Aims
This study aims to evaluate the stability of C‐peptide over time and to compare fasting C‐peptide and C‐peptide response after mixed‐meal tolerance test (MMTT) at T90 or T120 with C‐peptide area ...under the curve (AUC) in long‐standing type 1 diabetes.
Methods
We included 607 type 1 diabetes individuals with diabetes duration >5 years. C‐peptide concentrations (ultrasensitive assay) were collected in the fasting state, and in a subpopulation after MMTT (T0, just prior to, T30‐T60‐T90‐T120, 30–120 min after ingestion of mixed‐meal) (n = 168). Fasting C‐peptide concentrations (in n = 535) at Year 0 and Year 1 were compared. The clinical determinants associated with residual C‐peptide secretion and the correspondence of C‐peptide at MMTT T90 / T120 and total AUC were assessed.
Results
A total of 153 participants (25%) had detectable fasting serum C‐peptide (i.e ≥ 3.8 pmol/L). Fasting C‐peptide was significantly lower at Year 1 (p < 0.001, effect size = −0.16). Participants with higher fasting C‐peptide had a higher age at diagnosis and shorter disease duration and were less frequently insulin pump users. Overall, 109 of 168 (65%) participants had both non‐detectable fasting and post‐meal serum C‐peptide concentrations. The T90 and T120 C‐peptide values at MMTT were concordant with total AUC. In 17 (10%) individuals, C‐peptide was only detectable at MMTT and not in the fasting state.
Conclusions
Stimulated C‐peptide was detectable in an additional 10% of individuals compared with fasting in individuals with >5 years of diabetes duration. T90 and T120 MMTT measurements showed good concordance with the MMTT total AUC. Overall, there was a decrease of C‐peptide at 1‐year follow‐up.
Aims
To compare levels of diabetes distress in people with Type 2 diabetes treated in primary and secondary care and to examine demographic and clinical correlates that may explain potential ...differences in levels of distress between care settings.
Methods
People with Type 2 diabetes from 24 primary care practices (n = 774) and three secondary care clinics (n = 526) completed the Problem Areas In Diabetes questionnaire. Data on HbA1c levels and diabetes complications were derived from medical charts. Hierarchical ordinal regression analysis was used to investigate which correlates could explain the potential differences in level of diabetes distress between care settings.
Results
Diabetes distress levels and the prevalence of elevated diabetes distress were considerably lower in the participants treated in primary care (mean (sd) total diabetes distress score 8 (11); 4% of participants with a Problem Areas In Diabetes score ≥ 40) than in secondary care (mean (sd) total diabetes distress score 23 (21); 19% of participants with a Problem Areas In Diabetes score ≥ 40, P < 0.001). In addition to care setting, the following variables were also independently related to diabetes distress: younger age, ethnic minority status, using insulin, having a higher HbA1c level, having a higher BMI and the presence of neuropathy. Other diabetes complications were not independently associated with diabetes distress.
Conclusions
In primary care, lower levels of diabetes distress were reported than in secondary care. The difference in diabetes distress between care settings can be largely, but not fully, explained by specific demographic and clinical characteristics. These results need to be interpreted with caution as they are based on two separate studies, but do call into question the need to screen for diabetes distress in people with Type 2 diabetes in primary care.
What's new?
This study shows that considerably lower levels of diabetes distress are experienced by people with Type 2 diabetes treated in primary care compared with those treated in secondary care.
These differences may be largely, but not fully, explained by demographic and clinical factors such as ethnicity and glycaemic control. Interestingly, having complications was barely related to diabetes distress.
The low prevalence of diabetes distress in primary care calls into question the need to screen for emotional distress in all people with Type 2 diabetes in primary care.
Background
Acetylcysteine and carbocysteine are the most commonly prescribed mucolytic drugs in Brazil and many European and African countries. To our knowledge, no systematic review has been ...published on their efficacy and safety for acute upper and lower respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in children without chronic broncho‐pulmonary disease.
Objectives
The objective was to assess the efficacy and safety and to establish a benefit‐risk ratio of acetylcysteine and carbocysteine as symptomatic treatments for acute upper and lower RTIs in paediatric patients without chronic broncho‐pulmonary disease.
Search methods
We searched CENTRAL (2013, Issue 2), MEDLINE (1966 to February week 3, 2013), EMBASE (1980 to March 2013), Micromedex (2010), Pascal (1987 to 2004) and Science Citation Index (1974 to March 2013).
Selection criteria
To study efficacy, we used randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the use of acetylcysteine or carbocysteine versus placebo, either alone or as an add‐on therapy. To study safety, we used trials comparing acetylcysteine or carbocysteine versus active treatment or no treatment and case reports.
Data collection and analysis
In this review update two review authors (YD, MC), with help from a colleague, extracted data and assessed trial quality. We performed a subgroup analysis of children younger than two years of age.
Main results
We included six trials involving 497 participants to study efficacy. They showed some benefit (e.g. reduction of cough at day seven) from mucolytic agents, although differences were of little clinical relevance. No conclusion was drawn about the subgroup of infants younger than two years because data were unavailable. Thirty‐four studies, including the previous six trials involving 2064 children, were eligible to study safety. Overall safety was good but very few data were available to evaluate safety in infants younger than two years. However, 59 cases of paradoxically increased bronchorrhoea observed in infants were reported to the French pharmacovigilance system.
