The relationship between sleep and cognitive function in patients with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes

Age-group-specific association of oral health and systemic health on cognitive function: a cross-sectional study of Korean elders

BACKGROUND

Although the importance of oral and systemic healthcare for elderly people is increasing owing to the rapid ageing of the population in South Korea, studies on the relationship between oral health, systemic health, and cognitive function, as well as on the prediction of cognitive function by oral and systemic health depending upon age groups are lacking.

METHODS

We included 5,975 out of 6,488 participants from the 8th wave of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA) panel data, divided the participants into three age groups, and performed a hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis to explain cognitive function with four types of predictors: oral health status, sociodemographic factors, objective health status, and subjective health status.

RESULTS

Oral health status was positively correlated with systemic health status and cognitive function. Of all ages over 54, cognitive function was significantly predicted by oral health variables, such as the number of functional teeth, masticatory ability, and Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI); sociodemographic variables, such as age, sex, education level, and residence; and systemic health variables, such as diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, cancer or malignant tumours, cerebrovascular disease and rheumatoid arthritis, depressive symptom, and self-rated health status. Oral health variables explained cognitive function differently by age group; GOHAI appeared important predictor in the group aged < 75 years, whereas the number of functional teeth did in the group aged ≥ 75 years. Educational level, masticatory ability, depressive symptoms, and self-rated health status were pivotal factors age-independently.

CONCLUSIONS

The general and age-group-specific association between oral health, systemic health, and cognitive function were confirmed, suggesting that age-group-specific oral healthcare should be emphasized for the effective management of systemic and cognitive health in the elderly group.

Gender differences in cognitive function and its associated factors among older adults with type 2 diabetes

Diabetes is widely prevalent among older people and can influence accelerated cognitive decline. Gender-based disparities may contribute to variations in cognitive decline. This study examined gender differences in cognitive function and associated factors among older adults with diabetes. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 318 Taiwanese older adults with type 2 diabetes. Demographic, health, and diabetes-related data were collected, and cognitive neuropsychological tests were evaluated. Compared to men, women with diabetes showed significantly poorer performance in global cognitive function and executive function. Age, years of education, sleep quality, and HbA1c were correlated with domains of cognitive function in men, whereas age, years of education, depressive symptoms, HbA1c, and duration of diabetes were associated with domains of cognitive function among women. Nurses should recognize gender differences in factors associated with cognitive function in older adults with diabetes and should develop individualized interventions to improve patients' cognitive function.

The Association Between Self-reported Sleep Quality and Self-care in Adults With Heart Failure

BACKGROUND

Sleep disturbance is one of the most common symptoms among patients with heart failure (HF), and it may affect the ability of patients to perform self-care. There is a lack of evidence on the association between sleep quality and its components and self-care in adults with HF.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between sleep quality and its components and self-care in adults with HF.

METHODS

This study is a secondary analysis of baseline data from the MOTIVATE-HF study, a randomized controlled trial on patients with HF and their caregivers. Only patients' data were analyzed in this study (n = 498). Sleep quality and self-care were evaluated with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index v6.2, respectively.

RESULTS

A habitual sleep efficiency of 75% to 84% was associated with lower self-care maintenance compared with a habitual sleep efficiency of 85% or greater ( P = .031), as was taking sleep medications once or twice a week compared with less than once a week ( P = .001). A frequency of daytime dysfunction less than once a week was associated with lower self-care management compared with a frequency of daytime dysfunction of 3 or more times a week ( P = .025). Taking sleep medications less than once a week was associated with lower self-care confidence compared with taking sleep medications 3 or more times a week ( P = .018).

CONCLUSION

Poor sleep quality is frequently reported by patients with HF. Sleep efficiency, sleep medications, and daytime dysfunction may influence self-care more than the other sleep quality components.

Predicting and preventing diabetes: Translational potential of Ayurveda information on pre-diabetes

Continued rise in incidence and prevalence of diabetes globally warrants an effective strategy for its prevention and control. Prevention of diabetes seems more logical to attempt seeing its health care burden, long dormancy, systemic affliction and poor general awareness.

