Research Outputs
Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Implications—A Narrative Review
Vitamin D has been widely studied for its implications on type 2 diabetes mellitus, a chronic condition characterized by insulin resistance, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction. This review explores the molecular mechanisms underpinning vitamin D’s effects on glucose metabolism, inflammation, and adipogenesis, while assessing its potential clinical applications in type 2 diabetes. In its 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 form, vitamin D modulates various metabolic processes, affecting proinflammatory cytokines and activating the AMPK pathway, inhibiting mTOR signaling, and promoting adipocyte differentiation. These effects enhance insulin sensitivity and reduce chronic inflammation, key contributors to metabolic dysfunction. In this context, the progression of prediabetes has been linked to vitamin D, which limits pathological progression and increases the likelihood of restoring a normal metabolic state, crucial in diabetes progression. Moreover, vitamin D has been reported to reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes by 15%, particularly in doses higher than the traditional recommendations for bone health. Despite promising evidence, discrepancies in study designs, serum vitamin D measurements, and population-specific factors highlight the need for standardized methodologies and personalized approaches. In conclusion, vitamin D has complementary therapeutic potential in treating type 2 diabetes, revealing gaps in research, such as optimal dosing and long-term effects across populations. Future studies should integrate molecular insights into clinical practice to optimize vitamin D’s impact on metabolic health.
Más allá de la función pulmonar: Impacto de la obesidad en el linfedema relacionado con el cáncer de mama
Comparison between sleep disorders and polysomnographic records of young adults with and without sleep bruxism: A cross-sectional study
Objectives: To compare sleep disorders and polysomnographic records among a group of young adults with sleep bruxism (SB) and a control group (C). Material and methods: This cross-sectional study considered a consecutive sampling of students from the target population, searching for cases of SB until 20 individuals with and without SB were obtained. Sleep disorders were determined by applying both medical records and physiological records during sleep which were gathered from a polysomnography exam. To establish the difference of the means according to SB, the T-Student or Mann-Whitney U tests were used, depending on the data. A Logistic Regression analysis was also applied. Results: The study found differences (p-value<0.05) in the variables related to the sleep disorder: the possibility of major depressive episode (SB: 30% - C: 5%), degree of nasal airway obstruction (SB: 20% - C: 10%) and in polysomnographic registers: sleep time stage 1 (SB: 9 min - C: 18 min), Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage (SB: 123 min C: 93 min ), number of periodic movement of the limbs (SB: 84.2 - C: 49.7), bruxism index (SB: 40.2 - C: 10.1) and average of total arousals (SB: 71.9 - C: 57.5). According to the logistic regression model, the Odds Ratio (OR) of SB, in relation to the periodic movement of the limbs and the degree of airway obstruction, it showed a statistically significant relationship (p-value<0.05). Conclusion: There were significant differences recorded in two sleep disorders between the two groups: the degree of airway obstruction and the possibility of having a major depressive episode. Differences were found in sleep and REM time stages, periodic movement of limbs and bruxism events.