Association Between Serum Albumin Levels and Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Effect Modification of Body Mass Index

Comprehensive assessment of ocular parameters for identifying diagnostic indicators of diabetic peripheral neuropathy

PURPOSE

To explore variations in systemic and ocular parameters among patients with diabetes, both with and without diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and to identify sensitive indicators for DPN diagnosis.

METHODS

Ninty-five patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were involved in this cross-sectional study, including 49 without DPN and 46 with DPN. Ocular parameters were obtained using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and corneal confocal microscopy (CCM).

RESULT

Patients with DPN presented with significantly higher HbA1c (p < 0.05) and glycated albumin (GA, p < 0.01) levels, increased prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR, p < 0.05), and lower serum albumin (ALB, p < 0.01) and red blood cell (RBC, p < 0.05) levels. Ocular assessments revealed reduced corneal nerve fiber length (CNFL, p < 0.001) and enlarged foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area (p < 0.05) in DPN group. Logistic regression analysis indicated a significant association of presence of DR, RBC, GA, ALB, CNFL and DPN (p < 0.05, respectively). In the binary logistic regression for DPN risk, all three models including the presence of DR and CNFL exhibited the area under the curve (AUC) exceeding 0.8.

CONCLUSION

The study establishes a strong correlation between ocular parameters and DPN, highlighting CCM's role in early diagnosis. Combining systemic and ocular indicators improves DPN risk assessment and early management.

Correlation of Albumin, Red Cell Distribution Width and Other Biochemical and Hematological Parameters with Glycated Hemoglobin in Diabetic, Prediabetic and Non-Diabetic Patients

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease that affects more than 10.5% of the world's adult population. Biochemical and hematological parameters, such as albumin (ALB) and red cell distribution width (RDW), have been shown to be altered in diabetic patients. This study aimed to correlate hematological and biochemical parameters with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). A total of 777 adults (372 women and 405 men, aged 19-85 years) were divided into three groups: 218 participants with HbA1c < 5.7% (group A: non-diabetic), 226 with HbA1c ≥ 5.7% and <6.5% (group B: prediabetic) and 333 with HbA1c ≥ 6.5% (group C: diabetic). Biochemical and hematological parameters were compared among the three groups. An analysis of variance was performed to determine the correlations of the parameters among the groups. The ALB and sodium (Na) levels were significantly lower in group C than in groups A (ALB: 3.8 g/dL vs. 4.1 g/dL, p < 0.0001, Na: 138.4 mmol/L vs. 139.3 mmol/L, p < 0.001) and B (ALB: 3.8 g/dL vs. 4.0 g/dL, p < 0.0001, Na: 138.4 mmol/L vs. 139.6 mmol/L, p < 0.0001), whereas the RDW-standard deviation (RDW-SD) and urea were increased in group C as compared to group A (RDW: 45.8 vs. 43.9 fL, p < 0.0001, urea: 55.6 mg/dL vs. 38.5 mg/dL, p < 0.0001). The mean platelet volume (MPV) was increased in group C as compared to group A (9.3 fL vs. 9.1 fL, p < 0.05, respectively). Τhe increase in RDW-SD in group A as compared to B and C demonstrates the impact of hyperglycemia on red blood cells. Albumin and RDW might improve risk assessment for the development of diabetes. These results highlight the potential role of these parameters as an indication for prediabetes that would alert for measurement of HbA1c.

Interpretable machine learning models for detecting peripheral neuropathy and lower extremity arterial disease in diabetics: an analysis of critical shared and unique risk factors

BACKGROUND

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD) are significant contributors to diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), which severely affect patients' quality of life. This study aimed to develop machine learning (ML) predictive models for DPN and LEAD and to identify both shared and distinct risk factors.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 479 diabetic inpatients, of whom 215 were diagnosed with DPN and 69 with LEAD. Clinical data and laboratory results were collected for each patient. Feature selection was performed using three methods: mutual information (MI), random forest recursive feature elimination (RF-RFE), and the Boruta algorithm to identify the most important features. Predictive models were developed using logistic regression (LR), random forest (RF), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), with particle swarm optimization (PSO) used to optimize their hyperparameters. The SHapley Additive exPlanation (SHAP) method was applied to determine the importance of risk factors in the top-performing models.

RESULTS

For diagnosing DPN, the XGBoost model was most effective, achieving a recall of 83.7%, specificity of 86.8%, accuracy of 85.4%, and an F1 score of 83.7%. On the other hand, the RF model excelled in diagnosing LEAD, with a recall of 85.7%, specificity of 92.9%, accuracy of 91.9%, and an F1 score of 82.8%. SHAP analysis revealed top five critical risk factors shared by DPN and LEAD, including increased urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), serum creatinine (Scr), older age, and carotid stenosis. Additionally, distinct risk factors were pinpointed: decreased serum albumin and lower lymphocyte count were linked to DPN, while elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and higher D-dimer levels were associated with LEAD.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated the effectiveness of ML models in predicting DPN and LEAD in diabetic patients and identified significant risk factors. Focusing on shared risk factors may greatly reduce the prevalence of both conditions, thereby mitigating the risk of developing DFUs.

