Additional resource for diabetes diagnostics in animals and humans

Veterinary doctors often observe cases of unexplained elevated glucose and ketones in urine of domestic animals without any other signs of diabetes. We studies these effects from the standpoint of the phenomenon of interdependent conditions in animals and humans, described by T.V.Novosadyuk in 2000. She was the first to provide a theoretical and practical foundation for clinical cases of simultaneously developing similar diseases in domestic animals and their owners. During the last 5 years we studied health of humans in families where domestic animals are affected by the laboratory abnormalities described above. In vast majority of cases it has been found out that animal owners have diabetes mellitus of variable severity. At the same time there were no disorders of carbohydrate metabolism in animal owners in 11 cases. We recommended members of these families to undergo a specialized examination. In all of these cases latent diabetes mellitus was found in humans who had especially close relationships with animals. These findings led to initiation of treatment in humans. At the same time animals were treated with a collar with a linen sack attached containing Peganum Harmala 30 globules. Repeated laboratory tests were performed after one month of such treatment. Normalization of laboratory variables was observed in all of the cases. Based on the study results we developed an algorhythm of activities that helps to diagnose early and latent forms of diabetes mellitus in domestic animals and their owners. This algorhythm includes: - test for glucose and/or ketones in animal urine after correction of feeding and care defects. - blood and urine glucose tests in family members of animal owners. In cases of deviations from normal values we recommended them to consult appropriate specialists and begin treatment immediately. - animals are given collars with Peganum Harmala 30 globules in a linen sack attached. - granules are removed when laboratory values normalize in animals. Control urinalysis is performed every three months durign a year. This approach is especially useful in latent early forms of diabetes mellitus when abnormal findings in animals or their owners enable us to suspect a similar disease in another. In such a way, the suggested algorithm is effective for organization of preclinical diagnostics in both domestic animals and their owners. In the future it is possible to enrich not only veterinary but also medical practice with new options for effective patient aid by practical development of the use of animal and human interdependent conditions.

Immigration-Related Trauma Associated With Metabolic Risk and Cognition in Hispanic and Latino Immigrant Populations

Recent immigrant and undocumented Hispanic/Latino adults in the United States (U.S.) are an underserved segment of the aging population. In this cross-sectional pilot study, we examined associations between self-reported stressors metabolic syndrome, emotional reactivity, and cognitive functioning in a heterogenous sample (N=80) of Hispanic/Latino adults (43.8% Central America; 43.8% South America; 7.5% Caribbean; mean years in the U.S.=18.1, SD=12.8). Participants (Meducation=10.2 years, SD=5.34; Mage=48.6 years, SD=12.3) underwent blood draw, anthropometrics and NIH-toolbox cognitive and behavioral measures. Linear regressions indicated that, elevated glucose was inversely associated with working memory (r=-.30), whereas higher HDL and controlled glucose were associated with better episodic memory (r=.27) and executive functioning (r=.32). Results further revealed associations between immigration-related trauma and elevated posttraumatic stress symptomatology. Implications for mental health and early detection of modifiable risk factors to promote healthy aging in vulnerable Hispanic/Latino immigrant populations are discussed.

Effect of photobiomodulation therapy on the regulation of glucose uptake by lymphocytes in diabetes mellitus (Review)

For most cells, including lymphocytes, glucose is a primary energy source, and, therefore, it is vital to understand the regulatory mechanisms that control the work of glucose transporters. Lymphocytes are pivotal for mediation of immune and inflammatory responses. A feature of lymphocytes is increasing glucose utilization during activation of the immune function, which is strongly dependent on glucose uptake. Some studies show that elevated glucose concentration in diabetes mellitus affects lymphocytes’ glucose transporters expression, whichcorrelates with impaired immune functions and may become one of the predisposing factors of contracting infectious diseases. Recent studies have focused on glucose transporters as therapeutic targets for a variety of diseases, including diabetes mellitus. This review demonstrates the effect of photobiomodulationtherapy on glucose uptake by Na+-coupled glucose carrier SGLT1 and facilitated diffusion glucose carriers of the GLUT family (GLUT1, GLUT3, GLUT4) in normal and diabetic lymphocytes.

