The relationship between insulin resistance/β-cell dysfunction and diabetic retinopathy in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: the Desheng Diabetic Eye Study

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was declared a pandemic by the WHO on 19 March 2020. This pandemic is associated with markedly elevated blood glucose levels and a remarkable degree of insulin resistance, which suggests pancreatic islet β-cell dysfunction or apoptosis and insulin’s inability to dispose of glucose into cellular tissues. Diabetes is known to be one of the top pre-existing co-morbidities associated with the severity of COVID-19 along with hypertension, cardiocerebrovascular disease, advanced age, male gender, and recently obesity. This review focuses on how COVID-19 may be responsible for the accelerated development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) as one of its acute and suspected long-term complications. These observations implicate an active role of metabolic syndrome, systemic and tissue islet renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system, redox stress, inflammation, islet fibrosis, amyloid deposition along with β-cell dysfunction and apoptosis in those who develop T2DM. Utilizing light and electron microscopy in preclinical rodent models and human islets may help to better understand how COVID-19 accelerates islet and β-cell injury and remodeling to result in the long-term complications of T2DM.

Download Full-text

Association between plasma adipsin level and mild cognitive impairment in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study

BMC Endocrine Disorders ◽

10.1186/s12902-019-0431-y ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dan Guo ◽

Yang Yuan ◽

Rong Huang ◽

Sai Tian ◽

Jiaqi Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Insulin Resistance ◽

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Large Scale ◽

Chinese Patients ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay

Abstract Background The adipokine adipsin contributes to insulin resistance (IR), inflammation, and obesity, which are all regarded as high-risk factors for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. This research aimed to uncover the role of adipsin in Chinese type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) population with early cognitive dysfunction and determine whether adipsin contributes to diabetic MCI caused by IR. Methods In our study, 126 patients with T2DM were enrolled. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to assess cognitive impairment. Demographic data and neuropsychological test results were evaluated. Plasma adipsin level was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results The MCI group (n = 57) presented higher plasma adipsin levels compared with the healthy controls (p = 0.018). After adjustment for educational attainment, and age, begative correlations were found between plasma adipsin levels and MoCA, Mini Mental State Exam, and Verbal Fluency Test scores(r = − 0.640, p < 0.001; r = − 0.612, p < 0.001; r = − 0.288, p = 0.035; respectively). Correlation analysis demonstrated that adipsin levels were significantly positively correlated with fasting C-peptide; homeostasis model of assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (r = 0.368, p < 0.001; r = 0.494, p < 0.001; respectively). Multivariable regression analysis further indicated that high plasma adipsin level was a significant independent determinant of MCI in the Chinese population withT2DM (p = 0.017). Conclusions Elevated plasma adipsin level was associated with MCI in Chinese T2DM patients. Further large-scale studies should be designed to determine whether adipsin is linked to IR-associated susceptibility to early cognitive decline in T2DM patients.

Download Full-text