Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus with Diabetic Gastroparesis and Occasional Liver Dysfunction Treated by Low Carbohydrate Diet

Diabetes mellitus (DM) has wider neurological complications. They include upper gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, impaired motility, impaired gastric emptying (GE) and diabetic gastroparesis (DG), which are usually found. The patient was a 64-year-old man with type 2 diabetes (T2D) for 22-years. The patient weighed 74 kg with body mass index (BMI) 23.6 kg/m2, hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) 9.2%, ankle brachial index (ABI) 1.19/1.23, AST 25 U/L(7-38), ALT 23 U/L(4-44), GGT 48 U/L(<86), Chest X-P normal, and electrocardiogram (ECG) negative. When the patient was treated with low carbohydrate diet (LCD), a significant reduction in body weight and HbA1c was observed. Abdominal computerized tomography (CT) revealed multiple gall stone, dilated common bile duct and impaired GE, indicating DG. For endoscopic examination, much food residue was found in the stomach due to DG after 13 hours fasting. Treatment for DG was initiated by mosapride citrate hydrate. During clinical progress, occasional liver dysfunction was observed twice associated with elevation of AST 196 U/L, GGT 373 U/L and without symptoms, indicating cholestasis-type dysfunction. Some possible triggers may be involved in these episodes, such as gall stone, enlarged volume of stomach due to DG, overeating, overdrinking, and other factors. This impressive report will hopefully become a reference for developing diabetic practice and research

Impressive clinical course of diabetic patient with various medical problems and remarkable improvement by insulin degludec and liraglutide (Xultophy)

Diabetes mellitus causes macrovascular, microvascular angiopathy, and increased cancer risk. Authors et al. have continued clinical practice and research on diabetes cases. Current case is impressive 79-year-old female with various diseases. They include asthma and COPD, steroid intake for years, sleep apnea syndrome (SAS), Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy, tongue cancer, arteriosclerosis, bone complications, Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and so on. When she developed hyperglycemia with 9.0% of HbA1c, Xultophy® was started. It contains insulin degludec and liraglutide which is Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA). HbA1c values decreased as 7.9%, 7.3%, 6.9%, 6.5% in 1-4 months, with remarkable effect. The satisfactory efficacy may be from double agents of Xultophy® or probable secondary diabetes due to continuation of steroid of the case. This report will be expected to be some reference in the future diabetic research development

Seasonal changes in HbA1c values from young to elderly diabetic patients

Background: Current research has focused on the seasonal changes in HbA1c at the age of 21-90 years old. Subjects and methods: Subjects were 96 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods include the classification of group A, B, C by the age with 21-50, 51-70, 71-90 years old. HbA1c values in median were calculated for five consecutive seasons from December 2017 to February 2019. Results: BMI value in 3 group A, B, C was 29.7, 24.7, 25.3, respectively. Basal HbA1c was 7.0%, 7.1%, 7.1%, in 3 groups, respectively. Seasonal changes in HbA1c are as follows: group A showed highest in the summer, group B showed highest in the spring and gradually decreased to the winter, and group C showed gradual decrease and lowest in autumn. Discussion and conclusion: Seasonal changes would be probably from i) working generation with fatigue for persistent hot climate in group A, ii) rather stable daily life with balanced work and rest for the home in group B and C, iii) hot climate from spring to summer may be involved in the changes. Current investigation does not include multiple related factors. Further research will be expected for clarifying various factors

Marginal Mandibulectomy for Lower Gingival Carcinoma With a Cheek-Splitting Transbuccal Approach and Reconstruction by Buccal Fat Pad Flap: A Case Report