Authors' conclusions
The results have to be interpreted with caution because they are based on a limited number of participants included in studies whose methodological quality is questionable. Acetylcysteine and carbocysteine seem to have a limited efficacy and appear to be safe in children older than two years. These results should take into consideration the fact that acetylcysteine and carbocysteine are prescribed for self limiting diseases (for example, acute cough, bronchitis). Given strong concerns about safety, these drugs should only be used for acute upper and lower RTIs in the context of a RCT with regards to children younger than two years.
PurposeThe ‘Biomarkers of heterogeneity in type 1 diabetes’ study cohort was set up to identify genetic, physiological and psychosocial factors explaining the observed heterogeneity in disease ...progression and the development of complications in people with long-standing type 1 diabetes (T1D).ParticipantsData and samples were collected in two subsets. A prospective cohort of 611 participants aged ≥16 years with ≥5 years T1D duration from four Dutch Diabetes clinics between 2016 and 2021 (median age 32 years; median diabetes duration 12 years; 59% female; mean glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) 61 mmol/mol (7.7%); 61% on insulin pump; 23% on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM)). Physical assessments were performed, blood and urine samples were collected, and participants completed questionnaires. A subgroup of participants underwent mixed-meal tolerance tests (MMTTs) at baseline (n=169) and at 1-year follow-up (n=104). Genetic data and linkage to medical and administrative records were also available. A second cross-sectional cohort included participants with ≥35 years of T1D duration (currently n=160; median age 64 years; median diabetes duration 45 years; 45% female; mean HbA1c 58 mmol/mol (7.4%); 51% on insulin pump; 83% on CGM), recruited from five centres and measurements, samples and 5-year retrospective data were collected.Findings to dateStimulated residual C-peptide was detectable in an additional 10% of individuals compared with fasting residual C-peptide secretion. MMTT measurements at 90 min and 120 min showed good concordance with the MMTT total area under the curve. An overall decrease of C-peptide at 1-year follow-up was observed. Fasting residual C-peptide secretion is associated with a decreased risk of impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia.Future plansResearch groups are invited to consider the use of these data and the sample collection. Future work will include additional hormones, beta-cell-directed autoimmunity, specific immune markers, microRNAs, metabolomics and gene expression data, combined with glucometrics, anthropometric and clinical data, and additional markers of residual beta-cell function.Trial registration number NCT04977635.
Stray cats can host (zoonotic) viral pathogens and act as a source of infection for domestic cats or humans. In this cross-sectional (sero)prevalence study, sera from 580 stray cats living in 56 ...different cat groups in rural areas in The Netherlands were collected from October 2020 to July 2022. These were used to investigate the prevalence of the cat-specific feline leukemia virus (FeLV, n = 580), the seroprevalence of the cat-specific feline viruses feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV, n = 580) and feline coronavirus (FCoV, n = 407), and the zoonotic virus severe acute respiratory coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2, n = 407) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). ELISA-positive results were confirmed using Western blot (FIV) or pseudovirus neutralization test (SARS-CoV-2). The FIV seroprevalence was 5.0% (95% CI (Confidence Interval) 3.4-7.1) and ranged from 0-19.0% among groups. FIV-specific antibodies were more often detected in male cats, cats ≥ 3 years and cats with reported health problems. No FeLV-positive cats were found (95% CI 0.0-0.6). The FCoV seroprevalence was 33.7% (95% CI 29.1-38.5) and ranged from 4.7-85.7% among groups. FCoV-specific antibodies were more often detected in cats ≥ 3 years, cats with reported health problems and cats living in industrial areas or countryside residences compared to cats living at holiday parks or campsites. SARS-CoV-2 antibodies against the subunit 1 (S1) and receptor binding domain (RBD) protein were detected in 2.7% (95% CI 1.4-4.8) of stray cats, but sera were negative in the pseudovirus neutralization test and therefore were considered SARS-CoV-2 suspected. Our findings suggest that rural stray cats in The Netherlands can be a source of FIV and FCoV, indicating a potential risk for transmission to other cats, while the risk for FeLV is low. However, suspected SARS-CoV-2 infections in these cats were uncommon. We found no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 cat-to-cat spread in the studied stray cat groups and consider the likelihood of spillover to humans as low.
We present a pre-equilibrium model for nucleons with incident energies from 7 to 200 MeV, for nuclides in the mass range
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24
. This is accomplished by a new global approach for the two-component ...exciton model which, together with the complementary compound and direct reaction mechanisms, enables a description of continuum energy spectra over the whole outgoing energy range. We develop new forms for the internal transition rates with collision probabilities based on a recent optical model potential. To connect with conventional semi-classical analyses, we derive from this approach a new energy-dependent form for the average squared matrix element
M
2
. Both implementations are shown to remove problems encountered when predicting measurements with older parameterizations that apply in more restricted energy ranges. Surface effects which depend on the type of projectile and the target mass are included. Another feature necessary for the large energy range of our analysis is the generalization of multiple pre-equilibrium processes up to any order of particle emission. To constrain our parameterization as much as possible and to assess the predictive power of our model, we have compared it with the complete experimental data collection of
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spectra. As a result, remaining shortcomings of our model, as well as mutually inconsistent experimental data sets are identified.
