Association of Non-Dipping Blood Pressure Patterns with Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: A Cross-Sectional Study among a Population with Diabetes in Greece

Metabolomics study of serum from patients with type 2 diabetes: Peripheral neuropathy could be associated with sphingosine and phospholipid molecules

Abnormal lipid metabolism is one of the risk factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus peripheral neuropathy (DPN). This study aimed to determine the differences in lipid metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes and DPN and the possible pathogenesis caused by this difference. The participants comprised type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with DPN (N = 60) and healthy controls (N = 20). Blood samples were drawn from the participants in the morning in the fasting state, and then changes in serum lipids were explored using targeted metabolomics on the liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry platform. Among the 1768 differentially abundant lipid metabolites, the results of orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis combined with random forest analysis showed that the levels of sphingosine (SPH) (d18:0), carnitine 22:1, lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) (18:0/0:0), LPC (16:0/0:0), lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) (18:1/0:0), LPC (0:0/18:0) and LPE (0:0/18:1) were significantly different between the two groups. Spearman correlation analysis showed that SPH (d18:0), carnitine 22:1, LPE (18:0/0:0), and LPC (0:0/18:0) levels correlated highly with the patients' electromyography results. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway annotation and enrichment analysis of 538 differentially abundant lipid metabolites revealed that type 2 diabetes mellitus DPN was related to glycerophospholipid metabolism and glycerol metabolism. Our results further identified the dangerous lipid metabolites associated with DPN and abnormal lipid metabolism. The influence of lipid metabolites such as SPH and phospholipid molecules on DPN development in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were suggested and the possible pathogenic pathways were clarified, providing new insights into the clinical risk of DPN in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Blood Pressure Patterns and Hepatosteatosis: Cardiometabolic Risk Assessment in Dipper and Non-Dipper Phenotypes

Background/Objectives: Non-dipper hypertension (HT), a condition in which blood pressure does not drop sufficiently at night compared to daytime, is considered a serious condition that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and organ damage. This study aimed to examine the relationship between dipper and non-dipper blood pressure patterns, hepatosteatosis, and biochemical markers in hypertensive and normotensive individuals. Methods: Demographic, biochemical, and hepatic ultrasonography data from 142 patients who underwent 24 h ambulatory blood pressure measurement (ABPM) were evaluated retrospectively and cross-sectionally in this study. Patients were categorized into four groups based on ABPM results: non-dipper normotensive (NDN), dipper normotensive (DN), non-dipper hypertensive (NDH), and dipper hypertensive (DH). Results: The study results indicate that NDH individuals had markedly elevated levels of hepatosteatosis and uric acid compared with DH and normotensive persons (p < 0.001). The grade of hepatosteatosis showed significant discriminatory capacity in differentiating between dipper and non-dipper hypertensive patients, with an AUC of 0.861, specificity of 94%, and sensitivity of 66%. Individuals with hypertension exhibiting a non-dipper pattern demonstrate a greater prevalence of hepatosteatosis and elevated uric acid levels. Conclusions: The study findings show non-dipper patterns have a higher risk for cardiometabolic diseases. This indicates that not only blood pressure, but also metabolic disorders should be closely monitored and treated in the management of non-dipper HT.

Abnormal blood pressure dipping pattern: frequency, determinants, and correlates in Diabetes Mellitus patients in the Cardiovascular Health Risk Assessment in Diabetes Mellitus (CHiD) study

Purpose

Non-dipping status is associated with increased total and cardiovascular mortality in many disease conditions including diabetes mellitus. The pattern and its implications are not well described among Africans. This study was done to describe the frequency of abnormal blood pressure (BP) dipping among T2DM subjects, its determinants and correlates in Ogbomoso, Nigeria.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study done at the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso. One hundred individuals diagnosed with T2DM were recruited and they had 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring, echocardiography, ECG, and carotid Doppler among other evaluations. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 27.0 (Chicago Ill, USA).

