Medical education in Hindi and indigenous languages in India: Issues and challenges.

In October 2022, the launch of first year MBBS books in Hindi language in the state of Madhya Pradesh in India kick started the debate on the introduction of Hindi/local language in medical education, which is currently being imparted in English. Opinions have been divided among the supporters of Hindi and local languages as well as opponents of this move. However, several issues need to be addressed before wider implementation of the policy of imparting medical education in Hindi/local languages. Right from infrastructure, human resource, economic impact, academic impact, international effects to legal issues have to be kept in mind and stakeholders must discuss these before implementation. A subsequent reversal of this policy, either through executive orders or judicial intervention, could lead to irreparable loss to students enrolled and trained in Hindi/local language.

Predictors of readmission and mortality in adults with diabetes or stress hyperglycemia after initial hospitalization for COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: We previously reported predictors of mortality in 1786 adults with diabetes or stress hyperglycemia (glucose>180 mg/dL twice in 24 hours) admitted with COVID-19 from March 2020 to February 2021 to five university hospitals. Here, we examine predictors of readmission. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Data were collected locally through retrospective reviews of electronic medical records from 1786 adults with diabetes or stress hyperglycemia who had a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test on initial admission with COVID-19 infection or within 3 months prior to initial admission. Data were entered into a Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) web-based repository, and de-identified. Descriptive data are shown as mean±SD, per cent (%) or median (IQR). Student's t-test was used for comparing continuous variables with normal distribution and Mann-Whitney U test was used for data not normally distributed. X2 test was used for categorical variable. RESULTS: Of 1502 patients who were alive after initial hospitalization, 19.4% were readmitted; 90.3% within 30 days (median (IQR) 4 (0-14) days). Older age, lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), comorbidities, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, mechanical ventilation, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and longer length of stay (LOS) during the initial hospitalization were associated with readmission. Higher HbA1c, glycemic gap, or body mass index (BMI) were not associated with readmission. Mortality during readmission was 8.0% (n=23). Those who died were older than those who survived (74.9±9.5 vs 65.2±14.4 years, p=0.002) and more likely had DKA during the first hospitalization (p<0.001). Shorter LOS during the initial admission was associated with ICU stay during readmission, suggesting that a subset of patients may have been initially discharged prematurely. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding predictors of readmission after initial hospitalization for COVID-19, including older age, lower eGFR, comorbidities, ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, statin use and DKA but not HbA1c, glycemic gap or BMI, can help guide treatment approaches and future research in adults with diabetes.

Impact of Glucose-Lowering Medications on Health-Related Quality of Life in the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study (GRADE).

OBJECTIVE: Diabetes is associated with reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Information on the relationship between HRQoL and glucose-lowering medications in recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2D) is limited. We assessed changes in HRQoL in participants with T2D receiving metformin plus one of four glucose-lowering medications in Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study (GRADE). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 5,047 participants, baseline mean age 57 years, with <10 years T2D duration and glycated hemoglobin level 6.8-8.5% and taking metformin monotherapy, were randomly assigned to glargine, glimepiride, liraglutide, or sitagliptin. HRQoL was evaluated at baseline for 4,885 participants, and at years 1, 2, and 3, with use of the self-administered version of the Quality of Well-being Scale (QWB-SA) and SF-36 physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component summary scales. Linear models were used to analyze changes in HRQoL over time in intention-to-treat analyses. RESULTS: None of the medications worsened HRQoL. There were no differences in QWB-SA or MCS by treatment group at any time point. PCS scores improved with liraglutide versus other groups at year 1 only. Greater weight loss during year 1 explained half the improvement in PCS scores with liraglutide versus glargine and glimepiride. Liraglutide participants in the upper tertile of baseline BMI showed the greatest improvement in PCS scores at year 1. CONCLUSIONS: Adding liraglutide to metformin in participants within 10 years of T2D diagnosis showed improvement in the SF-36 PCS in comparisons with the other medications at 1 year, which was no longer significant at years 2 and 3. Improvement was related to weight loss and baseline BMI.

