Urine Uric Acid Excretion Levels are Positively Associated with Obesity and Abdominal Obesity in Type 2 Diabetes Patients without Chronic Kidney Disease

Uric acid to HDL ratio: A marker for predicting incidence of metabolic syndrome in patients with type II diabetes

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) refers to existence of a set of risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Recently, uric acid to HDL ratio has attracted attention in predicting development of diabetes and incidence of metabolic syndrome in diabetic individuals. This study was performed to investigate UHR in patients with type II diabetes as a predicting factor for metabolic syndrome.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This descriptive-analytical study examined 300 patients with type II diabetes referring to diabetes clinic of Ali-Ibn Abi-Talib hospital, Rafsanjan city in 2021, selected through convenient sampling. Data were collected by a research-made checklist (including demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters) and analyzed by SPSS 24 and chi-square, Fisher exact test, independent paired t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Mann-Whitney U, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC). The findings revealed that 74.33 % (95 % CI: 69 to 79.18 %) of the patients had metabolic syndrome. Further, patients with metabolic syndrome demonstrated a significantly higher mean UHR ratio and triglyceride levels compared to their counterparts without the syndrome (p = 0.002 and p < 0.001, respectively). The ROC analysis identified a UHR threshold of 8.118 % with a sensitivity of 70.32 % and specificity of 55.08 % for diagnosing metabolic syndrome development in type II diabetes (AUC: 0.621, P = 0.001, 95%CI: 0.549-0.694).

CONCLUSION

The results of the present study revealed that the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was high in diabetic patients. UHR showed good sensitivity in the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome in type II diabetes. Thus, regular monitoring of laboratory tests is recommended in patients with diabetes.

High-normal unconjugated bilirubin is associated with decreased risk of chronic kidney disease in type 2 diabetes: A real-world study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between serum unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) within normal limits and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in T2DM patients.

METHOD

This cross-sectional, real-world study was performed in 8661 hospitalised T2DM patients. The subjects were stratified into quintiles based on serum UCB levels. The clinical characteristics and CKD prevalence were compared among the UCB quantile groups. The associations of serum UCB levels and quintiles with CKD were also analysed by binary logistic regression.

RESULTS

After controlling for age, sex, and diabetes duration (DD), the CKD prevalence (20.4%, 12.2%, 10.6%, 8.3%, and 6.4% for the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth quintiles, respectively, p < 0.001 for trend) was significantly decreased across the serum UCB quintiles. The fully adjusted regression model showed negative associations of serum UCB levels (OR: 0.660, 95% CI: 0.585-0.744; p < 0.001 for trend) and quintiles (p < 0.001) with the presence of CKD. Compared with the subjects in the lowest UCB quintile, the risk of CKD decreased by 36.2%, 54.3%, 53.8%, and 62.1%, respectively, in those from the second to the highest UCB quintile. Additionally, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were significantly higher in the subjects with CKD than in those without CKD (p < 0.001), and significantly decreased across the UCB quintiles (p < 0.001 for trend).

CONCLUSIONS

Serum UCB levels within the normal range were significantly and negatively linked to CKD in T2DM patients. High-normal UCB may be an independent protective factor for CKD by its antioxidant and the following anti-inflammatory activities through its signalling activity, which was indicated by clearly decreased CRP levels across the UCB quintiles.

Mitochondrial dysfunction: The pathological link between psoriasis and insulin resistance?

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis is strongly associated with insulin resistance (IR). Lipid profile disturbances and upregulation of enzymes crucial for fatty acid oxidation have been reported in patients with psoriasis. Mitochondrial ß-oxidation is altered in patients with IR. Common mitochondrial dysfunction may be involved in the origin of both diseases.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate mitochondrial ß-oxidation, intermediary metabolism, and mitochondrial content in psoriatic patients with or without IR and compare them to healthy controls.

METHODS

The participants were divided into three groups: (1) psoriasis and IR (n = 26); (2) psoriasis without IR (n = 17); and (3) healthy controls (n = 17). Quantification of amino acids and acylcarnitines (AC) by tandem mass spectrometry, determination of urinary organic acids by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and mitochondrial DNA quantification were performed in all groups.

