arterial disease are associated with increased prevalence of retinopathy and nephropathy and, therefore, may be due to microvascular disease of LL muscle. Distal defects may indicate silent macrovascular disease of the LL.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

[Relationship between vasosympathetic activity and insulin resistance in normotensive and mildly hypertensive obese patients].

Several studies have well demonstrated that obesity is associated with changes in cardiovascular vagosympathetic activity. The aim of the present work was to evaluate this activity in normotensive and in mildly hypertensive obese patients, and to correlate this activity with clinical and biological indexes of insulin resistance. Heart rate (HR) and systolic blood pressure (sBP) were examined by spectral analysis in 70 normotensive obese patients (group 1), 32 mildly hypertensive obese patients (group 2), and 21 controls. The high frequency peak of HR variations at a controlled breathing rate (vagal activity) was significantly reduced in both groups (p < 0.001). The mid frequency peak of sBP in the standing position (sympathetic activity) was similar in both groups and in the control group. In groups 1 and 2, the high frequency peak correlated negatively with age (p = 0.005 and 0.034 respectively). In group 1, the mid frequency peak correlated positively with fat mass, fasting plasma insulin and triglyceride levels, and insulin resistance index (p < or = 0.03). In group 2, the mid frequency peak correlated positively with fasting insulin and insulin resistance index (p = 0.006 and 0.007 respectively). This study shows that, in obese patients: 1. cardiac vagal activity is reduced in normotensive and mildly hypertensive subjects; 2. vascular sympathetic activity is unchanged in means but may be increased as a consequence of adiposity, hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance, and this increase is likely to be involved in the increase of blood pressure.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

[Arterial rigidity and cardiovascular vagosympathetic activity in normotensive and hypertensive obese patients and type 2 diabetics].

An increase in arterial rigidity is associated with a poor cardiovascular prognosis. Several studies have suggested that an increase in sympathetic activity may be involved in essential hypertension. We have recently shown that vagal control of heart rate (HR) variations during standardised tests is altered in normotensive obese and diabetic patients. The aim of the present study was to compare cardiovascular vagosympathetic activity in obese and type 2 diabetic patients, either normotensive or hypertensive, and to investigate the relationship between pulse pressure (an index of arterial rigidity) and sympathetic activity in this population. Seventy normotensive obese and 32 mildly hypertensive obese patients, 18 normotensive type 2 diabetic patients and 14 mildly hypertensive type 2 diabetic patients were compared with 21 control subjects. Finapres studied HR and blood pressure variations. In the four groups, during a 6-min period at a controlled breathing rate, the high frequency peak of HR variations was significantly reduced (p < 0.001). The mid-frequency peak of systolic BP variations in the standing position, which depends on sympathetic activity, did not differ significantly between the four groups and control subjects. In obese and diabetic hypertensive patients, this peak correlated significantly with pulse pressure measured in the lying position (r = 0.379; p = 0.043 and r = 0.81; p < 0.0001, respectively). This study 1, confirms that vagal control of HR variations is reduced to a similar extent in obese and diabetic patients; and 2, suggests that cardiovascular sympathetic activity is relatively increased in these patients without significant difference between normotensive and hypertensive patients, but interestingly that the increase in arterial rigidity is associated with a higher sympathetic activity.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Effects of clinical audit on the quality of care in patients with type 2 diabetes: results of the DIABEST pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To improve the quality of diabetes care in general practice by the use of audit. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective multicenter pilot study. Thirty-five groups of ten general practitioners (GPs) have been set up throughout France on a voluntary basis. These groups were led by a steering committee that includes a diabetologist and a GP. Each group established a consensus on healthcare standards and carried out 2 data collections over a 12-month period, with adoption of corrective measures between these 2 collections. RESULTS: 309 (90.4%) of the 342 practitioners completed the first data collection, assessing the management of 3,125 patients over a year. Less than half the groups have reached the 80% reference threshold for quality of care with regard to foot examination, microalbuminuria, ECG, fundoscopy and assessment of diet. The audit also found no intervention within one year in case of poor glucose control for 47% of patients, unsatisfactory quality of HbA(1c) measurement and insufficient resources for diet and education. 226 (66.1%) practitioners completed the second data collection assessing the management of 2,248 patients. Comparison between the two phases of the audit showed significant improvements for all the indicators of the process of care (p<0.001). Quality of HbA(1c) measurement and diet assessment by GPs progressed (p<0.01). Outcomes of care also improved with respect to the proportion of patients with HbA(1c)<=8% (p=0.007), fasting glycaemia<1.40 g/l (p=0.05) and SBP<140 mmHg (p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study confirms the feasibility of using clinical audit at the national level. It seems to be an effective measure to improve the management of patients with type 2 diabetes in primary care. It is intended that the large-scale DIABEST study will address this issue.

