New diabetes management systems based on interactive communication have been introduced recently, accompanying rapid advances in information technology; these systems are referred to as "ubiquitous diabetes management systems." In such ubiquitous systems, patients and medical teams can communicate via Internet or telecommunications, with patients uploading their glucose data and personal information, and medical teams sending optimal feedback. Clinical evidence from both long-term and short-term trials has been reported by some researchers. Such systems appear to be effective not only in reducing the levels of HbA1c but also in stabilizing glucose control. However, most notably, evidence for the cost-effectiveness of such a system should be demonstrated before it can be propagated out to the general population in actual clinical practice. To establish a cost-effective model, various types of clinical decision supporting software designed to reduce the labor time of physicians must first be developed. A number of sensors and devices for monitoring patients' data are expected to be available in the near future; thus, methods for automatic interconnections between devices and web charts were also developed. Further investigations to demonstrate the clinical outcomes of such a system should be conducted, hopefully leading to a new paradigm of diabetes management.
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In the well-fed state a relatively high activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) reduces blood glucose levels by directing the carbon of pyruvate into the citric acid cycle. In the fasted state a relatively low activity of the PDC helps maintain blood glucose levels by conserving pyruvate and other three carbon compounds for gluconeogenesis. The relative activities of the pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases (PDKs) and the opposing pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatases determine the activity of PDC in the fed and fasted states. Up regulation of PDK4 is largely responsible for inactivation of PDC in the fasted state. PDK4 knockout mice have lower fasting blood glucose levels than wild type mice, proving that up regulation of PDK4 is important for normal glucose homeostasis. In type 2 diabetes, up regulation of PDK4 also inactivates PDC, which promotes gluconeogenesis and thereby contributes to the hyperglycemia characteristic of this disease. When fed a high fat diet, wild type mice develop fasting hyperglycemia but PDK4 knockout mice remain euglycemic, proving that up regulation of PDK4 contributes to hyperglycemia in diabetes. These finding suggest PDK4 inhibitors might prove useful in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
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Acute postprandial hyperglycemia is an important affector for atherosclerosis in subjects with glucose intolerance. We analyzed the relationship of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) with fasting and post-challenge plasma glucose levels according to different time points during oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
In 663 subjects with fasting hyperglycemia, 75 g OGTT were performed to confirm the glucose tolerant status, and fasting, post-challenge 30-minute and 120-minute glucose levels were measured. Anthropometric measurements were done, and fasting lipid profiles were measured. baPWV were measured in all subjects and the relationship between fasting, 30- and 120-minute post-challenge glucose levels and baPWV were analyzed.
Among the participants, 62.9% were prediabetes and 31.7% were diabetes. Mean baPWV value was significantly higher in subjects with diabetes compared with prediabetes group. In bivariate correlation analyses, age, blood pressure, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, 30-minute and 120-minute post-challenge glucose levels showed significant positive correlation with baPWV value. In multiple regression analysis, 30-minute post-challenge glucose level was a weak but significant determinant for mean baPWV value even after adjustment for other confounding variables.
Postprandial hyperglycemia, especially 30-minute glucose levels showed significant correlation with baPWV in subjects with fasting hyperglycemia. These results can imply the deleterious effect of acute hyperglycemic excursion on arterial stiffness in subjects with glucose intolerance.
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There are many studies regarding the effects of insulin on bone metabolism and changes in bone mineral density (BMD) in the setting of diabetes. The effect of prediabetes on BMD is not known.
A total of 802 men participated in the Korea Rural Genomic Cohort Study (in Geumsan County). According to the results of an oral glucose tolerance test, subjects were classified into normal, prediabetic, and diabetic categories. One hundred twenty-four subjects diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were excluded, leaving 678 subjects for the study inclusion. BMD was estimated with a quantitative ultrasonometer.
The average BMD T scores of normal and prediabetic subjects were -1.34 ± 1.42 and -1.33 ± 1.30, respectively; there was no significant difference in the BMD T scores between these groups. The BMD T score was inversely associated with age and positively correlated with body weight, body mass index, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and HbA1c. On multiple linear regression analysis, low density lipoprotein cholesterol was the only statistically significant variable for prediabetes (β = 0.007,
There was no significant difference in the BMD T score between the normal and prediabetic subjects. Further studies are needed regarding the association of fracture risk and changes in BMD with the development of overt diabetes.
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Identification of dietary patterns is important for glycemic management in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
Elderly T2DM patients (> 65 years of age,
Anthropometric data, including body mass index (24.7 ± 2.9 kg/m2), did not differ between the GC and PC groups. Significant abnormalities in blood glucose levels (
Healthcare professionals should encourage elderly diabetic patients to consume a balanced diet to maintain good glycemic control.
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The highly developed endoplasmic reticulum (ER) structure in pancreatic beta cells is heavily involved in insulin biosynthesis. Thus, any perturbation in ER function inevitably impacts insulin biosynthesis. Recent studies showed that the expression of tribbles-related protein 3 (TRB3), a mammalian homolog of Drosophilia tribbles, in various cell types is induced by ER stress. Here, we examined whether ER stress induces TRB3 expression in INS-1 cells and found that TRB3 mediates ER stress-induced suppression of insulin gene expression.
The effects of tunicamycin and thapsigargin on insulin and TRB3 expression in INS-1 cells were measured by Northern and Western blot analysis, respectively. The effects of adenovirus-mediated overexpression of TRB3 on insulin, PDX-1 and MafA gene expression in INS-1 cells were measured by Northern blot analysis. The effect of TRB3 on insulin promoter was measured by transient transfection study with constructs of human insulin promoter.
The treatment of INS-1 cells with tunicamycin and thapsigargin decreased insulin mRNA expression, but increased TRB3 protein expression. Adenovirus-mediated overexpression of TRB3 decreased insulin gene expression in a dose-dependent manner. A transient transfection study showed that TRB3 inhibited insulin promoter activity, suggesting that TRB3 inhibited insulin gene expression at transcriptional level. Adenovirus-mediated overexpression of TRB3 also decreased PDX-1 mRNA expression, but did not influence MafA mRNA expression.
This study showed that ER stress induced TRB3 expression, but decreased both insulin and PDX-1 gene expression in INS-1 cells. Our data suggest that TRB3 plays an important role in ER stress-induced beta cell dysfunction.
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Ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase-1 (ENPP1) generates inorganic pyrophosphate, a solute that serves as an essential physiological inhibitor of calcification. Inactivating mutations of ENPP1 are associated with generalized calcification in infancy and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We hypothesized that the ENPP1 K121Q variant may be associated with increased coronary artery calcification in T2DM patients.
The study subjects were aged 34 to 85 years and showed no evidence of clinical cardiovascular disease prior to recruitment. A total of 140 patients with T2DM were assessed for their coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores and ENPP1 K121Q polymorphisms were identified.
The prevalence of subjects carrying the KQ genotype was 12.9% (
The ENPP1 K121Q polymorphism does not appear to be associated with coronary artery calcification in patients with T2DM.
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