Administration of thiamazole for Graves' disease might trigger the onset of type 1 diabetes

Thiamazole might trigger the onset of type 1 diabetes.

Adult height and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study (JPHC)

Adult height is determined by both genetic characteristics and environmental factors in early life. Although previous studies have suggested that adult height is associated with risk of mortality, comprehensive associations between height and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in the Japanese population are unclear. We aimed to evaluate the associations between adult height and all-cause and cause-specific mortality among Japanese men and women in a prospective cohort study. We investigated 107,794 participants (50,755 men and 57,039 women) aged 40 to 69 years who responded to the baseline questionnaire in the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study. Participants were classified by quartile of adult height obtained from a self-reported questionnaire in men (<160cm, 160-163cm, 164-167cm, ≥168cm) and women (<149cm, 149-151cm, 152-155cm, ≥156cm). Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for mortality from all-cause, cancer, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, respiratory disease, and other cause mortality were calculated using Cox proportional hazards models. During follow-up, 12,320 men and 7,030 women died. Taller adult height was associated with decreased risk for mortality from cerebrovascular disease (HR _{<160cm vs. ≥168cm} (95% CI) = 0.83 (0.69–0.99); HR _{for 5-cm increment} (95% CI) = 0.95 (0.90–0.99)) and respiratory disease (HR _{<160cm vs. ≥168cm} (95% CI) = 0.84 (0.69–1.03); HR _{for 5-cm increment} (95% CI) = 0.92 (0.87–0.97)), but was also associated with increased risk for overall cancer mortality (HR _{<160cm vs. ≥168cm} (95% CI) = 1.17 (1.07–1.28); HR _{for 5-cm increment} (95% CI) = 1.04 (1.01–1.07)) in men. Taller adult height was also associated with decreased risk for mortality from cerebrovascular disease (HR _{<149cm vs. ≥156cm} (95% CI) = 0.84 (0.66–1.05); HR _{for 5-cm increment} (95% CI) = 0.92 (0.86–0.99)) in women. Our results confirmed that adult height is associated with cause-specific mortality in a Japanese population.

Evaluation of Teneligliptin Effects on Transcriptional Activity of PPARγ in Cell-Based Assays

BACKGROUND

The antidiabetic drug teneligliptin is a novel dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor with a thiazolidine-specific structure. This study aimed to investigate whether teneligliptin can activate PPARγ directly and/or indirectly in cell-based assays.

METHODS

Promoter assays using the reporter construct driven under the control of the SV40 promoter and the PPAR response element (PPRE) were performed. Luciferase activity was measured after a 3-day incubation of vector-transduced cells with various concentrations of teneligliptin.

RESULTS

Treatment of the cells with 50 μM teneligliptin significantly transactivated a reporter gene. The presence of the PPARγ antagonist, GW9662, did not affect the activation of PPRE-reporter expression by teneligliptin.

CONCLUSION

We found that teneligliptin could increase PPARγ activity in cell-based assays irrespective of the PPARγ ligand-binding domain.

Changes in Antidiabetic Drug Prescription and Glycemic Control Trends in Elderly Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus from 2005-2013: An Analysis of the National Center Diabetes Database (NCDD-03)

Objective To analyze the changes in the pharmacotherapy and glycemic control trends in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Japan. Methods We extracted the data of 7,590 patients (5,396 men and 2,194 women; median year of birth: 1945) with T2DM registered in the National Center Diabetes Database for the years 2005 to 2013, and conducted age-stratified (<65, 65-74, and ≥75 years of age) analyses. Results The hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels declined from 2005 to 2013, and for those who received antihyperglycemic drug prescription, the HbA1c levels were lower in the older age group than in the younger age group. In the ≥75 age group, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4i) became the most frequently prescribed drug (49.1%) in 2013, and sulfonylureas remained the second-most frequently prescribed drug (37.8%) with decreased prescribed doses. The prescription ratio of oral drugs associated with a risk of hypoglycemia was higher in patients ≥75 years of age than in those <75 years of age (40.5% and 26.4%, respectively in 2013), although it showed a downward trend. The prescription rates of insulin for patients ≥75 years of age increased during the study period. Conclusion The pharmacotherapy trends for elderly patients with T2DM changed dramatically in Japan with the launch of DPP4i in 2009. Glycemic control in a considerable portion of the ≥75 age group in Japan was maintained at the expense of potential hypoglycemia by the frequent, although cautious, use of sulfonylureas, glinides and insulin.

