Increased carotid thickness in subjects with recently-diagnosed diabetes from rural Cameroon

Autism-Like Behaviours and Memory Deficits Result from a Western Diet in Mice

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, induced by a Western diet (WD), evokes central and peripheral inflammation that is accompanied by altered emotionality. These changes can be associated with abnormalities in social behaviour, hippocampus-dependent cognitive functions, and metabolism. Female C57BL/6J mice were fed with a regular chow or with a WD containing 0.2% of cholesterol and 21% of saturated fat for three weeks. WD-treated mice exhibited increased social avoidance, crawl-over and digging behaviours, decreased body-body contacts, and hyperlocomotion. The WD-fed group also displayed deficits in hippocampal-dependent performance such as contextual memory in a fear conditioning and pellet displacement paradigms. A reduction in glucose tolerance and elevated levels of serum cholesterol and leptin were also associated with the WD. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PPARGC1a) mRNA, a marker of mitochondrial activity, was decreased in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and dorsal raphe, suggesting suppressed brain mitochondrial functions, but not in the liver. This is the first report to show that a WD can profoundly suppress social interactions and induce dominant-like behaviours in naïve adult mice. The spectrum of behaviours that were found to be induced are reminiscent of symptoms associated with autism, and, if paralleled in humans, suggest that a WD might exacerbate autism spectrum disorder.

High Prevalence of Autoimmune Diabetes and Poor Glycaemic Control among Adults in Madagascar: A Brief Report from a Humanitarian Health Campaign in Ambanja

Madagascar is a geographically isolated country considered a biodiversity hotspot with unique genomics. Both the low-income and the geographical isolation represent risk factors for the development of diabetes. During a humanitarian health campaign conducted in Ambanja, a rural city in the northern part of Madagascar, we identified 42 adult subjects with diabetes and compared their features to 24 randomly enrolled healthy controls. 42.9% (n = 18) of diabetic subjects showed HbA1c values ≥ 9.0%. Unexpectedly, waist circumference and BMI were similar in people with diabetes and controls. Different from the healthy controls, diabetic subjects showed a low prevalence of obesity (5.7% versus 30%, p = 0.02). Accordingly, we found a high prevalence of autoimmune diabetes as 12% of people with diabetes showed positivity for the autoantibody against glutamic acid decarboxylase. Diabetic subjects with positive autoantibody had higher HbA1c values (11.3 ± 4.1% versus 8.3 ± 2.6%, p = 0.03) compared to diabetic subjects with negative autoantibody. In conclusion, here we describe the presence of diabetes and its features in a rural area of Northern Madagascar, documenting poor glycaemic control and a high prevalence of autoimmune diabetes. These data highlight that the diabetes epidemic involves every corner of the world possibly with different patterns and features.

Fasting glucose levels, incident diabetes, subclinical atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events in apparently healthy adults: A 12-year longitudinal study

We aimed to study the association between fasting plasma glucose, diabetes incidence and cardiovascular burden after 10-12 years. We evaluated diabetes and cardiovascular events incidences, carotid intima-media thickness and coronary artery calcium scores in ELSA-Brasil (the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health) baseline (2008-2010) of 1536 adults without diabetes in 1998. We used regression models to estimate association with carotid intima-media thickness (in mm), coronary artery calcium scores (in Agatston points) and cardiovascular events according to fasting plasma glucose in 1998. Adjusted diabetes incidence rate was 9.8/1000 person-years (95% confidence interval: 7.7-13.6/1000 person-years). Incident diabetes was positively associated with higher fasting plasma glucose. Fasting plasma glucose levels 110-125 mg/dL were associated with higher carotid intima-media thickness (β = 0.028; 95% confidence interval: 0.003-0.053). Excluding those with incident diabetes, there was a borderline association between higher carotid intima-media thickness and fasting plasma glucose 110-125 mg/dL (β = 0.030; 95% confidence interval: -0.005 to 0.065). Incident diabetes was associated with higher carotid intima-media thickness (β = 0.034; 95% confidence interval: 0.015-0.053), coronary artery calcium scores ⩾400 (odds ratio = 2.84; 95% confidence interval: 1.17-6.91) and the combined outcome of a coronary artery calcium scores ⩾400 or incident cardiovascular event (odds ratio = 3.50; 95% confidence interval: 1.60-7.65). In conclusion, fasting plasma glucose in 1998 and incident diabetes were associated with higher cardiovascular burden.

Inhibition of hydrogen sulfide on the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells involved in the modulation of calcium sensing receptor in high homocysteine

Hyperhomocysteinemia induces the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) inhibits the phenotype switch of VSMCs and calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) regulated the production of endogenous H2S. However, whether CaSR inhibits the proliferation of VSMCs by regulating the endogenous cystathionine-gamma-lyase (CSE, a major enzyme that produces H2S) pathway in high homocysteine (HHcy) has not been previously investigated. The intracellular calcium concentration, the concentration of H2S, the cell viability, the proliferation and the expression of proteins of cultured VSMCs from rat thoracic aortas were measured, respectively. The results showed that the [Ca(2+)]i and the expression of p-CaMK and CSE increased upon treatment with CaSR agonist. In HHcy, the H2S concentration decrease, the proliferation and migration rate increased, the expression of Cyclin D1, PCNA, Osteopontin and p-Erk1/2 increased while the α-SM actin, P21(Cip/WAK-1) and Calponin decreased. The CaSR agonist or exogenous H2S significantly reversed the changes of VSMCs caused by HHcy. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that CaSR regulate the endogenous CSE/H2S is related to the PLC-IP3 receptor and CaM signal pathways which inhibit the proliferation of VSMCs, and the latter is involved in the Erk1/2 dependent signal pathway in high homocysteine.