RESULTS

When comparisons were made between the two psoriatic groups, no differences were found between: C5DC + C6OH, C16:1, Met/Leu, Met/Phe, C16:1/C16, and C5DC + C6OH/C4DC + C5OH ratios. Nine analytes were different: phenylalanine, Cit/Phe, and Cit/Tyr ratios, C0, C3, C5, C6DC, C16, and C18:1OH. There were no correlations between psoriasis area and severity index (PASI), body mass index (BMI) and duration of disease with ACs. A higher proportion of patients with psoriasis showed increased urine levels of uric acid and hippuric acid (p = 0.01). The mtDNA content was significantly higher in cases than in controls, with no differences between IR and non-IR psoriatic patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Psoriasis patients with and without IR have a different acylcarnitine profile reflecting impaired ß-oxidation. A distinctive profile of acylcarnitines suggests an involvement of mitochondrial function associated with an increase in stearoyl CoA desaturase (SCD) activity in psoriatic patients with and without IR.

GA/HbA1c ratio is a simple and practical indicator to evaluate the risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease in type 2 diabetes: an observational study

BACKGROUND

It is still debatable whether glycated albumin/glycated hemoglobin A1C (GA/HbA1C) ratio is associated with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), and few studies have been conducted in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between GA/HbA1C ratio and MAFLD and to evaluate whether GA/HbA1C ratio can be used an indicator of MAFLD in Chinese patients with T2DM.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study consisted of 7117 T2DM patients including 3296 men and 3821 women from real-world settings. Abdominal ultrasonography was performed to diagnose MAFLD. In addition to comparing the clinical characteristics among the GA/HbA1C ratio quartile groups, we also investigated the associations of GA/HbA1C ratio and quartiles with MAFLD in T2DM subjects.

RESULTS

There was a significantly decreased trend in the MAFLD prevalence across the GA/HbA1C ratio quartiles (56.3%, 47.4%, 37.8%, and 35.6% for the first, second, third, and fourth quartile, respectively, P < 0.001 for trend) after adjusting for gender, age, and diabetes duration. Fully adjusted Binary logistic regression indicated that both GA/HbA1C ratio (OR: 0.575, 95% CI: 0.471 to 0.702, P < 0.001) and quartiles (P < 0.001 for trend) were inversely associated with the presence of MAFLD among T2DM patients. Additionally, HOMA2-IR values were clearly increased in the T2DM subjects with MAFLD compared with those without MAFLD (P < 0.001), and markedly increased from the highest to the lowest GA/HbA1C ratio quartile (P < 0.001 for trend).

CONCLUSIONS

GA/HbA1C ratio is closely and negatively associated with MAFLD in T2DM subjects, which may attribute to that GA/HbA1C ratio reflects the degree of insulin resistance. GA/HbA1C ratio may act as a simple and practical indicator to evaluate the risk of MAFLD in T2DM.

Skeletal Muscle Microvascular Dysfunction in Obesity-Related Insulin Resistance: Pathophysiological Mechanisms and Therapeutic Perspectives

Obesity is a worrisomely escalating public health problem globally and one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality from noncommunicable disease. The epidemiological link between obesity and a broad spectrum of cardiometabolic disorders has been well documented; however, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are only partially understood, and effective treatment options remain scarce. Given its critical role in glucose metabolism, skeletal muscle has increasingly become a focus of attention in understanding the mechanisms of impaired insulin function in obesity and the associated metabolic sequelae. We examined the current evidence on the relationship between microvascular dysfunction and insulin resistance in obesity. A growing body of evidence suggest an intimate and reciprocal relationship between skeletal muscle microvascular and glucometabolic physiology. The obesity phenotype is characterized by structural and functional changes in the skeletal muscle microcirculation which contribute to insulin dysfunction and disturbed glucose homeostasis. Several interconnected etiologic molecular mechanisms have been suggested, including endothelial dysfunction by several factors, extracellular matrix remodelling, and induction of oxidative stress and the immunoinflammatory phenotype. We further correlated currently available pharmacological agents that have deductive therapeutic relevance to the explored pathophysiological mechanisms, highlighting a potential clinical perspective in obesity treatment.

