Fat distribution measurements by chemical shift-encoded transition region extraction predict the risk of hyperglycaemia, dyslipidaemia and metabolic syndrome in mice.

Metabolically healthy or unhealthy obesity is closely related to metabolic syndrome (MetS). To validate a more accurate diagnostic method for obesity that reflects the risk of metabolic disorders in a pre-clinical mouse model, C57BL/6J mice were fed high-sucrose-high-fat and chow diets for 12 weeks to induce obesity. MRI was performed and analysed by chemical shift-encoded fat-water separation based on the transition region extraction method. Abdominal fat was divided into upper and lower abdominal regions at the horizontal lower border of the liver. Blood samples were collected, and the glucose level, lipid profile, liver function, HbA1c and insulin were tested. k-means clustering and stepwise logistic regression were applied to validate the diagnosis of hyperglycaemia, dyslipidaemia and MetS, and to ascertain the predictive effect of MRI-derived parameters to the metabolic disorders. Pearson or Spearman correlation was used to assess the relationship between MRI-derived parameters and metabolic traits. The receiver-operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic effect of each logistic regression model. A two-sided p value less than 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance for all tests. We made the precise diagnosis of obesity, dyslipidaemia, hyperglycaemia and MetS in mice. In all, 14 mice could be diagnosed as having MetS, and the levels of body weight, HbA1c, triglyceride, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were significantly higher than in the normal group. Upper abdominal fat better predicted dyslipidaemia (odds ratio, OR = 2.673; area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve, AUCROC = 0.9153) and hyperglycaemia (OR = 2.456; AUCROC = 0.9454), and the abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT) was better for predicting MetS risk (OR = 1.187; AUCROC = 0.9619). We identified the predictive effect of fat volume and distribution in dyslipidaemia, hyperglycaemia and MetS. The upper abdominal fat played a better predictive role for the risk of dyslipidaemia and hyperglycaemia, and the abdominal VAT played a better predictive role for the risk of MetS.

Notch1 is a marker for in situ resting osteocytes in a 3-dimensional gel culture model.

PURPOSE: Osteocytes in vivo exhibit different functional states, but no specific marker to distinguish these is currently available. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To simulate the differentiation process of pre-osteoblasts to osteocytes in vitro, MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured on type I collagen gel and a three-dimensional (3D) culture system was established. The Notch expression of osteocyte-like cells in 3D culture system was compared with that of in situ osteocytes in bone tissues. RESULTS: Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that Notch1 was not detected in "resting" in situ osteocytes, but was detected in normal cultured osteocyte-like cell line MLO-Y4. Osteocytes obtained from conventional osteogenic-induced osteoblasts and long-term cultured MLO-Y4 cells could not replicate the Notch1 expression pattern from in situ osteocytes. From day 14-35 of osteogenic induction, osteoblasts in 3D culture system gradually migrated into the gel to form canaliculus-like structures similar to bone canaliculus. On day 35, stellate-shaped osteocyte-like cells were observed, and expression of DMP1 and SOST, but not Runx2, was detected. Notch1 was not detected by immunohistochemistry, and Notch1 mRNA level was not significantly different from that of in situ osteocytes. In MC3T3-E1 cells, down-regulation of Notch2 increased Notch1, Notch downstream genes (ß-catenin and Nfatc1), and Dmp1. In MLO-Y4 cells, Notch2 decreased after Notch1 siRNA transfection. Downregulation of Notch1 or Notch2 decreased Nfatc1, ß-catenin, and Dmp1, and increased Sost. CONCLUSIONS: We established "resting state" osteocytes using an in vitro 3D model. Notch1 can be a useful marker to help differentiate the functional states of osteocytes (activated vs. resting state).