Predictors of lack of glycemic control in persons with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Professional guidelines recommend an HbA1c < 7% for most people with diabetes and < 8.5% for those with relaxed glycemic goals. However, many people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are unable to achieve the desired HbA1c goal. This study evaluated factors associated with lack of improvement in HbA1c over 3 years. METHODS: All patients with T2DM treated within a major academic healthcare system during 2015-2020, who had at least one HbA1c value > 8.5% within 3 years from their last HbA1c were included in analysis. Patients were grouped as improved glycemic control (last HbA1c ≤ 8.5%) or lack of improvement (last HbA1c > 8.5%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess independent predictors of lack of improvement in glycemic control. RESULTS: Out of 2,232 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 1,383 had an improvement in HbA1c while 849 did not. In the fully adjusted model, independent predictors of lack of improvement included: younger age (odds ratio, 0.89 per 1-SD [12 years]; 95% CI, 0.79-1.00), female gender (1.30, 1.08-1.56), presence of hypertension (1.29, 1.08-1.55), belonging to Black race (1.32, 1.04-1.68, White as reference), living in low income area (1.86,1.28-2.68, high income area as reference), and insurance coverage other than Medicare (1.32, 1.05-1.66). Presence of current smoking was associated with a paradoxical improvement in HbA1c (0.69, 0.47-0.99). In a subgroup analysis, comparing those with all subsequent HbA1c values > 8.5% (N = 444) to those with all subsequent HbA1c values < 8.5% (N = 341), similar factors were associated with lack of improvement, but smoking was no longer significant. CONCLUSION: We conclude that socioeconomic factors like race, type of insurance coverage and living in low-income areas are associated with lack of improvement in HbA1c over a period of 3-years in people with T2DM. Intervention strategies focused on low-income neighborhoods need to be designed to improve diabetes management.

Euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis in the era of SGLT-2 inhibitors.

Euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis (EDKA) is an emerging complication of diabetes associated with an increasing use of sodium-glucose transporter type 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor drugs. This review highlights the growing incidence of EDKA and its diagnostic challenges due to the absence of hallmark hyperglycemia seen in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). The paper presents a classification system for the severity of EDKA, categorizing it into mild, moderate, and severe based on serum pH and bicarbonate levels. Another classification system is proposed to define stages of EDKA based on anion gap and ketones at the time of diagnosis and during the treatment period. A treatment algorithm is proposed to guide clinicians in managing EDKA. This treatment algorithm includes monitoring anion gap and ketones to guide insulin and fluid management, and slower transition to subcutaneous insulin to prevent a relapse. Increased awareness of EDKA is essential for a timely diagnosis because an early diagnosis and treatment can improve clinical outcomes.

Comparison of Glycemic Control Between In-Person and Virtual Diabetes Consults in Hospitalized Patients With Diabetes.

BACKGROUND: There is limited evidence that the diabetes in-person consult in hospitalized patients can be replaced by a virtual consult. During COVID-19 pandemic, the diabetes in-person consult service at the University of Miami and Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System transitioned to a virtual model. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of telemedicine on glycemic control after this transition. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed glucose metrics from in-person consults (In-person) during January 16 to March 14, 2020 and virtual consults during March 15 to May 14, 2020. Data from virtual consults were analyzed by separating patients infected with COVID-19, who were seen only virtually (Virtual-COVID-19-Pos), and patients who were not infected (Virtual-COVID-19-Neg), or by combining the two groups (Virtual-All). RESULTS: Patient-day-weighted blood glucose was not significantly different between In-person, Virtual-All, and Virtual-COVID-19-Neg, but Virtual-COVID-19-Pos had significantly higher mean ± SD blood glucose (mg/dL) compared with others (206.7 ± 49.6 In-person, 214.6 ± 56.2 Virtual-All, 206.5 ± 57.2 Virtual-COVID-19-Neg, 229.7 ± 51.6 Virtual-COVID-19-Pos; P = .015). A significantly less percentage of patients in this group also achieved a mean ± SD glucose target of 140 to 180 mg/dL (23.8 ± 22.5 In-person, 21.5 ± 20.5 Virtual-All, 25.3 ± 20.8 Virtual-COVID-19-Neg, and 14.4±18.1 Virtual-COVID-19-Pos, P = .024), but there was no significant difference between In-person, Virtual-All, and Virtual-COVID-19-Neg. The occurrence of hypoglycemia was not significantly different among groups. CONCLUSIONS: In-person and virtual consults delivered by a diabetes team at an academic institution were not associated with significant differences in glycemic control. These real-world data suggest that telemedicine could be used for in-patient diabetes management, although additional studies are needed to better assess clinical outcomes and safety.

