Utilizing a quality of life tool to examine the presence of fatigue in subjects with diabetes mellitus.

Introduction: The prevalence of fatigue in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) can be as high as 50 %. Physical, mental, and psychosocial components of fatigue negatively impact quality of life (QOL), morbidity and mortality. Several tools have been developed to address fatigue, but none specifically for measuring fatigue in DM.

War and Health Care Services Utilization for Chronic Diseases in Rural and Semiurban Areas of Tigray, Ethiopia.

Importance: The war in Tigray, Ethiopia, has disrupted the health care system of the region. However, its association with health care services disruption for chronic diseases has not been well documented.

Objective: To assess the association of the war with the utilization of health care services for patients with chronic diseases.

Stress-induced severe transient hypercortisolism with reversible bilateral adrenal enlargement after cardiogenic shock.

Summary: Acute illness-related stress can result in severe hypercortisolism and bilateral adrenal enlargement in certain patients. We report a case of stress-induced hypercortisolism and bilateral adrenal enlargement in a patient admitted for acute respiratory distress and cardiogenic shock. Bilateral adrenal enlargement and hypercortisolism found during hospitalization for acute illness resolved 3 weeks later following the resolution of acute illness.

Cardiac and Sudomotor Autonomic Function in Subjects with Psoriasis With and Without Metabolic Syndrome.

Studies have shown that subjects with psoriasis (PsO) are associated with an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome (MetS), diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. In addition, MetS and diabetes are associated with autonomic dysfunction (AD). The aim of this study was to investigate cardiac and sudomotor autonomic function in subjects with PsO and without diabetes.

The impact of war on the health system of the Tigray region in Ethiopia: an assessment.

The war in Tigray region of Ethiopia that started in November 2020 and is still ongoing has brought enormous damage to the health system. This analysis provides an assessment of the health system before and during the war. Evidence of damage was compiled from November 2020 to June 2021 from various reports by the interim government of Tigray, and also by international non-governmental organisations.

The SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a multicenter randomized trial.

Patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) have a high burden of symptoms and functional limitations, and have a poor quality of life. By targeting cardiometabolic abmormalities, sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors may improve these impairments. In this multicenter, randomized trial of patients with HFpEF (NCT03030235), we evaluated whether the SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin improves the primary endpoint of Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Clinical Summary Score (KCCQ-CS), a measure of heart failure-related health status, at 12 weeks after treatment initiation.

Effect of Diabetes Mellitus on Complication Rates of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

Previous studies have shown that diabetes mellitus (DM) is a risk factor for postoperative coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) complications. More contemporary studies are needed to guide revascularization decisions in DM patients. We performed a single-center study of patients who underwent CABG.

Glucose sensor-augmented continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion in patients with diabetic gastroparesis: An open-label pilot prospective study.

Erratic blood glucose levels can be a cause and consequence of delayed gastric emptying in patients with diabetes. It is unknown if better glycemic control increases risks of hypoglycemia or improves hemoglobin A1c levels and gastrointestinal symptoms in diabetic gastroparesis. This study investigated the safety and potential efficacy of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in poorly controlled diabetes with gastroparesis.

Islet Cell Associated Autoantibodies and C-Peptide Levels in Patients with Diabetes and Symptoms of Gastroparesis.

Introduction: Individuals with diabetes are at increased risk for complications, including gastroparesis. Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune disorder resulting in decreased beta-cell function. Glutamic acid decarboxylase-65 antibody (GADA) is the most commonly used test to assess autoimmunity while C-peptide level is used to assess beta-cell function.

Islet cell-associated autoantibodies in Ethiopians with diabetes mellitus.

Background & Aims: Our understanding of the role of autoimmunity in the pathogenesis of diabetes in African populations is limited. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of 4 different islet cell-associated antibodies in Ethiopian patients with diabetes and non-diabetic controls.

Methods: A total of 187 subjects from a diabetic clinic at an Ethiopian hospital were evaluated in a cross-sectional study.

The impact of gastroparesis on diabetes control: Patient perceptions.

Unlabelled: The impact of gastroparesis on diabetes management and control from the patient perspective has not been well characterized. The aim of this study was to identify patient perceptions regarding the impact of gastroparesis on managing their diabetes.

Methods: Patients with diabetes being referred for gastroparesis were enrolled in this prospective study.

Insulin Dose and Cardiovascular Mortality in the ACCORD Trial.

Objective: In the ACCORD trial, intensive treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular (CV) risk was associated with higher all-cause and CV mortality. Post hoc analyses have failed to implicate rapid reduction of glucose, hypoglycemia, or specific drugs as the causes of this finding. We hypothesized that exposure to injected insulin was quantitatively associated with increased CV mortality.

DNA methylation profiling identifies epigenetic differences between diabetes patients with ESRD and diabetes patients without nephropathy.

We identified potential epigenetic biomarkers for chronic kidney disease progression by comparing site-specific DNA methylation levels in more than 14,000 genes between African American and Hispanic diabetes patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) and diabetes patients without nephropathy. We identified 187 genes that are differentially methylated between the two groups on at least two CpG sites in each gene in DNA extracted from saliva. Of the 187 genes whose mean methylation levels differed between the two groups, 39 genes, or closely related gene family members, have been reported to be involved in kidney development or diabetic nephropathy, per se, or have been associated with dialysis-induced changes in gene expression in peripheral blood cells.

Effect of spironolactone therapy on albuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.

Objective: To investigate whether the addition of spironolactone to angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors further decreases albuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM).

Methods: We conducted a prospective open-label trial in patients recruited at the Cleveland Clinic between February 2004 and November 2006. Patients with type 2 DM were eligible if they were older than 18 years of age, had been treated with any ACE inhibitor for longer than 1 month, and had a random urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) greater than 100 mg/g within 1 month of study entry.

Hypomagnesemia in Ethiopians with diabetes mellitus.

Background: Magnesium, the second most abundant intracellular cation, plays a key role in cellular metabolism. Even though hypomagnesemia has been demonstrated in patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes elsewhere, limited information exists from African patients with diabetes mellitus.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study to assess the prevalence of hypomagnesemia in Ethiopian patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.