Development of D-π-A organic dyes for discriminating HSA from BSA and study on dye-HSA interaction

HSA (human serum albumin), a most abundant protein in blood serum, plays a key role in maintaining human health. Abnormal HSA level is correlated with many diseases, and thus has been used as an essential biomarker for therapeutic monitoring and biomedical diagnosis. Development of small-molecule fluorescent probes allowing the selective and sensitive recognition of HSA in in vitro and in vivo is of fundamental importance in basic biological research as well as medical diagnosis. Herein, we reported a series of new synthesized fluorescent dyes containing D-π-A constitution, which exhibited different optical properties in solution and solid state. Among them, dye M-H-SO3 with a hydrophilic sulfonate group at electron-acceptor part displayed selectivity for discrimination of HSA from BSA and other enzymes. Upon binding of dye M-H-SO3 with HSA, a significant fluorescence enhancement with a turn-on ratio about 96-fold was triggered. The detection limit was estimated to be ∼ 40 nM. Studies on the interaction mechanism revealed that dye M-H-SO3 could bind to site III of HSA with a 1:1 binding stoichiometry. Furthermore, dye M-H-SO3 has been applied to determine HSA in real urine samples with good recoveries, which provided a useful method for HSA analysis in biological fluids.

Inflammatory risk of albumin combined with C-reactive protein predicts long-term cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes

AIMS

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of inflammatory risk as defined by the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) for cardiovascular death in patients with diabetes.

METHODS

This study included 4956 patients (≥18 years old) with diabetes in the National Health and Nutrition Survey from 1999 to 2010. The mortality rate was determined by the correlation with the national death index on December 31, 2019. The GPS was composed of the serum C-reactive protein and the albumin. The primary outcome was cardiovascular death and the secondary outcome was all-cause death. The Cox proportional risk model adjusted for demographic factors and traditional cardiovascular risk factors was used to analyze the cumulative risk of outcomes.

RESULTS

Among 4956 diabetes patients with a median follow-up of 10.9 years, 601 cardiovascular deaths and 2187 all-cause deaths were recorded. After adequate model adjustment, compared with the low GPS group, the high GPS group (HR, 1.257 (1.007-1.570), P = 0.043) had a higher cardiovascular mortality. Compared with the low GPS group, the all-cause mortality of the high GPS group (HR, 1.394 (1.245-1.560), P < 0.001) was higher. The results of subgroup analyses were similar with that of the overall cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

The inflammatory risk as defined by the GPS was closely related to the increased risk of cardiovascular and all-cause death in patients with diabetes. It may be a convenient and efficient clinical practical risk assessment tool for patients with diabetes.

Electrochemical Skin Conductance by Sudoscan in Non-Dialysis Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

BACKGROUND

Peripheral neuropathy is prevalent among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Sudoscan non-invasively detects polyneuropathy by measuring electrochemical skin conductance (ESC). We conducted a study on sudomotor function in CKD patients across various stages based on their estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study of 700 CKD patients, all underwent Sudoscan. Pathological ESC was defined as hands < 40 μS or feet < 50 μS. Clinical neuropathy scores including Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) and Douleur Neuropathique en 4 questionnaire (DN4) were obtained.

RESULTS

Among participants, 344 had diabetes and 356 did not. Hands and feet ESC decreased with CKD progression (median (IQR) in stage 1-2, 3, 4-5: 54.0 (39.0-68.0), 45.5 (30.0-63.0), 41.8 (26.5-60.5), p trend < 0.001; 64.5 (53.5-74.0), 60.5 (43.0-72.5), 55.0 (39.0-69.8), p trend < 0.001). Pathological hands and feet ESC increased in later CKD stages (stage 1-2, 3, 4-5: 26.6%, 40.9%, 45.7%, p trend < 0.001; 21.7%, 34.0%, 40.6%, p trend < 0.001). Positive hands and feet ESC-eGFR correlation existed irrespective of diabetes. Diabetic patients had lower hands and feet ESC than non-diabetics as CKD progressed. However, multivariate regression found no significant ESC-eGFR association. Sudoscan correlated with clinical neuropathy scores.

CONCLUSION

Pathological sudomotor function was common in non-dialysis CKD stages 4-5. Diabetic patients had worse function. Sudomotor dysfunction progressed with renal disease but eGFR was not an independent risk factor.

