Aim
To examine the association between continuous glucose monitoring (CGM)‐derived metrics and cognitive performance in older adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D).
Materials and methods
A total of 100 outpatients with T2D aged 70 years or older were analysed. Participants underwent CGM for 14 days. As CGM‐derived metrics, mean sensor glucose (SG), glucose coefficient of variation (CV), time in range (TIR; 70‐180 mg/dl), time above range (TAR; > 180 mg/dl) and time below range (TBR; < 70 mg/dl), were calculated. Participants underwent cognitive tests, including the Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA‐J), a delayed word‐recall test from the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale‐cognitive subscale, a digit symbol substitution test, a letter word fluency test, a trail‐making test (TMT) and digit span test (DSP).
Results
In multiple regression analyses adjusted for confounders, a higher mean SG was associated with a lower performance in MoCA‐J and TMT part B (TMT‐B) (P < .05). A higher TAR was associated with a lower performance in TMT‐B and DSP‐backward (P < .05). By contrast, a higher TIR was associated with better function in TMT‐B and DSP‐backward (P < .05). Furthermore, CV and TBR were not associated with any cognitive function.
Conclusion
Hyperglycaemia metrics and TIR derived from CGM are associated with cognitive functions, especially with executive function and working memory, in older adults with T2D.
Introduction
The coronavirus disease‐19 (COVID‐19) pandemic presents challenges to the conduct of randomized clinical trials of lifestyle interventions.
Methods
World‐Wide FINGERS is an international network of clinical trials to assess the impact of multidomain lifestyle intervention on cognitive decline in at‐risk adults. Individual trials are tailoring successful approaches from the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER) to local cultures and environments. The network convened a forum for researchers to discuss statistical design and analysis issues they faced during the pandemic. We report on experiences of three trials that, at various stages of conduct, altered designs and analysis plans to navigate these issues. We provide recommendations for future trials to consider as they develop and launch behavioral intervention trials.
Results
The pandemic led researchers to change recruitment plans, interrupt timelines for assessments and intervention delivery, and move to remote intervention and assessment protocols. The necessity of these changes add emphasis to the importance, in study design and analysis, of intention to treat approaches, flexibility, within‐site stratification, interim power projections, and sensitivity analyses.
Discussion
Robust approaches to study design and analysis are critical to negotiate issues related to the intervention. The world‐wide network of similarly oriented clinical trials will allow us to evaluate the effectiveness of responses to the pandemic across cultures, local environments, and phases of the pandemic.
Background: We recently reported the suppressive effects of Lactobacillus helveticus SBT2171 (LH2171) on the proliferation and inflammatory cytokine production of primary murine immune cells in vitro. In this study, we investigated the effect of LH2171 on a murine pollen allergen- induced allergy model.Methods: Male BALB/c mice were fed a diet containing LH2171 (LH2171 group) or a diet not containing LH2171 (control group). Then, pollen allergy was induced by immunization with pollen extract emulsified in alum adjuvant and intranasal administration of pollen extract. To evaluate the anti-allergenic effect of LH2171, the antibody titer in plasma and expression of cytokines and transcription factors in immune tissues were analyzed by ELISA and qRT-PCR.Results: In the LH2171 group, the amounts of pollen-specific antibody and total IgE in plasma were significantly decreased compared with those in the control group. Proliferation and Th2 cytokine production were lower in the submandibular lymph node cells of the LH2171 group than in those of the control group. Moreover, in Peyer’s patches, the gene expression of Il10 and Foxp3 were increased in the LH2171 group.Conclusion: LH2171 has the ability to suppress production of allergy-related antibody and Th2 cytokines, which could be correlated with the induction of anti-inflammatory factors in the intestinal immune system.
Although bifidobacteria are already widely used as beneficial microbes with health-promoting effects, their amino acid utilization and metabolism are not yet fully understood. Knowledge about the metabolism of sulfur-containing amino acids in bifidobacteria is especially limited. In this study, we tested the methionine utilization ability of several bifidobacterial strains when it was the sole available sulfur source. Although bifidobacteria have long been predominantly considered to be cysteine auxotrophs, we showed that this is not necessarily the case. Table S1 Components of bifidobacterial minimal medium (BMM) Components Concentration (per Liter) Glucose 20 g NaCl 9.0 g CH 3 COONa 5.0 g KH 2 PO 4 4.5 g Na 2 CO 3 400 mg (NH 4) 2 SO 4 400 mg MgSO 4 ・7H 2 O 409 mg CaCl 2 ・2H 2 O 250 mg MnCl 2 ・5H 2 O 100 mg Isoleucine 64.5 mg Tyrosine 87 mg Sodium ascorbate 340 mg Inositol 1.4 mg p-Aminobenzoic acid 0.8mg Nicotinic acid 0.6 mg Choline 0.3 mg Pantothenic acid (Ca) 0.3 mg Riboflavin 0.12 mg Pyridoxine・HCl 0.04 mg Folic acid 1.5 g Cysteine or Methionine 242 or 298 mg (2 mM) pH6.5
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