Higher Serum Neuropeptide Y Levels Are Associated with Metabolically Unhealthy Obesity in Obese Chinese Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: Neuropeptide Y (NPY), an orexigenic peptide known to cause hyperphagia, has been involved in the occurrence and development of obesity. However, differences in the distribution of serum NPY levels in obese phenotypes (including metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) phenotype and metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) phenotype) and the association of NPY with MUO phenotype have not been unequivocally established. We therefore determined associations of serum NPY levels with MUO phenotype in obese Chinese adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 400 obese adults in Hunan province, who underwent a health examination in the Second Xiangya Hospital, and 164 participants were finally enrolled in the study and divided into MHO and MUO groups. Serum NPY levels were examined; univariate and multivariate analyses as well as smooth curve fitting analyses were conducted to measure the association of NPY serum levels with the MUO phenotype. RESULTS: Serum NPY levels were significantly elevated in the MUO group compared with the MHO group ((667.69 ± 292.90) pg/mL vs. (478.89 ± 145.53) pg/mL, p < 0.001). A threshold and nonlinear association between serum NPY levels and MUO was found (p = 0.001). When serum NPY levels exceeded the turning point (471.5 pg/mL), each 10 pg/mL increment in the NPY serum level was significantly associated with an 18% increased odds ratio of MUO phenotype (OR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.07-1.29, p = 0.0007) after adjusted for confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Higher NPY serum levels were positively correlated with MUO phenotype in obese Chinese adults.

Body mass index and C-peptide are important for the promptly differential diagnosis of maturity-onset diabetes from familial type 2 diabetes in outpatient clinic.

Type 2 diabetic patients are becoming younger and having a tendency to family aggregation, they are easily suspected as maturity-onset diabetes of young (MODY) in the outpatient clinic and send to genetic testing. 9 diabetic families were compared in our outpatient clinic who met the primary diagnosis criteria of MODY. Detailed clinical features and laboratory data including gene sequence were collected and analyzed. The patients met the primary clinical diagnostic criteria of MODY for genetic testing at the first look. However, members of families A1 to A3 had normal Body mass index (BMI) and a lower C-peptide level which indicated impaired pancreatic islet function. In contrast, the members with diabetes of families B1 to B6 had normal or increased C-peptide level which indicated insulin resistance and were overweight with BMI. Genetic testing showed that the mutations in HNF1A, INS, KCNJ11 and so on in families A were consistent with the diagnosis of MODY. No pathogenic mutation was found in the members of families B which were diagnosed with familial T2D. Before the clinical laboratory testing and the further gene test, BMI and the concentration of C-peptide are important for the promptly differential diagnosis of MODY from familial type 2 diabetes and medication instruction in the outpatient clinic which could help to alleviate the burden of genetic testing for them.

Risk of incident chronic kidney disease in metabolically healthy obesity and metabolically unhealthy normal weight: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Studies have reported inconsistent results about the risk of incident chronic kidney disease (CKD) in people with metabolically healthy obesity (MHO). We designed this systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the risk of developing CKD in people with MHO and metabolically unhealthy normal weight (MUNW). We used a predefined search strategy to retrieve eligible studies from multiple databases up to June 20, 2022. Random-effects model meta-analyses were implied to estimate the overall hazard ratio (HR) of incident CKD in obesity phenotypes. Eight prospective cohort studies, including approximately 5 million participants with a median follow-up ranging between 3 and 14 years, were included in this meta-analysis. Compared to the metabolically healthy normal weight (MHNW), the mean differences in cardiometabolic and renal risk factors in MHO, MUNW, and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) were evaluated with overall HR of 1.42, 1.49, and 1.84, respectively. Compared to MHNW, the mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were significantly lower, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL), blood pressure, blood glucose, and triglycerides were higher in MHO and MUNW. In conclusion, MHO and MUNW are not benign conditions and pose a higher risk for incident CKD. Obesity, whether in the presence or absence of metabolic health, is a risk factor for CKD.

