Serum leptin and its relation to anthropometric measures of obesity in pre-diabetic Saudis

Background: Little information is available on leptin concentrations in individuals with IGT. This study aims to determine and correlate leptin levels to anthropometric measures of obesity in prediabetic, (IFG and IGT), type 2 diabetic and normoglycaemic Saudis. Methods: 308 adult Saudis (healthy controls n = 80; pre-diabetes n = 86; Type 2 diabetes n = 142) participated. Anthropometric parameters were measured and fasting blood samples taken. Serum insulin was analysed, using a solid phase enzyme amplified sensitivity immunoassay and also leptin concentrations, using radio-immunoassay. The remaining blood parameters were determined using standard laboratory procedures. Results: Leptin levels of diabetic and pre-diabetic men were higher than in normoglycaemic men (12.4 [3.2–72] vs 3.9 [0.8–20.0] ng/mL, (median [interquartile range], p = 0.0001). In females, leptin levels were significantly higher in pre-diabetic subjects (14.09 [2.8–44.4] ng/mL) than in normoglycaemic subjects (10.2 [0.25–34.8] ng/mL) (p = 0.046). After adjustment for BMI and gender, hip circumference was associated with log leptin (p = 0.006 with R2 = 0.086) among all subjects. Conclusion: Leptin is associated with measures of adiposity, hip circumference in particular, in the non-diabetic state among Saudi subjects. The higher leptin level among diabetics and pre-diabetics is not related to differences in anthropometric measures of obesity

The atherogenic and metabolic impact of non-HDL cholesterol versus other lipid sub-components among non-diabetic and diabetic Saudis

BACKGROUND: Several trials from different populations have reported that non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) has more predictive power than low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in detecting coronary heart disease (CHD) and none in any Arab community whose propensity to develop CHD is higher compared to other ethnicities. This study aims to determine and compare the impact of non-HDL-C versus other lipid parameters, in predicting coronary heart disease among diabetic versus non-diabetic adult Saudis and identify the lipid parameters which make a significant contribution in the development of coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome. 733 adult Saudis were recruited and divided into groups of diabetics and non-diabetics. Each participant completed a questionnaire, underwent physical exam including 12-L ECG, and submitted a fasting blood sample where glucose and lipid parameters were analyzed using routine procedures. RESULTS: 462 subjects (age 45.03 ± 11.52; BMI 28.91 ± 6.07) were classified non-diabetics while the remaining 271 (age 52.73 ± 11.45, BMI 30.15 ± 6.62) were diabetics. 99 out of 465 (21.3%) of non-diabetics had CHD and 114 out of 271 (52.5%) in the diabetics. Non-HDL cholesterol was the best predictor among the non-diabetics (odds-ratio 2.89, CI 1.10–7.58, p-0.03). Total cholesterol was the highest single predictor for the development of CHD among the lipids (odds-ratio 1.36, CI 0.68–2.71, p-0.39) but HDL-cholesterol although small was significant (odds-ratio 0.52, CI 0.27–0.99, p-0.05). CONCLUSION: This study supports the use of non-HDL cholesterol as the more practical and reliable target for lipid lowering therapy among the Saudi population

Comparative Analysis of Data Mining Tools and Classification Techniques using WEKA in Medical Bioinformatics

The availability of huge amounts of data resulted in great need of data mining technique in order to generate useful knowledge. In the present study we provide detailed information about data mining techniques with more focus on classification techniques as one important supervised learning technique. We also discuss WEKA software as a tool of choice to perform classification analysis for different kinds of available data. A detailed methodology is provided to facilitate utilizing the software by a wide range of users. The main features of WEKA are 49 data preprocessing tools, 76 classification/regression algorithms, 8 clustering algorithms, 3 algorithms for finding association rules, 15 attribute/subset evaluators plus 10 search algorithms for feature selection. WEKA extracts useful information from data and enables a suitable algorithm for generating an accurate predictive model from it to be identified.  Moreover, medical bioinformatics analyses have been performed to illustrate the usage of WEKA in the diagnosis of Leukemia. Keywords: Data mining, WEKA, Bioinformatics, Knowledge discovery, Gene Expression