Serum iron is closely associated with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease in type 2 diabetes: A real-world study

AIMS

There is still a debate about the relationship between serum iron and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). Furthermore, few relevant studies were conducted in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Therefore, this study aimed to explore the association of serum iron levels with MAFLD in Chinese patients with T2DM.

METHODS

This cross-sectional, real-world study consisted of 1,467 Chinese T2DM patients. MAFLD was diagnosed by abdominal ultrasonography. Based on serum iron quartiles, the patients were classified into four groups. Clinical characteristics were compared among the four groups, and binary logistic analyses were used to assess the associations of serum iron levels and quartiles with the presence of MAFLD in T2DM.

RESULTS

After adjusting for gender, age, and diabetes duration, significantly higher prevalence of MAFLD was found in the second (45.7%), third (45.2%), and fourth (47.0%) serum iron quartiles than in the first quartiles (26.8%), with the highest MAFLD prevalence in the fourth quartile (p < 0.001 for trend). Moreover, increased HOMA2-IR (p = 0.003 for trend) and decreased HOMA2-S (p = 0.003 for trend) were observed across the serum iron quartiles. Fully adjusted binary logistic regression analyses indicated that both increased serum iron levels (OR: 1.725, 95% CI: 1.427 to 2.085, p < 0.001) and quartiles (p < 0.001 for trend) were still closely associated with the presence of MAFLD in T2DM patients even after controlling for multiple confounding factors.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a positive correlation between the presence of MAFLD and serum iron levels in T2DM patients, which may be attributed to the close association between serum iron and insulin resistance. Serum iron levels may act as one of the indicators for evaluating the risk of MAFLD in T2DM individuals.

Correlation of Body Mass Index with Clinicopathologic Parameters in Patients with Idiopathic Membranous Nephropathy

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and clinicopathologic parameters in patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN).

METHODS

This study was retrospective and included patients with biopsy-proven IMN from 2018 to 2021 in Hebei General Hospital. Patients were categorized into two groups based on BMI. Clinical and histopathologic data were analyzed at the time of renal biopsy. Pathological data included immunofluorescence staining, glomerulosclerosis (GS, 0-2), mesangial cell proliferation (MCP, 0-1), tubular atrophy (TA, 0-1), interstitial fibrosis (IF, 0-1), vascular wall thickness (VWT, 0-1) and a combination score (GMTIV) graded from 0 to 5.

RESULTS

Our study revealed that the obese group had a higher prevalence of hypertension and diabetes than the overweight/normal weight group (P=0.001, P=0.002). Systolic blood pressure (P=0.005), diastolic blood pressure (P<0.001), haemoglobin (P=0.006), triglycerides (P<0.001), serum uric acid (P=0.05), 24 h urine proteinuria concentration (UP) (P=0.012), MCP (P=0.042), IF (P=0.033), and GMITV (P=0.033) score were higher in obese group compared to the other group, while the high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (P=0.034) and immunoglobulin A deposition score (P=0.005) were lower. Factors significantly associated with UP were the ratio of lymphocyte count to white blood cell count, serum pre-albumin, immunoglobulin G, microscopic hematuria, anti-phospholipase A2 receptor (anti-PLA2R), C3 deposit on multivariable analysis (adjusted R ²=0.343). Binary logistic regression analysis illustrated that MCP was correlated to BMI (OR=2.528, P=0.036). Ordinal logistic regression analysis demonstrated that GMTIV was associated with BMI (OR=1.114, P=0.010) and C3 deposit (OR=1.655, P=0.001).

CONCLUSION

High BMI was associated with MCP and GMTIV score in IMN patients. Obesity may play an essential role in mesangial lesions of IMN. This study emphasized the relation between BMI and histological parameters under the universal usage of anti-PLA2R antibodies for diagnosis and prognosis in IMN.