Effects of glenohumeral corticosteroid injection on stiffness following arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: a prospective, multicentric, case-control study with 18-month follow-up.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to analyze the efficacy of single-dose corticosteroid injection (CSI) administered at 6 weeks postoperative to treat stiffness following arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR). METHODS: In this prospective, multicentric, case-control study, post-ARCR stiffness at 6 weeks was treated with either a single dose of intra-articular CSI (CSI group) or physical therapy with oral analgesics (non-CSI group). Pain intensity according to visual analog scale (VAS), functional outcome using the Constant Murley Shoulder Score, time to return to activities of daily living (ADLs), and retear rate were recorded at 6 weeks, 9 weeks, 12 weeks, 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months postoperatively in both groups. RESULTS: A total of 149 patients (54.5%) in the CSI group and 124 patients (45.5%) in the non-CSI group were included in this study. Pain and function were significantly better in the CSI group at 9-week, 12-week, and 6-month (P<0.001) follow-up, whereas they were not significantly different when the groups were compared at 12- and 18-month follow-up. The mean duration to return to ADLs was significantly shorter (P<0.001) in the CSI group. The incidence of retears was not significantly different (P=0.36) between groups at the end of 18 months of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Single-dose intra-articular CSI administered at 6 weeks postoperative to treat post-ARCR stiffness significantly improved pain, function, and duration of return to ADLs without increasing the risk of retears compared to patients who did not receive intra-articular CSI.

The nature and characteristics of hypertriglyceridemia in a large cohort with type 2 diabetes.

AIMS: To determine the prevalence of mild, moderate and severe hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) in a large, diverse healthcare system cohort with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and to study associations between triglyceride levels and demographic factors, glycemic control, body weight and to investigate whether triglyceride levels associate with markers of fatty liver and renal disease. METHODS: 19,086 individuals with T2D were studied between 2015 and 2020. We compared groups with normotriglyceridemia (<150 mg/dl [<1.7 mmol/l]), mild (150-199 mg/dl [1.7-2.25 mmol/l]), moderate (200-499 mg/dl [2.26-5.64 mmol/l]) or severe HTG (>499 mg/dl [>5.64 mmol/l]). We also performed univariate and multivariate correlational analyses with triglyceride level as a continuous variable. RESULTS: 39 % had triglyceride levels ≥150 mg/dl (<1.7 mmol/l), 19 % had moderate and 2 % had severe HTG. There was a lower proportion of Blacks in all HTG categories compared to Whites. There was no overall gender difference in prevalence except that severe HTG was more common in men and as HTG severity worsened mean age fell. Triglycerides correlated with HbA1c and associated with BMI, LDL-C, diastolic BP, transaminases and urine albumin/creatinine ratio, independent of HbA1c. CONCLUSION: This study fills gaps in our knowledge of the distribution and clinical associations of HTG in T2D and characterizes the features of the small but important group with severe HTG. We demonstrate the influence of age, sex and race, confirm the moderate effects of glycemic control and obesity on triglyceride level, and provide evidence that triglyceride levels may be a marker for fatty liver and nephropathy independent of glycemic control.

Body Fat Distribution in Lean Individuals with Metabolic Abnormalities.

Objective: Obesity, defined as body mass index (BMI) >30 kilogram/m2 is associated with metabolic derangements, but lean individuals with BMI <25 kilogram/m2 may also have metabolic abnormalities. This study was conducted to evaluate fat distribution in metabolically unhealthy lean (MUL) individuals. Methods: Adults with BMI 18.5-24.9 kilogram/m2 had their body composition evaluated with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Metabolic data were obtained from their medical records. Patients with ≥2 components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) were considered MUL and those with ≤1 component metabolically healthy lean (MHL). Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze the association between metabolic abnormalities and anthropometric indexes. Results: The study includes 119 subjects; 69 in MHL and 50 in the MUL group. Two groups had comparable total body fat, fat mass index, and appendicular lean mass. Indices of visceral fat were associated with increased odds of being MUL (odds ratio with 95% confidence interval): visceral adipose tissue 1.75 (1.13-2.73), trunk-to-legs fat ratio 2.28 (1.30-4.00), trunk-to-limb fat ratio 2.43 (1.37-4.32), android-to-gynoid fat ratio 1.80 (1.07-3.03), and visceral-to-total fat percentage 1.80 (1.07-3.05). Conclusion: Metabolically unhealthy subjects had increased truncal distribution of body fat without an increase in total body fat. Body morphometry in MUL was similar to that of obese individuals with MetS.