Safety and efficacy of sequential treatments for postmenopausal osteoporosis: a network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Background: The sequential anti-osteoporotic treatment for women with postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) is important, but the order in which different types of drugs are used is confusing and controversial. Therefore, we performed a network meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of available sequential treatments to explore the most efficacious strategy for long-term management of osteoporosis. Methods: In this network meta-analysis, we searched the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to September 19, 2023 to identify randomised controlled trials comparing sequential treatments for women with PMO. The identified trials were screened by reading the title and abstract, and only randomised clinical trials involving sequential anti-osteoporotic treatments and reported relevant outcomes for PMO were included. The main outcomes included vertebral fracture risk, the percentage change in bone mineral density (BMD) in different body parts, and all safety indicators in the stage after switching treatment. A frequentist network meta-analysis was performed using the multivariate random effects method and evaluated using the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA). Certainty of evidence was assessed using the Confidence in the Network Meta-Analysis (CINeMA) framework. This study is registered with PROSPERO: CRD42022360236. Findings: A total of 19 trials comprising 18,416 participants were included in the study. Five different sequential treatments were investigated as the main interventions and compared to the corresponding control groups. The intervention groups in this study comprised the following treatment switch protocols: switching from an anabolic agent (AB) to an anti-resorptive agent (AR) (ABtAR), transitioning from one AR to another AR (ARtAAR), shifting from an AR to an AB (ARtAB), switching from an AB to a combined treatment of AB and AR (ABtC), and transitioning from an AR to a combined treatment (ARtC). A significant reduction in the incidence of vertebral fractures was observed in ARtC, ABtAR and ARtAB in the second stage, and ARtC had the lowest incidence with 81.5% SUCRA. ARtAAR and ABtAR were two effective strategies for preventing fractures and improving BMD in other body parts. Especially, ARtAAR could improve total hip BMD with the highest 96.1% SUCRA, and ABtAR could decrease the risk of total fractures with the highest 94.3% SUCRA. Almost no difference was observed in safety outcomes in other comparisons. Interpretation: Our findings suggested that the ARtAAR and ABtAR strategy are the effective and safe sequential treatment for preventing fracture and improving BMD for PMO. ARtC is more effective in preventing vertebral fractures. Funding: The National Natural Science Foundation of China (82170900, 81970762), the Hunan Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the Hunan Province High-level Health Talents "225" Project.

Adipose Tissue Plasticity: A Comprehensive Definition and Multidimensional Insight.

Adipose tissue is composed of adipocytes, stromal vascular fraction, nerves, surrounding immune cells, and the extracellular matrix. Under various physiological or pathological conditions, adipose tissue shifts cellular composition, lipid storage, and organelle dynamics to respond to the stress; this remodeling is called "adipose tissue plasticity". Adipose tissue plasticity includes changes in the size, species, number, lipid storage capacity, and differentiation function of adipocytes, as well as alterations in the distribution and cellular composition of adipose tissue. This plasticity has a major role in growth, obesity, organismal protection, and internal environmental homeostasis. Moreover, certain thresholds exist for this plasticity with significant individualized differences. Here, we comprehensively elaborate on the specific connotation of adipose tissue plasticity and the relationship between this plasticity and the development of many diseases. Meanwhile, we summarize possible strategies for treating obesity in response to adipose tissue plasticity, intending to provide new insights into the dynamic changes in adipose tissue and contribute new ideas to relevant clinical problems.

Cardio-cerebrovascular Outcomes in MODY, Type 1 Diabetes, and Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective Cohort Study.

CONTEXT: Cardio-cerebrovascular events are severe complications of diabetes. OBJECTIVE: We aim to compare the incident risk of cardio-cerebrovascular events in maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY), type 1 diabetes, and type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and MODY were diagnosed by whole exome sequencing. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of the first major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), including acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, unstable angina pectoris, and cardio-cerebrovascular-related mortality. Cox proportional hazards models were applied and adjusted to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for the incident risk of MACE in type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, MODY, and MODY subgroups compared with people without diabetes (control group). RESULTS: Type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and MODY accounted for 2.7%, 68.1%, and 11.4% of 26 198 participants with diabetes from UK Biobank. During a median follow-up of 13 years, 1028 MACEs occurred in the control group, contrasting with 70 events in patients with type 1 diabetes (HR 2.15, 95% CI 1.69-2.74, P < .05), 5020 events in patients with type 2 diabetes (HR 7.02, 95% CI 6.56-7.51, P < .05), and 717 events in MODY (HR 5.79, 95% CI 5.26-6.37, P < .05). The hazard of MACE in HNF1B-MODY was highest among MODY subgroups (HR 11.00, 95% CI 5.47-22.00, P = 1.5 × 10-11). CONCLUSION: MODY diagnosed by genetic analysis represents higher prevalence than the clinical diagnosis in UK Biobank. The risk of incident cardio-cerebrovascular events in MODY ranks between type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Hereditary severe insulin resistance syndrome: Pathogenesis, pathophysiology, and clinical management.

