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Background: Fructose is distinct among common sugars in its ability to raise serum uric acid, and some studies suggest fructose‐induced uric acid production may have a role in the ability of this sugar to induce metabolic syndrome. A fructose tolerance test has been previously developed to evaluate the relative ability of fructose to raise uric acid in individuals. However, the effect of fructose to raise uric acid in people with diabetes has not been studied. Methods: People with type 2 diabetes (n = 143) and without diabetes controls (n = 132) with similar body mass index (BMI) underwent an oral fructose tolerance test. As a comparison, participants also had their uric acid levels measured after an oral glucose tolerance test on a different day. Results: Serum uric acid was lower in people with type 2 diabetes compared to controls with a similar BMI, especially those with poor glucose control (glycosylated hemoglobin [HbA1c] ≥ 8%). Fructose administration raised serum uric acid in both groups, with a lower absolute rise in people with diabetes. People with diabetes with a blunted rise in serum uric acid had higher baseline serum uric acid concentrations and a higher BMI. People without diabetes with a higher BMI also showed a blunted serum uric acid response. Oral glucose administration lowered serum uric acid in both participants, with a greater fall in those with diabetes. Conclusion: Both the presence of diabetes and obesity blunt the serum uric acid response to fructose ingestion. These data demonstrate altered fructose‐dependent urate metabolism in type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study evaluates a hypothesis that sour cherry (Prunus cerasus) seed extracts (SCE) modulate CD3+ T lymphocyte activity in ways predictive of potential for uses of SCE in management of inflammatory diseases. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 12 type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients and eight healthy control subjects were cultured 24 h with 100 ng/ml lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to increase inflammatory signaling and co-incubated with 0.5-100 µg/ml SCE. Cultures were evaluated by two-color flow cytometry for percent representation of CD3+ IL8+ and CD3+TNF-α cells which express interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor-α, (TNF-α+) respectively, and by enzyme-linked immunoassay for lymphocyte-associated heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1, known to be induced by SCE). SCE dosage ranges of 0.5-100 µg/ml in cell cultures significantly suppressed LPS-increased CD3+TNF-α+ and CD3+IL8+ representation from all participants (p < 0.05), with greater pharmacological effect noted in suppression of CD3+TNF-α+ noted in cells from T2DM patients versus healthy control subjects. These effects correlated with increased HO-1 expression in SCE-treated PBMC from all subjects (p < 0.05). Since TNF-α and IL-8 are diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers for many inflammatory syndromes, the capacity of SCE to down-regulate representation of cells that express them suggests potential for therapeutic use of SCE in T2DM and other diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prediabetes is the first stage of a continuum that extends through the diagnosis of clinical type 2 diabetes towards long-standing diabetes with multiple comorbidities. The diagnosis of prediabetes provides an opportunity to interrupt the diabetes continuum at an early stage to ensure long-term optimization of clinical outcomes. All people with prediabetes should receive intervention to improve their lifestyles (quality of diet and level of physical activity), as this has been proven beyond doubt to reduce substantially the risk of conversion to diabetes. Additionally, a large base of clinical evidence supports the use of metformin in preventing or delaying the transition from prediabetes to clinical type 2 diabetes, for some people with prediabetes. For many years, guidelines for the management of type 2 diabetes focused on lowering blood glucose, with metformin prescribed first for those without contraindications. More recently, guidelines have shifted towards prevention of diabetes complications as the primary goal, with increased use of GLP-1 receptor agonists (or multi-agonist incretin peptides) or SGLT-2 inhibitors for patients with existing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, heart failure or chronic kidney disease. Access to these medications often remains challenging. Metformin remains a suitable option for initial pharmacologic intervention to manage glycemia for many people with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes along with other therapy to maintain control of blood glucose or to address specific comorbidities as the patient progresses along the diabetes continuum., Competing Interests: All authors have provided consultancy services to Merck Serono Middle East FZ-Ltd, as per the “Funding” section, below. Additionally: Tarik Elhadd provided consultancy services to NovoNordisk, Eli Lilly, MSD, and Amgen. Thamer Alessa has also provided consultancy services and /or Speaker honorarium to NovoNordisk, Sanofi, Eli Lilly, MSD, Servier, Merck, Astra Zeneca and Amgen. Fatheya Al Awadi received speaker honoraria, and was part of advisory boards of the following pharmaceutical companies: Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Servier, Pfizer, MSD, Merck and Sanofi-Aventis. Dalal Alromaihi received speaker honoraria and was part of advisory boards of the following pharmaceutical companies: Novo Nordisk, Servier, Astra Zeneca and Sanofi-Aventis. Raya Kalimat is a full-time employee of Merck Serono Middle East FZ-Ltd, Dubai, UAE, an affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Kerstin Brand is a full-time employee of Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Abdallah A Gunaid, Amin Jayyousi, Ali Al Mamari, Juma Al Kaabi, Ebaa Al Ozairi, and Mohammed Hassanein declared no duality of interest., (© 2024 Alessa et al.)

