Okayama University Survey of the current situation of community-based medical facilities supported by part-time work by physicians

　We investigated the situation of how physicians at Okayama University support local medical institutions by serving as a part-time worker, and analyzed the difference between the five medical districts of Okayama prefecture and other prefectures. Many physicians (actual number of physicians, full-time equivalent number of physicians) served in the southeastern region of the Okayama prefecture (339, 82.2). On the other hand, fewer physicians (42, 11.4) served in Takahashi・Niimi in the northwestern region of Okayama. Many physicians also served in Hiroshima prefecture (193, 48.8), Hyogo prefecture (109, 26.7), and the four prefectures of Shikoku Island (81, 23.6). 　It has been clarified that many physicians at Okayama University are working on a part-time basis to support local and community medical institutions in the wide area of Okayama prefecture, Hiroshima prefecture, Hyogo prefecture and the four prefectures of Shikoku Island

Marked Hypertriglyceridemia in a Patient with type 2 Diabetes Receiving SGLT2 Inhibitors

A 43-year-old male with type 2 diabetes, under treatment with 5 mg/day of dapagliflozin, was referred to our hospital with upper left abdominal pain and marked hypertriglyceridemia (triglycerides [TGs], 5,960 mg/dl). He was also on a low-carbohydrate diet that promoted ketosis under sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor administration. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a remarkable increase in very-low-den-sity lipoprotein, a TG-rich lipoprotein particle synthesized in the liver using free fatty acids derived from adi-pose tissue. Although SGLT2 inhibitors generally improve the lipid profile, under certain conditions such as a low-carbohydrate diet, they may adversely exacerbate the lipid profile via ketosis

Lgals9 deficiency ameliorates obesity by modulating redox state of PRDX2

The adipose tissue is regarded as an endocrine organ and secretes bioactive adipokines modulating chronic inflammation and oxidative stress in obesity. Gal-9 is secreted out upon cell injuries, interacts with T-cell immunoglobulin-3 (Tim-3) and induces apoptosis in activated Th1 cells. Gal-9 also binds to protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), maintains PDI on surface of T cells, and increases free thiols in the disulfide/thiol cycles. To explore the molecular mechanism of obesity, we investigated Gal-9(-/-) and Gal-9(wt/wt) C57BL/6J mice fed with high fat-high sucrose (HFHS) chow. Gal-9(-/-) mice were resistant to diet-induced obesity associated with reduction of epididymal and mesenteric fat tissues and improved glucose tolerance compared with Gal-9(wt/wt) mice. However, the number of M1, M2 macrophages, and M1/M2 ratio in epididymal fat were unaltered. Under HFHS chow, Gal-9(-/-) mice receiving Gal-9(-/-) or Gal-9(wt/wt) bone marrow-derived cells (BMCs) demonstrated significantly lower body weight compared with Gal-9(wt/wt) mice receiving Gal-9(-/-) BMCs. We identified the binding between Gal-9 and peroxiredoxin-2 (PRDX2) in sugar chain-independent manner by nanoLC-MS/MS, immunoprecipitation, and pull-down assay. In 3T3L1 adipocytes, Gal-9 knockdown shifts PRDX2 monomer (reduced form) dominant from PRDX2 dimer (oxidized form) under oxidative stress with H2O2. The inhibition of Gal-9 in adipocytes may be a new therapeutic approach targeting the oxidative stress and subsequent glucose intolerance in obesity

The hypoglycemia-prevention effect of sensor-augmented pump therapy with predictive low glucose management in Japanese patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus: a short-term study

Aims/introduction The predictive low glucose management (PLGM) system was introduced in March 2018 in Japan. Although there are some reports demonstrating the benefit of PLGM in preventing hypoglycemia, no data are currently available in Japanese patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of PLGM with sensor-augmented pump therapy in the prevention of hypoglycemia in Japanese patients. Materials and methods We included 16 patients with T1DM who used the MiniMed®640G system after switching from the MiniMed®620G system. We retrospectively analysed the data of the continuous glucose monitoring system in 1 month after switching to MiniMed®640G. Results The area under the curve (AUC) of hypoglycemia of  180 mg/dL and the duration of hyperglycemia did not change. With the PLGM function, 79.3% of the predicted hypoglycemic events were avoided. Conclusions The hypoglycemia avoidance rate was comparable to those in previous reports. In addition, we demonstrated that PLGM can markedly suppress severe hypoglycemia without deteriorating glycemic control in Japanese T1DM patients. It is necessary to further investigate the effective use of the PLGM feature such as establishing a lower limit and the timing of resumption

