Development and Validation of an Ultrasensitive Procalcitonin Sandwich Immunoassay.

Procalcitonin (PCT) is well established as a highly specific biomarker for the detection of bacterial infections and sepsis. However, the currently available diagnostic tests are not able to detect very low or very early increases of PCT or even baseline levels in healthy individuals or patients with non-bacterial infections. In order to be able to detect these very low concentrations of PCT, a sandwich immunoassay was developed using high sensitivity Single Molecule Array technology (Simoa).

Prevalence and correlates of depressive disorders in people with Type 2 diabetes: results from the International Prevalence and Treatment of Diabetes and Depression (INTERPRET-DD) study, a collaborative study carried out in 14 countries.

Aims: To assess the prevalence and management of depressive disorders in people with Type 2 diabetes in different countries.

Methods: People with diabetes aged 18-65 years and treated in outpatient settings were recruited in 14 countries and underwent a psychiatric interview. Participants completed the Patient Health Questionnaire and the Problem Areas in Diabetes scale.

Impact of long-term air pollution exposure on metabolic control in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes: results from the DPV registry.

Aims/hypothesis: Studies on the association between air pollution and metabolic control in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes are rare and findings are inconsistent. We examined the relationship between air pollution variables (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <10 μm [PM], NO and accumulated ozone exposure [O-AOT]) and metabolic variables (HbA and daily insulin dose [U/kg body weight]) in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

Methods: We investigated 37,372 individuals with type 1 diabetes aged <21 years, documented between 2009 and 2014 in 344 German centres of the prospective diabetes follow-up registry (Diabetes-Patienten-Verlaufsdokumentation [DPV]).

Pharmacokinetics of metformin in patients with gastrointestinal intolerance.

Aims: To assess potential causes of metformin intolerance, including altered metformin uptake from the intestine, increased anaerobic glucose utilization and subsequent lactate production, altered serotonin uptake, and altered bile acid pool.

Methods: For this pharmacokinetic study, we recruited 10 severely intolerant and 10 tolerant individuals, matched for age, sex and body mass index. A single 500-mg dose of metformin was administered, with blood sampling at 12 time points over 24 hours.

Subclinical changes in MRI-determined right ventricular volumes and function in subjects with prediabetes and diabetes.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess subclinical changes in right ventricular volumes and function in subjects with prediabetes and diabetes and controls without a history of cardiovascular disease.

Methods: Data from 400 participants in the KORA FF4 study without self-reported cardiovascular disease who underwent 3-T whole-body MRI were obtained. The right ventricle was evaluated using the short axis and a four-chamber view.

Oral contraception in adolescents with type 1 diabetes and its association with cardiovascular risk factors. A multicenter DPV study on 24 011 patients from Germany, Austria or Luxembourg.

Objective: To investigate differences in cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic control in girls with type 1 diabetes with or without use of oral contraceptives (OC) from the multicenter "diabetes prospective follow-up" (DPV) registry.

Methods: Twenty-four thousand eleven adolescent girls (13 to < 18 years of age) from Germany, Austria or Luxembourg with type 1 diabetes from the DPV registry were included in this cross-sectional study. Multivariable regression models were applied to compare clinical characteristics (hemoglobin A1c [HbA1 ], blood pressure, serum lipids, body mass index) and lifestyle factors (smoking, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption) between girls with or without OC use.

Intensive lifestyle modifications with or without liraglutide 3mg vs. sleeve gastrectomy: A three-arm non-randomised, controlled, pilot study.

Background/objectives: As only 1% of clinically eligible subjects choose to undergo surgical treatment for obesity, other options should be investigated. This study aimed to assess the effects of intensive lifestyle modification (ILM) with or without 3-mg liraglutide daily vs. sleeve gastrectomy (SG) on BMI after 1 year.

Integrative network analysis highlights biological processes underlying GLP-1 stimulated insulin secretion: A DIRECT study.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) stimulated insulin secretion has a considerable heritable component as estimated from twin studies, yet few genetic variants influencing this phenotype have been identified. We performed the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) of GLP-1 stimulated insulin secretion in non-diabetic individuals from the Netherlands Twin register (n = 126). This GWAS was enhanced using a tissue-specific protein-protein interaction network approach.

Life satisfaction is a protective factor against the onset of Type 2 diabetes in men but not in women: findings from the MONICA/KORA cohort study.

Aims: To investigate the association of high life satisfaction with incident Type 2 diabetes separately in men and women.

Methods: A longitudinal analysis was conducted among the 7107 participants (3664 men, 51.5%; 3443 women, 48.

Does periodontitis affect diabetes incidence and haemoglobin A1c change? An 11-year follow-up study.

Aim: As periodontitis may contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetes, the effects of periodontitis on diabetes incidence and HbA1c change was quantified in a prospective cohort.

Methods: Data from an 11-year follow-up of the Study of Health in Pomerania were analyzed to evaluate the effects of periodontitis on incident diabetes and long-term HbA1c changes in 2047 subjects aged 20-81years. Diabetes was based on self-reported physician diagnoses, antidiabetic medication use, or HbA1c≥6.