Pre-diabetes is the intermediate state of erratic glucose metabolism without overt features of diabetes. This state seems to be a crossroad having a possibility to either convert into clinical diabetes, remain dormant or return to normal glucose control depending upon the efforts made. Unfortunately, due to the paucity of apparent clinical symptoms, this state embedded with reversal possibility, remains unexplored. Ayurveda account of prameha purvarupa (subclinical features of diabetes) may be proposed as the foundation upon which clinic-based pre-diabetes identification and subsequent prevention may be explored. Knowing the symptoms for their reliable proximity with upcoming diabetes may turn to be sensible sensitizers prompting the people to abort the disease process in an effective and timely manner. Considering diabetes from its purvarupa to complications as disease continuum and exploring the opportunities to intervene in order to prevent, or manage the disease on the basis of shada kriyaa kaala therefore, has a huge translational potential warrants an urgent exploration.

Deconstructing athletes' sleep: A systematic review of the influence of age, sex, athletic expertise, sport type, and season on sleep characteristics

PURPOSE

This systematic review aimed to describe objective sleep parameters for athletes under different conditions and address potential sleep issues in this specific population.

METHODS

PubMed and Scopus were searched from inception to April 2019. Included studies measured sleep only via objective evaluation tools such as polysomnography or actigraphy. The modified version of the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used for the quality assessment of the studies.

RESULTS

Eighty-one studies were included, of which 56 were classified as medium quality, 5 studies as low quality, and 20 studies as high quality. A total of 1830 athletes were monitored over 18,958 nights. Average values for sleep-related parameters were calculated for all athletes according to sex, age, athletic expertise level, training season, and type of sport. Athletes slept on average 7.2 ± 1.1 h/night (mean ± SD), with 86.3% ± 6.8% sleep efficiency (SE). In all datasets, the athletes' mean total sleep time was <8 h. SE was low for young athletes (80.3% ± 8.8%). Reduced SE was attributed to high wake after sleep onset rather than sleep onset latency. During heavy training periods, sleep duration and SE were on average 36 min and 0.8% less compared to pre-season and 42 min and 3.0% less compared to in-season training periods, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Athletes' sleep duration was found to be short with low SE, in comparison to the general consensus for non-athlete healthy adults. Notable sleep issues were revealed in young athletes. Sleep quality and architecture tend to change across different training periods.

Acupuncture therapy and cognitive dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes: A protocol for systematic review

BACKGROUND

With the aging of society, the incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is increasing every year, and there is a clear correlation between T2DM and cognitive dysfunction. Acupuncture therapy has been widely used in the treatment of T2DM, but there is no systematic review on the treatment of T2DM associated with cognitive impairment. Therefore, this study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of acupuncture in the treatment of T2DM with cognitive impairment to clarify its efficacy.

METHODS

A structured and systematic literature search will be conducted in the following databases up to April 26, 2021: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science (WOS), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Chinese Scientific and Journal Database (VIP), and Wan Fang database (Wanfang). We will use the Review Manager 5.4 software provided by the Cochrane Collaborative Network for statistical analysis. We then assessed the quality and risk of the included studies and observed the outcome measures.

RESULTS

This meta-analysis further determined the beneficial effects of acupuncture on T2DM with cognitive impairment.

CONCLUSION

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to explore the effect of acupuncture on patients T2DM with and cognitive impairment patients, and provide more options for clinicians and patients to treat T2DM with cognitive impairment.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This systematics review will evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of T2DM with cognitive impairment. Since all the data included were published, the systematic review did not require ethical approval.

REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42021245681.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Cognitive Decline: A Review of Potential Vulnerability and Protective Factors

Around 40% of dementia risk is attributable to modifiable risk factors such as physical inactivity, hypertension, diabetes and obesity. Recently, sleep disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), have also been considered among these factors. However, despite several epidemiological studies investigating the link between OSA and cognitive decline, there is still no consensus on whether OSA increases the risk of dementia or not. Part of the heterogeneity observed in previous studies might be related to some individual characteristics that modulate the association between OSA and cognitive decline. In this narrative review, we present these individual characteristics, namely, age, sex, menopause, obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, depression, air pollution, Apolipoprotein E ε4 allele, physical activity, and cognitive reserve. To date, large cohort studies of OSA and cognitive decline tended to statistically control for the effects of these variables, but whether they interact with OSA to predict cognitive decline remains to be elucidated. Being able to better predict who is at risk of cognitive decline when they have OSA would improve clinical management and treatment decisions, particularly when patients present relatively mild OSA.