Predictive performance of a genetic risk score using 11 susceptibility alleles for the incidence of Type 2 diabetes in a general Japanese population: a nested case-control study

AIMS

To assess the predictive ability of a genetic risk score for the incidence of Type 2 diabetes in a general Japanese population.

METHODS

This prospective case-control study, nested within a Japan Public Health Centre-based prospective study, included 466 participants with incident Type 2 diabetes over a 5-year period (cases) and 1361 control participants, as well as 1463 participants with existing diabetes and 1463 control participants. Eleven susceptibility single nucleotide polymorphisms, identified through genome-wide association studies and replicated in Japanese populations, were analysed.

RESULTS

Most single nucleotide polymorphism loci showed directionally consistent associations with diabetes. From the combined samples, one single nucleotide polymorphism (rs2206734 at CDKAL1) reached a genome-wide significance level (odds ratio 1.28, 95% CI 1.18-1.40; P = 1.8 × 10^-8 ). Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs2206734 in CDKAL1, rs2383208 in CDKN2A/B, and rs2237892 in KCNQ1) were nominally significantly associated with incident diabetes. Compared with the lowest quintile of the total number of risk alleles, the highest quintile had a higher odds of incident diabetes (odds ratio 2.34, 95% CI 1.59-3.46) after adjusting for conventional risk factors such as age, sex and BMI. The addition to the conventional risk factor-based model of a genetic risk score using the 11 single nucleotide polymorphisms significantly improved predictive performance; the c-statistic increased by 0.021, net reclassification improved by 6.2%, and integrated discrimination improved by 0.003.

CONCLUSIONS

Our prospective findings suggest that the addition of a genetic risk score may provide modest but significant incremental predictive performance beyond that of the conventional risk factor-based model without biochemical markers.

Possible association of oestrogen and Cryba4 with masticatory muscle tendon-aponeurosis hyperplasia

OBJECTIVE

Masticatory muscle tendon-aponeurosis hyperplasia, which is associated with limited mouth opening, progresses very slowly from adolescence. The prevalence rates of this disease are higher among women than among men, suggesting oestrogen involvement. As parafunctional habits are frequently observed, mechanical stress is likely involved in the pathogenesis and advancement of this disease. To elucidate the pathological condition, we examined the effect of oestrogen on tenocyte function and the relationship between mechanical stress and crystallin beta A4 (Cryba4), using murine TT-D6 tenocytes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Cell proliferation assays, RT-PCR, real-time RT-PCR, Western blot analysis and mechanical loading experiments were performed.

RESULTS

The physiological dose of oestrogen increased the levels of scleraxis and tenomodulin in TT-D6 tenocytes. In contrast, forced expression of Cryba4 inhibited scleraxis expression in these cells. Surprisingly, oestrogen significantly promoted cell differentiation in the Cryba4-overexpressing TT-D6 tenocytes. Moreover, tensile force induced Cryba4 expression in these tendon cells.

CONCLUSION

Oestrogen and Cryba4 may be associated with the progression of masticatory muscle tendon-aponeurosis hyperplasia.

Coffee Consumption and Lung Cancer Risk: The Japan Public Health Center-Based Prospective Study

BACKGROUND

Many epidemiological studies have indicated a positive association between coffee intake and lung cancer risk, but such findings were suggested to be confounded by smoking. Furthermore, only a few of these studies have been conducted in Asia. Here, we investigated the association between coffee intake and lung cancer risk in one of the largest prospective cohort studies in Japan.