Relationship between advanced lung cancer inflammation index and long-term all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: NHANES, 1999-2018

Background

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was a major global health threat. As a chronic low-grade inflammatory disease, the prognosis of diabetes was associated with inflammation. The advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI) served as a comprehensive index to assess inflammation. This study aimed to estimate the association between ALI and all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer mortality in T2DM patients.

Methods

We extracted cohort data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning 1999-2018 for analysis. The weighted Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariate-adjusted Cox analysis were utilized to evaluate the relationship between ALI and all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality in T2DM patients. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis was employed to assess their non-linear relationship. Stratified analysis and interaction analysis were conducted to enhance the robustness of the results.

Results

The study incorporated a total of 3,888 patients. An increase in ALI was associated with a reduced risk of all-cause and CVD mortality in T2DM patients, but not related to cancer mortality. There were J-shaped and L-shaped non-linear relationships between ALI and all-cause, CVD mortality in T2DM patients, respectively. The inflection points were 90.20 and 93.06, respectively. For values below the inflection point, every 10U increase in ALI, both all-cause and CVD mortality risk decreased by 9%. Beyond the inflection point, all-cause mortality rose by 3%, while CVD mortality remained unaffected. Gender-stratified RCS analysis indicated a linear negative relationship between CVD mortality and ALI in female T2DM patients, whereas the trend in males aligned with the overall population.

Conclusion

Our research initially identified a significant correlation between increased ALI levels with decreased all-cause and CVD mortality in T2DM patients. There were J-shaped and L-shaped non-linear relationships between ALI and all-cause, CVD mortality in T2DM patients, respectively. For female patients, there was a linear negative relation between CVD mortality and ALI, whereas the trend in males aligned with the overall population. These findings suggested that maintaining ALI (for example, control body weight and keep albumin in the normal range) within a certain range in the clinical settings was crucial for improving all-cause and CVD mortality in T2DM patients.

Serum albumin and risk of incident diabetes and diabetic microvascular complications in the UK Biobank cohort

AIM

To examine the associations between serum albumin and the incidences of diabetes and diabetic microvascular complications in participants of the UK Biobank cohort.

METHODS

There were 398,146 participants without diabetes and 30,952 patients with diabetes from the UK Biobank cohort included in this study. Multivariate-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models were used to analyze the association of albumin with the incidences of diabetes and diabetic microvascular complications. Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was used to determine the genetic relationships between serum albumin and diabetes.

RESULTS

After a median 12.90 years follow-up, 14,710 participants developed incident diabetes (58.83 ± 7.52 years, 56.10% male). After multivariate adjustment, serum albumin was inversely associated with incident diabetes: hazard ratio (HR) [95% confidence interval] per 10 g/l increase 0.88 [0.82;0.94]. MR analyses suggested a potential genetic influence of serum albumin on diabetes in both the UK Biobank and the FinnGen consortium: odds ratios (ORs) [95% confidence interval per 1 g/l increase 0.99 [0.98;1.00] and 0.78 [0.67;0.92], respectively. In patients with diabetes, higher serum albumin levels were significantly associated with lower risk for diabetic microvascular complications. Specifically, per 10 g/l increase in serum albumin, the HRs for diabetic nephropathy, ophthalmopathy, and neuropathy were 0.42 [0.30;0.58], 0.61 [0.52;0.72], and 0.67 [0.51;0.88], respectively.

CONCLUSION

In this large prospective study, serum levels of albumin were inversely associated with the incidences of diabetes and diabetic microvascular complications. These findings underscore the importance of maintaining optimal nutrient status in reducing the risk of diabetes and its complications.

Caution may be required in using l-theanine in diabetes mellitus: A study on the rats

BACKGROUND

The study aimed to identify the effects of l-theanine on kidney and heart tissues in diabetic rats. 24 male rats included in the study were divided into 4 groups (n = 6/group): SHAM, LTEA, DM and DM + LTEA. For 28 days, drinking water was given to SHAM and DM, and LTEA (200 mg/kg/day) to LTEA and DM + LTEA groups, intragastrically. DM was induced by 120 mg/kg nicotinamide (NA) + 60 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ). The levels of cystatin C (CysC) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) were determined by ELISA kits, homocysteine, electrolytes and iron by an autoanalyzer, the ratio of oxidized/total reduced glutathione (GSSG/TGSH) by assay kits. The tissues were histopathologically analyzed.

RESULTS

LTEA alleviated histopathological degenerations. However, it decreased significantly serum iron and homocysteine levels (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

LTEA did not exhibit significant protective effects on kidney and heart tissues; it may have affected the homocysteine and iron metabolisms in diabetics.