Metabolic roles of G protein-coupled receptor signaling in obesity and type 2 diabetes

The incidence of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) has been increasing steadily worldwide. It is estimated that by 2045 more than 800 million people will be suffering from diabetes. Despite the advancements in modern medicine, more effective therapies for treating obesity and T2D are needed. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have emerged as important drug targets for various chronic diseases, including obesity, T2D, and liver diseases. During the past two decades, many laboratories worldwide focused on understanding the role of GPCR signaling in regulating glucose metabolism and energy homeostasis. The information gained from these studies can guide the development of novel therapeutic agents. In this review, we summarize recent studies providing insights into the role of GPCR signaling in peripheral, metabolically important tissues such as pancreas, liver, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissue, focusing primarily on the use of mutant animal models and human data.

Sleep disorders and risk of dementia in patients with new-onset type 2 diabetes: A nationwide population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

This study examined the relationship between sleep disorders and the risk of dementia in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

METHODS

This study used the Korean Health Screening Cohort data and included 39 135 subjects aged ≥40 years with new-onset type 2 diabetes between 2004 and 2007, with follow-up throughout 2013. Sleep disorders were measured by F51(sleep disorders not due to a substance or known physiological condition) or G47(sleep disorders) under International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes as a primary diagnosis, and the adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) and 95% CI of all-cause dementia, Alzheimer disease, vascular dementia, and other dementia were estimated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models.

RESULTS

In the patients with type 2 diabetes with an age range between 42 and 84 years (M = 57.8, SD = 9.5), this study identified 2059 events of dementia during an average follow-up time of 5.7 years. In patients with type 2 diabetes, subjects with sleep disorders were associated with an increased risk of all-cause dementia (AHR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.19-1.80), Alzheimer disease (AHR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.02-1.88), and other dementia (AHR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.23-2.31) compared to those without sleep disorders. Men (AHR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.42-2.62) and older adults (AHR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.35-2.15) with sleep disorders were associated with an increased risk of dementia than their counterparts without sleep disorders among patients with type 2 diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that sleep disorders are significantly associated with an increased risk of dementia in patients with new-onset type 2 diabetes.

Subjective cognitive decline in diabetes: Associations with psychological, sleep, and diabetes-related factors

AIMS

To determine whether psychological, sleep, and diabetes-related factors were associated with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

DESIGN

A secondary analysis with a cross-sectional, correlational design.

METHODS

Data from two parent studies were combined. A total of 105 adults with diabetes were recruited from a Midwestern city in the United States from September 2013-March 2014 and September 2016-September 2017. Subjective cognitive decline was measured with the psychological-cognitive symptom subscale of the Diabetes Symptom Checklist-Revised. Psychological factors (diabetes distress, fatigue, and depressive symptoms) and sleep were measured using the Diabetes Distress Scale and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System. Diabetes-related factors were measured with body mass index and glycaemia control. Quantile regression was used to examine the associations.

RESULTS/FINDINGS

The mean age of the participants was 58.10 (SD 7.92) years and 58.1% were women. The participants' mean psychological-cognitive symptom score was 1.41 (SD 1.13). After controlling for age and gender, sleep disturbance, sleep-related impairment, and body mass index were associated with SCD in lower cognitive symptom quantile groups (5th to 30th percentiles). In contrast, fatigue and depressive symptoms were more strongly associated with SCD in higher quantile groups (70th to 95th percentiles).

CONCLUSION

In adults with T2D, SCD was differentially associated with psychological, sleep, and diabetes-related factors depending on cognitive symptom percentiles. Adults with T2D require regular screening for SCD. If they complain of cognitive symptoms at clinical visits, different underlying factors should be assessed according to their symptom severity.

IMPACT

Findings from this study provided evidence for early identification of SCD and its influencing factors, which may help to develop nursing interventions to recognize and/or delay the onset of cognitive impairment in adults with T2D.

Improving Sleep in Intensive Care Unit: An Overview of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Options

Good quality sleep is considered to be essential for healthy living and recovering from illness. It would be logical to think that good quality sleep is most required when a patient is critically ill in an intensive care unit (ICU). Several studies have demonstrated poor quality of sleep while the patients are in ICU. Subjective tools such as questionnaires while simple are unreliable to accurately assess sleep quality. Relatively few studies have used standardized polysomnography. The use of novel biological markers of sleep such as serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor concentrations may help in conjunction with polysomnography to assess sleep quality in critically ill patients. Attempts to improve sleep included nonpharmacological interventions including the use of earplugs, eye sleep masks, and pharmacological agents including ketamine, propofol, dexmedetomidine, and benzodiazepines. The evidence for these interventions remains unclear. Further research is needed to assess quality of sleep and improve the sleep quality in intensive care settings.