Glycemic Gap Predicts Mortality in a Large Multicenter Cohort Hospitalized With COVID-19.

CONTEXT: Diabetes or hyperglycemia at admission are established risk factors for adverse outcomes during hospitalization for COVID-19, but the impact of prior glycemic control is not clear. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to examine the associations between admission variables, including glycemic gap, and adverse clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 infection. METHODS: We examined the relationship between clinical predictors, including acute and chronic glycemia, and clinical outcomes, including intensive care unit (ICU) admission, mechanical ventilation (MV), and mortality among 1786 individuals with diabetes or hyperglycemia (glucose > 10 mmol/L twice in 24 hours) who were admitted from March 2020 through February 2021 with COVID-19 infection at 5 university hospitals in the eastern United States. RESULTS: The cohort was 51.3% male, 53.3% White, 18.8% Black, 29.0% Hispanic, with age = 65.6 ± 14.4 years, BMI = 31.5 ± 7.9 kg/m2, glucose = 12.0 ± 7.5 mmol/L [216 ± 135 mg/dL], and HbA1c = 8.07% ± 2.25%. During hospitalization, 38.9% were admitted to the ICU, 22.9% received MV, and 10.6% died. Age (P < 0.001) and admission glucose (P = 0.014) but not HbA1c were associated with increased risk of mortality. Glycemic gap, defined as admission glucose minus estimated average glucose based on HbA1c, was a stronger predictor of mortality than either admission glucose or HbA1c alone (OR = 1.040 [95% CI: 1.019, 1.061] per mmol/L, P < 0.001). In an adjusted multivariable model, glycemic gap, age, BMI, and diabetic ketoacidosis on admission were associated with increased mortality, while higher estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and use of any diabetes medication were associated with lower mortality (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Relative hyperglycemia, as measured by the admission glycemic gap, is an important marker of mortality risk in COVID-19.

Patient and Provider Views on Psychosocial Screening in a Comprehensive Diabetes Center.

Guidelines recommend routinely screening adults with diabetes for psychological concerns, but few diabetes clinics have adopted screening procedures. This study assessed patient and provider perspectives regarding the role of mental health in diabetes care, psychosocial screening procedures, and patients' support needs. Patients with diabetes (n = 15; 73.3% type 2) and their medical providers (n = 11) participated in qualitative interviews. Thematic content analysis was used to categorize results. Participants believed that mental health was important to address within comprehensive diabetes care. Patients expressed positive or neutral opinions about psychosocial screening. Providers had mixed reactions; many thought that screening would be too time-consuming. Both groups emphasized that screening must include referral procedures to direct patients to mental health services. Patients and providers interviewed in this study viewed psychosocial screening as compatible with diabetes care. Including a mental health professional on the treatment team could reduce potential burden on other team members.

Role of debulking mucoid ACL in unicompartmental knee arthroplasty: a prospective multicentric study.

BACKGROUND: Mucoid degeneration of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) has been shown to cause restricted terminal range of motion and rest pain. If present in a patient undergoing unicompartmental knee arthroplasty, it can deteriorate the final outcome. This study aims to compare functional and clinical outcomes of debulking the mucoid ACL in patients undergoing mobile-bearing unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA). METHODS: Patients with mucoid ACL undergoing mobile-bearing UKA at five different centres by five different arthroplasty surgeons were included. They were segregated into two groups matched for all demographic and pre-operative values: group A did not undergo debulking; group B underwent open debulking by a 15-number blade prior to UKA. Patient-related outcome measures, rest pain, clinical outcomes, and subjective patient satisfaction were recorded and compared at 2 years follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 442 patients (226 patients underwent debulking, 216 patients did not undergo debulking) were included. Both groups showed overall improvement after surgery, however, patients who underwent debulking performed better at 2 years follow-up in terms of Knee Society functional score, International Knee Documentation Committee scores, range of motion, rest pain and overall patient satisfaction (p < 0.05) as compared with their counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Debulking of mucoid ACL in patients undergoing unicompartmental knee arthroplasty significantly reduces the rest pain and improves the final range of motion of the knee joint, subsequently improving the overall functional and clinical outcome of the patient and resulting in greater patient satisfaction.