Purpose: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to compare the Arabic version of International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with accelerometer-measured MVPA in people with diabetes., Methods: From 2020 to 2022 physical activity was measured people ≥18 years with type 1 or type 2 diabetes in Kuwait. Self-reported MVPA was measured over 7 days with the Arabic version of the IPAQ. During the same 7-day period wrist worn accelerometers were used to objectively measure MVPA. IPAQ MVPA was calculated both including and excluding walking physical activity. MVPA measures were compared by limits of agreement approach, Pearson correlations and concordance correlations., Results: We recruited 240 participants with type 1 diabetes and 343 participants with type 2 diabetes for the study. In people with type 1 diabetes, there were no concordance correlations between IPAQ MVPA, both including (rho = -0.011 (-0.038, 0.017), p = 0.444) and excluding (rho = -0.001 (-0.067, 0.065), p = 0.978) walking physical activity. MVPA measured by IPAQ was 43.3(-85.6, 172.2) min/day higher than accelerometer-measured MVPA, when including walking, and 8.88(-60.4, 78.2) min/day higher, when excluding walking. In people with type 2 diabetes, there were significant positive concordance correlations between IPAQ MVPA, both including (rho = 0.038 (0.02, 0.06), p < 0.001) and excluding (rho = 0.34 (0.27, 0.41), p < 0.001) walking physical activity. MVPA measured by IPAQ was 62.3 (95% CI -61.5 to 186.0) min/day higher than accelerometer-measured MVPA, when including walking, and 4.0 (95% CI -34.1 to 42.0) min/day higher, when excluding walking., Conclusion: In people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, caution should be exercised when using the Arabic version of the IPAQ to measure MVPA., Competing Interests: The authors report no completion interests in this work., (© 2024 Al Ozairi et al.)

Background and Aims: Although people with type 1 diabetes are exempt from fasting the month of Ramadan due to the risk to their health, many wish to fast nonetheless. Little is known about the impact of structured education on the fasting experiences of people with type 1 diabetes. This study aimed to explore how the Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating (DAFNE) course affected people with type 1 diabetes' fasting experiences to provide insight into the benefits of structured education for people wishing to fast while managing their diabetes., Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 40 DAFNE graduates who fasted Ramadan. The purposive sample was selected from the DAFNE registry at Dasman Diabetes Institute in Kuwait. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically in an iterative process. Topics discussed included fasting experiences prior to attending the DAFNE course, fasting experiences this year, and how DAFNE affected their fasting., Results: Five themes emerged; (1) Reduction in fluctuations and complications, (2) Improvement in confidence and self-reliance, (3) Tailored support for dose and pump programming adjustments, (4) Positive effect on wellbeing, and (5) Encouraging informed-decision making about fasting., Conclusions: The findings have provided insight into the impact of DAFNE structured education on the fasting experiences of people with type 1 diabetes and has shown how overall, DAFNE had enhanced the quality of fasting. In addition, by assisting them in fulfilling their fasting wishes, DAFNE has had a positive effect on their wellbeing., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Aims: Depression in diabetes has been associated with hyperglycemia and an increase risk for metabolic disorder complications. Ramadan is a period of self-discipline, self control, and spirituality, which has shown benefits in physical, mental, and social well being. The aim of this study is to examine the association between fasting during the month of Ramadan and depression., Methods: Data from 463 participants were collected at three time points. A paired t-test was used to examine the difference between PHQ-9 score and difference of PAID score before and after Ramadan to measure depression. A multivariable regression with adjusting for potential confounders was used to study the association between fasting and depression., Results: The difference in PHQ-9 score before and after Ramadan was -3.5 points (95% Confidence Interval (CI) -4.05 to -2.95). The difference in PAID score before and after the Ramadan was -5.02 points (95% CI -6.38 to -3.69). For every one year increase in diabetes diagnosis PHQ-9 score decreased by 0.09 (95% CI -0.17 to 0.003) after Ramadan. Female participants had 1.17 more points (95% CI -0.23 to 0.02) decrease in PHQ-9 score compared to male participants., Conclusion: Improving depression in people with diabetes is crucial in controlling blood glucose and metabolic disorder complications in people with diabetes. People with diabetes who experience depression may improve their depression by increasing self discipline, self control, and manage