Results

The mean age of the participants was 59.3 ± 10.8 years, mean body mass index 27.7 ± 5.9 kg/m2 with a mean duration of diabetes of 7.52 ± 5.54 years. Abnormal BP dipping was present in 89% (consisting of 41% or reverse dippers and 48% non-dippers). T2DM subjects with abnormal dipping pattern were more likely to be females, had higher glycated haemoglobin, lower fractional shortening, higher left atrial volume and left ventricular mass index, and a higher DM duration than those with normal BP dipping status. The major determinants of abnormal dipping pattern were the duration of diabetes and low HDL-C concentration.

Conclusion

Abnormal BP dipping pattern is highly prevalent in T2DM subjects, especially among females. Abnormal BP dipping was also associated with markers of increased cardiovascular risk such as impaired kidney function, left ventricular hypertrophy, postural hypotension, history of intermittent claudication, and presence of plaques on carotid Doppler studies.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40200-023-01337-8.

While You Are Sleeping: Marital Ambivalence and Blunted Nocturnal Blood Pressure

Marital relationships offer health benefits, including a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, quality of the relationship matters; ambivalent behaviors may increase CVD risk by affecting blunted nocturnal blood pressure (BP) dipping. This study tracked daytime and nocturnal SBP and DBP in 180 normotensive individuals (90 couples; participant mean age 25.04; 91.58% white) over a 24 h period using ambulatory blood pressure monitors to explore the impact of martial quality. Results showed that perceptions of spousal ambivalence were associated with blunted nocturnal BP dipping. Perceptions of one's own behavior as ambivalent also showed blunted nocturnal dipping. When in an ambivalent relationship, a gender interaction was found such that women were most likely to have blunted SBP dipping, but men were more likely to have blunted nocturnal DBP dipping. Overall, this study found an association between ambivalence and BP dipping, thus uncovering one virtually unexplored pathway by which marital relationships may have adverse effects on health.

Impaired Cardiovagal Activity as a Link Between Hyperglycemia and Arterial Stiffness in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Among an Eastern Indian Population: A Cross-sectional Study

OBJECTIVES

Cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is one of the most common yet overlooked complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Individuals with T2DM with CAN have a 5-fold higher rate of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The presence of CAN in T2DM could potentially lead to arterial stiffness. However, only sparse data are available suggesting any association between autonomic dysfunction and arterial stiffness in T2DM.

METHODS

We recruited 80 people with T2DM and 74 healthy controls for our study. Heart rate variability (HRV) testing was performed to assess autonomic function. Assessment of arterial stiffness was done by measuring the brachial pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and augmentation index (AI).

RESULTS

The time-domain parameters were significantly decreased (p<0.001) and frequency-domain parameters, such as total power and high-frequency band expressed as a normalized unit, were found to be significantly reduced in people with T2DM (p<0.001). Both baPWV and AI were significantly higher in people with T2DM compared with healthy controls (p<0.001). We observed a moderate correlation between standard deviation of normal to normal interval (SDNN) and baPWV (r=-0.437, p=0.002) and AI (r=-0.403, p=0.002). A multiple linear regression model showed an association between SDNN and arterial stiffness parameters, such as baPWV and AI, which were statistically significant (p<0.05) in a fully adjusted model that included the conventional risk factors for atherosclerosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Impaired cardiovagal activity is an independent risk factor for the development of arterial stiffness. Incorporation of HRV testing into the diabetes management protocol would have potential benefits for identifying individuals at high risk of developing cardiovascular events. Hence, preventive measures can be taken as early as possible to improve patient outcomes.

Cell metabolism pathways involved in the pathophysiological changes of diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes mellitus. Elucidating the pathophysiological metabolic mechanism impels the generation of ideal therapies. However, existing limited treatments for diabetic peripheral neuropathy expose the urgent need for cell metabolism research. Given the lack of comprehensive understanding of energy metabolism changes and related signaling pathways in diabetic peripheral neuropathy, it is essential to explore energy changes and metabolic changes in diabetic peripheral neuropathy to develop suitable treatment methods. This review summarizes the pathophysiological mechanism of diabetic peripheral neuropathy from the perspective of cellular metabolism and the specific interventions for different metabolic pathways to develop effective treatment methods. Various metabolic mechanisms (e.g., polyol, hexosamine, protein kinase C pathway) are associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and researchers are looking for more effective treatments through these pathways.