Characterization of diabetes following pancreatic surgery in patients with congenital hyperinsulinism

Background: Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is the most common cause of persistent hypoglycaemia in infancy that leads to unfavourable neurological outcome if not treated adequately. In patients with severe diffuse CHI it remains under discussion whether pancreatic surgery should be performed or intensive medical treatment with the acceptance of recurrent episodes of mild hypoglycaemia is justified. Near-total pancreatectomy is associated with high rates of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Little is known about the management and long-term glycaemic control of CHI patients with diabetes after pancreatic surgery. We searched the German/Austrian DPV database and compared the course of 42 CHI patients with diabetes to that of patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Study groups were compared at diabetes onset and after a follow-up period of 6.1 [3.3–9.7] (median [interquartile range]) years. Results: The majority of CHI patients with diabetes were treated with insulin (85.2% [70.9–99.5] at diabetes onset, and 90.5% [81.2–99.7] at follow-up). However, compared to patients with T1DM, significantly more patients in the CHI group with diabetes were treated with conventional insulin therapy (47.8% vs. 24.4%, p = 0.03 at diabetes onset, and 21.1% vs. 6.4% at follow-up, p = 0.003), and only a small number of CHI patients were treated with insulin pumps. Daily insulin dose was significantly lower in CHI patients with diabetes than in patients with T1DM, both at diabetes onset (0.3 [0.2–0.5] vs. 0.6 IE/kg/d [0.4–0.8], p = 0.003) and follow-up (0.8 [0.4–1.0] vs. 0.9 [0.7–1.0] IE/kg/d, p = 0.02), while daily carbohydrate intake was comparable in both groups. Within the first treatment year, HbA1c levels were significantly lower in CHI patients with diabetes (6.2% [5.5–7.9] vs. 7.2% [6.5–8.2], p = 0.003), but increased to a level comparable to that of T1DM patients at follow-up. Interestingly, in CHI patients, the risk of severe hypoglycaemia tends to be higher only at diabetes onset (14.8% vs. 5.8%, p = 0.1). Conclusions: In surgically treated CHI patients insulin treatment needs to be intensified in order to achieve good glycaemic control. Our data furthermore emphasize the need for improved medical treatment options for patients with diazoxide- and/or octreotide-unresponsive CHI

Memory CD8+ T Cells Balance Pro- and Anti-inflammatory Activity by Reprogramming Cellular Acetate Handling at Sites of Infection.

Serum acetate increases upon systemic infection. Acutely, assimilation of acetate expands the capacity of memory CD8+ T cells to produce IFN-γ. Whether acetate modulates memory CD8+ T cell metabolism and function during pathogen re-encounter remains unexplored. Here we show that at sites of infection, high acetate concentrations are being reached, yet memory CD8+ T cells shut down the acetate assimilating enzymes ACSS1 and ACSS2. Acetate, being thus largely excluded from incorporation into cellular metabolic pathways, now had different effects, namely (1) directly activating glutaminase, thereby augmenting glutaminolysis, cellular respiration, and survival, and (2) suppressing TCR-triggered calcium flux, and consequently cell activation and effector cell function. In vivo, high acetate abundance at sites of infection improved pathogen clearance while reducing immunopathology. This indicates that, during different stages of the immune response, the same metabolite-acetate-induces distinct immunometabolic programs within the same cell type

Recruiting young pre-symptomatic children for a clinical trial in type 1 diabetes: insights from the Fr1da insulin intervention study