The effect of evening cycling at different intensities on sleep in healthy young adults with intermediate chronobiological phenotype: A randomized, cross-over trial

This study investigated the effect of various cycling intensities on sleep-related parameters in healthy young adults with intermediate chronobiological phenotype. Ten recreationally trained male volunteers underwent an evening i) moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT; 45 min at 70% W_max), ii) high-intensity interval training (HIIT; 10 × 1 min at 90% W_max), iii) sprint interval training (SIT; 6 × 20 sec at 140% W_max) or iv) a non-exercise (CON) trial in randomized, counter-balanced and crossover order. At baseline, somatometric data, maximum oxygen uptake and chronotype were evaluated. Sleep-related indices and daily activity were recorded by a multi-sensor activity monitor. Total sleep time was longer after SIT compared to CON and MICT (p < 0.05). Sleep efficiency was higher in SIT than in CON (p < 0.05). Sleep onset latency did not differ among trials. Wake after sleep onset was decreased after SIT compared to CON (p= 0.049). No differences were found for bedtime among trials. Wake time was earlier in the MICT trial compared to CON (p = 0.026). Evening cycling exercise -independently of intensity- did not impair sleep of individuals with intermediate chronobiological phenotype. Furthermore, a single SIT session improved sleep quantity and continuation of individuals with this specific chronotype.

Relationship between sleep and cognitive function in patients with heart failure: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this systematic review is to synthesize relevant evidence and illustrate the relationship between sleep and cognitive function in patients with heart failure.

METHODS

A literature search was conducted on Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsychINFO, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wan Fang to identify relevant studies.

RESULTS

Seven studies, which enrolled a total of 1218 heart failure patients, were included in this review. These articles investigating the relationship between sleep and cognitive performance in patients with heart failure had inconsistent results. Five studies confirmed that sleep quality and insomnia were significantly associated with cognitive function, including global cognition, attention, and executive function, whereas the other two studies indicated no statistically significant relationship between sleep and cognitive function.

CONCLUSION

Although limited evidence restricts the overall conclusions, this review might provide new opportunities to identify patients with heart failure that are at high risk for cognitive decline. Further studies across a longer period are needed to confirm the relationship between sleep and cognitive function in patients with heart failure.

Relationship between Intrinsically Photosensitive Ganglion Cell Function and Circadian Regulation in Diabetic Retinopathy

BACKGROUND

Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) control non-visual light responses (e.g. pupillary light reflex and circadian entrainment). Patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) show reduced ipRGC function, as inferred by abnormalities in the post illumination pupil response (PIPR). We explored whether ipRGC function in DR is associated with circadian outputs and sleep/wake behavior.

METHODS

Forty-five participants (15 without diabetes, 15 with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and no DR, 15 with T2D and DR) participated. ipRGC function was inferred from the PIPR (pupil size following stimulus offset). Circadian outputs were melatonin amplitude (overnight urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s)) and timing (dim light melatonin onset (DLMO)), and evening salivary cortisol levels. Sleep/wake patterns were measured with wrist actigraphy and insomnia symptoms were assessed subjectively.

RESULTS

Patients with T2D and DR had smaller PIPR and lower urinary aMT6s than other groups (p < 0.001). In adjusted regression models, smaller PIPR was associated with lower urinary aMT6s (β = 4.552, p = 0.005). Patients with DR were more likely to have no detectable DLMO (p = 0.049), higher evening salivary cortisol, greater insomnia symptoms and greater sleep variability compared to other groups. Sleep duration, efficiency and rest-activity rhythms were similar.

CONCLUSION

Reduced ipRGC function in DR is associated with circadian dysregulation and sleep disturbances, although a causal relationship cannot be established in this cross-sectional study. Prospective mechanistic and intervention studies examining circadian and sleep health in these patients are warranted.

