Type 1 diabetes-related distress: Current implications in care

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a complex chronic disease associated with major health and economic consequences, also involving important issues in the psychosocial sphere. In this regard, T1D-related distress, defined as the emotional burden of living with T1D, has emerged as a specific entity related to the disease. Diabetes distress (DD) is an overlooked but prevalent condition in people living with T1D, and has significant implications in both glycemic control and mental health in this population. Although overlapping symptoms may be found between DD and mental health disorders, specific approaches should be performed for the diagnosis of this problem. In recent years, different DD-targeted interventions have been postulated, including behavioral and psychosocial strategies. Moreover, new technologies in this field may be helpful to address DD in people living with T1D. In this article, we summarize the current knowledge on T1D-related distress, and we also discuss the current approaches and future perspectives in its management.

A Multicenter Prospective Evaluation of the Benefits of Two Advanced Hybrid Closed-Loop Systems in Glucose Control and Patient-Reported Outcomes in a Real-world Setting

OBJECTIVE

Advanced hybrid closed-loop systems (AHCL) have been shown to improve glycemic control and patient-reported outcomes in type 1 diabetes. The aim was to analyze the outcomes of two commercially available AHCL in real life.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

A prospective study was performed, including adolescents and adults with type 1 diabetes, AHCL naïve, from 14 centers, who initiated the use of MM780G with SmartGuard or Tandem t:slimX2 with Control-IQ. Baseline and 3-month evaluations were performed, assessing HbA1c, time in different glycemic ranges, and patient-reported outcomes. The primary outcome was the between-group time in range 70-180 mg/dL difference from beginning to end of follow-up.

RESULTS

One hundred fifty participants were included, with 75 initiating each system (age: 39.9 ± 11.4 years [16-72]; 64% female; diabetes duration: 21.6 ± 11.9 years). Time in range increased from 61.53 ± 14.01% to 76.17 ± 9.48% (P < 0.001), with no between-group differences (P = 0.591). HbA1c decreased by 0.56% (95% CI 0.44%, 0.68%) (6 mmol/mol, 95% CI 5, 7) (P < 0.001), from 7.43 ± 1.07% to 6.88 ± 0.60% (58 ± 12 to 52 ± 7 mmol/mol) in the MM780G group, and from 7.14 ± 0.70% to 6.56 ± 0.53% (55 ± 8 to 48 ± 6 mmol/mol) in the Control-IQ group (both P < 0.001 to baseline, P = 0.819 between groups). No superiority of one AHCL over the other regarding fear of hypoglycemia or quality of life was found. Improvement in diabetes-related distress was higher in Control-IQ users (P = 0.012). Sleep quality was improved (PSQI: from 6.94 ± 4.06 to 6.06 ± 4.05, P = 0.004), without differences between systems. Experience with AHCL, evaluated by the INSPIRE measures, exceeded the expectations.

CONCLUSIONS

The two AHCL provide significant improvement in glucose control and satisfaction, with no superiority of one AHCL over the other.

Epigenome wide association study in peripheral blood of pregnant women identifies potential metabolic pathways related to gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) increases the risk of developing metabolic disorders in both pregnant women and their offspring. Factors such as nutrition or the intrauterine environment may play an important role, through epigenetic mechanisms, in the development of GDM. The aim of this work is to identify epigenetic marks involved in the mechanisms or pathways related to gestational diabetes. A total of 32 pregnant women were selected, 16 of them with GDM and 16 non-GDM. DNA methylation pattern was obtained from Illumina Methylation Epic BeadChip, from peripheral blood samples at the diagnostic visit (26-28 weeks). Differential methylated positions (DMPs) were extracted using ChAMP and limma package in R 2.9.10, with a threshold of FDR <0.05, deltabeta >|5|% and B >0. A total of 1.141 DMPs were found, and 714 were annotated in genes. A functional analysis was performed, and we found 23 genes significantly related to carbohydrate metabolism. Finally, a total of 27 DMPs were correlated with biochemical variables such as glucose levels at different points of oral glucose tolerance test, fasting glucose, cholesterol, HOMAIR and HbA1c, at different visits during pregnancy and postpartum. Our results show that there is a differentiated methylation pattern between GDM and non-GDM. Furthermore, the genes annotated to the DMPs could be implicated in the development of GDM as well as in alterations in related metabolic variables.