In cases of malignant tumor at the posterior region of the mandibular gingiva, a submandibular approach is usually chosen for secure resection of the lesion. This technique allows a good view of the surgical site and makes the operative procedure relatively easy. However, this approach is more surgically invasive and increases the operating time. On the other hand, it is difficult to resect the tumor with sufficient safety margin via an intraoral approach.We present a case of squamous cell carcinoma arising at the posterior mandibular gingiva that was completely resected via a cheek-splitting transbucal approach. Subsequently, the bucal fat pad flap was used to reconstruct the defect. The patient has been followed up for one year, and no recurrence has been observed. Moreover, there was only a very faint scar at the cheek and few instances of trismus.This technique should be added to the useful approaches for resection of the posterior mandibular tumor, because the resection is possible under direct vision with only slight side effects

Plaque REgression with Cholesterol absorption Inhibitor or Synthesis inhibitor Evaluated by IntraVascular UltraSound (PRECISE-IVUS Trial): Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

AbstractBackgroundAlthough the positive association between achieved low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level and the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) has been confirmed by randomized studies with statins, many patients remain at high residual risk of events suggesting the necessity of novel pharmacologic strategies. The combination of ezetimibe/statin produces greater reductions in LDL-C compared to statin monotherapy.PurposeThe Plaque REgression with Cholesterol absorption Inhibitor or Synthesis inhibitor Evaluated by IntraVascular UltraSound (PRECISE-IVUS) trial was aimed at evaluating the effects of ezetimibe addition to atorvastatin, compared with atorvastatin monotherapy, on coronary plaque regression and change in lipid profile in patients with CAD.MethodsThe study is a prospective, randomized, controlled, multicenter study. The eligible patients undergoing IVUS-guided percutaneous coronary intervention will be randomly assigned to receive either atorvastatin alone or atorvastatin plus ezetimibe (10mg) daily using a web-based randomization software. The dosage of atorvastatin will be increased by titration within the usual dose range with a treatment goal of lowering LDL-C below 70mg/dL based on consecutive measures of LDL-C at follow-up visits. IVUS will be performed at baseline and 9–12 months follow-up time point at participating cardiovascular centers. The primary endpoint will be the nominal change in percent coronary atheroma volume measured by volumetric IVUS analysis.ConclusionPRECISE-IVUS will assess whether the efficacy of combination of ezetimibe/atorvastatin is noninferior to atorvastatin monotherapy for coronary plaque reduction, and will translate into increased clinical benefit of dual lipid-lowering strategy in a Japanese population

HLA-DRB1 and DQB1 alleles in Japanese type 1 autoimmune hepatitis: The predisposing role of the DR4/DR8 heterozygous genotype

ObjectiveAutoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic progressive liver disease. AIH is composed predominantly of type 1 in Japanese populations. The genetic and environmental factors are associated with the pathogenesis of AIH. HLA-DRB1*03:01 and *04:01 are associated with type 1 AIH in European and *04:05 in Japanese populations. Here, we conducted an HLA association study in order to find HLA alleles or haplotypes predisposing or protective for Japanese AIH.MethodsHLA-DRB1 and DQB1 genotyping of 360 type 1 AIH patients and 1026 healthy controls was performed.ResultsThe predisposing association of DRB1*04:01 (P = 0.0006, corrected P [Pc] = 0.0193, odds ratio [OR] 2.97, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.62–5.43), DRB1*04:05 (P = 1.89×10−21, Pc = 5.86×10−20, OR 3.41, 95% CI 2.65–4.38), and DQB1*04:01 (P = 4.66×10−18, Pc = 6.99×10−17, OR 3.89, 95% CI 2.84–5.33) and the protective association of DRB1*13:02 (P = 0.0003, Pc = 0.0080, OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.32–0.72) with Japanese type 1 AIH were observed. An association of the DR4/DR8 heterozygous genotype with Japanese AIH was identified for the first time (P = 3.12×10−9, OR 3.52, 95% CI 2.34–5.29). Susceptible diplotypes were DRB1*04:05-DQB1*04:01/DRB1*08:02-DQB1*03:02 (P = 0.0004, OR 24.77, 95% CI 1.45–424.31) and DRB1*04:05-DQB1*04:01/DRB1*08:03-DQB1*06:01 (P = 1.18×10−6, OR 10.64, 95% CI 3.19–35.46). Serum levels of Immunoglobulin G and Immunoglobulin M, International Autoimmune Hepatitis Group score, positive rate of anti-smooth muscle antibodies, and the rate of definite AIH were higher in AIH patients with DRB1*04:05 than without.ConclusionsThe important roles of specific combinations of DRB1 and DQB1 alleles or haplotypes in the pathogenesis of type 1 AIH were suggested. The association of DR4/DR8 heterozygous genotype suggested the pathologic importance of trans-complementing DQα-β heterodimer molecules encoded by DQA1 allele of one haplotype and the DQB1 allele of the other haplotype, as it was proposed in the HLA association studies of Type 1 diabetes