Association between sleep duration and executive function differs between diabetic and non-diabetic middle-aged and older adults

Executive function is defined as a set of cognitive skills that are necessary to plan, monitor, and execute a sequence of goal-directed complex actions. Executive function is influenced by a variety of factors, including habitual sleep duration and diabetes. In the present study, we investigated in 18,769 Swedish adults (mean age: 61 y) the association between executive function, diabetes, and self-reported sleep duration. We observed a significant interaction between diabetes and sleep duration for the Trail Making Test (TMT) ratio (P < 0.01). This ratio is a measure of executive function where higher values indicate worse performance. Among diabetic participants (n = 1,523), long (defined as ≥9 h per day) vs. normal sleep duration (defined as 7-8 hours per day) was associated with a higher TMT ratio (P < 0.05). Similar significant results were observed in diabetic individuals without pharmacological treatment for diabetes (n = 1,062). Among non-diabetic participants (n = 17,246), no association between long sleep duration and the TMT ratio was observed (P > 0.05). Instead, short (defined as <7 h per day) vs. normal sleep duration was linked to a higher TMT ratio (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that the association between sleep duration and executive function differs between diabetic and non-diabetic middle-aged and older adults. Based on the cross-sectional design of the study, no firm conclusions can be drawn on the causality of the relations.

Sleep Quality and Cognitive Function in Type 1 Diabetes: Findings From the Study of Longevity in Diabetes (SOLID)

STUDY OBJECTIVE

The objective was to examine the association between sleep quality and global and domain-specific cognitive function among older individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

METHODS

We evaluated 695 individuals with T1D aged 60 years or above who participated in the baseline assessment of the Study of Longevity in Diabetes (SOLID), which captured subjective sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) and global and domain-specific (language, executive function, episodic memory, and simple attention) cognitive function. Multivariable linear regressions estimated the associations between sleep quality quartiles and overall and domain-specific cognitive function adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, depressive symptoms, and severe hypoglycemic episodes. Sensitivity analyses examined the associations between aspects of sleep quality and global cognitive function.

RESULTS

The worst sleep quality quartile was associated with lower global cognition (β=-0.08; 95% confidence interval: -0.17, -0.01) and lower executive function (β=-0.17, 95% confidence interval: -0.30, -0.03) compared with the best quartile of sleep quality adjusting for demographics and comorbidities. Sleep quality was not associated with language, episodic memory, or simple attention. Sleep medications and daytime dysfunction were most strongly associated with global cognition.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that sleep quality may be a modifiable risk factor for global cognitive function and executive function among elderly individuals with T1D.

Sleep-disordered breathing and poststroke outcomes

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association between sleep-disordered breathing and stroke outcomes, and determine the contribution of sleep-disordered breathing to outcome disparities in Mexican Americans.

METHODS

Ischemic stroke patients (n = 995), identified from the population-based Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi Project (2010-2015), were offered participation in a sleep-disordered breathing study including a home sleep apnea test (ApneaLink Plus). Sleep-disordered breathing (respiratory event index ≥10) was determined soon after stroke. Neurologic, functional, cognitive, and quality of life outcomes were assessed at 90 days poststroke. Regression models were used to assess associations between sleep-disordered breathing and outcomes, adjusted for sociodemographics, prestroke function and cognition, health-risk behaviors, stroke severity, and vascular risk factors.

RESULTS

Median age was 67 years (interquartile range [IQR] = 59-78); 62.1% were Mexican American. Median respiratory event index was 14 (IQR = 6-25); 62.8% had sleep-disordered breathing. Sleep-disordered breathing was associated with worse functional outcome (mean difference in activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living score = 0.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.01-0.28) and cognitive outcome (mean difference in modified Mini-Mental State Examination = -2.66, 95% CI = -4.85 to -0.47) but not neurologic or quality of life outcomes. Sleep-disordered breathing accounted for 9 to 10% of ethnic differences in functional and cognitive outcome and was associated with cognitive outcome more strongly for Mexican Americans (β = -3.97, 95% CI = -6.63 to -1.31) than non-Hispanic whites (β = -0.40, 95% CI = -4.18 to 3.39, p-interaction = 0.15).

INTERPRETATION

Sleep-disordered breathing is associated with worse functional and cognitive function at 90 days poststroke. These outcomes are reasonable endpoints for future trials of sleep-disordered breathing treatment in stroke. If effective, sleep-disordered breathing treatment may somewhat lessen ethnic stroke outcome disparities. ANN NEUROL 2019;86:241-250.