Severe insulin resistance has been linked to some of the most globally prevalent disorders, such as diabetes mellitus, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and hypertension. Hereditary severe insulin resistance syndrome (H-SIRS) is a rare disorder classified into four principal categories: primary insulin receptor defects, lipodystrophies, complex syndromes, and obesity-related H-SIRS. Genes such as INSR, AKT2, TBC1D4, AGPAT2, BSCL2, CAV1, PTRF, LMNA, PPARG, PLIN1, CIDEC, LIPE, PCYT1A, MC4R, LEP, POMC, SH2B1, RECQL2, RECQL3, ALMS1, PCNT, ZMPSTE24, PIK3R1, and POLD1 have been linked to H-SIRS. Its clinical features include insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hyperandrogenism, severe dyslipidemia, fatty liver, abnormal topography of adipose tissue, and low serum leptin and adiponectin levels. Diagnosis of H-SIRS is based on the presence of typical clinical features associated with the various H-SIRS forms and the identification of mutations in H-SIRS-linked genes by genetic testing. Diet therapy, insulin sensitization, exogenous insulin therapy, and leptin replacement therapy have widely been adopted to manage H-SIRS. The rarity of H-SIRS, its highly variable clinical presentation, refusal to be tested for genetic mutations by patients' family members who are not severely sick, unavailability of genetic testing, and testing expenses contribute to the delayed or underdiagnoses of H-SIRS. Early diagnosis facilitates early management of the condition, which results in improved glycemic control and delayed onset of diabetes and other complications related to severe insulin resistance. The use of updated genetic sequencing technologies is recommended, and long-term studies are required for genotype-phenotype differentiation and formulation of diagnostic and treatment protocols.

Effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists on body weight in adults with obesity without diabetes mellitus-a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials.

Clinical trials have investigated the weight loss effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) in adults with obesity without diabetes mellitus, but results for weight loss efficacy were varied. We aimed to provide an up-to-date systematic review and meta-analysis for overall weight loss effect of GLP-1 RA in adults with obesity and overweight without diabetes mellitus. We retrieved eligible randomized control trials that assessed the weight loss effect of GLP-1 RA in adults (≥18 years old) without type 1/type 2 diabetes up to September 30, 2021, using Pubmed and Embase. Of 36 clinical trials assessed for eligibility, 12 trials were included, with a combined total of 11,459 participants. Compared with control groups, a more significant weight loss was seen in GLP-1 RA groups with an overall mean difference of -7.1 kg (95% CI -9.2 to -5.0) (I2  = 99%). The overall analysis results showed that GLP-1 RA improved glycemic control without increasing the risk of hypoglycemic events. Better control of blood pressure and plasma levels of LDL, HDL, and triglycerides was seen with GLP-1 RA treatment. Subgroup analysis showed greater treatment effect of semaglutide than liraglutide. Vomiting, nausea, dyspepsia, diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain were GLP-1 RA-associated common adverse effects.

