Osteocalcin, miR-143, and miR-145 Expression in Long-Standing Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and Their Correlation with HbA1c.

Inadequate management and control of hyperglycemia predisposes diabetic patients to a wide range of complications. Thus, this opens new windows for exploring and scrutinizing novel candidate biomarkers. This study was designed to scrutinize the relationship between HbA1c, osteocalcin, calcium, phosphorus, and expression levels of miR-143 and miR-145 in individuals with T1DM and explore their correlations and diagnostic potential for T1DM. 120 unrelated participants were included (i.e., 90 participants with type 1 diabetes mellitus and 30 healthy controls) and were allocated into two groups. Participants with T1DM were allocated into three subgroups (i.e., below 1 year, 1-8 years, and over 8 years) based on diabetic duration. Participants with T1DM experienced noticeable HbA1c elevation. However, osteocalcin, phosphorus, and calcium profiles notably declined in participants with diabetes compared with those in healthy controls. Moreover, the expression levels of miR-143 and miR-145 decreased in participants with diabetes with a significant difference between participants with diabetes and healthy controls. Additionally, significant alterations in HbA1c, osteocalcin, phosphorus, and calcium profiles and expression levels of miR-143 and miR-145 were observed with increasing diabetic duration (T1DM > 8 years compared with those with a diabetes duration of less than 1 year). This study suggests that miR-143 and miR-145 are prospective biomarkers of diabetes mellitus, which may help predict the progression of complications.

The Pathogenic Role of Oxidative Stress, Cytokine Expression, and Impaired Hematological Indices in Diabetic Cardiovascular Diseases.

A simultaneous increase in the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM), a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), has contributed to the escalation of CVD related mortalities. To date, oxidative stress and inflammation are increasingly recognized as significant drivers of cardiovascular complications in patients with diabetes. Therefore, this study aims to explore the correlation between oxidative stress, inflammation, and hematological indices in diabetic patients with CVDs. Patients were allocated into five groups: healthy controls; nondiabetic patients with myocardial infarction; diabetic patients with myocardial infarction; nondiabetic patients with heart failure; and diabetic patients with heart failure. The results revealed that the malondialdehyde levels were increased; whereas superoxide dismutase enzyme activities were markedly reduced in all CVD groups compared with those of healthy controls. Although the mRNA expression levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-18, and IL-38 were significantly increased, those of the anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-35, have been reduced in all CVD groups compared with healthy controls. Regarding hematological indices, hematocrit, red blood cell distribution width, mean platelet (PLT) volume, plateletcrit, PLT distribution width, leukocyte count, and PLT-to-lymphocyte and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios were markedly increased in the diabetic and nondiabetic CVD groups compared with those of the healthy controls. Oxidative stress and cytokine biomarkers may play a significant role in the complications of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Moreover, hematological indices are particularly sensitive to systemic inflammatory changes and are novel markers for the early detection of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

The impact of HCV eradication on hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, cytokine production, and insulin receptor substrate-1 and 2 expression in patients with HCV infection.

Virological responses after hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment may alleviate liver disease and extra-hepatic manifestations. Our study aims to explore the impact of HCV eradication on the glycemic status, insulin resistance, cytokine production, and insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1 and 2 gene expression levels in HCV-hyperglycemic patients. A total of 90 participants were allocated as follows: Group 1 included 30 healthy subjects as controls, and Group 2 included 60 HCV-hyperglycemic patients treated with a direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimen and further subdivided into HCV-pre-diabetic and HCV-diabetic groups. Laboratory assays screened patients before and after treatments. Our data showed an excellent rate of virological responses in HCV groups after HCV treatment. Moreover, HCV eradication significantly ameliorated blood glucose levels and insulin resistance biomarkers in HCV-hyperglycemic patients compared with baseline values. Also, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-17, IL-23, and IL-27 levels were significantly ameliorated after viral clearance in HCV-hyperglycemic patients compared with baseline values. Similarly, IRS-1 and 2 mRNA expression levels were upregulated in these patients post-HCV treatment compared with baseline values. HCV clearance ameliorated hyperglycemia, cytokine production, and enhanced insulin sensitivity. Future researches will be needed to explore the effects of cytokines and IRS on HCV infection and treatment on a large cohort.