Relationship Between Appetite-Related Peptides and Frailty in Older Adults.

BACKGROUND: Frailty, is a geriatric syndrome that reduces the resistance to stress situations caused by activities of daily living and increases morbidity and mortality. We hypothesized that a decrease in orexigenic peptides or an increase in anorexigenic peptides might be associated with frailty. We aimed to investigate the relationship between frailty and six appetite-related peptides: ghrelin, neuropeptide Y (NPY), agouti-related peptide (AgRP), cocaine-amphetamine-associated peptide (CART), peptide YY, and alpha MSH (α-MSH). METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 85 older adults who visited the outpatient clinic. All patients underwent comprehensive geriatric assessment. Frailty status was assessed using the Fried frailty index. Plasma levels of six appetite-related peptides were studied. RESULTS: The mean age was 73.7 ± 5.4 years, 27 (31.8%) of the patients were male, and 32 of the patients (37.6%) were frail. While plasma levels of ghrelin, NPY and AgRP were significantly lower in frail patients, CART and α-MSH levels were higher compared to non-frail patients (p < .05 for all). Peptide YY was found to be higher in the frail group, however, the difference did not reach statistical significance (p = .052). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the ghrelin, AgRP, CART, and α-MSH levels were independent predictors of frailty. Moreover, a weak correlation was found between all peptides(except NPY) and handgrip strength and Lawton-Brody score. CONCLUSION: Ghrelin, AgRP, CART, and α-MSH levels were found to be independent predictors of frailty. Our results suggest that appetite-related peptides might be playing roles in the pathogenesis of frailty. Further larger prospective studies are needed to test this hypothesis.

Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Who Have Self-Reported Swallowing Difficulties.

INTRODUCTION: People with diabetes frequently have gastrointestinal problems and related deglutition disorders. OBJECTIVE: The aims of the present study are to determine the symptomatic swallowing complaints and to evaluate the functionality of oropharyngeal swallowing in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by using the Turkish Eating Assessment Tool-10 (T-EAT-10) and fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES). METHODS: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, the T-EAT-10 questionnaire was completed by 121 patients with diabetes, and FEES was planned for each individual whose baseline score of the T-EAT-10 was ≥3. Before swallowing trials via samples of nectar-thick consistency, laryngeal sensation and severity of secretion in the hypopharynx were observed. While the swallowing safety was determined using the Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS), the Yale Pharyngeal Residue Severity Rating Scale was used to assess the swallowing efficiency. RESULTS: Of the total participants, 22.3% (n = 27) were found to have abnormal swallowing function (T-EAT-10 ≥3), 27.3% (n = 33) had concomitant neuropathy and 28.1% (n = 34) mentioned a reflux complaint. The results of the multivariate linear regression analysis exposed that the T-EAT-10 score was significantly associated with neuropathy (r = 3.763, p < 0.001) and reflux complaint (r = 2.254, p = 0.031). Of the total FEES-tested subjects (n = 20), 95% (n = 19) had a safe swallowing function (PAS = 1). However, diminished laryngeal sensation, increased secretion and presence of residue revealed that patients with T2DM who have self-reported swallowing difficulties have reduced swallowing efficiency. CONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated that almost 1 out of 4 T2DM patients reported to have swallowing-related problems, and the score of the T-EAT-10 was found to be independently associated with both neuropathy and reflux complaint. FEES results pointed out that swallowing efficiency was relatively reduced in the target population. However, further research is still necessary before obtaining a definitive answer to oropharyngeal swallowing problems in patients with T2DM.

Leukocyte Telomere Length and Neuregulin-4 Levels in Female Patients with Acromegaly: The Relationship between Disease Activity and Body Fat Distribution.

The study aimed to examine leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and serum neuregulin-4 levels and their relationship with disease activity, co-morbidities and body fat distribution in female acromegaly patients. Forty female patients with acromegaly and thirty-nine age and body mass index (BMI) similar healthy female volunteers were included in the study. Patients were classified into two groups: active acromegaly (AA) and controlled acromegaly (CA). The quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was used to study LTL, and T/S ratio < 1 was accepted as shortened telomere length. Neuregulin-4 was studied by ELISA. There was no difference in median LTL between acromegaly and the control group (p = 0.530). The percentage of T/S < 1 in patients with acromegaly (60.0%) was similar to that of the control group (43.6%) (p = 0.144). However, serum neuregulin-4 was significantly higher in patients with acromegaly than those in the control group (p = 0.037). There were no significant differences concerning LTL, percentage of T/S < 1 and neuregulin-4 levels between active and controlled acromegaly groups (p > 0.05). Neuregulin-4 correlated positively with fasting glucose, triglyceride (TG), triglyceride/glucose (TyG) index, and lean body mass in the acromegaly group. A negative correlation was observed between LTL and neuregulin-4 in the control group (p = 0.039). When the factors affecting neuregulin-4 were evaluated by multivariate linear regression analysis with an enter method, TG (ß: 0.316, p = 0.025) was independently and positively associated with neuregulin-4. Our findings indicate that acromegaly is associated with unchanged LTL and high neuregulin-4 levels in female patients. However, the relationship between acromegaly, the aging process, and neuregulin-4 involves complex mechanisms, and further studies are needed.