Long Non-coding RNA 332443 Inhibits Preadipocyte Differentiation by Targeting Runx1 and p38-MAPK and ERK1/2-MAPK Signaling Pathways.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as integral regulators of pathophysiological processes, but their specific roles and mechanisms in adipose tissue development remain largely unknown. Here, through microarray analysis, co-expression, and tissue specific analysis of adipocyte tissues after fasting for 72 h, we found that Lnc-FR332443 expression was dramatically decreased, as well as the expression of Runx1. The UCSC database and Ensembl database indicated that Lnc-FR332443 is the antisense lncRNA of Runx1. Lnc-FR332443 and Runx1 are highly enriched in adipose tissue and downregulated during adipogenic differentiation. Adipose tissue-specific knockdown of Lnc-FR332443 increased fat mass in vivo, and specific knockdown of Lnc-FR332443 in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes promoted adipogenic differentiation. In this process, Runx1 expression was decreased when Lnc-FR332443 was downregulated in adipocytes or 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, and vice versa, when Lnc-FR332443 was upregulated, the expression of Runx1 was increased. However, overexpression of Runx1 decreased the expression of the adipocyte cell marker genes PPARγ, C/EBPα and FABP4 significantly, while not affected the expression of Lnc-FR332443. Mechanistically, Lnc-FR332443 positively regulates Runx1 expression in mouse adipocytes and suppresses adipocyte differentiation by attenuating the phosphorylation of MAPK-p38 and MAPK-ERK1/2 expression. Thus, this study indicated that Lnc-FR332443 inhibits adipogenesis and which might be a drug target for the prevention and treatment of obesity.

Accurate diagnosis and heterogeneity analysis of a 17q12 deletion syndrome family with adulthood diabetes onset and complex clinical phenotypes.

PURPOSE: 17q12 Deletion Syndrome is heterogeneous and the reasons remain unclear. We clarified the clinical characteristics of adulthood diabetes onset 17q12 deletion syndrome and investigated the unclear phenotype-genotype correlation. METHODS: We collected the clinical history and laboratory results of a family with autosomal dominant inheritance diabetes and renopathy. Sanger sequencing of HNF1B and a panel of monogenic diabetic genes were performed to identify the monogenetic diabetes. Semiquantitative PCR and Chromosome 100 K sequence analysis were performed to analyze the copy numbers variation of diabetes related genes. Allelic specific quantitative PCR were used for TBC1D3 and paralogues diagnosis. The reported cases were reviewed and assessed to compare with patients in this study. RESULTS: Differential variants in genomic DNA and clinical presentations among family members were explored to determine the probable phenotype-genotypes correlation. The four patients were diagnosed with 17q12 deletion syndrome with 1.47-1.76 Mb heterogeneous deletion, which led to the haploinsufficiency of HNF1B, ACACA, LHX1, PIGW, miRNA2909 and other genes. The patients had different amount of genes deletion in TBC1D3 and paralogues, which might associate with the heterogeneous clinical phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS: We first reported an adulthood diabetes onset 17q12 deletion syndrome family with the largest number of patients. The heterogeneous clinical phenotypes might be related to the haploinsufficiency of TBC1D3 and its paralogues.

Atypical juvenile hereditary hemochromatosis onset with positive pancreatic islet autoantibodies diabetes caused by novel mutations in HAMP and overall clinical management.

BACKGROUND: Atypical clinical symptoms of juvenile hereditary hemochromatosis (JHH) often leads to misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis bringing ominous outcomes, even death. METHODS: The whole exome was sequenced and interpreted. A literature review assisted to analyze and verify the phenotype-genotype relationships. We revealed the entire process of diagnosis, treatments, and outcome of two diabetic onset of JHH families to provide new insights for genotype-phenotype relation with novel compound heterozygous mutations in the hepcidin antimicrobial peptide (HAMP, OMIM: 606464). RESULTS: Two probands were diagnosed and treated as type 1 diabetes initially because of specific symptoms and positive islet autoantibodies. Poor control of hyperglycemia and progressive symptoms occurred. Sequencing informed that the compound heterozygous and homozygous mutations c.166C>G and c.223C>T in HAMP caused type 1 diabetic-onset JHH. The two patients accessed irregular phlebotomy treatments, and then, experienced poor prognosis. We summarized the process of overall clinical management of reported 26 cases comparing to our novel atypical diabetic onsets Juvenile Hereditary Hemochromatosis cases. CONCLUSION: It was first reported that positive pancreatic islet autoantibodies diabetes onset of JHH resulted from loss-of-function mutations of HAMP, of which the atypical JHH should be differentially diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the onset. Early administration of phlebotomy and vital organs protection and surveillance might be important for the treatment of atypical JHH.