Interest in finding natural antioxidants for use in food or medical materials to prevent free radical imbalance has increased considerably over the past years. The aim of this research was to evaluate changes in glycemic control and psychological state of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) after use of antioxidant plant preparations. Fifty-six patients with T2DM were randomly allocated to receive standardized Ginkgo biloba L. leaves dry extract, green tea dry extract, or placebo capsules. Diabetes glycemic control measured as glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level, antioxidant state and psychological data were evaluated at baseline, after 9 and 18 months of using either antioxidant preparations or placebo. The level of perceived stress lowered significantly after 9 months (p=0.038) and 18 months (p=0.030), and the psychological aspect of quality of life significantly improved after 18 months (p=0.019) of use of G. biloba extract. No significant differences were detected after using green tea extract. In patients using placebo, significant lowering of HbA1c level was observed after 18 months (p=0.017). In conclusion, antioxidant G. biloba leaf extract exhibited a mild effect on psychological state and a trend of improving glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

High diabetes distress level was found in 22.8% of participants. Lack of confidence in self-care (6.0 vs 3.0, p=0.002), negative emotional consequences (10.0 vs 6.0, p=0.004), and overall score (18.75 vs 11.25, p=0.002) were higher in adult than in adolescent males, when adjusted for age at T1D onset. Negative emotional consequences (13.0 vs 10.0, p=0.005) and overall score (25.0 vs 20.0, p=0.016) were higher in adult compared to adolescent females, when adjusted for age at T1D onset. Lack of confidence in self-care (6.0 vs 3.0, p=0.002), negative emotional consequences (10.0 vs 6.0, p=0.015), and overall score (20.0 vs 11.2, p=0.005) were higher in adolescent females compared to males, when adjusted for age at T1D onset. Negative emotional consequences score was higher in adult females compared to males (13.0 vs 10.0, p=0.029), when adjusted for age at T1D onset. In conclusion, our findings show that patients with T1D have greater burden of diabetes distress in emerging adulthood than in adolescence and add to evidence suggesting the importance of addressing diabetes distress in clinical care and the necessity of wider picture beyond the physical manifestation of diabetes to be taken into consideration.

The study aimed to analyse emotional state, quality of life and cognitive functions in young hypogonadal men. Thirty-four males with hypogonadism (age 29.1 ± 10.5 years) and 34 age-matched healthy males (age 30.5 ± 11.0 years) were recruited. Their emotional state was evaluated by Profile of Mood States, quality of life - by WHO Brief Quality of Life Questionnaire - and cognitive functioning - by Trail Making Test and Digit Span Test of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. It was found that young men with hypogonadism had higher depression-dejection (13.1 ± 8.8 versus 7.4 ± 5.9, P = 0.003), fatigue-inertia (10.0 ± 5.8 versus 7.0 ± 4.9, P = 0.030), confusion-bewilderment (5.1 ± 4.6 versus 2.3 ± 3.1, P = 0.004) and lower vigour-activity (14.3 ± 5.1 versus 17.7 ± 4.3, P = 0.008) levels than age- and sex-matched controls. Quality of life psychological (13.1 ± 2.8 versus 15.1 ± 1.9, P = 0.005) and social (13.6 ± 2.4 versus 15.7 ± 2.0, P < 0.001) domains were significantly worse in men with hypogonadism than in controls. Cognitive functions were significantly worse (P < 0.001) in men with hypogonadism than in controls, showing worse executive function, attention, visual scanning abilities and psychomotor speed. A significant correlation was found between testosterone concentration and quality of life psychological domain. Cognitive functioning scores were significantly related with FT4 concentration. It is concluded that young hypogonadal patients have impaired emotional state and quality of life, but the most severe impairment was found in cognitive functioning.

Objective: to examine cognitive functions, emotional state and quality of life of patients with Turner syndrome (TS) after growth hormone therapy discontinuation. Patients and Methods: Anthropometric measurements, cognitive functioning, emotional state and quality of life of eighteen Lithuanian patients with TS were compared to that of age-and sex-matched controls. Height and weight of girls with TS were significantly lower than in the controls, though differences in body mass index were not significant. Results: Tension-anxiety (10.61±7.21 vs. 6.72±3.98, p=0.02) and depression-dejection (14.72±11.87 vs. 8.49±6.29, p=0.02) were significantly higher, vigor-activity (13.05±4.77 vs. 16.13± 4.36, p=0.04) was significantly lower and scores of cognitive functioning (53.18±29.46 vs. 26.79±7.31 and 96.94±44.59 vs. 58.07±15.43, p=0.001) were significantly higher (showing worse psychomotoric speed)in patients with TS than in the controls. Quality of life (9.53±5.19 vs. 6.35±4.19, p=0.03) in girls with TS was significantly worse than in healthy girls of the same age. Conclusion, patients with Turner syndrome are shorter, have lower weight, higher waistto-hip ratio, impaired cognitive functions (worse psychomotoric speed), altered emotional state (higher tension-anxiety and depression-dejection, lower vigor-activity scores) and lower quality of life than age-and sex-matched controls.

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