Glutamate infusion associated with reduced rises of p-Copeptin after coronary surgery: Substudy of GLUTAMICS II

Background

Glutamate plays a key role for post-ischaemic recovery of myocardial metabolism. According to post hoc analyses of the two GLUTAMICS trials, patients without diabetes benefit from glutamate with less myocardial dysfunction after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). Copeptin reflects activation of the Arginine Vasopressin system and is a reliable marker of heart failure but available studies in cardiac surgery are limited. We investigated whether glutamate infusion is associated with reduced postoperative rises of plasma Copeptin (p-Copeptin) after CABG.

Methods

A prespecified randomised double-blind substudy of GLUTAMICS II. Patients had left ventricular ejection fraction ≤0.30 or EuroSCORE II ≥3.0 and underwent CABG ± valve procedure. Intravenous infusion of 0.125 M L-glutamic acid or saline at 1.65 mL/kg/h was commenced 10–20 min before the release of the aortic cross-clamp and then continued for another 150 min P-Copeptin was measured preoperatively and postoperatively on day one (POD1) and day three. The primary endpoint was an increase in p-Copeptin from the preoperative level to POD1. Postoperative stroke ≤24 h and mortality ≤30 days were safety outcomes.

Results

We included 181 patients of whom 48% had diabetes. The incidence of postoperative mortality ≤30 days (0% vs. 2.1%; p = .50) and stroke ≤24 h (0% vs. 3.2%; p = .25) did not differ between the glutamate group and controls. P-Copeptin increased postoperatively with the highest values recorded on POD1 without significant inter-group differences. Among patients without diabetes, p-Copeptin did not differ preoperatively but postoperative rise from preoperative level to POD1 was significantly reduced in the glutamate group (73 ± 66 vs. 115 ± 102 pmol/L; p = .02). P-Copeptin was significantly lower in the Glutamate group on POD1 (p = .02) and POD 3 (p = .02).

Conclusions

Glutamate did not reduce rises of p-Copeptin significantly after moderate to high-risk CABG. However, glutamate was associated with reduced rises of p-Copeptin among patients without diabetes. These results agree with previous observations suggesting that glutamate mitigates myocardial dysfunction after CABG in patients without diabetes. Given the exploratory nature of these findings, they need to be confirmed in future studies.     

A molecular perspective for the use of type IV tyrosine kinase inhibitors as anticancer therapeutics

Tyrosine kinases are enzymes that can transfer a phosphate group from ATP to a specific protein tyrosine, serine or threonine residue within a cell, operating as a switch that can turn ‘on’ and ‘off’ causing different physiological alterations in the body. Mutated kinases have been shown to display an equilibrium shift toward the activated state. Types I–III have been studied intensively leading to drugs like imatinib (type II), cobimetinib (type III), among others. It is the same scenario for types V–VII; however, there is a lacuna in information regarding type IV inhibitors, although recently some advances have surfaced. This review aims to accumulate the knowledge gained so far about type IV inhibitors.     

Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Type 2 Diabetes: A Screening Approach

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder common among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The aim of this quality improvement project was to increase identification and referral for sleep study for individuals with T2D at moderate to high risk for OSA. Pre- and post-intervention patient samples were analyzed to compare the number of referrals for sleep study. Results demonstrated that none of the patients pre-intervention were referred for sleep study compared with 77% of patients post-intervention. This project demonstrated implementing an evidence-based tool to screen patients with T2D for OSA leads to higher rates of detection and referral.     

Correlation analysis of intestinal flora and pathological process of type 2 diabetes mellitus

ObjectiveTo observe the relationship between the different stages of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and the intestinal flora and verify its underlying mechanism.MethodsT2DM rats were generated by high-fat diet (HFD) combined with intraperitoneal streptozotocin (STZ) injection. The rats were divided into four groups: the control group (fed with normal feed for 1 month), the HFD group (fed with HFD for 1 month), the T2DM group (HFD combined with STZ and blood glucose ≥11.1 mM), and the unformed T2DM model (Un-mod) group (HFD combined with STZ and blood glucose <11.1 mM). Feces were collected, and bacterial communities in the fecal samples were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The content of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in feces was measured by gas chromatography. Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction were used to detect the expression of G protein-coupled receptor 41 (GPR41) and GPR43.ResultsAt different stages of T2DM, the intestinal flora and SCFAs content of rats were significantly decreased (all P < .05). Our results indicated that g__Prevotella had a significant negative correlation, and g__Ruminococcus_torques_group and g__lachnoclastic had a significant positive correlation with blood glucose. The content of SCFAs, in particular acetate and butyrate, in rat feces of different stages of T2DM were significantly reduced, as well as GPR41 and GPR43 expression. The results in the Un-mod group were similar to the T2DM group, and the expression of GPR41 and GPR43 proteins were significantly higher than those in the T2DM group (both P < .001).ConclusionThe intestinal flora–SCFAs–GPR41/GPR43 network may be important in the development of T2DM. Decreasing blood glucose levels by regulating the intestinal flora may become a new therapeutic strategy for T2DM, which has very important clinical and social values.     

儿童1型糖尿病骨密度变化及影响因素分析

目的 测定儿童1型糖尿病(T1DM)患者骨密度(BMD),分析探讨骨密度变化的影响因素。方法 选取于2018年1月—2021年6月于我院收治的儿童1型糖尿病患者76例,收集性别、年龄、发病年龄、身高、体重、BMI、病程等基本资料,检测空腹血糖、空腹C肽、糖化血红蛋白(HbA1c)、血碳酸氢根(HCO3-)、血清碱性磷酸酶(ALP),应用双能X线吸收测定法测定骨密度,获取Z值。结果 76例儿童1型糖尿病患者骨密度Z值为-0.93±2.14。HbA1c、病程与骨密度Z值呈负相关,差异具有统计学意义(分别B=-0.334,P<0.001;B=-0.191,P=0.017)。结论 儿童1型糖尿病患者骨密度低于健康儿童,血糖控制不良、病程长是1型糖尿病儿童骨密度减低的危险因素。     

Case Report: Transient Stress Hyperglycemia in the Patient With ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Transient stress hyperglycemia in the setting of acute myocardial infarction is a frequent phenomenon. Its transient nature should not dissuade the clinician from management of elevated blood glucose in a patient after an ST-elevation myocardial infarction. This case presents an adult patient after an ST-elevation myocardial infarction with transient stress hyperglycemia and the evidence used to identify optimal pharmacologic management and secondary prevention.