Anna So

AIM: Recent studies have suggested that metabolic disorders such as obesity and type 2 diabetes are associated with gut microbiota. The association between atherosclerosis and gut microbiota has also been attracting increased attention. Our aim was to specify a characteristic trend of gut microbiota in coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: This study included 39 CAD patients, 30 age- and sex-matched no-CAD controls (Ctrls) with coronary risk factors and 50 healthy volunteers (HVs) without coronary risk factors. Bacterial DNA was extracted from their fecal samples and analyzed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism. RESULTS: A characteristic change of gut microbiota was observed in CAD patients, where the order Lactobacillales was increased (CAD, Ctrl vs. HV; 13.6%±12.0%, 6.2%±7.7% vs. 4.1%±5.9%; p＜0.001) and the phylum Bacteroidetes (Bacteroides＋Prevotella) was decreased (CAD, Ctrl vs. HV;35.5%±11.6%, 43.9%±11.2% vs. 47.4%±11.5%; p＜0.001). The CAD group was over-represented in enterotype "others" (III), compared with the Ctrl or HV group (p＜0.001, chi-squared test), although we could not deny the possibility that some drugs affect the gut flora types. CONCLUSIONS: Although this study had some limitations, we demonstrated that the incidence of CAD was linked with an alteration of gut microbiota. A prospective study is desired to clarify a causal relationship between CAD and gut microbiota.

We had aimed to determine whether homeostasis model assessment–insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) reflects insulin resistance-sensitivity during treatment with a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i). Hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp analysis was performed in 22 patients with type 2 diabetic patients taking dapagliflozin (5 mg/day before or after breakfast). Propensity score matching of these individuals (SGLT2i group) for age, sex, body mass index, and clamp-derived tissue glucose uptake rate with 44 type 2 diabetic patients who had undergone clamp analysis without SGLT2i treatment (control group) identified 17 paired subjects in each group for further analysis of the relation between HOMA-IR and a clamp-derived insulin sensitivity index (ISI). Natural log–transformed HOMA-IR was negatively correlated with ISI in both SGLT2i (r = –0.527, p = 0.030) and control (r = –0.534, p = 0.027) groups. The simple regression lines for log-transformed HOMA-IR and ISI in the two groups showed similar slopes but differed in their intercepts. Multivariate analysis revealed that HOMA-IR for patients with the same ISI in the two groups was related by the formula: HOMA-IRcontrol = HOMA-IRSGLT2i × 2.45. In conclusion, HOMA-IR was well correlated with ISI during SGLT2i treatment, but values corresponding to the same ISI were lower in the SGLT2i group than in the control group.

Context: Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma are catecholamine-producing tumors that often impair glucose tolerance. The effects of these tumors on insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion in patients have remained unclear, however. Objective: To characterize the influence of pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma on glucose tolerance, we comprehensively analyzed various parameters related to insulin secretion or insulin sensitivity in patients with these tumors. Design: Hyperglycemic and hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps, as well as an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), were performed in patients before and after tumor excision. Setting: Patients underwent metabolic analyses on admission to Kobe University Hospital. Patients: Eleven patients with pheochromocytoma and two with paraganglioma were examined. Intervention: None. Main Outcome Measures: We evaluated various parameters related to insulin secretion or insulin sensitivity as determined by an OGTT and by hyperglycemic and hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp analyses. Results: Surgical treatment of the tumor reduced urinary catecholamine excretion and improved glucose tolerance. The insulinogenic index, but not total insulin secretion, measured during the OGTT as well as the first phase, but not the second phase, of insulin secretion during the hyperglycemic clamp were improved after surgery. The insulin sensitivity index determined during the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp remained unchanged after surgery. Conclusion: These results suggest pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma impair glucose tolerance primarily through impairment of insulin secretion-in particular, that of the early phase of the insulin secretory response. A prospective study with more patients is warranted to further confirm these results.

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors improve blood glucose control, as well as reducing bodyweight by promoting urinary glucose excretion. The weight loss is less than expected from urinary glucose loss, however, likely because of an increase in food intake. To investigate whether SGLT-2 inhibitors might increase appetite by affecting related hormones, we examined the effects of the SGLT-2 inhibitor, ipragliflozin, including those on appetite-regulating hormones, in individuals with suboptimally controlled type 2 diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: who were treated with ipragliflozin (50 mg/day) for 16 weeks. Parameters including glycated hemoglobin level, bodyweight, circulating leptin and active ghrelin concentrations, and appetite as assessed with a visual analog scale were measured before and during treatment. RESULTS: Both glycated hemoglobin level (from 7.9 ± 0.8 to 7.1 ± 0.7%) and bodyweight (from 75.2 ± 12.6 to 72.6 ± 12.4 kg) were significantly decreased after treatment for 16 weeks. The fasting serum leptin level was significantly decreased after 2 weeks (from 19.5 ± 13.1 to 18.1 ± 12.4 ng/mL) and remained decreased up to 16 weeks, even after adjustment for bodyweight, whereas the plasma active ghrelin level showed no significant change. The visual analog scale score for hunger was significantly increased at 2 and 8 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: The present results suggest that ipragliflozin improved glycemic control and reduced bodyweight, but also reduced serum leptin levels and might thereby have increased appetite.