Inhibition of polyamine biosynthesis preserves ß cell function in type 1 diabetes.

In preclinical models, α-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), an ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) inhibitor, delays the onset of type 1 diabetes (T1D) by reducing ß cell stress. However, the mechanism of DFMO action and its human tolerability remain unclear. In this study, we show that mice with ß cell ODC deletion are protected against toxin-induced diabetes, suggesting a cell-autonomous role of ODC during ß cell stress. In a randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02384889) involving 41 recent-onset T1D subjects (3:1 drug:placebo) over a 3-month treatment period with a 3-month follow-up, DFMO (125-1,000 mg/m2) is shown to meet its primary outcome of safety and tolerability. DFMO dose-dependently reduces urinary putrescine levels and, at higher doses, preserves C-peptide area under the curve without apparent immunomodulation. Transcriptomics and proteomics of DFMO-treated human islets exposed to cytokine stress reveal alterations in mRNA translation, nascent protein transport, and protein secretion. These findings suggest that DFMO may preserve ß cell function in T1D through islet cell-autonomous effects.

Peripheral immune circadian variation, synchronisation and possible dysrhythmia in established type 1 diabetes.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The circadian clock influences both diabetes and immunity. Our goal in this study was to characterise more thoroughly the circadian patterns of immune cell populations and cytokines that are particularly relevant to the immune pathology of type 1 diabetes and thus fill in a current gap in our understanding of this disease. METHODS: Ten individuals with established type 1 diabetes (mean disease duration 11 years, age 18-40 years, six female) participated in a circadian sampling protocol, each providing six blood samples over a 24 h period. RESULTS: Daily ranges of population frequencies were sometimes large and possibly clinically significant. Several immune populations, such as dendritic cells, CD4 and CD8 T cells and their effector memory subpopulations, CD4 regulatory T cells, B cells and cytokine IL-6, exhibited statistically significant circadian rhythmicity. In a comparison with historical healthy control individuals, but using shipped samples, we observed that participants with type 1 diabetes had statistically significant phase shifts occurring in the time of peak occurrence of B cells (+4.8 h), CD4 and CD8 T cells (~ +5 h) and their naive and effector memory subsets (~ +3.3 to +4.5 h), and regulatory T cells (+4.1 h). An independent streptozotocin murine experiment confirmed the phase shifting of CD8 T cells and suggests that circadian dysrhythmia in type 1 diabetes might be an effect and not a cause of the disease. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Future efforts investigating this newly described aspect of type 1 diabetes in human participants are warranted. Peripheral immune populations should be measured near the same time of day in order to reduce circadian-related variation.

Optimizing the use of continuous glucose monitoring in young children with type 1 diabetes with an adaptive study design and multiple randomizations.

Parents of young children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) experience unique, developmental challenges in managing their child's T1D, resulting in psychosocial distress. Only a small portion of young children reach glucose goals and adherence to diabetes devices that help improve T1D management have historically been low in this population. The purpose of this study is to test four interventions that couple developmentally tailored behavioral supports with education to optimize use of diabetes devices, improve glucose control, and reduce psychosocial distress for parents of young children with T1D. The study team designed four behavioral interventions, two aimed at improving glucose control and two aimed at optimizing use of diabetes devices. The goal of this paper is to describe the behavioral interventions developed for this study, including the results of a pilot test, and describe the methods and analysis plan to test this intervention strategy with ninety participants in a large-scale, randomized trial using a sequential multiple assignment randomization trial (SMART) design. A SMART design will permit a clinically relevant evaluation of the intervention strategy, as it allows multiple randomizations based on individualized assessments throughout the study instead of a fixed intervention dose seen in most traditional randomized controlled trials.

Nighttime is the worst time: Parental fear of hypoglycemia in young children with type 1 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Fear of hypoglycemia is common in parents of young children with type 1 diabetes (T1D), but little is known about the specific fears that parents most often experience. Hypoglycemia fear has been associated with poorer glycemic control in older children, though not yet studied in a large cohort of very young children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Parents of 549 children <7 years (mean 5.2 ± 1.2 years [19% <3 years]) with a mean diabetes duration of 2.4 ± 1.0 years (range 1-6 years) and mean HbA1c 8.2% ± 1.1% (66 ± 12 mmol/mol) registered in the T1D Exchange completed the worry scale of the Hypoglycemia Fear Survey modified for parents (HFS-P). RESULTS: Mean parental fear of hypoglycemia worry score was 36.1 ± 23.1 (possible range 0-100), with most frequent worries related to the child having a low while asleep and the child not recognizing a low. The mean worry score was not associated with the child's age, glycemic control, or recent severe hypoglycemic event. Parental worries about lows while sleeping were significantly higher in pump users than non-users (61% vs. 45%; P < .001), and tended to be higher in CGM users than non-users (62% vs 51%; P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: The greatest worries of parents of young children with T1D were related to hypoglycemia during sleep and other times/circumstances during which it would be difficult to detect hypoglycemia. Using advanced diabetes technologies may be an effort to temper fears about hypoglycemia during sleep, though the directionality of this relationship is undetermined. Additional studies can clarify this association and leverage use of diabetes technologies to improve glycemic control.

Timing of Meal Insulin and Its Relation to Adherence to Therapy in Type 1 Diabetes.

The purpose of this study is to examine timing of meal insulin and further determine whether an association exists between timing of meal insulin and missed meal insulin doses. The cohort included 4768 T1D Exchange clinic registry participants <26 years with type 1 diabetes ≥1 year. Chi-square tests, t-tests, and regression were used to assess the relationship between participant characteristics and timing of meal insulin and missed meal doses, respectively. Timing of meal insulin and association with missed meal doses was analyzed using logistic regression. In all, 21% reported administering insulin several minutes before, 44% immediately before, 10% during, and 24% after meal. Participants who gave insulin prior to a meal had significantly lower HbA1c than those who gave insulin during or after meal (8.4% ± 1.5% vs 8.8% ± 1.6%, adjusted P < .001), but no significant association was observed regarding DKA events. Those who reported missing ≥1 insulin dose per week had higher HbA1c (9.8% ± 1.9% vs 8.3% ± 1.3%, adjusted P < .001) and were more likely to experience at least one DKA event (9% vs 5%, adjusted P = .001) compared with those who rarely missed a meal insulin dose. Participants who reported administering insulin during or after a meal were more likely to report missing ≥1 meal insulin dose per week compared with those who administered insulin before a meal (28% vs 14%, adjusted P < .001). Premeal insulin was associated with lower HbA1c and fewer missed meal insulin doses. Providers may use this information to discuss the benefits of premeal insulin on glycemic control and adherence to therapy.

Most youth with type 1 diabetes in the T1D Exchange Clinic Registry do not meet American Diabetes Association or International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes clinical guidelines.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the proportion of youth with type 1 diabetes under the care of pediatric endocrinologists in the United States meeting targets for HbA1c, blood pressure (BP), BMI, and lipids. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Data were evaluated for 13,316 participants in the T1D Exchange clinic registry younger than 20 years old with type 1 diabetes for ≥1 year. RESULTS: American Diabetes Association HbA1c targets of <8.5% for those younger than 6 years, <8.0% for those 6 to younger than 13 years old, and <7.5% for those 13 to younger than 20 years old were met by 64, 43, and 21% of participants, respectively. The majority met targets for BP and lipids, and two-thirds met the BMI goal of <85th percentile. CONCLUSIONS: Most children with type 1 diabetes have HbA1c values above target levels. Achieving American Diabetes Association goals remains a significant challenge for the majority of youth in the T1D Exchange registry.