Prediction factors for the risk of diffuse non-toxic goiter development in type 2 diabetic patients.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patient outcomes, treatment options, and corresponding healthcare expenses are affected by the presence of different comorbidities. AIM: The aim of this work was to develop an algorithm for predicting the risk of diffuse non-toxic goitre development in patients with T2DM according to a mathematical model obtained by regression analysis, for the timely implementation of appropriate preventive measures among T2DM patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed 541 medical records of T2DM patients. RESULTS: It was found the following risk factors influencing the occurrence of diffuse non-toxic goitre in patients with T2DM: age, gender, body mass index (BMI), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (fT4). Prognostic model of the risk of diffuse non-toxic goitre development in T2DM patients was built using multiple regression analysis. In order to stratify the risk of diffuse nontoxic goitre development in T2DM patients, the following criteria were proposed: no risk at RCG ≤ 5.0; low risk at 5.1≤ RCG ≤12,9; high risk at RCG ≥13.0.; where RCG - risk coefficient for the diffuse non-toxic goiter development in T2DM patients. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, the developed algorithm and mathematical model for predicting the development of diffuse non-toxic goitre in T2DM patients are highly informative and allow to determine in advance the contingent of patients with a high probability of diffuse non-toxic goitre risk based both on routine laboratory data, such as HbA1c, HOMA-IR, TSH, fT4 levels and such factors as age, gender, and BMI.

SUBCLINICAL HYPOTHYROIDISM AS A CONTRIBUTOR TO MACROVASCULAR COMPLICATIONS IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS.

This study aimed to evaluate changes of the lipid panel data in patients with comorbid type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and to identify the probable prognostic values of the lipid profile for macrovascular complication (MVC) development. The study included 370 patients presented with only T2DM and 30 patients suffering from both T2DM and SCH. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to identify prognostically significant values of the lipid profile with the optimal ratio of sensitivity and specificity for MVC development. All lipid profile values in the patients with T2DM combined with SCH were significantly higher compared to those with only T2DM. At the same time, SCH + T2DM increased the risk of exceeding target levels of triglycerides by 2.9 times and HDL-C by 4.1 times. Analysis of lipid profile values according to macrovascular involvement showed that total cholesterol, LDL-C and non-HDL-C in patients with T2DM and SCH were significantly higher compared to those with only T2DM. The levels of triglycerides >1.65 mmol/L, non-HDL-C >3.74 mmol/L and remnant cholesterol >0.74 mmol/L determined by the ROC analysis can be used for stratification of patients with T2DM combined with SCH into the category of increased risk of MVC development.

Novel virostatic agents against bluetongue virus.

Bluetongue virus (BTV), a member in the family Reoviridae, is a re-emerging animal disease infecting cattle and sheep. With its recent outbreaks in Europe, there is a pressing need for efficacious antivirals. We presented here the identification and characterization of a novel virostatic molecule against BTV, an aminothiophenecarboxylic acid derivative named compound 003 (C003). The virostatic efficacy of C003 could be improved via chemical modification, leading to a de novo synthesized compound 052 (C052). The 50% effective concentrations (EC(50)) of C003 and C052 were determined at 1.76 ± 0.73 µM and 0.27 ± 0.12 µM, respectively. The 50% cytotoxicity concentration (CC(50)) of C003 was over 100 µM and the CC(50) of C052 was at 82.69 µM. Accordingly, the 50% selective index (SI(50)) of C003 and C052 against BTV was over 57 and 306, respectively. The inhibitory effect of C003/C052 on BTV-induced apoptosis was also confirmed via the inhibition of caspase-3/-7 activation post BTV infection. C003/C052 could inhibit BTV induced CPE even when added as late as 24 h.p.i., indicating that they might act at late stage of viral life-cycle. C003/C052 could reduce over two-logs of both the progeny virus production and the number of genomic viral RNA copies. Interestingly, both the activation of host autophagy and viral protein expression were inhibited post BTV infection when cells were treated with C003 and C052, suggesting that C003/C052 might act as virostatic agents via inhibiting host autophagy activation. Although further investigations might be needed to pin down the exact mechanism of C003/C052, our finding suggested that these compounds might be potent lead compounds with potential novel mechanism of action against BTV.