Aims/hypothesis
Several publications suggest an association between certain types of insulin and cancer, but with conflicting results. We investigated whether insulin glargine (A21Gly,B31Arg,B32Arg ...human insulin) is associated with an increased risk of cancer in a large population-based cohort study.
Methods
Data for this study were obtained from dispensing records from community pharmacies individually linked to hospital discharge records from 2.5 million individuals in the Netherlands. In a cohort of incident users of insulin, the association between insulin glargine and other insulin analogues, respectively, and cancer was analysed in comparison with human insulin using Cox proportional hazard models with cumulative duration of drug use as a time-varying determinant. The first hospital admission with a primary diagnosis of cancer was considered as the main outcome; secondary analyses were performed with specific cancers as outcomes.
Results
Of the 19,337 incident insulin users enrolled, 878 developed cancer. Use of insulin glargine was associated with a lower risk of malignancies in general in comparison with human insulin (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.71, 0.80). In contrast, an increased risk was found for breast cancer (HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.22, 2.05). Dose–response relationships could not be identified.
Conclusion/interpretation
Users of insulin glargine and users of other insulin analogues had a lower risk of cancer in general than those using human insulin. Both associations might be a consequence of residual confounding, lack of adherence or competing risk. However, as in previous studies, we demonstrated an increased risk of breast cancer in users of insulin glargine in comparison with users of human insulin.
OBJECTIVE: Numerous studies have suggested a decreased risk of cancer in patients with diabetes on metformin. Because different comparison groups were used, the effect magnitude is difficult to ...estimate. Therefore, the objective of this study was to further analyze whether, and to what extent, use of metformin is associated with a decreased risk of cancer in a cohort of incident users of metformin compared with users of sulfonylurea derivatives. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Data for this study were obtained from dispensing records from community pharmacies individually linked to hospital discharge records from 2.5 million individuals in the Netherlands. The association between the risk of cancer in those using metformin compared with those using sulfonylurea derivatives was analyzed using Cox proportional hazard models with cumulative duration of drug use as a time-varying determinant. RESULTS: Use of metformin was associated with a lower risk of cancer in general (hazard ratio 0.90 95% CI 0.88–0.91) compared with use of sulfonylurea derivatives. When specific cancers were used as end points, similar estimates were found. Dosage-response relations were identified for users of metformin but not for users of sulfonylurea derivatives. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, cumulative exposure to metformin was associated with a lower risk of specific cancers and cancer in general, compared with cumulative exposure to sulfonylurea derivatives. However, whether this should indeed be seen as a decreased risk of cancer for the use of metformin or as an increased risk of cancer for the use sulfonylurea derivatives remains to be elucidated.
The introduction of baked milk products in cow's milk (CM) allergic children has previously been shown to accelerate induction tolerance in a selected group of children. However, there is no ...standardized baked milk product on the market. Recently, a new standardized, heated and glycated cow's milk protein (HP) product was developed. The aim of this study was to measure safety and tolerability of a new, well characterized heated CM protein (HP) product in cow's milk allergic (CMA) children between the age of 3 and 36 months. The children were recruited from seven clinics throughout The Netherlands. The HP product was introduced in six incremental doses under clinical supervision. Symptoms were registered after introduction of the HP product. Several questionnaires were filled out by parents of the children. Skin prick tests were performed with CM and HP product, sIgE to CM and α-lactalbumin (Bos d4), β-lactoglobulin (Bos d5), serum albumin (Bos d 6), lactoferrin (Bos d7) and casein (Bos d8). Whereas 72% percent (18 out of 25) of the children tolerated the HP product, seven children experienced adverse events. Risk factors for intolerance to the HP product were higher skin prick test (SPT) histamine equivalent index (HEP) results with CM and the HP product, higher specific IgE levels against Bos d4 and Bos d8 levels and Bos d5 levels. In conclusion, the HP product was tolerated by 72% of the CM allergic children. Outcomes of SPT with CM and the HP product, as well as values of sIgE against caseins, α-lactalbumin, and β-lactoglobulin may predict the tolerability of the HP product. Larger studies are needed to confirm these conclusions.
Recent microscopic and phenomenological calculations of giant dipole resonances for
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56 nuclei are presented. The derived photodisintegration cross sections are exhaustively compared to the ...photonuclear data available to date. An accurate description of the data is found. Our new calculations are also compared with the previous and widely-used estimates of Puget, Stecker and Bredekamp. The present calculations also include all the possible paths down the nuclear chart. The impact on the photodisintegration of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECR) is illustrated for a Fe source with typical energies of 10
20–10
21
eV. At energies around 10
20
eV, the new cross sections are found to modify the UHECR photodisintegration rates. At energies around 10
21
eV, it is recommended to solve a full reaction network to estimate the photodisintegration rate of the UHECR.
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