Repaglinide versus insulin for newly diagnosed diabetes in patients with cystic fibrosis: a multicentre, open-label, randomised trial.

Background: As survival among patients with cystic fibrosis has improved in recent decades, complications have become increasingly relevant. The most frequent complication is cystic-fibrosis-related diabetes. The recommended treatment is injected insulin, but some patients are treated with oral antidiabetic drugs to ease the treatment burden.

Insulin secretory defect in familial partial lipodystrophy Type 2 and successful long-term treatment with a glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist.

Background: Familial partial lipodystrophies are rare monogenic disorders that are often associated with diabetes. In such cases, it can be difficult to achieve glycaemic control.

Case Report: We report a 34-year old woman with familial partial lipodystrophy type 2 (Dunnigan) and diabetes; her hyperglycaemia persisted despite metformin treatment.

Identification of novel risk loci for restless legs syndrome in genome-wide association studies in individuals of European ancestry: a meta-analysis.

Background: Restless legs syndrome is a prevalent chronic neurological disorder with potentially severe mental and physical health consequences. Clearer understanding of the underlying pathophysiology is needed to improve treatment options. We did a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWASs) to identify potential molecular targets.

Granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (GR-MDSC) accumulate in cord blood of preterm infants and remain elevated during the neonatal period.

Preterm delivery is the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Among the most important complications in preterm infants are peri- or postnatal infections. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) are myeloid cells with suppressive activity on other immune cells.

Inequalities in glycaemic control, hypoglycaemia and diabetic ketoacidosis according to socio-economic status and area-level deprivation in Type 1 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review.

Aim: The aim of this systematic review was to examine the associations of individual-level as well as area-level socio-economic status and area-level deprivation with glycaemic control, hypoglycaemia and diabetic ketoacidosis in people with Type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Methods: Ovid MEDLINE was searched to identify relevant cohort, case-control or cross-sectional studies published between January 2000 and June 2015. Search results were screened by title, abstract and keywords to identify eligible publications.

Spontaneous mechanical and electrical activities of human calf musculature at rest assessed by repetitive single-shot diffusion-weighted MRI and simultaneous surface electromyography.

Purpose: Assessment of temporal and spatial relations between spontaneous mechanical activities in musculature (SMAM) at rest as revealed by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and electrical muscular activities in surface EMG (sEMG). Potential influences of static and radiofrequency magnetic fields on muscular activity on sEMG measurements at rest were examined systematically.

Methods: Series of diffusion-weighted stimulated echo planar imaging were recorded with concurrent sEMG measurements.

A systemic view on the distribution of diet-derived methanol and hepatic acetone in mice.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from breath can successfully be used to diagnose disease-specific pathological alterations in metabolism. However, the exact origin and underlying biochemical pathways that could be mapped to VOC signatures are mainly unknown. There is a knowledge gap regarding the contribution of tissues, organs, the gut microbiome, and exogenous factors to the 'sum signal' from breath samples.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and impaired proinsulin conversion as newly identified predictors of the long-term non-response to a lifestyle intervention for diabetes prevention: results from the TULIP study.

Aims/hypothesis: Lifestyle intervention is effective to prevent type 2 diabetes. However, a considerable long-term non-response occurs to a standard lifestyle intervention. We investigated which risk phenotypes at baseline and their changes during the lifestyle intervention predict long-term glycaemic non-response to the intervention.

Patients' preferences for involvement in the decision-making process for treating diabetic retinopathy.

Background: To assess factors associated with the preferred role of the attending ophthalmologist in the decision-making processes before treating diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Methods: Cross-sectional study of 810 adults attending secondary diabetes care centers (NCT02311504). Diabetes patients were classified using a validated questionnaire in an ophthalmologist-dominant decision-making (ODM), shared decision-making (SDM) and patient-dominant decision-making (PDM) style.

Domains of physical activity and brain volumes: A population-based study.

Observational studies and intervention trials suggest that physical activity (PA) is beneficial for human brain morphology, especially in older individuals. Few population-based studies examined whether domain-specific PA is associated with brain volumes. Accordingly, we studied putative associations of PA during leisure time, sports and work with volumes of the hippocampus, the prefrontal cortex, the temporal lobe, gray matter (GM), white matter (WM) and total brain (TBV) after 5.

Retinopathy with central oedema in an INS transgenic pig model of long-term diabetes.

Aims/hypothesis: Diabetic retinopathy is a severe complication of diabetes mellitus that often leads to blindness. Because the pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathy is not fully understood and novel therapeutic interventions require testing, there is a need for reliable animal models that mimic all the complications of diabetic retinopathy. Pig eyes share important anatomical and physiological similarities with human eyes.

Sex Hormones and Hair Loss in Men From the General Population of Northeastern Germany.

This cohort study of German men investigates cross-sectional associations between a panel of liquid chromatography mass–spectrometry-measured sex hormones and hair loss.