Time-Restricted Eating and Its Metabolic Benefits.

Newer management strategies are being evaluated to treat obesity, which continues to increase worldwide. After 12 h of fasting, the body switches from glucose to fat metabolism, regulating protein synthesis and autophagy. These cellular responses are central to the metabolic benefits of time-restricted eating (TRE), independent of calorie restriction and weight loss, and they have heightened interest in TRE regimens. Controversy remains, however, regarding the benefits of TRE regimens. We reviewed the current literature and concluded that TRE is equivalent to calorie restriction for weight loss and has positive effects for patients with diseases such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

Primary Care Delivery Perceptions and Their Associations with Physician and Patient Gender.

INTRODUCTION: We aim to survey patients' opinions on perceived differences in patient care delivered by male and female physicians. METHODS: Patients of primary care practices at Mayo Clinic, Arizona completed a survey sent through the electronic health record. The survey evaluated opinion regarding their primary care physician (PCP)'s overall healthcare provision capabilities and any perceived differences based on gender. RESULTS: 4983 patients' responses were included in final analysis. Compared to male patients, most female patients preferred to have a female PCP (78.1% vs. 32.7%, p < 0.01). Having a preference for female physicians was correlated with higher overall opinion of female physicians. The majority of male patients did not hold a difference in opinion regarding male versus female physicians (p < 0.01). Male patients were half as likely to have a better opinion and nearly 2.5 times more likely to have a worse opinion of female physicians (p < 0.01) compared to female patients. Patients preferring female physicians were nearly 3 times more likely to have a better opinion of female physicians compared to patients with no preference (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: In a primary care setting, majority of female patients compared to male patients preferred female physicians as their PCP and had higher opinion of the care delivery of female physicians. These findings may influence how practices should assign primary care physicians to new patients and add underlying context to patient satisfaction ratings.

Is your patient at risk for NAFLD?

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects approximately 37% of US adults. The progression from nonalcoholic fatty liver with no inflammation to steatohepatitis with inflammation and progressive fibrosis is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. The epidemic of NAFLD requires that primary care providers recognize at-risk patients and screen them. The authors review identifying individuals at risk, treatment options founded on lifestyle modification, and when to consider referring patients to a hepatologist.

Hepatitis C Testing and Liver Fibrosis Predictors in the Birth Cohort of a Primary Care Practice.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of and risk factors for advanced fibrosis in patients born from 1945 through 1965 (birth cohort) who underwent testing for hepatitis C virus (HCV). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data were extracted from the electronic health record of all patients receiving primary care at a single academic institution who underwent HCV testing between September 8, 2010, and March 5, 2018. The birth cohort patients were the primary focus of the study. Fibrosis 4 (FIB-4) and aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) scores were calculated to screen for fibrosis. RESULTS: During the study period, 7097 birth cohort patients had HCV antibody testing, 3462 (48.8%) of whom were men, 6435 (91.0%) were white, 1028 (14.5%) had diabetes mellitus, 2,034 (36.5%) had an alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level greater than 30 U/L, and 2,396 (34.2%) had body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or greater. Hepatitis C virus antibody was present in 124 (1.7%), 33 (26.6%) of whom had HCV viremia. Estimated prevalence of METAVIR [Meta-analysis of Histological Data in Viral Hepatitis] stage 4 fibrosis was 4.1% (180 of 4433) by a FIB-4 score of 3.25 or greater and 4.3% (204 of 4763) by an APRI score greater than 1.0. The odds ratio (OR) for fibrosis, determined by APRI, was significant for HCV RNA positivity (OR, 15.98; 95% CI, 7.23-35.32; P<.001), diabetes mellitus (OR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.40-2.79; P<.001), and ALT value greater than 30 U/L (OR, 15.07 U/L; 95% CI, 9.27-24.52 U/L; P<.001) but not for body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or greater (OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.56-1.06; P=.11). CONCLUSION: Hepatitis C virus viremia, diabetes mellitus, and elevated ALT levels were associated with increased odds for development of fibrosis. In addition to HCV testing, diabetes mellitus and elevated ALT level are potential parameters to use for recommending noninvasive testing for fibrosis.

Pharmacotherapy for obesity: What you need to know.

Weight-loss drugs are being evaluated for their role in obesity management. This article reviews the available weight-loss drugs, their efficacy and side effects, and their best clinical use.

RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF GLYCEMIC CONTROL FOLLOWING TRANSITION FROM THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT IN A NATIONAL SAMPLE OF U.S. HOSPITALS.