EARLY CONSUMPTION OF HIBISCUS SABDARIFA ATTENUATES THE SEVERITY OF TYPE 2 DIABETES IN A WISTAR RAT MODEL

Diabetes constitute a serious challenge for many health system and families due to the cost of its care. Alternatively, traditional plants offer a huge potential for health care. Thus, many plants have been used in form beverage including the use of Hibiscus sabdarifa (HS) as tea. Recent data suggested the beneficial effect of HS cardiometabolic diseases models. In this study, we evaluated the preventive and curative effects of crude extract of HS in a type 2 diabetes rat model. Through in vitro complexion and/ or precipitation reactions, we qualitatively assessed the phytochemical composition of the crude extract of HS for different groups of secondary metabolites. The antiradical scavenging activity was assessed through hydroxyl radical test. Type 2 diabetes was induced by high fat diet (HFD) and single dose streptozotocine (STZ) injection. Body weight change and blood biochemical analysis were carried out. Data were statistically analyzed. HS contains different phytochemical polyphenolic compounds such as tanins and flavonoids and presented an interesting antiradical scavenging activity. Early intake from experimental day (ED1) of crude extract of HS significantly prevented gain in body weight (P < 0.05), reduced T2D induced elevated glucose (P < 0.01) and lipids (P < 0.01) and has better outcome as compared to late intake (from ED14). These findings confirm and supports the use of HS as tea and may offer protective effect to consumers by regulating blood sugar and lipid profile.

Towards the Development of a Female Animal Model of T1DM Using Hyaluronic Acid Nanocoated Cell Transplantation: Refinements and Considerations for Future Protocols

Female mice (Black 6 strain) (C57BL/6) aged 6 weeks were subject to low dose streptozotocin (STZ) treatment for five consecutive days to mimic type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) with insulitis. At two weeks after STZ injections, evaluation of the elevated glucose levels was used to confirm diabetes. The diabetic mice were then subject to the transplantation of pancreatic β-cells (MIN-6 line). Four groups of mice were studied. The first group was injected with saline-only acting as the placebo surgery control, also known as SHAM group, the second and third groups were injected with MIN-6 single cells and polyethylene glycol-modified dipalmitoyl-glycerol-phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PEG-DPPE) modified MIN-6 single cells (500 µg per 1.106 cells), respectively, while the fourth group was injected with hyaluronic acid (HA)-coated MIN-6 single cells (5 bilayers). At seven- and fourteen-days following transplantation, the mice were euthanised. The renal and pancreatic tissues were then collected and histologically analysed. The induction of diabetes in female mice, through five-consecutive daily STZ injections resulted in inconsistent glycaemic levels. Interestingly, this shows an incomplete diabetes induction in female mice, of which we attribute to sex dimorphism and hormonal interferences. Transplantation failure of free-floating encapsulated cells was unable to decrease blood glucose hyperglycaemia to physiological ranges. The result is attributed to deprived cell–cell interactions, leading to decreased β-cells functionality. Overall, we highlight the necessity of refining T1DM disease models in female subjects when using multiple low-dose STZ injections together with transplantation protocols. Considerations need to be made regarding the different developmental stages of female mice and oestrogen load interfering with pancreatic β-cells susceptibility to STZ. The use of pseudo islets, cell aggregates and spheroids are sought to improve transplantation outcome in comparison to free-floating single cells.

Epidemiology and prevention of cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) including coronary artery disease, stroke, heart failure, peripheral arterial disease, and other CVD manifestations comprise the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Key risk factors, including hypertension, cigarette smoking, elevated cholesterol, elevated glucose levels/diabetes, obesity, and physical inactivity comprise the top six leading causes of death globally. Prevention of CVD focuses on identifying and managing these and other key risk factors at both the population and individual level through approaches aimed at primordial, primary, and secondary prevention. Global risk factor assessment with short or long-term risk prediction algorithms can help identify those most appropriate for treatment. Novel risk factor evaluation and screening for subclinical CVD can also help further stratify CVD risk. Clinical trials have documented the efficacy of key interventions, including those involving antiplatelet, blood pressure, and lipid modification (from statins and newer non-statin therapies), as well as newer diabetes treatments that reduce CVD risk. Future efforts will best determine what combination of interventions at both the population and individual level can have the greatest impact on prevention of CVD.

Characterization and adaptation of Caldicellulosiruptor strains to higher sugar concentrations, targeting enhanced hydrogen production from lignocellulosic hydrolysates