Changes in endotoxin levels in T2DM subjects on anti-diabetic therapies

Introduction Chronic low-grade inflammation is a significant factor in the development of obesity associated diabetes. This is supported by recent studies suggesting endotoxin, derived from gut flora, may be key to the development of inflammation by stimulating the secretion of an adverse cytokine profile from adipose tissue. Aims The study investigated the relationship between endotoxin and various metabolic parameters of diabetic patients to determine if anti-diabetic therapies exerted a significant effect on endotoxin levels and adipocytokine profiles. Methods Fasting blood samples were collected from consenting Saudi Arabian patients (BMI: 30.2 ± (SD)5.6 kg/m2, n = 413), consisting of non-diabetics (ND: n = 67) and T2DM subjects (n = 346). The diabetics were divided into 5 subgroups based on their 1 year treatment regimes: diet-controlled (n = 36), metformin (n = 141), rosiglitazone (RSG: n = 22), a combined fixed dose of metformin/rosiglitazone (met/RSG n = 100) and insulin (n = 47). Lipid profiles, fasting plasma glucose, insulin, adiponectin, resistin, TNF-α, leptin, C-reactive protein (CRP) and endotoxin concentrations were determined. Results Regression analyses revealed significant correlations between endotoxin levels and triglycerides (R2 = 0.42; p < 0.0001); total cholesterol (R2 = 0.10; p < 0.001), glucose (R2 = 0.076; p < 0.001) and insulin (R2 = 0.032; p < 0.001) in T2DM subjects. Endotoxin showed a strong inverse correlation with HDL-cholesterol (R2 = 0.055; p < 0.001). Further, endotoxin levels were elevated in all of the treated diabetic subgroups compared with ND, with the RSG treated diabetics showing significantly lower endotoxin levels than all of the other treatment groups (ND: 4.2 ± 1.7 EU/ml, RSG: 5.6 ± 2.2 EU/ml). Both the met/RSG and RSG treated groups had significantly higher adiponectin levels than all the other groups, with the RSG group expressing the highest levels overall. Conclusion We conclude that sub-clinical inflammation in T2DM may, in part, be mediated by circulating endotoxin. Furthermore, that whilst the endotoxin and adipocytokine profiles of diabetic patients treated with different therapies were comparable, the RSG group demonstrated significant differences in both adiponectin and endotoxin levels. We confirm an association between endotoxin and serum insulin and triglycerides and an inverse relationship with HDL. Lower endotoxin and higher adiponectin in the groups treated with RSG may be related and indicate another mechanism for the effect of RSG on insulin sensitivity

Production of Silver Nanoparticles with Strong and Stable Antimicrobial Activity against Highly Pathogenic and Multidrug Resistant Bacteria

Aims. To synthesize, characterize, and analyze antimicrobial activity of AgNPs of Escherichia hermannii (SHE), Citrobacter sedlakii (S11P), and Pseudomonas putida (S5). Methods. The synthesized AgNPs were examined using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis) and, zeta potential, and the size and the morphology obtained from the three different isolates were also confirmed by TEM. Results. Among the three isolates tested, SHE showed the best antimicrobial activity due to the presence of small (4–12 nm) and stable (−22 mV) AgNPs. Stability of AgNPs was also investigated and found to be dependent on the nature of isolates. Conclusion. Produced AgNPs showed particle stability and antimicrobial efficacy up to 90 days of production. Our AgNPs exhibited greater antimicrobial activity compared with gentamicin against P. aeruginosa isolates and vancomycin against S. aureus and MRSA isolates at very low concentration (0.0002 mg per Microliters)

Weak or no association of TCF7L2 variants with Type 2 diabetes risk in an Arab population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The rs7903146 and rs12255372 variants of <it>TCF7L2 </it>have been strongly associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk in most populations studied to date. Meta-analysis of 27 different studies has resulted in a global OR of 1.46 [1.42–1.51] (rs7903146 variant). Thus far, despite a high incidence of T2D, the role of this variant in Arabs has not been established.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed a case-control association study using 522 Saudi T2D patients (WHO criteria), and 346 controls (age > 60; fasting plasma glucose < 7 mmol/L). Genotyping was performed by pyrosequencing. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 13.0 for Windows (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>For rs7903146, the T allele frequency of the cases (0.415) was not different from that observed in the controls (0.405). The crude odds ratio (OR) was 1.04 with a 95% CI of 0.86–1.27 (P = 0.675). For rs12255372, the T allele frequency of the cases (0.368) was not different from that observed in the controls (0.355). Retrospective power calculations based upon an OR of 1.46 reported in a comprehensive meta-analysis of <it>TCF7L2 </it>risk, indicated this study was sufficiently powered (96.92%; α = 0.05) to detect an effect of similar magnitude to that reported for rs7903146.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our study is consistent with weak or no association of T2D in Arabs with the two <it>TCF7L2 </it>variants, however it cannot rule out an effect of other SNPs in this gene. Future studies in this population are required to confirm our findings and may indicate the presence of yet to be defined genetic risk factors for T2D.</p

