Risk factors associated with retinopathy in young people with type 1 diabetes in Bangladesh.

Objectives: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most common microvascular complications seen in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of retinopathy and its association with other risk factors in young people with type 1 diabetes. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study, which was done as part of the ongoing complication assessment in the paediatric diabetes clinic in BIRDEM (Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation of Diabetes Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders), a tertiary care hospital. Children, adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes who were having diabetes duration >2 years were included in this study. Retinopathy was detected using fundal photography, and grading was done by National Screening Committee of UK by trained ophthalmologists. Results: Diabetic retinopathy was observed in 44 (6.6%) patients. Majority (95.4%) of them had early diabetic retinopathy in the form of mild NPDR (nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy) (R1). Patients with retinopathy had higher HbA1c 9.6[8.4-12.3] vs 9.1 [7.9-10.8] (P = .013), longer duration of diabetes 7.6 [5.5-10.7] vs 6.0 [4.5-8.2] years (P = .001) and were older 21.5 [18.0-23.0] vs 18 [16.0-21.0] years (P = .0001) compared with those without retinopathy. On multivariate regression analysis, higher age and median HbA1c were significantly associated with DR. Conclusions: Higher HbA1c was the only modifiable risk factor for development of DR in our study population. Early detection of DR with improvement of glycaemic control may reduce the risk of progression of severe stages of the disease.

Incidence of diabetes in children and adolescents in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

OBJECTIVES: Bangladesh has limited information regarding incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in young people. The objective of this study was to measure minimum incidence of T1D and T2D, and record other types of new-onset diabetes in children and adolescents <20 years (y), in Dhaka District, Bangladesh, from 2011-2018. METHODS: Retrospective study using clinical records from Diabetic Association of Bangladesh clinics. Cases were classified by clinical evaluation. RESULTS: 725 cases were diagnosed. 482 (66.5%) had T1D, 205 (28.3%) T2D, 14 (1.9%) fibrocalculous pancreatic diabetes, and 24 (3.3%) other types. Male:female ratios for T1D/T2D were 1:1.6 (p<0.0001) (T1D) and 1:1.4 (p<0.01) respectively. T1D cases by age-group were 7.3% (0-4 y), 19.9% (5-9 y), 43.6% (10-14 y) and 29.3% (15-19 y). Mean ± SD ages of onset were 12.3 ± 4.2 y (T1D) and 13.1 ± 2.4 y (T2D). Annual T1D mean incidences/100,000 were 1.22 [95%CI: 0.85-1.58] (<15 y) and 1.25 [0.94-1.57] (<20 y), and for T2D 0.52 [0.33-0.73] (<20 y). T1D incidence <15 y was 1.04 [0.69-1.39] in 2011 and 1.42 [1.04-1.80] in 2018 (p=0.08). T2D incidence rose from 0.22 [0.80-0.36] (2011) to 0.57 [0.36-0.77] (2018), an annualized increase of 12% [8-22%] (p=0.001). Ascertainment was estimated as 95%. CONCLUSIONS: T1D was most common, but T2D, FCPD and other forms also occur. T2D incidence increased during the study period.

Ex vivo adenoviral gene transfer of constitutively activated STAT3 reduces post-transplant liver injury and promotes regeneration in a 20% rat partial liver transplant model.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3) is one of the most important transcription factors for liver regeneration. This study was designed to examine the effects of constitutively activated STAT3 (STAT3-C) on post-transplant liver injury and regeneration in a rat 20% partial liver transplant (PLTx) model by ex vivo adenoviral gene transfer. Adenovirus encoding the STAT3-C gene was introduced intraportally into liver grafts and clamped for 30 min during cold preservation. After orthotopic PLTx, liver graft/body weights and serum biochemistry were monitored, and both a histological study and DNA binding assay were performed. STAT3-C protein expression and its binding to DNA in the liver graft were confirmed by Western blotting and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), respectively. This treatment modality promoted post-Tx liver regeneration effectively and rapidly. The serum levels of alanine aminotransferase/aspartate aminotransferase (AST/ALT) and bilirubin decreased in rats with STAT3-C. However, albumin (a marker of liver function) did not. Ex vivo gene transfer of STAT3-C to liver grafts reduced post-Tx injury and promoted liver regeneration. Thus, the activation of STAT3 in the liver graft may be a potentially effective clinical strategy for improving the outcome of small-for-size liver transplantation.