American Association of Clinical Endocrinology Clinical Practice Guideline: Developing a Diabetes Mellitus Comprehensive Care Plan-2022 Update.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this clinical practice guideline is to provide updated and new evidence-based recommendations for the comprehensive care of persons with diabetes mellitus to clinicians, diabetes-care teams, other health care professionals and stakeholders, and individuals with diabetes and their caregivers. METHODS: The American Association of Clinical Endocrinology selected a task force of medical experts and staff who updated and assessed clinical questions and recommendations from the prior 2015 version of this guideline and conducted literature searches for relevant scientific papers published from January 1, 2015, through May 15, 2022. Selected studies from results of literature searches composed the evidence base to update 2015 recommendations as well as to develop new recommendations based on review of clinical evidence, current practice, expertise, and consensus, according to established American Association of Clinical Endocrinology protocol for guideline development. RESULTS: This guideline includes 170 updated and new evidence-based clinical practice recommendations for the comprehensive care of persons with diabetes. Recommendations are divided into four sections: (1) screening, diagnosis, glycemic targets, and glycemic monitoring; (2) comorbidities and complications, including obesity and management with lifestyle, nutrition, and bariatric surgery, hypertension, dyslipidemia, retinopathy, neuropathy, diabetic kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease; (3) management of prediabetes, type 2 diabetes with antihyperglycemic pharmacotherapy and glycemic targets, type 1 diabetes with insulin therapy, hypoglycemia, hospitalized persons, and women with diabetes in pregnancy; (4) education and new topics regarding diabetes and infertility, nutritional supplements, secondary diabetes, social determinants of health, and virtual care, as well as updated recommendations on cancer risk, nonpharmacologic components of pediatric care plans, depression, education and team approach, occupational risk, role of sleep medicine, and vaccinations in persons with diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: This updated clinical practice guideline provides evidence-based recommendations to assist with person-centered, team-based clinical decision-making to improve the care of persons with diabetes mellitus.

ADR Profile of the Covishield Vaccine Among Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in India.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2/2019-nCoV). Though many classes of drugs have been advocated/used for the treatment of this disease, vaccines are being targeted for its ultimate prevention. Indian Government has approved Covishield (ChAdOx1 nCoV19 Corona Virus Vaccine-Recombinant) for restricted use in emergency circumstances. OBJECTIVE: This study is aimed at evaluating the safety profile of the Covishield vaccine among healthcare workers in a tertiary care hospital. METHODS: All Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) reported to the ADR monitoring centre by healthcare workers who received the Covishield vaccine during the study period of 3 months were analysed on various parameters, and the assessment was done using the WHO-UMC scale. RESULTS: During the study period, a total of 1216 beneficiaries were vaccinated with 1st dose of Covishield, and out of these, 727 beneficiaries also received 2nd dose of the vaccine. Out of the 1216 beneficiaries vaccinated, 69 ADRs were reported in 24 healthcare workers. The most common ADR reported was fever (24.64%), followed by myalgia (18.84%). No death or any serious anaphylactic reaction was observed. None of the healthcare workers experienced any adverse event during the observation period of 30 minutes. Serious reactions were reported in 4 healthcare workers as per the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI) criteria of serious AEFI. 92% of healthcare workers recovered from ADRs during the study period. 84% of ADRs were classified as probable as per the WHO-UMC scale. CONCLUSION: As per the Government of India directives, all the healthcare workers in the institute were encouraged to take both doses of the Covishield vaccine. The beneficiaries were kept under observation for 30 minutes and monitored for any adverse drug reaction following vaccination. The vaccine was found to be safe with a very low incidence of ADRs.

Medicaid insured persons with diabetes have increased proportion of missed appointments and high HbA1c.