Integrated hybrid Raman/fiber Bragg grating interrogation scheme for distributed temperature and point dynamic strain measurements

We propose and experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of an integrated hybrid optical fiber sensing interrogation technique that efficiently combines distributed Raman-based temperature sensing with fiber Bragg grating (FBG)-based dynamic strain measurements. The proposed sensing system is highly integrated, making use of a common optical source/receiver block and exploiting the advantages of both (distributed and point) sensing technologies simultaneously. A multimode fiber is used for distributed temperature sensing, and a pair of FBGs in each discrete sensing point, partially overlapped in the spectral domain, allows for temperature-independent discrete strain measurements. Experimental results report a dynamic strain resolution of 7.8  nε/√Hz within a full range of 1700 με and a distributed temperature resolution of 1°C at 20 km distance with 2.7 m spatial resolution

Impact of Dual Lipid-Lowering Strategy With Ezetimibe and Atorvastatin on Coronary Plaque Regression in Patients With Percutaneous Coronary Intervention The Multicenter Randomized Controlled PRECISE-IVUS Trial

AbstractBackgroundDespite standard statin therapy, a majority of patients retain a high “residual risk” of cardiovascular events.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of ezetimibe plus atorvastatin versus atorvastatin monotherapy on the lipid profile and coronary atherosclerosis in Japanese patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).MethodsThis trial was a prospective, randomized, controlled, multicenter study. Eligible patients who underwent PCI were randomly assigned to atorvastatin alone or atorvastatin plus ezetimibe (10 mg) daily. Atorvastatin was uptitrated with a treatment goal of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) <70 mg/dl. Serial volumetric intravascular ultrasound was performed at baseline and again at 9 to 12 months to quantify the coronary plaque response in 202 patients.ResultsThe combination of atorvastatin/ezetimibe resulted in lower levels of LDL-C than atorvastatin monotherapy (63.2 ± 16.3 mg/dl vs. 73.3 ± 20.3 mg/dl; p < 0.001). For the absolute change in percent atheroma volume (PAV), the mean difference between the 2 groups (–1.538%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: –3.079% to 0.003%) did not exceed the pre-defined noninferiority margin of 3%, but the absolute change in PAV did show superiority for the dual lipid-lowering strategy (–1.4%; 95% CI: –3.4% to –0.1% vs. –0.3%; 95% CI: –1.9% to 0.9% with atorvastatin alone; p = 0.001). For PAV, a significantly greater percentage of patients who received atorvastatin/ezetimibe showed coronary plaque regression (78% vs. 58%; p = 0.004). Both strategies had acceptable side effect profiles, with a low incidence of laboratory abnormalities and cardiovascular events.ConclusionsCompared with standard statin monotherapy, the combination of statin plus ezetimibe showed greater coronary plaque regression, which might be attributed to cholesterol absorption inhibition–induced aggressive lipid lowering. (Plaque Regression With Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitor or Synthesis Inhibitor Evaluated by Intravascular Ultrasound [PRECISE-IVUS]; NCT01043380