Background The members of the genus Caldicellulosiruptor have the potential for future integration into a biorefinery system due to their capacity to generate hydrogen close to the theoretical limit of 4 mol H2/mol hexose, use a wide range of sugars and can grow on numerous lignocellulose hydrolysates. However, members of this genus are unable to survive in high sugar concentrations, limiting their ability to grow on more concentrated hydrolysates, thus impeding their industrial applicability. In this study five members of this genus, C.owensensis, C. kronotskyensis, C.bescii, C.acetigenus and C.kristjanssonii, were developed to tolerate higher sugar concentrations through an adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) process. The developed mixed population C.owensensis CO80 was further studied and accompanied by the development of a kinetic model based on Monod kinetics to quantitatively compare it with the parental strain. Results Mixed populations of Caldicellulosiruptor tolerant to higher glucose concentrations were obtained with C.owensensis adapted to grow up to 80 g/L glucose; other strains in particular C. kristjanssonii demonstrated a greater restriction to adaptation. The C.owensensis CO80 mixed population was further studied and demonstrated the ability to grow in glucose concentrations up to 80 g/L glucose, but with reduced volumetric hydrogen productivities ($$Q_{{{\text{H}}_{2} }}$$ Q H 2 ) and incomplete sugar conversion at elevated glucose concentrations. In addition, the carbon yield decreased with elevated concentrations of glucose. The ability of the mixed population C.owensensis CO80 to grow in high glucose concentrations was further described with a kinetic growth model, which revealed that the critical sugar concentration of the cells increased fourfold when cultivated at higher concentrations. When co-cultured with the adapted C.saccharolyticus G5 mixed culture at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 20 h, C.owensensis constituted only 0.09–1.58% of the population in suspension. Conclusions The adaptation of members of the Caldicellulosiruptor genus to higher sugar concentrations established that the ability to develop improved strains via ALE is species dependent, with C.owensensis adapted to grow on 80 g/L, whereas C.kristjanssonii could only be adapted to 30 g/L glucose. Although C.owensensis CO80 was adapted to a higher sugar concentration, this mixed population demonstrated reduced $$Q_{{{\text{H}}_{2} }}$$ Q H 2 with elevated glucose concentrations. This would indicate that while ALE permits adaptation to elevated sugar concentrations, this approach does not result in improved fermentation performances at these higher sugar concentrations. Moreover, the observation that planktonic mixed culture of CO80 was outcompeted by an adapted C.saccharolyticus, when co-cultivated in continuous mode, indicates that the robustness of CO80 mixed culture should be improved for industrial application.

Prognostic significance of N-Terminal Pro-BNP in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia without previous history of heart failure

Introduction The objective of the present research was to evaluate the possible association between the N-terminal pro-brain type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels and in-hospital mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia patients who did not have pre-existing heart failure (HF). Methods A total of 137 consecutive patients without pre-existing HF and hospitalized due to COVID-19 pneumonia were enrolled into the current research. The main outcome of the research was the in-hospital death. The independent parameters linked with the in-hospital death were determined by multivariable analysis. Results A total of 26 deaths with an in-hospital mortality rate of 18.9% was noted. Those who died were older with an increased frequency of co-morbidities such as hypertension, chronic kidney disease, coronary artery disease, stroke and dementia. They had also increased white blood cell (WBC) counts and had elevated glucose, creatinine, troponin I, and NT-pro-BNP levels but had decreased levels of hemoglobin. By multivariable analysis; age, NT-pro-BNP, WBC, troponin I, and creatinine levels were independently linked with the in-hospital mortality. After ROC evaluation, the ideal value of the NT-pro-BNP to predict the in-hospital mortality was found as 260 ng/L reflecting a sensitivity of 82% and a specificity of 93% (AUC:0.86; 95% CI: 0.76–0.97). Conclusion The current research clearly shows that the NT-proBNP levels are independently linked with the in-hospital mortality rates in subjects with COVID-19 pneumonia and without HF. Thus, we believe that this biomarker can be used as a valuable prognostic parameter in such cases. FUNDunding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None. Figure 1

Combined utility of Glucose and HbA1C testing for screening diabetes mellitus

Screening for diabetes mellitus is accomplished by measuring fasting blood glucose or HbA1C. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) guidelines recommend HbA1C for screening patients for diabetes or pre-diabetes, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) includes HbA1C only for monitoring and either glucose or HbA1C can be used for screening. This project sought to provide clinical laboratory evidence to support HbA1C as a diabetes screening test. De-identified electronic health record (EHR) patient data from individuals visiting a large medical center and its affiliated clinics that were tested for blood glucose (either alone, basic metabolic profile or comprehensive metabolic profile) and HbA1C ordered together on the same date of service were collected. 333,360 combined glucose and HbA1C requests were received in 2020. For further analysis, we included patients only with ICD-10 routine visit code Z00.00, excluding known diabetics, patients with elevated blood glucose and HbA1C below 5.7 %because this combination may indicate a non-fasting or inadequate fasting state. From the patients with diagnosis code Z00.00 and glucose within the reference interval, 73 %had HbA1C levels greater than 5.7 %. Among them, 65 %are of pre-diabetes [HbA1C between 5.7 and 6.4%] and 35% with HbA1C over 6.5%. Medical record review of patient charts with HbA1C over 6.5 % suggested a diagnosis of diabetes and were prescribed hypoglycemic medications. Elevated glucose and HbA1C complement each other in the initial diagnosis for diabetes and pre-diabetes; where as HbA1C alone is a good indicator in screening diabetes and pre-diabetes individuals that were previously not diagnosed with diabetes. We are currently collecting 2019 data to examine the differences and adjust for the sample volume due to effect of COVID-19 pandemic on patient visits in the early 2020. We are also evaluating if other variables such as insulin levels, insulin resistance status, and their correlation with HbA1C as a screening measure.