ObjectiveTo study the indices of some elements of the complete blood count, in type 2 diabetic patients, in comparison with nondiabetic healthy controls; and to find out the effects of glycemic control and different medications on these indices. To the best of our knowledge, this study is novel in our environment and will serve as a foundation for other researchers in this field.MethodsThis retrospective study included 260 type 2 diabetic patients on treatment and 44 healthy control subjects. Sex, age, weight, height, blood pressure, complete blood count, fasting plasma glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and lipid profile data, were available for all of the study population. For diabetic patients, data on duration of diabetes and all medications were also available.ResultsRed cell distribution width (RDW) was significantly higher in diabetic patients than in control subjects (P=0.008). It was also higher in patients with uncontrolled glycemia (HbA1c >7%) than those with good control (HbA1c ≤7%; P=0.035). Mean platelet volume (MPV) was comparable in both diabetic patients and healthy controls (P=0.238). RDW and MPV did not significantly correlate with fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, or duration of diabetes. Both aspirin and clopidogrel did not show a significant effect on MPV. Both insulin and oral hypoglycemic agents did not show a significant effect on RDW, mean corpuscular volume, MPV, platelet count, or white blood cell count. Diabetic patients treated with indapamide or the combined thiazides and angiotensin receptor blockers showed no significant difference in RDW when compared with the control subjects.ConclusionRDW, which is recently considered as an inflammatory marker with a significant predictive value of mortality in diseased and healthy populations, is significantly higher in diabetic patients than healthy subjects and is particularly higher in uncontrolled glycemia. None of the studied hypoglycemic agents showed a significant effect on RDW. Diabetic hypertensive patients receiving antihypertensive therapy in the form of indapamide or the combined therapy of thiazides and angiotensin receptor blockers have RDW values comparable to those of the healthy population.

Helicobacter pylori ( H . pylori ) is known to colonize gastric mucosa, induce inflammation, and alter gastric microbiota resulting in a spectrum of gastric diseases. Likewise, changes in gut microbiota have recently been linked with various metabolic and inflammatory diseases. While extensive number of studies were published examining the relationship between H . pylori and gastric microbiota, little is known about the impact of H . pylori on downstream gut microbiota. In this study, we performed 16 S rRNA and ITS2-based microbial profiling analysis of 60 stool samples from adult individuals. Remarkably, the gut microbiota of H . pylori infected individuals was shown to be increased of members belonging to Succinivibrio, Coriobacteriaceae, Enterococcaceae, and Rikenellaceae. Moreover, gut microbiota of H . pylori infected individuals was shown to have increased abundance of Candida glabrata and other unclassified Fungi. These results links possible role for H . pylori -associated changes in the gut microbiota in intestinal mucosal barrier disruption and early stage colorectal carcinoma deployment. Altogether, the identified differences in bacterial and fungal composition provides important information that may eventually lead to the development of novel biomarkers and more effective management strategies.

Color Doppler flow of the inferior thyroid artery can be used in the differential diagnosis of thyrotoxicosis, especially when there is a contraindication of thyroid scintigraphy by radioactive material in some patients.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) drastically affects the population of Middle East countries with an ever-increasing number of overweight and obese individuals. The precise links between T2DM and gut microbiome composition remain elusive in these populations. Here, we performed 16 S rRNA and ITS2-gene based microbial profiling of 50 stool samples from Emirati adults with or without T2DM. the four major enterotypes initially described in westernized cohorts were retrieved in this emirati population. T2DM and non-T2DM healthy controls had different microbiome compositions, with an enrichment in Prevotella enterotype in non-T2DM controls whereas T2DM individuals had a higher proportion of the dysbiotic Bacteroides 2 enterotype. No significant differences in microbial diversity were observed in T2DM individuals after controlling for cofounding factors, contrasting with reports from westernized cohorts. Interestingly, fungal diversity was significantly decreased in Bacteroides 2 enterotype. Functional profiling from 16 S rRNA gene data showed marked differences between T2DM and non-T2DM controls, with an enrichment in amino acid degradation and LPS-related modules in T2DM individuals, whereas non-T2DM controls had increased abundance of carbohydrate degradation modules in concordance with enterotype composition. These differences provide an insight into gut microbiome composition in emirati population and its potential role in the development of diabetes mellitus. The gut microbiome is a critical reservoir of microbial species and their genes and genomes present in the human gastrointestinal tract. Host genetics, environment, diet, the immune system, and many other lifestyle factors interact with the gut microbiome to regulate their composition and function 1. Data are bringing convincing evidence that gut microbiome plays an important role in human health and diseases 2. Studies have indeed linked gut microbiome richness and composition with a spectrum of cardiometabolic and neurodegenerative disorders including obesity, diabetes, cancer, depression, and schizophrenia amongst others 3-5. Especially the pathogenic association between gut microbiome and type 2 diabetes is quickly gaining momentum in the world through many reports. This is also due to the availability of technological advancements in metagenomics, which enable the dissection of the complex relationship between gut microbiome and diabetes. These reports suggested that T2DM is associated with dysbiosis, a reduction in microbiome richness, altered bacterial composition and functional properties 6. Among these, were reported a lowered abundance of butyrate-producing microbes, an altered firmicutes / bacteroidetes ratio, and an increase in opportunistic