An Endocrine Society Thematic Issue: Diabetes 2022
March 2022
Read our special collection of journal articles focused on diabetes! These were published in 2021 and 2022, with curation guided by Altmetric Attention Score and Featured Article designation.
In Journal of the Endocrine Society, Alvarado and colleagues report results indicating that gestational weight gain does not cause the changes in glucose metabolism in women who develop gestational diabetes. Bergenstal et al. find that use of a flash glucose monitoring system reduces diabetes-related acute events and hospitalizations in patients with type 2 diabetes. Klein and coauthors describe in an Expert Endocrine Consult how inadequate carbohydrate input during the evening before an oral glucose tolerance test can cause healthy individuals to display apparent signs of early diabetes, a lesson that may be fading from memory because the test is now less often used than hitherto.
In JCEM, Ebekozien et al. report that Black Covid-19 patients with type 1 diabetes have a higher risk of developing diabetic ketoacidosis than similar White patients, even after adjusting for confounders. Along similar lines, Bancks and coauthors report finding racial and ethnic differences across subgroups of diabetes patients, with the subgroups differing in their risk for complications. Antonio-Villa and coauthors report that the prevalence of diabetes in the United States almost doubled between 1988 and 2018, with differences across sex, ethnicity, education, and age.
In Endocrinology, De Bem and coauthors describe their use of an endometrium-on-a-chip, microfluidics approach to investigate the effects of changes in glucose and insulin concentration on transcription and protein expression in uterine cells. Seshadri and Doucette discuss in a mini-review the influence of the beta cell circadian clock on various aspects of beta cell function, including control of insulin secretion capability. In another mini-review, Kalwat et al. discuss the beta cell’s response to secretory demands and adaptation to stress, noting the potential of therapeutics based on beta cell rest.
In Endocrine Reviews, Jais and Brüning discuss the role of the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus in the sensing of adiposity signals. Stocks and Zierath review the role of post-translational modifications in mediating the ability of exercise to combat type 2 diabetes by affecting glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity. And Howell and Booth consider the role of the built environment in the relationship between physical activity and diseases of obesity.
Journal of the Endocrine Society
Efforts to decrease the risk of developing metabolic complications of pregnancy such as gestational diabetes (GDM) through lifestyle intervention (decreasing excessive gestational weight gain (GWG)) during pregnancy have met with limited success.
Suboptimal glycemic control among individuals with diabetes is a leading cause of hospitalizations and emergency department utilization. Use of flash continuous glucose monitoring (flash CGM) improves glycemic control in type 1 and type 2 diabetes, which may result in lower risk for acute and chronic complications that require emergency services and/or hospitalizations.
With the emergence of glycated hemoglobin as a diagnostic test for diabetes, oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) have become rare in endocrinology practice. As they have moved out of favor, the importance of patient instructions on preparation prior to OGTT has faded from memory.
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
We examined whether diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a serious complication of type 1 diabetes (T1D) was more prevalent among Non-Hispanic (NH) Black and Hispanic patients with T1D and laboratory-confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) compared with NH Whites.
Recent work has highlighted the potential for expansion of diabetes classification beyond traditional taxonomy. In response, the American Diabetes Association issued a charge at the 2019 Scientific Sessions to unravel the heterogeneity in diabetes mellitus, particularly among patients with type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes is a highly heterogeneous disease with complex and various underlying etiologies, which result in diverse clinical courses, treatment response, and risk profiles for chronic micro- and macrovascular complications. Recent studies have reported steady increases in diabetes prevalence worldwide due to various social, genetic, and lifestyle-related factors.
Endocrinology
The molecular interactions between the maternal environment and the developing embryo are key for early pregnancy success and are influenced by factors such as maternal metabolic status. Our understanding of the mechanism(s) through which these individual nutritional stressors alter endometrial function and the in utero environment for early pregnancy success is, however, limited.
Beta cell dysfunction is central to the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). In T2D, environmental and genetic influences can manifest beta cell dysfunction in many ways, including impaired glucose-sensing and secretion coupling mechanisms, insufficient adaptative responses to stress, and aberrant beta cell loss through increased cell death and/or beta cell de-differentiation.
Pancreatic β cells dedicate much of their protein translation capacity to producing insulin to maintain glucose homeostasis. In response to increased secretory demand, β cells can compensate by increasing insulin production capability even in the face of protracted peripheral insulin resistance.
Endocrine Reviews
The central nervous system (CNS) receives information from afferent neurons, circulating hormones, and absorbed nutrients and integrates this information to orchestrate the actions of the neuroendocrine and autonomic nervous systems in maintaining systemic metabolic homeostasis.
Diabetes is a global epidemic, of which type 2 diabetes makes up the majority of cases. Nonetheless, for some individuals, type 2 diabetes is eminently preventable and treatable via lifestyle interventions. Glucose uptake into skeletal muscle increases during and in recovery from exercise, with exercise effective at controlling glucose homeostasis in individuals with type 2 diabetes.
In recent decades, the prevalence of obesity and diabetes has risen substantially in North America and worldwide. To address these dual epidemics, researchers and policymakers alike have been searching for effective means to promote healthy lifestyles at a population level.
