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This study investigated the impact of social distancing due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We retrospectively analyzed the change in glycosylated hemoglobin level (ΔHbA1c) in people with T2DM who undertook social distancing because of COVID-19. We compared the ΔHbA1c between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 cohorts that were enrolled at the same time of year. The ΔHbA1c of the COVID-19 cohort was significantly higher than that of two non-COVID-19 cohorts. Subgroup analysis according to age and baseline HbA1c level showed that social distancing significantly increased the mean HbA1c level of participants of

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic that had affected more than 13,000 people in South Korea by July 2020. To prevent spread of COVID-19, tele-prescription was permitted temporarily. This study investigated the impact of tele-prescription on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) concentrations were retrospectively analyzed in patients with type 2 diabetes who were treated with tele-prescription because of COVID-19 and those who were treated by face-to-face care (non-tele-prescription group) enrolled at the same period of time. Mean HbA1c concentrations and mean change in HbA1c concentration (ΔHbA1c) were compared in these two groups. RESULTS: The mean HbA1c levels of patients were significantly higher after than before the tele-prescription period (7.46% ± 1.24% vs. 7.27% ± 1.13%, p < 0.05). Mean ΔHbA1c was significantly higher in the tele-prescription than in the non-tele-prescription group (0.19% ± 0.68% vs. 0.04% ± 0.95%, p < 0.05). HbA1c was significantly greater in patients taking fewer oral hypoglycemic agents, no insulin, fewer comorbidities (e.g., coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular accident, and diabetic neuropathy), and higher baseline HbA1c. CONCLUSION: Tele-prescription may worsen glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes during public health crises.

Background: Renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis is a major pathologic finding of nearly all cause of end-stage renal disease. Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors are widely used in the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes and have proven protective effects on diabetic kidney disease. This study aimed to investigate possible beneficial effects of evogliptin on renal fibrosis in mice. Methods: We examined the effects of evogliptin on renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis following unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) in mice. We further defined the role of evogliptin on transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)/Smad signaling pathways in renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis through in vivo and in vitro study. Results: Through hematoxylin/eosin and sirius red staining, we observed that evogliptin effectively ameliorates UUO-induced renal atrophy and fibrosis. Immunohistochemistry in conjunction with western blot analysis revealed that evogliptin treatment inhibited UUO-induced up-regulation of phosphorylated Smad3, α-smooth muscle actin, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, fibronenctin, and type 1 collagen. In vitro experiments with proximal tubule epithelial cell suggested that the effects of evogliptin on UUO-induced renal fibrosis are mediated by inhibition of the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that evogliptin has a protective effect on UUO-induced renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis, suggesting that its clinical applications could extend to the treatment of nondiabetic origin renal disease. Disclosure N. Kim: None. I. Lee: Board Member; Self; NovMetapharm Co, Inc. S. Park: None. M. Kim: None. J. Kim: None. Y. Choi: None. K. Park: None. M. Kim: None. Funding National Research Foundation of Korea