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate whether the type of insurance coverage is associated with missed appointments and to evaluate the effect of missed appointments on diabetes control. Methods: All patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) managed at a major academic medical center between Jan 2015 and Dec 2020 were included in analysis. Association between insurance coverage and the proportion of missed appointments was evaluated with adjustments for demographic variables and social determinants of health. The relationship between proportion of missed appointments and glycemic control was also evaluated. Results: The dataset included 30,633 patients, out of which 14,064 (46%) reported commercial insurance, 13,376 (44%) reported Medicare and 3,193 (10%) reported Medicaid coverage. Proportion of missed appointments was 18.1 ± 18.1% among Medicaid covered patients,12.1 ± 15.3% among commercially insured and 10.2 ± 14.1% among Medicare covered patients (p < 0.001). Type of insurance was found to be a significant predictor of proportion of missed appointments after adjusting for age, race, language, marital status, smoking, BMI, HbA1c and type of diabetes (p < 0.001) in series regression analysis. Proportion of missed appointments was associated with HbA1c with partial correlation coefficient +0.104 (p < 0.005) after adjusting for age, race, gender, type of insurance coverage, BMI and type of diabetes. Conclusions: Medicaid covered patients with diabetes have higher proportion of missed clinic appointments and higher HbA1c. More research is needed to evaluate the root causes of inability to keep appointments in this population so that strategies for improved healthcare delivery can be designed.

Complexity of antidiabetic medication regimen is associated with increased diabetes-related distress in persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes-related distress is present in a high proportion of people with type 2 diabetes mellitus. We hypothesized that complexity of the antidiabetic medication regimen is a factor that is associated with diabetes-related distress. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study including a group of 74 patients managed at a tertiary care center. Patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, steroid-induced diabetes, post-transplant diabetes, and other types of diabetes were excluded. Patients were screened using the Diabetes Distress Scale-2 (DDS-2). A Diabetes Medication Complexity Scoring (DMCS) system was developed to objectively assess the diabetes medication complexity. Based on DMCS, participants were categorized into three groups: low (n=26), moderate (n=22), and high (n=26) medication complexity. RESULTS: Complexity groups were similar in sociodemographic characteristics, diabetes duration, body mass index, and blood pressure as well as the prevalence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia and hypoglycemic episodes. However, there were significant differences for HbA1c with higher HbA1c in the high and moderate complexity groups than in the low group (p=0.006). The microvascular complications were also more common in higher complexity groups (p=0.003). The prevalence of diabetes-related distress (DDS-2 ≥6) was 34.6% in the low, 36.4% in the moderate and 69.2% in the high complexity groups (p=0.021). There were significant differences in DDS-2 score among complexity groups (p=0.009), with higher DDS-2 score in the high complexity group compared with the moderate (p=0.008) and low complexity groups (p=0.009). The difference in DDS-2 score remained significant after adjusting for HbA1c (p=0.024) but did not reach statistical significance after controlling for both HbA1c and microvascular complications (p=0.163). CONCLUSIONS: A complex antidiabetic medication regimen may be associated with high levels of diabetes-related distress.

Acute effects of the food preservative propionic acid on glucose metabolism in humans.

INTRODUCTION: Propionic acid (PA) is a common food preservative generally recognized as safe by the US Food and Drug Administration; however, exogenous PA has effects on glucose metabolism that are not fully understood. Our preclinical studies demonstrated exogenous PA increases glucagon, norepinephrine, and endogenous glucose production (EGP). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We performed a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study in 28 healthy men and women to determine the effect of PA (1500 mg calcium propionate) on these factors. Subjects had two study visits, each preceded by a 1 week, PA-free diet. During each visit, glucose, insulin, glucagon, norepinephrine, epinephrine, and EGP were assessed for 2 hours after oral administration of PA/placebo under resting conditions (protocol 1) and during either a euglycemic (~85-90 mg/dL) or hypoglycemic (~65-70 mg/dL) hyperinsulinemic clamp (protocol 2). RESULTS: PA, as compared with placebo, significantly increased: (1) glucagon and norepinephrine during protocol 1; (2) glucagon, norepinephrine, and epinephrine under euglycemic conditions in protocol 2; and (3) norepinephrine, epinephrine, and EGP under hypoglycemic conditions in protocol 2. CONCLUSION: Oral consumption of PA leads to inappropriate activation of the insulin counterregulatory hormonal network. This inappropriate stimulation highlights PA as a potential metabolic disruptor.