Changes in Oxidative Stress and Intestinal Permeability during Pregnancy in Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Treated with Metformin or Insulin and Healthy Controls: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Both oxidative stress and intestinal permeability are increased in hyperglycemic situations and have been shown to be reduced by metformin in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of metformin on oxidative stress and intestinal permeability in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) treated with metformin compared to those treated with insulin and healthy controls. A total of 120 women were included from August 2016 to February 2022: 41 received metformin (MET group), 38 received insulin (INS group), and 41 were healthy controls. Baseline and antenatal visits were carried out at 25.4 ± 4.8 and 36.1 ± 0.8 weeks of pregnancy, respectively. Advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and zonulin levels were measured at every visit. Zonulin levels from baseline to prepartum visit increased significantly in both healthy controls (0.6 ± 0.9 to 1.2 ± 1.7 ng/mL, p = 0.004) and the INS group (0.4 ± 0.3 to 0.6 ± 0.5 ng/mL, p = 0.034) but did not significantly change in the MET group (0.4 ± 0.4 to 0.5 ± 0.4 ng/mL, p = 0.202). However, TAC and AOPP levels significantly increased in women with GDM, both in the INS and MET groups but not in the healthy controls. In conclusion, in our population, metformin has been shown to avoid an increase in intestinal permeability but failed to avoid an increase in oxidative stress related to hyperglycemia.

Epigenetic marks associated with gestational diabetes mellitus across two time points during pregnancy

An adverse intrauterine or periconceptional environment, such as hyperglycemia during pregnancy, can affect the DNA methylation pattern both in mothers and their offspring. In this study, we explored the epigenetic profile in maternal peripheral blood samples through pregnancy to find potential epigenetic biomarkers for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), as well as candidate genes involved in GDM development. We performed an epigenome-wide association study in maternal peripheral blood samples in 32 pregnant women (16 with GDM and 16 non-GDM) at pregnancy week 24-28 and 36-38. Biochemical, anthropometric, and obstetrical variables were collected from all the participants. The main results were validated in an independent cohort with different ethnic origin (European = 307; South Asians = 165). Two hundred and seventy-two CpGs sites remained significantly different between GDM and non-GDM pregnant women across two time points during pregnancy. The significant CpG sites were related to pathways associated with type I diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance and secretion. Cg01459453 (SELP gene) was the most differentiated in the GDM group versus non-GDM (73.6 vs. 60.9, p = 1.06E-11; FDR = 7.87E-06). Three CpG sites (cg01459453, cg15329406, and cg04095097) were able to discriminate between GDM cases and controls (AUC = 1; p = 1.26E-09). Three differentially methylated positions (DMPs) were replicated in an independent cohort. To conclude, epigenetic marks during pregnancy differed between GDM cases and controls suggesting a role for these genes in GDM development. Three CpGs were able to discriminate GDM and non-GDM groups with high specificity and sensitivity, which may be biomarker candidates for diagnosis or prediction of GDM.

Higher β cell death in pregnant women, measured by DNA methylation patterns of cell-free DNA, compared to new-onset type 1 and type 2 diabetes subjects: a cross-sectional study

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder of glucose homeostasis in which β cell destruction occurs silently and is detected mainly when symptoms appear. In the last few years, it has emerged a great interest in developing markers capable of detecting pancreatic β cell death focused on improving early diagnosis and getting a better treatment response, mainly in type 1 diabetes. But other types of diabetes would also benefit from early detection of β cell death. Differentially methylated circulating DNA is being studied as minimally invasive biomarker of cell death. We aimed to explore whether the unmethylated/methylated ratio of the insulin and amylin genes might be a good biomarker of β cell death in different types of diabetes. A lower index ∆Ct indicates a higher rate of β-cell death. Plasma samples from subjects without diabetes, pregnant women, pregnant with gestational diabetes (GDM), type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes were analyzed. A qPCR reaction with specific primers for both methylated and unmethylated fragments of insulin and amylin genes were carried out. Pregnant women, GDM and non- GDM, showed a higher β-cell death for both markers (∆INS = 3.8 ± 2.1 and ∆Amylin = 8.5 ± 3.6), whereas T1D presented lower rate (∆INS = 6.2 ± 2.1 and ∆Amylin = 10.7 ± 2.9) comparable to healthy subjects. The insulin methylation index was associated with the newborn birth weight (r = 0.46; p = 0.033) and with insulin resistance (r = -0.533; p = 0.027) in the GDM group. The higher rate of β-cell death was observed in pregnant women independently of their metabolic status. These indexes could be a good indicator of β cell death in processes caused by defects on insulin secretion, insulin action, or both.