OBJECTIVE: Retrospective study to evaluate glycemic control outcomes after transition from the intensive care unit (ICU) to a non-ICU area in a national sample of U.S. hospitals. METHODS: Mean point-of-care blood glucose (POC-BG) data were assessed overall and at 24 hours before and up to 72 hours after the transition. Comparisons in glucose variability (standard deviation of POC-BG data) were assessed. Impact on glycemic control was evaluated after accounting for hospital characteristics through logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: POC-BG data were obtained from 576 hospitals. Overall mean (SD) POC-BG values in ICU versus non-ICU areas were 176 (24) versus 169 (21) mg/dL (P<.01). Mean (SD) of the ICU POC-BG data were 76 (16) versus 73 (16) mg/dL in the non-ICU data (P<.01). However, when comparing values of POC-BG in the last 24-hour ICU period with those from up to 72 hours posttransition, we found no differences, indicative of overall stable glycemic control and variability after transition. Any deterioration of glucose control following the transition was significantly associated with hospital size (P<.01): the smallest hospitals had the highest percentage of these cases. In addition, geographic region showed significant variability (P = .04), with hospitals in the Midwest and West having the highest proportion of cases in which glycemic control worsened following the transition. CONCLUSION: Glycemic control and variability did not change after transition from the ICU, but outcomes may depend on certain hospital characteristics. Inpatient glycemic control assessment should move beyond just cross-sectional studies and consider the impact of transitioning across inpatient areas. Other statistical approaches to studying this question should be evaluated.

Benchmarking glycemic control in u.s. Hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: Report data on glucose control from 635 U.S. hospitals. METHODS: Point-of-care blood glucose (POC-BG) test data from January through December 2012 from 635 facilities were extracted. Glucose control was evaluated using patient-day-weighted mean POC-BG values. We calculated hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia rates, stratified by presence or absence of intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and we evaluated the relationship between glycemic control and hospital characteristics. RESULTS: In total, 51,375,764 POC-BG measurements (non-ICU, 39,197,762; ICU, 12,178,002) from 2,612,966 patients (non-ICU, 2,415,209; ICU, 575,084) were analyzed. The mean POC-BG was 167 mg/dL for non-ICU patients and 170 mg/dL for ICU patients. The prevalence of hyperglycemia (defined as glucose value >180 mg/dL) was 32.3 and 28.2% in non-ICU and ICU patients, respectively. The prevalence of hypoglycemia (defined as glucose value <70 mg/dL) was 6.1 and 5.6% in non-ICU and ICU patients, respectively. In non-ICU and ICU settings, the patient-day-weighted mean glucose was highest in the smallest hospitals, in rural hospitals, and in hospitals located in the Northeast (all P<.01). For non-ICU patients, we observed a significant difference in the percentage of patient days with hypoglycemia by geographic region only (P<.001). In ICU patients, the prevalence of hypoglycemia varied significantly by hospital type (P<.03) and geographic region (P<.01). CONCLUSION: In this largest POC-BG data set analysis conducted to date, glycemic control varied according to hospital characteristics. Our findings remain consistent with previous reports. Among other variables, national benchmarking of inpatient glucose data will need to consider differences in hospital characteristics.

Trends in glycemic control over a 2-year period in 126 US hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Cross-sectional data on inpatient glucose control in a large sample of US hospitals are now available, but little is known about changes in glycemic control over time in these institutions. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate trends in glycemic control in US hospitals over 2 years. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. METHODS: Point-of-care blood glucose (POC-BG) test results at 126 hospitals during January to December 2007 and January to December 2009 were extracted using the Remote Automated Laboratory System-Plus (Medical Automation Systems, Charlottesville, VA), and patient-day-weighted mean glucose levels were compared. SETTING/PATIENTS: Hospitalized patients. RESULTS: A total of 12,541,929 POC-BG measurements from 1,010,705 patients were analyzed for 2007, and 10,659,418 POC-BG measurements from 656,206 patients were analyzed for 2009. Patient-day-weighted mean POC-BG in 2009 decreased by 5 mg/dL in the non-intensive care unit (non-ICU) data compared with that in 2007 (154 mg/dL vs 159 mg/dL, respectively; P < 0.001). However, POC-BG values were clinically unchanged in intensive care unit (ICU) data from 2009 vs 2007 (167 mg/dL vs 166 mg/dL; P < 0.001). From 2007 to 2009, the proportion of patient-day-weighted mean POC-BGs that were >180 mg/dL declined from 28% to 25% in non-ICU patients (P < 0.001), but not in ICU. Decreases in patient-day-weighted mean POC-BG values in non-ICU patients were significant regardless of hospital size, type, and geographic region (all P < 0.001), but similar decreases were not found in ICU data. CONCLUSIONS: In this first analysis of glucose changes in US hospitals, improvements over 2 years occurred in non-ICU patients. Ongoing analysis will determine whether this trend continues.

A sensitive high throughput ELISA for human eosinophil peroxidase: a specific assay to quantify eosinophil degranulation from patient-derived sources.