METHODS

We investigated the association of coffee drinking and subsequent incidence of lung cancer among 41,727 men and 45,352 women in the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study using Cox proportional hazards regression, with adjustment for potential confounders and by strata of smoking status. Coffee and other dietary intakes were assessed once at baseline with a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ).

RESULTS

During 1,481,887 person-years of follow-up between 1990 and 2011, a total of 1,668 lung cancer cases were identified. In a multivariate regression model, coffee consumption was not associated with risk of lung cancer (HR 1.16; 95% CI, 0.82-1.63; Ptrend = 0.285 for men and HR 1.49; 95% CI, 0.79-2.83; Ptrend = 0.942 for women). However, there was a significant increase in the risk for small cell carcinoma (HR 3.52; 95% CI, 1.49-8.28; Ptrend < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Our prospective study suggests that habitual consumption of coffee is not associated with an increased risk of lung cancer incidence, despite observing a significant increase in the risk for small cell carcinoma.

Luminal plant sterol promotes brush border membrane-to-lumen cholesterol efflux in the small intestine

Plant sterols are used as food additives to reduce intestinal cholesterol absorption. They also increase fecal neutral sterol (FNS) excretion irrespective of the absorption inhibition. Intestine-mediated reverse cholesterol transport, or trans-intestinal cholesterol efflux (TICE), provides the major part of the increase of FNS excretion. However, it is unknown whether plant sterols stimulate TICE or not. We have shown previously that TICE can be evaluated by brush border membrane (BBM)-to-lumen cholesterol efflux. Thus, we examined whether luminal plant sterols stimulate BBM-to-lumen cholesterol efflux in the intestinal tract or not in mice. Cannulated upper jejunum that had been pre-labeled with orally given ³H-cholesterol, was flushed and perfused to collect ³H-cholesterol effluxed back into the lumen from the BBM to estimate the efflux efficiency. Adding 0.5 mg/ml of plant sterols, but not cholesterol, in the perfusion solution doubled the efflux. Plant sterols enter the BBM and are effluxed back to the lumen rapidly, in which process cholesterol transporters in the BBM are involved. We thus speculate that phytosterols alter cholesterol flux in the BBM; thereby, increases BBM-to-lumen cholesterol efflux, resulting in the increased TICE.

Effect of an intensified multifactorial intervention on cardiovascular outcomes and mortality in type 2 diabetes (J-DOIT3): an open-label, randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Limited evidence suggests that multifactorial interventions for control of glucose, blood pressure, and lipids reduce macrovascular complications and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, safe and effective treatment targets for these risk factors have not been determined for such interventions.

METHODS

In this multicentre, open-label, randomised, parallel-group trial, undertaken at 81 clinical sites in Japan, we randomly assigned (1:1) patients with type 2 diabetes aged 45-69 years with hypertension, dyslipidaemia, or both, and an HbA_1c of 6·9% (52·0 mmol/mol) or higher, to receive conventional therapy for glucose, blood pressure, and lipid control (targets: HbA_1c <6·9% [52·0 mmol/mol], blood pressure <130/80 mm Hg, LDL cholesterol <120 mg/dL [or 100 mg/dL in patients with a history of coronary artery disease]) or intensive therapy (HbA_1c <6·2% [44·3 mmol/mol], blood pressure <120/75 mm Hg, LDL cholesterol <80 mg/dL [or 70 mg/dL in patients with a history of coronary artery disease]). Randomisation was done using a computer-generated, dynamic balancing method, stratified by sex, age, HbA_1c, and history of cardiovascular disease. Neither patients nor investigators were masked to group assignment. The primary outcome was occurrence of any of a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, revascularisation (coronary artery bypass surgery, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, carotid endarterectomy, percutaneous transluminal cerebral angioplasty, and carotid artery stenting), and all-cause mortality. The primary analysis was done in the intention-to-treat population. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00300976.

