Original Data

Relationship Between Serum Uric Acid and Incident Hypertension in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Mohsen Janghorbani¹, Heshmatollah Ghanbari², Ashraf Aminorroaya¹, Masoud Amini¹

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the relationship between high baseline serum uric acid (SUA) and incident hypertension in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the ability of baseline SUA to predict the incidence of hypertension in non-hypertensive patients with T2D. METHODS: The association between SUA and mean 20-year incidence of hypertension was examined in 1,666 non-hypertensive patients with T2D from Isfahan Endocrine and Metabolism Research Center outpatient clinics, Iran. The primary outcome was incident hypertension defined as systolic blood pressure (BP) of 140 mmHg or higher and/or diastolic BP 90 mmHg or higher and/or use of antihypertensive medications. The mean (standard error (SE)) age of participants was 49.4 years (0.25 years) with a mean (SE) duration of diabetes of 6.1 years (0.15 years) at initial registration. We used multiple logistic regression to estimate the odds ratio (OR) for the incidence of hypertension across quartiles of SUA, and plotted a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to assess discrimination. RESULTS: The highest quartile of SUA was not associated with hypertension compared with the lowest quartile in multivariable adjusted models (OR: 1.22, 95% CI: 0.87, 1.73). The area under the ROC curve for SUA was 51.7% (95% CI: 48.9, 54.5). CONCLUSIONS: High initial SUA levels are not a predictor of incident hypertension in an Iranian T2D population.

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Association of Oxytocin with Glucose Intolerance and Inflammation Biomarkers in Metabolic Syndrome Patients with and without Prediabetes

Amal Akour¹, Violet Kasabri¹, Nailya Bulatova¹, Suha Al Muhaissen¹, Randa Naffa¹, Hiba Fahmawi¹, Munther Momani², Ayman Zayed², Yasser Bustanji¹

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore the differences in OXT levels in metabolic syndrome (MetS) subjects, newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D), and prediabetes subjects vs. MetS subjects without glucose intolerance (non-diabetic MetS). It was also intended to determine the relationship between plasma OXT levels and inflammatory markers in those subjects. METHODS: Along with 45 lean and normoglycemic controls, a total of 190 MetS subjects (61 men, 129 women) were enrolled. Colorimetric enzymatic assays of the following components were performed: plasma OXT, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), macrophage chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), resistin, adiponectin, leptin, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), thrompospondin 1 (TSP-1), interleukin 10 (IL-10), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and glucagon. RESULTS: hsCRP, PAI-1, resistin, leptin-to-adiponection-ratio (LAR), TNF-α, TSP-1, and MIF were significantly higher in both MetS groups (prediabetic and T2DM) than in MetS-only subjects. Leptin and MMP-9 were significantly higher in the MetS-T2DM group (but not in MetS-prediabetics) vs. MetS-only subjects. Conversely adiponectin, OXT, MCP-1, and IL-10 were significantly lower in both MetS groups (prediabetic and T2DM) than in MetS-only subjects. There was no marked discrepancy in either glucagon or IL-6 levels among the three MetS groups. In the entire MetS study population, OXT correlated substantially and proportionally with MCP-1, IL-10, and IL-6; it correlated negatively with HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), PAI-1, MMP-9, TNF-α, TSP-1, resistin, adiponectin, leptin, LAR, and MIF. No association could be observed between OXT and glucagon. CONCLUSIONS: OXT may be a substantial surrogate predictive/prognostic tool and putative pharmacotherapeutic target in metabolic anomalies and related disorders.

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Duration of Type 2 Diabetes is a Predictor of Elevated Plantar Foot Pressure

Brooke Falzon¹, Cynthia Formosa¹, Liberato Camilleri², Alfred Gatt¹

Abstract

AIMS: Elevated plantar pressure is considered a significant risk factor for ulceration in diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to determine whether duration of diabetes could affect plantar pressure in patients with no known significant comorbidity or foot pathology. METHODS: Participants with type 2 diabetes, but without known confounding factors that could alter peak pressure, were matched for age, weight, and gender and categorized into 3 groups of diabetes duration: group 1 (1-5 yr), group 2 (6-10 yr), and group 3 (11-15 yr). Plantar pressures were recorded utilizing a two-step protocol at a self-selected speed. RESULTS: One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant differences in mean peak plantar pressures between the three groups under the 2^nd - 4^th metatarsophalangeal joint (MPJ) region of interest (ROI) (p = 0.012 and p = 0.022, respectively) and left heel (p = 0.049). Also, a significant difference in mean pressure-time integral under the left 2^nd - 4^th MPJ ROI (p = 0.021) and right heel (p = 0.048) was observed. Regression analysis confirmed that mean peak plantar pressures in the first group (but not in the second group) were significantly lower than in the third group (p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: As the duration of diabetes increased, peak plantar pressure increased significantly under the 2^nd - 4^th MPJ ROIs. These findings suggest that clinicians should make more use of pressure mapping technology as part of their clinical management plan in patients with diabetes >10 yr, even if they have no complications or deformities, to preserve functional limbs in this high-risk population.

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Association of Socio-Environmental Determinants with Diabetes Prevalence in the Athens Metropolitan Area, Greece: A Spatial Analysis

Antigoni Faka¹, Christos Chalkias¹, Diego Montano², Ekavi N. Georgousopoulou^3,4, Anestis Tripitsidis¹, Efi Koloverou³, Dimitris Tousoulis⁵, Christos Pitsavos⁵, Demosthenes B. Panagiotakos³

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the spatial variation of diabetes in relation to the geographical variability of socio-environmental characteristics in the urban districts of Athens. METHODS: A sample of 2,445 individuals from the greater area of Athens was randomly enrolled in the ATTICA study between 2001 and 2002. Diabetes was defined according to American Diabetes Association criteria. Geographical and statistical analyses were applied to examine the relationship between diabetes prevalence and factors related to education, economic status, population density, immigrant status, and availability of urban green areas. Diabetes prevalence and socio-environmental factor mapping was based on the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology. Variograms and spatial quasi-Poisson regression analysis evaluated the associations of diabetes with the socio-environmental variables at the municipal level. RESULTS: According to the geographical analysis and mapping, the highest proportions of people with diabetes were found in the West sector and in one district of the East and South sector each. Regression analysis revealed that the proportion of inhabitants with higher education is negatively correlated with diabetes prevalence in the regional areas of Athens. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that socio-environmental status in residential areas, especially educational and economic levels, is correlated with diabetes prevalence at the aggregate level. These correlations may reflect socio-economic segregation patterns at the district level, and different prevalence rates of diabetes among individuals with higher income and educational levels.

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