Background: Although detection of children at high risk of developing type 1 diabetes and diagnosis of early stages is possible, up to now there exists no approved therapy to delay or prevent type 1 diabetes. Thus it is vital to develop evidence-based interventions. For this a sufficient number of trial participants is crucial but difficult to obtain especially in asymptomatic children. Aim: Identifying family characteristics that lead to or impede trial participation and analyze reasons stated by families for non-participation. Methods: Participants for the Fr1da Insulin Intervention study are recruited from the Fr1da study, a population based screening for early stage type 1 diabetes in Bavaria. Families with eligible children were invited to enroll. We analyzed sex and age of the child, distance of the family to the study center in Munich and the existence of a first degree family member with type 1 as possible influential factors for study participation. We also analyzed reasons stated by families who declined study participation in a phone interview. Results: Of 146 eligible children 77 (53%) were enrolled into the trial. None of the tested family characteristics differed significantly between the enrolling and the families not participating, but in general enrolling families lived closer to the study site than families not participating. This is also reflected in the reasons given by non-participating families. The most frequent reason stated were time restrictions. The second most frequent reason was the venous blood draw. Conclusion: The factors for non-participation identified in this project need be taken into account for the design of future trials in young children to ensure proper recruitment and thus to generate valid results for medical treatment of children. More research on the reason of participation and non-participation in clinical trials is needed. Keywords: Type 1 diabetes, Trial recruitment, Trial enrollment, Infants, Children, Asymptomati

Does diabetes appear in distinct phenotypes in young people? Results of the diabetes mellitus incidence Cohort Registry (DiMelli).

INTRODUCTION: The diabetes mellitus Incidence Cohort Registry (DiMelli) aims to characterize diabetes phenotypes by immunologic, metabolic, and genetic markers. We classified patients into three groups according to islet autoantibody status and examined whether patients with multiple diabetes-associated autoantibodies, one autoantibody, or without autoantibodies differed with respect to clinical, metabolic, and genetic parameters, including an insulin sensitivity (IS) score based on waist, HbA1c, and triglycerides. We also assessed whether metabolic markers predicted the immune status. MATERIALS AND METHODS: As of June 2012, 630 patients in Bavaria, Germany, aged <20 years diagnosed with any type of diabetes within the preceding 6 months were registered in DiMelli. We compared the clinical and laboratory parameters between islet autoantibody status defined patient groups. Parameters showing the strongest associations were included in principal component analysis. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to assess the ability of the IS Score to predict islet autoantibody status. RESULTS: Patients with multiple islet autoantibodies, one autoantibody, or without autoantibodies were significantly different in terms of BMI percentile, weight loss before diagnosis, fasting C-peptide (all, P<0.001), and IS Score (P=0.034). However, principal component analysis revealed no distinct patterns according to autoantibody status. At the optimal IS Score cut-off for predicting islet autoantibody positivity (single compared to none), the specificity was 52.0% and the sensitivity was 86.8%. With respect to prediction of multiple autoantibodies (compared to none), specificity and sensitivity were slightly lower and in combination inferior to those obtained using the BMI percentile and fasting C-peptide. DISCUSSION: The DiMelli study indicated that patients with and without islet autoantibodies differed with respect to metabolic and genetic markers but there was considerable overlap of phenotypes, and autoantibody status could not be predicted by these parameters. Thus, our results suggest that refined diabetes classification may require both immune and metabolic phenotyping

Is it possible to prevent diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis of pediatric type 1 diabetes? Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

Background. Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a life-threatening emergency in children and adolescents with manifestation of type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) and often associated with delayed diagnosis or previous diagnostic errors. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown period in Germany, less patients presented at emergency departments and private practices. Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the DKA risk in children and adolescents with DM1 manifestation during the COVID-19 lockdown and associated risk factors. Material and methods. The frequency of DKA at DM1 onset in patients <18 years between 13 March and 13 May 2020 in pediatric diabetes centers was analyzed. The centers also documented their assessment, if the presentation was delayed or the diagnosis was not made on the first medical consultation. In order to analyze the influence of the risk factors on the frequency of DKA, the data from 2020 were compared with the same periods in 2018 and 2019 using multivariable linear and logistic regression. Results. The data of 532 patients from 216 diabetes centers showed that the risk for DKA increased by 84.7% and the risk for severe DKA increased by 45.3% compared to the years 2018/2019. Children <6 years had the highest risk with an 141.6% increase for DKA and 97.0% for severe DKA compared to the previous years. Migration background was a risk factor independent of COVID-19. Of the patients 31% had either a delayed presentation or a missed diagnosis. Conclusion. During the COVID-19 lockdown the frequency of DKA and severe DKA at DM1 onset was significantly increased for children and adolescents in Germany. Age <6 years, migration background and delayed diagnosis were the main risk factors