FINDINGS

Between June 16, 2006, and March 31, 2009, 2542 eligible patients were randomly assigned to intensive therapy or conventional therapy (1271 in each group) and followed up for a median of 8·5 years (IQR 7·3-9·0). Two patients in the intensive therapy group were found to be ineligible after randomisation and were excluded from the analyses. During the intervention period, mean HbA_1c, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol concentrations were significantly lower in the intensive therapy group than in the conventional therapy group (6·8% [51·0 mmol/mol] vs 7·2% [55·2 mmol/mol]; 123 mm Hg vs 129 mm Hg; 71 mm Hg vs 74 mm Hg; and 85 mg/dL vs 104 mg/dL, respectively; all p<0·0001). The primary outcome occurred in 109 patients in the intensive therapy group and in 133 patients in the conventional therapy group (hazard ratio [HR] 0·81, 95% CI 0·63-1·04; p=0·094). In a post-hoc breakdown of the composite outcome, frequencies of all-cause mortality (HR 1·01, 95% CI 0·68-1·51; p=0·95) and coronary events (myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass surgery, and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty; HR 0·86, 0·58-1·27; p=0·44) did not differ between groups, but cerebrovascular events (stroke, carotid endarterectomy, percutaneous transluminal cerebral angioplasty, and carotid artery stenting) were significantly less frequent in the intensive therapy group (HR 0·42, 0·24-0·74; p=0·002). Apart from non-severe hypoglycaemia (521 [41%] patients in the intensive therapy group vs 283 [22%] in the conventional therapy group, p<0·0001) and oedema (193 [15%] vs 129 [10%], p=0·0001), the frequencies of major adverse events did not differ between groups.

INTERPRETATION

Our results do not fully support the efficacy of further intensified multifactorial intervention compared with current standard care for the prevention of a composite of coronary events, cerebrovascular events, and all-cause mortality. Nevertheless, our findings suggest a potential benefit of an intensified intervention for the prevention of cerebrovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes.

FUNDING

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan, Asahi Kasei Pharma, Astellas Pharma, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Daiichi Sankyo, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Kissei Pharmaceutical, Kowa Pharmaceutical, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, Mochida Pharmaceutical, MSD, Novartis Pharma, Novo Nordisk, Ono Pharmaceutical, Pfizer, Sanwa Kagaku Kenkyusho, Shionogi, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma, Taisho Toyama Pharmaceutical, and Takeda.

Comparison of Ipragliflozin and Pioglitazone Effects on Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized, 24-Week, Open-Label, Active-Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE

To compare the efficacy of ipragliflozin versus pioglitazone in patients with type 2 diabetes complicated by nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

In this open-label, randomized, active-controlled trial, we randomly assigned 66 patients with type 2 diabetes and NAFLD to receive ipragliflozin 50 mg (n = 32) or pioglitazone 15-30 mg (n = 34) orally once daily. The primary outcome was a change from baseline in the liver-to-spleen attenuation ratio (L/S ratio) on computed tomography at week 24.

RESULTS

At week 24, the mean ± SD L/S ratio had increased by 0.22 (from 0.80 ± 0.24 to 1.00 ± 0.18) in the ipragliflozin group and 0.21 (from 0.78 ± 0.26 to 0.98 ± 0.16) in the pioglitazone group (P = 0.90). Serum aspartate and alanine aminotransferase levels, HbA_1c, and fasting plasma glucose were similarly reduced in the two treatment groups. Nevertheless, body weight and visceral fat area showed significant reductions only in the ipragliflozin group compared with the pioglitazone group (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.0013, respectively). There were no serious adverse events in either group.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with pioglitazone, ipragliflozin exerts equally beneficial effects on NAFLD and glycemic control during the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes complicated by NAFLD. Furthermore, ipragliflozin significantly reduced body weight and abdominal fat area.