Pemt deficiency ameliorates endoplasmic reticulum stress in diabetic nephropathy

Phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (Pemt) catalyzes the methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) to phosphatidylcholine (PC) mainly in the liver. Under an obese state, the upregulation of Pemt induces endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress by increasing the PC/PE ratio in the liver. We targeted the Pemt gene in mice to explore the therapeutic impact of Pemt on the progression of diabetic nephropathy and diabetes, which was induced by the injection of streptozotocin (STZ). Although the blood glucose levels were similar in STZ-induced diabetic Pemt+/+ and Pemt−/−mice, the glomerular hypertrophy and albuminuria in Pemt−/− mice were significantly reduced. Pemt deficiency reduced the intraglomerular F4/80-positive macrophages, hydroethidine fluorescence, tubulointerstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy. The expression of glucose-regulated protein-78 (GRP78) was enriched in the renal tubular cells in STZ-induced diabetic mice, and this was ameliorated by Pemt deficiency. In mProx24 renal proximal tubular cells, the treatment with ER-stress inducers, tunicamycin and thapsigargin, increased the expression of GRP78, which was reduced by transfection of a shRNA lentivirus for Pemt (shRNA-Pemt). The number of apoptotic cells in the renal tubules was significantly reduced in Pemt−/− diabetic mice, and shRNA-Pemt upregulated the phosphorylation of Akt and decreased the cleavage of caspase 3 and 7 in mProx24 cells. Taken together, these findings indicate that the inhibition of Pemt activity ameliorates the ER stress associated with diabetic nephropathy in a model of type 1 diabetes and corrects the functions of the three major pathways downstream of ER stress, i.e. oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis

Urinary Fetuin-A Is a Novel Marker for Diabetic Nephropathy in Type 2 Diabetes Identified by Lectin Microarray

We analyzed the urine samples of patients with type 2 diabetes at various stages of diabetic nephropathy by lectin microarray to identify a biomarker to predict the progression of diabetic nephropathy. Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes at various stages of nephropathy were enrolled and we performed lectin microarray analyses (n = 17) and measured urinary excretion of fetuin-A (n = 85). The increased signals of urine samples were observed in Sia alpha 2-6Gal/GalNAc-binding lectins (SNA, SSA, TJA-I) during the progression of diabetic nephropathy. We next isolated sialylated glycoproteins by using SSA-lectin affinity chromatography and identified fetuin-A by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometer. Urinary excretion of fetuin-A significantly increased during the progression of albuminuria (A1, 0.40 +/- 0.43; A2, 0.60 +/- 0.53; A3 1.57 +/- 1.13 ng/gCr; p = 7.29x10(-8)) and of GFR stages (G1, 0.39 +/- 0.39; G2, 0.49 +/- 0.45; G3, 1.25 +/- 1.18; G4, 1.34 +/- 0.80 ng/gCr; p = 3.89x10(-4)). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to assess fetuin-A as a risk for diabetic nephropathy with microalbuminuria or GFR<60 mL/min. Fetuin-A is demonstrated as a risk factor for both microalbuminuria and reduction of GFR in diabetic nephropathy with the odds ratio of 4.721 (1.881-11.844) and 3.739 (1.785-7.841), respectively. Collectively, the glycan profiling analysis is useful method to identify the urine biomarkers and fetuin-A is a candidate to predict the progression of diabetic nephropathy

Dysfunction of CD8+PD-1+T cells in type 2 diabetes caused by the impairment of metabolism-immune axis