Detection of subclinical atherosclerosis in asymptomatic subjects using ultrasound radiofrequency-tracking technology

Objective

Atherosclerosis is a chronic and systemic disease and its developmental process involves the synergism of multiple risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, obesity and smoking. The diagnosis of subclinical atherosclerosis is essential for strategic guidance towards suitable treatments and efficient prevention against acute cardiovascular events. This study employed ultrasound radiofrequency (RF) tracking technology to characterize human carotid arteries in vivo in terms of intima-media thickness (IMT) and artery stiffness, and evaluated the statistical correlation between carotid IMT and stiffness, and the number of risk factors for atherosclerosis.

Methods

A total of 160 asymptomatic subjects were enrolled. Ultrasound RF-tracking technology was employed to acquire carotid IMT and stiffness parameters: maximum IMT (^MAXIMT), RF Quality IMT (^RFQIMT), distensibility coefficient (), compliance coefficient (), index, index and local pulse wave velocity (). The subjects were categorized in four groups in terms of the number of risk factors: ‘zero’, ‘single’, ‘double’, and ‘multiple’, and statistical analyses of carotid IMT and stiffness parameters were performed between these different groups.

Results

The subjects (n = 145) with ^MAXIMT smaller than 1.0 mm matched the IMT criteria for non-atherosclerosis and were named as NA-subjects. Spearman’s rho correlation analysis of the whole group and the NA-subjects both showed that ^MAXIMT correlated positively with ^RFQIMT, , , and , and negatively with and (p<0.01). The analysis of covariance of NA-subjects showed significant differences between subjects with and without risk factors, and also showed significant differences between the ‘zero’, ‘single’, ‘double’, and ‘multiple’ groups.

Conclusions

The carotid IMT and stiffness parameters obtained by the ultrasound RF-tracking technology were demonstrated to possess significant statistical correlation with the number of risk factors from 160 subjects, and these anatomical and mechanical parameters may potentially be used together with the IMT criteria to support subclinical atherosclerosis diagnosis.

Quantitative imaging biomarkers for the evaluation of cardiovascular complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a prevalent condition in aged populations. Cardiovascular diseases are leading causes of death and disability in patients with T2DM. Traditional strategies for controlling the cardiovascular complications of diabetes primarily target a cluster of well-defined risk factors, such as hyperglycemia, lipid disorders and hypertension. However, there is controversy over some recent clinical trials aimed at evaluating efficacy of intensive treatments for T2DM. As a powerful tool for quantitative cardiovascular risk estimation, multi-disciplinary cardiovascular imaging have been applied to detect and quantify morphological and functional abnormalities in the cardiovascular system. Quantitative imaging biomarkers acquired with advanced imaging procedures are expected to provide new insights to stratify absolute cardiovascular risks and reduce the overall costs of health care for people with T2DM by facilitating the selection of optimal therapies. This review discusses principles of state-of-the-art cardiovascular imaging techniques and compares applications of those techniques in various clinical circumstances. Individuals measurements of cardiovascular disease burdens from multiple aspects, which are closely related to existing biomarkers and clinical outcomes, are recommended as promising candidates for quantitative imaging biomarkers to assess the responses of the cardiovascular system during diabetic regimens.

Risk factors for the progression of intima-media thickness of carotid arteries: a 2-year follow-up study in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND

Intima-media thickness (IMT) of the carotid arteries is known to have a positive correlation with the risk of cardiovascular disease. This study was designed to identify risk factors affecting the progression of carotid IMT in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS

Patients with newly diagnosed T2DM with carotid IMT measurements were enrolled, and their clinical data and carotid IMT results at baseline and 2 years later were compared.

RESULTS

Of the 171 patients, 67.2% of males and 50.8% of females had abnormal baseline IMT of the left common carotid artery. At baseline, systolic blood pressure, body mass index and smoking in male participants, and fasting plasma glucose and glycated hemoglobin levels in females were significantly higher in patients with abnormal IMT than in those with normal IMT. Low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in males and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in females at the 2-year follow-up were significantly different between the nonprogression and the progression groups. Reduction of the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) 10-year coronary heart disease (CHD) risk score after 2 years was generally higher in the nonprogression group than the progression group.

CONCLUSION

LDL-C levels in males and HDL-C levels in females at the 2-year follow-up were significantly different between participants with and without progression of carotid IMT. Furthermore, a reduction in the UKPDS 10-year CHD risk score appeared to delay the advancement of atherosclerosis. Therefore, the importance of establishing the therapeutic goal of lipid profiles should be emphasized to prevent the progression of carotid IMT in newly diagnosed T2DM patients.