Cytotoxicity of Natural Killer Cells Activated Through NKG2D Contributes to the Development of Bronchiolitis Obliterans in a Murine Heterotopic Tracheal Transplant Model

Bronchiolitis obliterans after lung transplantation is a major cause of postoperative mortality in which T cell-mediated immunity is known to play an important role. However, the exact contribution of natural killer (NK) cells, which have functions similar to CD8⁺ T cells, has not been defined. Here, we assessed the role of NK cells in murine bronchiolitis obliterans through heterotopic tracheal transplantations and found a greater percentage of NK cells in allografts than in isografts. Depletion of NK cells using an anti-NK1.1 antibody attenuated bronchiolitis obliterans in transplant recipients compared with controls. In terms of NK cell effector functions, an improvement in bronchiolitis obliterans was observed in perforin-KO recipient mice compared to wild type (WT). Furthermore, we found upregulation of NKG2D-ligand in allografts and demonstrated the significance of this using grafts expressing Rae-1, a murine NKG2D-ligand, which induced severe bronchiolitis obliterans in WT and Rag-1 KO recipients. This effect was ameliorated by injection of anti-NKG2D blocking antibody. Together, these results suggest that cytotoxicity resulting from activation of NK cells through NKG2D leads to the development of murine bronchiolitis obliterans.

Blood pressure-lowering effect of Shinrin-yoku (Forest bathing): a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Shinrin-yoku (experiencing the forest atmosphere or forest bathing) has received increasing attention from the perspective of preventive medicine in recent years. Some studies have reported that the forest environment decreases blood pressure. However, little is known about the possibility of anti-hypertensive applications of Shinrin-yoku. This study aimed to evaluate preventive or therapeutic effects of the forest environment on blood pressure.

Methods

We systematically reviewed the medical literature and performed a meta-analysis.Four electronic databases were systematically searched for the period before May 2016 with language restriction of English and Japanese. The review considered all published, randomized, controlled trials, cohort studies, and comparative studies that evaluated the effects of the forest environment on changes in systolic blood pressure. A subsequent meta-analysis was performed.

Results

Twenty trials involving 732 participants were reviewed. Systolic blood pressure of the forest environment was significantly lower than that of the non-forest environment. Additionally, diastolic blood pressure of the forest environment was significantly lower than that of the non-forest environment.

Conclusions

This systematic review shows a significant effect of Shinrin-yoku on reduction of blood pressure.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12906-017-1912-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

High Serum Phospholipid Dihomo-γ-Linoleic Acid Concentration and Low Δ5-Desaturase Activity Are Associated with Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes among Japanese Adults in the Hitachi Health Study

Background: The association between the circulating fatty acid (FA) composition and type 2 diabetes (T2D) has been reported in Western populations, but evidence is scarce among Asian populations, including Japanese, who consume large amounts of fish.Objective: The objective of the present study was to prospectively examine the association between circulating concentrations of individual FAs and T2D incidence among Japanese adults.Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study in a cohort of 4754 employees, aged 34-69 y, who attended a comprehensive health checkup in 2008-2009 and donated blood samples for the Hitachi Health Study. During 5 y of follow-up, diabetes was identified on the basis of plasma glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and self-report. Two controls matched to each case by sex, age, and date of checkup were randomly chosen by using density sampling, resulting in 336 cases and 678 controls with FA measurements. GC was used to measure the FA composition in serum phospholipids. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the HRs and 95% CIs after adjusting for potential confounders. We examined the association of T2D risk with 25 different individual and combinations of FAs.Results: T2D risk was positively associated with serum dihomo-γ-linoleic acid concentration (highest compared with the lowest quartile-HR: 1.49; 95% CI: 1.04, 2.11; P-trend = 0.02) and inversely associated with Δ5-desaturase activity (highest compared with the lowest quartile-HR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.52, 0.99; P-trend = 0.02), independent of body mass index (BMI). There were also inverse associations between T2D risk with serum total n-6 (ω-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), linoleic acid, and cis-vaccenic acid, but these were attenuated and became nonsignificant after adjustment for BMI. Serum n-3 (ω-3) PUFAs and saturated fatty acids (SFAs) were not associated with T2D risk.Conclusions: T2D risk was associated with circulating concentrations of the n-6 PUFA dihomo-γ-linoleic acid and Δ5-desaturase activity but not with n-3 PUFA or SFA concentrations in Japanese adults.

