Epilepsy in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes and relation to glutamic acid decarboxylase 65

Objectives:To report if the association of epilepsy in pediatric patients (below the age of 15 years) with Insulin-dependent Diabetes (IDDM) at King Fahad Medical City (KFMC) is higher than the prevalence of epilepsy in the same age group (who have no IDDM) in our community. Consequently, we would determine if there is a relationship between the presence of epilepsy in diabetic children and the presence of positive antiGAD65 antibodies.Methods:This cohort study included 305 pediatric patients below the age of 15 years with Insulin-dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM). They were randomly recruited at the Pediatric Endocrinology Clinic in KFMC. The patients’ caregivers were given a questionnaire between December 2015 till March 2019 to determine the seizure disorder history. There was also a retrospective review of 214 patients’ files for anti-GAD 65 positivity.Results:Our study found a significant relation between the presence of epilepsy in children with IDDM. Therefore, we could confirm the relationship between the existence of epilepsy in children with IDDM and having positive GAD65 antibodies.Conclusion:Our study supports the presence of consistent relation between having IDDM and having epilepsy in children and between the latter and the presence of positive GAD65 antibodies.

Insulin dependent diabetes Mellitus (IDDM) is a common condition in children and adolescents worldwide and so is epilepsy.1,2 Recently, there were increasing reports suggesting a potential association between having IDDM and the occurrence of epilepsy.3 Their association might represent simply a chance to relate their underlying mechanisms. However, the cause-effect relationship is not fully well defined. Literature from other countries have shown the increased prevalence of seizure disorders in this group of patients.4,5 There are scarce studies in the literature investigating IDDM characteristics contributing to having epilepsy, including positive GAD 65 antibodies. In this study that ran in King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) we are aiming to determine if the prevalence of epilepsy among 1DDM children under the age of 15 years (in our center) is higher than controls (same age without IDDM), and to check the positivity of anti-GAD 65 amongst those patients in order to find if there is a relationship between epilepsy in children with diabetes and the presence of positive GAD65 Antibodies.     

Wnt signaling in bone and muscle

Wnt signaling plays key roles in many aspects of development. In this review, we will briefly describe the components of signaling pathways induced by Wnt ligands and then describe the current state of research as this applies to aspects of development and disease as it relates to skeletal muscle and bone. We will conclude with a discussion of the parallels and differences in Wnt signaling in these two contexts and how these pathways are being (or could potentially be) targeted for therapeutic treatment of musculoskeletal diseases.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled “Muscle Bone Interactions”.     

Osteoporosis and sarcopenia in older age

Osteoporosis and sarcopenia are common in older age and associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Consequently, they are both attended by a considerable socioeconomic burden. Osteoporosis was defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1994 as a bone mineral density of less than 2.5 standard deviations below the sex-specific young adult mean and this characterisation has been adopted globally. Subsequently, a further step forward was taken when bone mineral density was incorporated into fracture risk prediction algorithms, such as the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX®) also developed by the WHO. In contrast, for sarcopenia there have been several diagnostic criteria suggested, initially relating to low muscle mass alone and more recently low muscle mass and muscle function. However, none of these have been universally accepted. This has led to difficulties in accurately delineating the burden of disease, exploring geographic differences, and recruiting appropriate subjects to clinical trials. There is also uncertainty about how improvement in sarcopenia should be measured in pharmaceutical trials. Reasons for these difficulties include the number of facets of muscle health available, e.g. mass, strength, function, and performance, and the various clinical outcomes to which sarcopenia can be related such as falls, fracture, disability and premature mortality. It is imperative that a universal definition of sarcopenia is reached soon to facilitate greater progress in research into this debilitating condition.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled “Muscle Bone Interactions”.     

High-intensity interval exercise lowers postprandial glucose concentrations more in obese adults than lean adults

AimsTo compare postprandial glucose responses to high-intensity interval exercise (HIE) between obese and lean individuals.MethodsThirty healthy young adult males (15 obese, 15 lean) ate a standardised meal, then performed HIE (4 × 30-s Wingate cycling/4-min rest) or a no-exercise control trial (CON). Blood glucose was measured preprandially and up to 150 min postprandially.ResultsCompared to CON, HIE reduced postprandial glucose concentrations at 120–150 min in obese (p < 0.001) and lean men (p < 0.05), with greater reductions in obese than lean subjects at 120 (−27.0% vs. −8.3%), 135 (−31.9% vs. −15.7%), and 150 min (−21.8% vs. −10.6%). The total glucose area under the curve (AUC) for the testing period was lower with HIE than CON among obese men (p < 0.05), but not lean men (p > 0.05). We found moderate correlations between body mass and postprandial glucose changes (r = 0.39–0.44, p < 0.05), and between glucose AUC and body mass and fat free mass (r = 0.39–0.48, p < 0.05).ConclusionsOur findings suggest that HIE may act as a time-efficient lifestyle intervention strategy for improving obesity-related diabetes risk factors, and might play a role in primary diabetes prevention for the healthy but sedentary population.