Self-Regulated Glucose-Sensitive Neoglycoenzyme-Capped Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Insulin Delivery

"This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Oroval, Mar, Paula Díez, Elena Aznar, Carmen Coll, María Dolores Marcos, Félix Sancenón, Reynaldo Villalonga, and Ramón Martínez-Máñez. 2016. Self-Regulated Glucose-Sensitive Neoglycoenzyme-Capped Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Insulin Delivery. Chemistry - A European Journal 23 (6). Wiley: 1353 60. doi:10.1002/chem.201604104, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201604104. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving."[EN] We describe herein the preparation of glucose-sensitive capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles for insulin delivery. The new material consists of an expanded-pore nanometric silica support grafted with 1-propyl-1-H-benzimidazole groups, loaded with fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled insulin (FITC-Ins) and capped by the formation of inclusion complexes between cyclodextrin-modified glucose oxidase (CD-GOx) and the benzimidazole groups grafted on the mesoporous support. Insulin delivery from the gated material in simulated blood plasma was assessed upon addition of glucose. Glucose is transformed by GOx into gluconic acid, which promoted the dethreading of the benzimidazole-CD-GOx inclusion complexes, allowing cargo release. Small quantities of this support would be needed to release the amount of insulin necessary to decrease diabetic blood glucose concentrations to regular levels.The authors thank the Spanish Government (projects CTQ2011-24355, MAT2015-64139-C4-1-R, CTQ2014-58989-P, and AGL2015-70235-C2-2-R (MINECO/FEDER)) and the Generalitat Valenciana (project PROMETEOII/2014/047) for support. M.O. thanks the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia for her FPI grant. P.D. thanks the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad for her FPI grant (BES-2012-054066). C.C. thanks the Generalitat Valenciana for her postdoctoral contract VALi+D.Oroval, M.; Díez, P.; Aznar, E.; Coll Merino, MC.; Marcos Martínez, MD.; Sancenón Galarza, F.; Villalonga, R.... (2017). Self-Regulated Glucose-Sensitive Neoglycoenzyme-Capped Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Insulin Delivery. Chemistry - A European Journal. 23(6):1353-1360. https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201604104S13531360236Nicole, L., Laberty-Robert, C., Rozes, L., & Sanchez, C. (2014). Hybrid materials science: a promised land for the integrative design of multifunctional materials. Nanoscale, 6(12), 6267-6292. doi:10.1039/c4nr01788aBeltrán-Osuna, Á. A., & Perilla, J. E. (2015). Colloidal and spherical mesoporous silica particles: synthesis and new technologies for delivery applications. 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Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factors among Employees and Their Families of a Saudi University: An Epidemiological Study

Objectives:To assess the prevalence of non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factors among Saudi university employees and their families; to estimate the cardiovascular risk (CVR) amongst the study population in the following 10years. Methods:The NCD risk factors prevalence was estimated using a cross-sectional approach for a sample of employees and their families aged ≥ 18 years old, in a Saudi university (Riyadh in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; KSA). WHO STEPwise standardized tools were used to estimate NCD risk factors and the Framingham Coronary Heart Risk Score calculator was used to calculate the CVR. Results:Five thousand and two hundred subjects were invited, of whom 4,500 participated in the study, providing a response rate of 87%. The mean age of participants was 39.3±13.4 years. The majority of participants reported low fruit/vegetables consumption (88%), and physically inactive (77%). More than two thirds of the cohort was found to be either overweight or obese (72%), where 36% were obese, and 59% had abdominal obesity. Of the total cohort, 22–37% were found to suffer from dyslipidaemia, 22% either diabetes or hypertension, with rather low reported current tobacco use (12%). One quarter of participants was estimated to have >10% risk to develop cardiovascular disease within the following 10-years. Conclusion:The prevalence of NCD risk factors was found to be substantially high among the university employees and their families in this study