disease., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Bariatric operations are effective obesity treatments because of the significant reductions in food intake after surgery, but weight regain remains a problem in a small group of patients after surgery. Estimating food intake is difficult due to dieting status, weight, gender, and challenges with estimating portion size. We aimed to evaluate the use of digital food photography in comparison to conventional methods among patients after sleeve gastrectomy., Methods: Participants used a mobile device (mHealth) to photo-document their dietary intake of all food and beverages consumed before and after eating. They also completed a 24 h food recall interview with a dietician., Results: Data from 383 eating occasions were analyzed. Food intake using 24 h recall was reported as 972.5 ± 77 kcal and estimates from photographs were 802.9 ± 63.4 kcal, with a difference of 169.6 ± 451.4 kcal (95% confidence interval (CI) of 41.4 to 297.9 kcal, p = 0.005). There was no difference for protein intake, but carbohydrate intake reported during the 24 h recall was 541.2 ± 298 kcal and estimates from photographs were 395.2 ± 219.6 kcal, with a difference of 145.8 ± 256.3 kcal (95% CI of 73.2 to 218.8 kcal, p = 0.0001)., Conclusion: After sleeve gastrectomy, patients reported eating more total calories and calories from carbohydrates compared to estimations using photographs. The implication for patients are that tools such as mHealth might be useful to optimize food intake and calories after sleeve gastrectomy, especially for those patients that may struggle with weight regain after surgery.

Background: The health burden from exposure to air pollution has been studied in many parts of the world. However, there is limited research on the health effects of air quality in arid areas where sand dust is the primary particulate pollution source., Objective: Study the risk of mortality from exposure to poor air quality days in Kuwait., Methods: We conducted a time-series analysis using daily visibility as a measure of particulate pollution and non-accidental total mortality from January 2000 through December 2016. A generalized additive Poisson model was used adjusting for time trends, day of week, and temperature. Low visibility (yes/no), defined as visibility lower than the 25th percentile, was used as an indicator of poor air quality days. Dust storm events were also examined. Finally, we examined these associations after stratifying by gender, age group, and nationality (Kuwaitis/non-Kuwaitis)., Results: There were 73,748 deaths from natural causes in Kuwait during the study period. The rate ratio comparing the mortality rate on low visibility days to high visibility days was 1.01 (95% CI: 0.99-1.03). Similar estimates were observed for dust storms (1.02, 95% CI: 1.00-1.04). Higher and statistically significant estimates were observed among non-Kuwaiti men and non-Kuwaiti adolescents and adults., Conclusion: We observed a higher risk of mortality during days with poor air quality in Kuwait from 2000 through 2016., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Angiopoietin-like 8 (ANGPTL8) a hepatic protein, is implicated by several studies with a role in promoting pancreatic β-cell proliferation and improving glucose tolerance. Although a matter of controversy, a growing number of reports support ANGPTL8's potential, yet unclear, role in type 2 diabetes (T2D)., Objectives: To examine changes in fasting ANGPTL8 level in people with morbid obesity, with or without diabetes after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) in a 1-year prospective study., Setting: Dasman Diabetes Institute, government, and private hospitals, Kuwait., Methods: Fasting serum ANGPTL8 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at baseline in participants with morbid obesity, 17 with diabetes and 23 without diabetes, and in healthy weight participants, 19 with and 15 without diabetes, during 1 year post-LSG in participants with morbid obesity., Results: At baseline, people with T2D had higher ANGPTL8 level, (morbid obese, mean ± standard error of the mean; 1415 ± 196.4 pg/mL, and healthy weight, 2231 ± 328.1 pg/mL), compared with individuals without T2D (morbid obese, 876 ± 155.0 pg/mL, and healthy weight controls 868.9 ± 218.7 pg/mL). In participants with diabetes and morbid obesity, T2D remission occurred 15 days post-LSG, defined by a sustained reduced fasting blood glucose levels <6.9 mmol/L. In this group, the 1-year post-LSG measurement of ANGPTL8 showed unique biphasic changes, first a prominent elevation (day 60, 3336 ± 916.5 pg/mL, P < .01), followed by a gradual decrease to reach almost the baseline level (day 360, 1184 ± 119.3 pg/mL)., Conclusion: Elevated baseline ANGPTL8 in participants with diabetes at baseline reflected a link to T2D. Interestingly, the unique biphasic pattern of change in fasting ANGPTL8 post-LSG, occurred only in people with diabetes, suggesting ANGPTL8's potential role in T2D remission., (Copyright © 2018 American Society for Bariatric Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)