Quantitative high throughput assays of eosinophil-mediated activities in fluid samples from patients in a clinical setting have been limited to ELISA assessments for the presence of the prominent granule ribonucleases, ECP and EDN. However, the demonstration that these ribonucleases are expressed by leukocytes other than eosinophils, as well as cells of non-hematopoietic origin, limits the usefulness of these assays. Two novel monoclonal antibodies recognizing eosinophil peroxidase (EPX) were used to develop an eosinophil-specific and sensitive sandwich ELISA. The sensitivity of this EPX-based ELISA was shown to be similar to that of the commercially available ELISA kits for ECP and EDN. More importantly, evidence is also presented confirming that among these granule protein detection options, EPX-based ELISA is the only eosinophil-specific assay. The utility of this high throughput assay to detect released EPX was shown in ex vivo degranulation studies with isolated human eosinophils. In addition, EPX-based ELISA was used to detect and quantify eosinophil degranulation in several in vivo patient settings, including bronchoalveolar lavage fluid obtained following segmental allergen challenge of subjects with allergic asthma, induced sputum derived from respiratory subjects following hypotonic saline inhalation, and nasal lavage of chronic rhinosinusitis patients. This unique EPX-based ELISA thus provides an eosinophil-specific assay that is sensitive, reproducible, and quantitative. In addition, this assay is adaptable to high throughput formats (e.g., automated assays utilizing microtiter plates) using the diverse patient fluid samples typically available in research and clinical settings.

An outpatient-based clinical program for diabetes prevention: an update.

OBJECTIVE: To update outcomes of the Diet-Exercise-Activity-Lifestyle (DEAL) program, a clinic-based diabetes prevention intervention. METHODS: Changes in weight, fasting blood glucose, and 2-hour glucose after a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test were evaluated in patients who enrolled in the DEAL program between January 2007 and August 2009. RESULTS: The 221 qualified participants had a mean age of 62 years, weight of 87.4 kg, body mass index of 31.2 kg/m², fasting glucose level of 109 mg/dL, and 2-hour glucose value of 138 mg/dL. Among the program participants, 67% were women and 88% were white; 56% had isolated impaired fasting glucose, 5% had impaired glucose tolerance only, and 39% had both. The 6-month follow-up medical appointment was kept by 72% of program participants, but only 56% attended the 12-month visit. By 6 months after baseline, 59% had significantly lower fasting glucose concentrations, 59% had improvement in 2-hour glucose levels, and 61% had weight loss. Nearly 40%, however, were nonresponders and had increased fasting glucose, 2-hour glucose, and weight by 6 months. By the 12-month visit, significant declines in fasting glucose (P<.001), 2-hour glucose (P<.001), and weight (P = .008) occurred in comparison with baseline values; however, no significant changes occurred in these measures between the 6- and 12-month visits (P>.30 for all). CONCLUSION: Most DEAL participants showed improvement in glucose levels and weight, but some patients exhibited worsening glucose intolerance. Factors underlying nonresponse need to be identified. Ongoing experience and analysis should help revise the DEAL program so that outcomes for all participating patients will improve.

Hemoglobin A1c testing alone does not sufficiently identify patients with prediabetes.

Whether hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)) values are suitable for diagnosing diabetes has been debated. We sought to assess the prevalence of elevated HbA(1c) levels in a prediabetes patient population. Oral glucose tolerance tests and HbA(1c) levels were analyzed for patients entering a diabetes prevention program between January 1, 2007, and September 13, 2009. We calculated the percentage of patients with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and/or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) who had HbA(1c) values in the 6.0% to 6.4% range or in the 5.7% to 6.4% range. The mean age of the 242 patients was 62 years; 64.0% were women, and 88.0% were white. Isolated IFG was detected in about 56.2% of patients and combined IFG and IGT in about 37.2%. Only 28.5% of patients had HbA(1c) values in the 6.0% to 6.4% range, whereas 65.3% had values in the 5.7% to 6.4% range. Our data suggest that reliance on HbA(1c) testing alone to identify candidates for a diabetes prevention program would miss a substantial number of eligible patients.

An outpatient-based clinical program for type 2 diabetes prevention.

OBJECTIVE: To review first-year results of a clinic-based type 2 diabetes prevention program. METHODS: From January through December 2007, patients with a diagnosis of prediabetes participated in the Diet-Exercise-Activity-Lifestyle program for instruction in lifestyle changes. Physical therapy assessments were retrospectively reviewed to search for symptoms or findings of physical impairments. Changes in weight and 2-hour glucose tolerance test results were assessed at 6 months. Patient satisfaction with the program was evaluated. RESULTS: Ninety-two patients qualified for the program. Mean baseline fasting glucose concentration was 108 mg/dL, and 2-hour glucose concentration was 134 mg/dL. Mean age was 62 years, and 66% were women. Review of physical therapy assessments demonstrated gait/balance disturbances in 47% of patients, peripheral neuropathy in 43%, and musculoskeletal problems in 63%. Among 47 patients who had 6-month follow-up visits, 72% lost weight. Fasting glucose levels improved in 58% in persons with impaired fasting glucose, and 2-hour glucose values decreased in patients who had impaired glucose tolerance. Seventy-eight percent graded the program as either "very good" or "excellent." CONCLUSIONS: Programs geared toward type 2 diabetes prevention can be feasibly implemented on an outpatient basis. Preliminary data suggest that improvements in weight and glucose values can be achieved. As the prevalence of prediabetes increases, health care systems must gain further experience with effective outpatient diabetes prevention strategies.