Albuminuria↗
PubMed2000

Impairment of skin vasoconstrictive response to sympathetic activation in obese patients: influence of rheological disorders.

Alterations of cardiac vagosympathetic activity have been suggested in obesity. We have previously shown that the skin vasoconstrictive response to sympathetic activation is reduced in non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients. The present study investigates the skin vasoconstrictive response to sympathetic activation in nondiabetic obese patients and the influence of clinical and rheological factors. Fifty-seven obese and 18 healthy women were investigated. The resting cutaneous blood flow (CBF) and CBF response to three tests that activate the sympathetic nervous system (deep breathing, Valsalva maneuver, and sitting to standing) were measured by a laser Doppler device. The red blood cell (RBC) filtration index (FI) and RBC aggregation were measured using a Hanss hemorrheometer and a Myrenne aggregometer (Myrenne, Roetgen, Germany), respectively. Resting CBF was not significantly different in obese and control subjects. The vasoconstrictive response to the deep-breathing and sitting-to-standing tests expressed as the decrease in CBF was significantly lower in obese patients versus controls (43.9% +/- 3.1% v 73.7% +/- 17.9%, P = .01, and 67.1% +/- 3.8% v 89.8% +/- 12.0%, P = .02, respectively). The spontaneous basal CBF variations and the downward slope of the CBF reduction during the Valsalva and sitting-to-standing tests correlated negatively with age in obese patients (P = .042, .022, and .008, respectively). During the sitting-to-standing test, the percent change in CBF correlated positively with RBC aggregation at a shear rate of 0 and 3 s(-1) (P = .011 and .017, respectively). In conclusion, (1) CBF assessment by laser Doppler flowmetry is an effective noninvasive method to investigate sympathetic nervous function in obese patients; (2) obesity is associated with a significant reduction in the vasoconstrictive response to two tests for sympathetic activation, the deep-breathing and sitting-to-standing tests; (3) the severity of this reduction increases with age; and (4) RBC aggregation may contribute to the increase in the vasoconstrictive response and may thus increase the risk of widespread cardiovascular disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Extra cellular water and increase in capillary permeability to albumin in overweight women with swelling syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate extracellular water (ECW) in the recumbent and the upright position, in overweight and lean women with swelling syndrome, and to correlate the excess in ECW with an increase in capillary filtration of albumin (CFA). PATIENTS: Fifty-one women with a swelling syndrome were investigated, 26 of whom were overweight. MEASUREMENTS: ECW was measured by the bioelectrical impedance method, in the recumbent position and again after a postural test which consisted of walking around for 30 min. CFA was studied by an isotopic test using 99m technetium-labelled albumin. RESULTS: ECW increased (>107% of the theoretical value) in 22 of the 26 overweight patients and 23 of the 25 lean patients. The CFA isotopic test was abnormal in half (11/22) of the overweight patients with increased ECW and in three of the four overweight patients with a normal ECW value. It was abnormal in 18 of the 23 lean patients with increased ECW and in the two lean patients with a normal ECW value. During the postural test, a significant (by> or =4%) increase in ECW occurred in a higher proportion of overweight patients tested (14/22) than among the lean women tested (0/5; P=0. 04). CONCLUSIONS: The swelling syndrome is indeed related to an increase in ECW in lean and overweight subjects and to a further increase in ECW after a postural test only in the overweight patients. It is also associated with microcirculatory disorders in most of the lean patients who complain of swelling and in only half of the overweight patients with the same complaints, which suggests that other factors (e.g. hormonal disorders) may be involved in the overweight patients. International Journal of Obesity (2000)24, 126-130

Adolescent↗