The metabolic changes and dysfunction in CD8+T cells may be involved in tumor progression and susceptibility to virus infection in type 2 diabetes (T2D). In C57BL/6JJcl mice fed with high fat-high sucrose chow (HFS), multifunctionality of CD8+splenic and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) was impaired and associated with enhanced tumor growth, which were inhibited by metformin. In CD8+splenic T cells from the HFS mice, glycolysis/basal respiration ratio was significantly reduced and reversed by metformin. In the patients with T2D (DM), multifunctionality of circulating CD8+PD-1+T cells stimulated with PMA/ionomycin as well as with HLA-A*24:02 CMV peptide was dampened, while metformin recovered multifunctionality. Both glycolysis and basal respiration were reduced in DM, and glycolysis was increased by metformin. The disturbance of the link between metabolism and immune function in CD8+PD-1+T cells in T2D was proved by recovery of antigen-specific and non-specific cytokine production via metformin-mediated increase in glycolytic activity

Urinary angiotensinogen is a marker for tubular injuries in patients with type 2 diabetes

Purpose: Urinary angiotensinogen has been reported as a marker for the activation of intrarenal renin–angiotensin system (RAS) in various kidney diseases. To investigate the importance of urinary angiotensinogen in diabetic nephropathy, we compared the urinary levels of angiotensinogen, albumin, and α1-microglobulin. Materials and methods: Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes at various stages of nephropathy (n=85) were enrolled, and we measured albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) and urinary excretion of angiotensinogen and α1-microglobulin. We also compared the clinical data of the patients treated with or without angiotensin II receptor blockers or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (RAS inhibitors [+], n=51; RAS inhibitors [−], n=34). Results: Urinary angiotensinogen levels positively correlated with ACR (r =0.367, P=3.84×10-4) and urinary α1-microglobulin (r=0.734, P=1.32 × 10-15), while they negatively correlated with estimated glomerular filtration ratio (eGFR) (r=−0.350, P=1.02 × 10-3) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (r=−0.216, P=0.049). Multiple regression analysis was carried out to predict urinary angiotensinogen levels by employing eGFR, ACR, and urinary α1-microglobulin as independent variables; only urinary α1-microglobulin entered the regression equation at a significant level. Although ACR was higher in the RAS inhibitors (+) group, urinary α1-microglobulin and angiotensinogen did not show significant increase in the RAS inhibitors (+) group. Conclusion: Urinary angiotensinogen is well correlated with urinary α1-microglobulin and reflected the tubular injuries which may be associated with the intrarenal RAS activation in patients with type 2 diabetes

Serum Vaspin Concentrations Are Closely Related to Insulin Resistance, and rs77060950 at SERPINA12 Genetically Defines Distinct Group with Higher Serum Levels in Japanese Population

Context: Vaspin is an adipokine with insulin-sensitizing effects identified from visceral adipose tissues of genetically obese rats. Objective: We investigated genetic and nongenetic factors that define serum concentrations of vaspin. Design, Setting and Participants: Vaspin levels were measured with RIA in Japanese subjects with normal fasting plasma glucose (NFG; n = 259) and type 2 diabetes patients (T2D; n = 275). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) at SERPINA12 (vaspin) gene locus were discovered, and five SNP were genotyped in the subjects with varied body mass index (n = 1138). Results: The level of serum vaspin in 93% of the samples was found to vary from 0.2 to nearly 2 ng/ml in NFG subjects (n = 259) and from 0.2 to nearly 3 ng/ml in T2D patients (n = 275) (Vaspin(Low) group), whereas a significant subpopulation (7%) in both groups displayed much higher levels of 10-40 ng/ml (Vaspin(High) group). In the Vaspin(Low) group, serum vaspin levels in T2D were significantly higher than healthy subjects (0.99 +/- 0.04 vs. 0.86 +/- 0.02 ng/ml; P < 0.01). Both in T2D and genotyped Japanese population, serum vaspin levels closely correlated with homeostasis model of assessment for insulin resistance rather than anthropometric parameters. By genotyping, rs77060950 tightly linked to serum vaspin levels, i.e. CC (0.6 +/- 0.4 ng/ml), CA (18.4 +/- 9.6 ng/ml), and AA (30.5 +/- 5.1 ng/ml) (P < 2 x 10(-16)). Putative GATA-2 and GATA-3 binding consensus site was found at rs77060950. Conclusions: Serum vaspin levels were related to insulin resistance, and higher levels of serum vaspin in 7% of the Japanese population are closely linked to minor allele sequence (A) of rs77060950. (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 97: E1202-E1207, 2012