Effects of the Activation of Three Major Hepatic Akt Substrates on Glucose Metabolism in Male Mice

Insulin suppresses glucose output from the liver via Akt activation; however, which substrate of Akt plays the major role in transducing this effect is unclear. We tested the postnatal expression of Akt-unresponsive, constitutively active mutants of three major Akt substrates widely considered to regulate glucose metabolism [i.e., FoxO1, PGC1α, and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β)] using adenoviral gene delivery to the mouse liver. We performed physiological hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp studies using these mice under awake and nonrestrained conditions with blood sampling via an arterial catheter. Hepatic expression of constitutively active FoxO1 induced significant hepatic and systemic insulin resistance. However, neither the expression of constitutively active PGC1α nor that of GSK3β significantly changed insulin sensitivity. Simultaneous expression of all three mutants together induced no further insulin resistance compared with that of the FoxO1 mutant. The glycogen content in the liver was significantly reduced by constitutively active GSK3β expression. In cultured hepatocytes, constitutively active PGC1α induced markedly stronger transcriptional enhancement of gluconeogenic key enzymes than did constitutively active FoxO1. From these results, we conclude that FoxO1 has the most prominent role in transducing insulin's effect downstream from Akt to suppress hepatic glucose output, involving mechanisms independent of the transcriptional regulation of key gluconeogenic enzymes.

Risk perception, self-efficacy, trust for physician, depression, and behavior modification in diabetic patients

We evaluated the associations of risk perception, self-efficacy, and trust with two health promotion behaviors (food habits and exercise) and depressive mood. Diabetic patients aged between 40 and 64 (n = 1195) were included in the analyses. Risk perception worsened behavioral changes in terms of food habits and depression, whereas self-efficacy and trust improved food habits, exercise, and depression; trust improved exercise and depression. In conclusion, self-efficacy and trust appear to be more beneficial than risk perception for positive behavioral changes and for improving depression in diabetic patients. However, their influence on behavioral changes may be different according to the types of behaviors.

Dietary acid load and mortality among Japanese men and women: the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study

Background: Diet-induced metabolic acidosis has been linked to cardiometabolic abnormalities including hypertension and type 2 diabetes. However, there are limited data on its association with other chronic diseases and mortality.Objective: The present study aimed to examine the association between dietary acid load and total and cause-specific mortality.Design: This study was a large-scale, population-based, prospective cohort study in Japan involving 42,736 men and 49,742 women, aged 45-75 y, who had no history of cancer, stroke, ischemic heart disease (IHD), or chronic liver disease at baseline. Dietary intake was assessed by using a validated 147-item food-frequency questionnaire. Potential renal acid load (PRAL) and net endogenous acid production (NEAP) scores were derived from nutrient intake. Death and cause of death were identified by using the residential registry and death certificates. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate HRs and 95% CIs for total and cause-specific mortality with adjustment for potential confounding variables.Results: During a median follow-up of 16.9 y, 12,993 total deaths occurred. A higher PRAL score was associated with higher total mortality: the multivariable-adjusted HR for total mortality for the highest compared with the lowest quartiles of PRAL scores was 1.13 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.18; P-trend < 0.001). This score was positively associated with mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and particularly from IHD; the HRs (95% CIs) for the highest compared with the lowest quartile of PRAL score were 1.16 (1.06, 1.28) and 1.16 (1.02, 1.33) for CVD and IHD mortality, respectively. There was no association between PRAL score and cancer mortality. Similar associations were observed between NEAP score and total and cause-specific mortality.Conclusion: A high dietary acid load score was associated with a higher risk of total mortality and mortality from CVD, particularly from IHD, in Japanese adults.

Impact of birth weight on adult-onset diabetes mellitus in relation to current body mass index: The Japan Nurses' Health Study

Background

Although birth weight is considered as a fetal determinant of the development of adult-onset diabetes mellitus (DM), its public health importance relative to adult body mass index (BMI) remains unclear. We aimed to examine the association between adult-onset DM and birth weight in relation to adult BMI.