Differentiation of HSA and BSA and Instantaneous Detection of HSO3 - Using Confined Space of Serum Albumins and Live Cell Imaging of Exogenous/Endogenous HSO3. ACS OMEGA 2023;8:2639-2647. [PMID: 36687064 PMCID: PMC9851030 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c07163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0]

The limitations of prevailing probes for the detection of human serum albumin (HSA) and HSO3 - make it challenging to apprehend the cooperative effect of both HSA and HSO3 - in biological systems. Herein, we present a multi-responsive fluorescent probe MGTP, which distinguishes HSA from bovine serum albumin (BSA) through an ∼104-fold fluorescence enhancement at an emission maximum of 595 nm with HSA and only an ∼10-fold increase at an emission maximum of 615 nm with a shoulder at 680 nm with BSA. The absorbance spectrum of MGTP also discriminates HSA and BSA with the respective absorption maxima at 543 nm and at 580 nm. MGTP in the confined space of HSA or BSA undergoes instantaneous conjugate addition of HSO3 - and results in a ratiometric change in fluorescence intensity with diminishing of red fluorescence (600 nm) and emergence of green fluorescence (515 nm). MGTP in the absence of SAs does not react with HSO3 - in phosphate-buffered saline buffer and reacts sluggishly in the dimethyl sulfoxide-water 1:1 mixture. The limit of detection values for the detection of HSA and HSO3 - are 4 and 6.88 nM, respectively. The drug binding studies reveal that MGTP preferably confines itself at the bilirubin site of HSA. In MCF-7 cancer cells, MGTP is localized into mitochondria and reveals both exogenous and endogenous visualization of HSO3 - through a change in fluorescence from the red to green channel.

Aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio was associated with type 2 diabetic peripheral neuropathy in a Chinese population: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

Despite previous research that focused on aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio (AAR) as predictors of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease, there has been limited research evaluating the association between AAR and diabetic microvascular complications. This study aimed to investigate the association of AAR with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).

METHODS

A total of 1562 hospitalized patients with T2DM were divided into four groups according to AAR quartiles. The relationship between AAR and DPN and related parameters was explored by the Spearman correlation coefficients, multivariable logistic regression analysis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

RESULTS

Patients with higher AAR quartiles had higher levels of vibration perception threshold (VPT) and presence of DPN, and AAR was positively associated with VPT and presence of DPN independent of sex, age, body mass index, and diabetic duration (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Moreover, AAR remained significantly associated with a higher odds ratio (OR) of DPN (OR 2.413, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.081-5.386, P<0.05) after multivariate adjustment. Additionally, the risk of presence of DPN increased progressively as AAR quartiles increased (all P for trend <0.01) in both male and female subjects, and the highest quartile of AAR of male and female subjects was respectively associated with 107.3% (95% CI: 1.386-3.101; P<0.01) and 136.8% (95% CI: 1.550-3.618; P<0.01) increased odds of DPN compared with the lower quartiles. Last, the analysis of receiver operating characteristic curves revealed that the best cutoff values for AAR to predict the presence of DPN were 0.906 (sensitivity: 70.3%; specificity: 49.2%; and area under the curve [AUC]: 0.618) and 1.402 (sensitivity: 38%; specificity: 81.9%; and AUC: 0.600) in male and female subjects, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that the high AAR may be associated with the presence of DPN in Chinese patients with T2DM, and may be used as an additional indicator of risk of DPN.

Role of liver parameters in diabetes mellitus - a narrative review

Diabetes mellitus is characterized by hyperglycemia and abnormalities in insulin secretion and function. This review article focuses on various liver parameters, including albumin, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alpha fetoprotein (AFP), alpha 1 antitrypsin (AAT), ammonia, bilirubin, bile acid, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), immunoglobulin, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and total protein. These parameters play significant roles in the development of different types of diabetes such as type 1 diabetes (T1DM), type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and gestational diabetes (GDM). The article highlights that low albumin levels may indicate inflammation, while increased ALT and AST levels are associated with liver inflammation or injury, particularly in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Elevated ALP levels can be influenced by liver inflammation, biliary dysfunction, or bone metabolism changes. High bilirubin levels are independently linked to albuminuria in T1DM and an increased risk of T2DM. Elevated GGT levels are proposed as markers of oxidative stress and liver dysfunction in T2DM. In GDM, decreased serum AFP levels may indicate impaired embryo growth. Decreased AFP levels in T2DM can hinder the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma. Hyperammonemia can cause encephalopathy in diabetic ketoacidosis, and children with T1DM and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder often exhibit higher ammonia levels. T2DM disrupts the regulation of nitrogen-related metabolites, leading to increased blood ammonia levels. Bile acids affect glucose regulation by activating receptors on cell surfaces and nuclei, and changes in bile acid metabolism are observed in T2DM. Increased LDH activity reflects metabolic disturbances in glucose utilization and lactate production, contributing to diabetic complications. Poor glycemic management may be associated with elevated levels of IgA and IgG serum antibodies, and increased immunoglobulin levels are also associated with T2DM.