Methods

We conducted a self-administered questionnaire as a baseline survey of the Japanese Nurses' Health Study cohort between 2001 and 2007. Exclusion criteria were applied to the volunteer sample of 49,927 female nurses (age <30 years or unknown, current pregnancy, development of DM before the age of 30 years, unknown core variables), and data from 26,949 female nurses aged 30 years or older were used. The association between history of DM diagnosis and birth weight was analyzed using logistic regression.

Results

A linear inverse association was observed between birth weight and DM, after adjustment for age, BMI, and parental history of DM. The odds ratio for developing DM per 100 g increase in birth weight was 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.90–0.96). The association was unchanged when birth weight was converted to percentile for gestational age. In the BMI-stratified analysis, the odds ratio for DM in the <2500 g birth weight group reached 4.75 (95% CI, 1.22–18.44, compared to the reference 3000–3499 g group) among women with normal low BMI (18.5–20.9).

Conclusions

Birth weight and its percentile for gestational age were associated with adult-onset DM. Attention should be paid to the risk of DM among women born with low weight, even when their current BMI is normal.

•

Association of birth weight and adult-onset DM was analyzed using JNHS study data.

•

Odds ratio for developing DM per 100 g increase in birth weight was 0.93.

•

The link was also observed when birth weight percentile for gestational age was used.

•

Low birth weight was associated with adult-onset DM, even with normal current BMI.

Risk of Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus on β-Blockers

Although the use of β-blockers may help in achieving maximum effects of intensive glycemic control because of a decrease in the adverse effects after severe hypoglycemia, they pose a potential risk for the occurrence of severe hypoglycemia. This study aimed to evaluate whether the use of β-blockers is effective in patients with diabetes mellitus and whether its use is associated with the occurrence of severe hypoglycemia. Using the ACCORD trial (Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes) data, we performed Cox proportional hazards analyses with a propensity score adjustment. The primary outcome was the first occurrence of a cardiovascular event during the study period, which included nonfatal myocardial infarction, unstable angina, nonfatal stroke, and cardiovascular death. The mean follow-up periods (±SD) were 4.6±1.6 years in patients on β-blockers (n=2527) and 4.7±1.6 years in those not on β-blockers (n=2527). The cardiovascular event rate was significantly higher in patients on β-blockers than in those not on β-blockers (hazard ratio, 1.46; 95% confidence interval, 1.24-1.72; P<0.001). In patients with coronary heart disease or heart failure, the cumulative event rate for cardiovascular events was also significantly higher in those on β-blockers than in those not on β-blockers (hazard ratio, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.60; P=0.03). The incidence of severe hypoglycemia was significantly higher in patients on β-blockers than in those not on β-blockers (hazard ratio, 1.30; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.64; P=0.02). In conclusion, the use of β-blockers in patients with diabetes mellitus was associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular events.

A positive family history of hypertension might be associated with an accelerated onset of type 2 diabetes: Results from the National Center Diabetes Database (NCDD-02)

Type 2 diabetes, which is characterized by a combination of decreased insulin secretion and decreased insulin sensitivity, can be delayed or prevented by healthy lifestyle behaviors. Therefore, it is important that the population in general understands their personal risk at an early age to reduce their chances of ever developing the disease. A family history of hypertension is known to be associated with insulin resistance, but the effect of a family history of hypertension on the onset of type 2 diabetes has not well been examined. We performed a retrospective study examining patient age at the time of the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes by analyzing a dataset of 1,299 patients (1,021 men and 278 women) who had been diagnosed as having type 2 diabetes during a health checkup. The mean ± standard deviation of the patient age at the time of the diagnosis of diabetes was 49.1 ± 10.4 years for patients with a family history of hypertension and 51.8 ± 11.4 years for patients without a family history of hypertension (p < 0.001). A multivariate linear regression analysis showed a significant association between a family history of hypertension and a younger age at the time of the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, independent of a family history of diabetes mellitus and a male sex, suggesting that a positive family history of hypertension might be associated with the accelerated onset of type 2 diabetes.