The Prevalence of Diabetes and Prediabetes in the Adult Population of Jeddah,Saudi Arabia- A Community-Based Survey

BackgroundType 2 (T2DM) is believed to be common in Saudi Arabia, but data are limited. In this population survey, we determined the prevalence of T2DM and prediabetes.ResultsAge and sex standardized prevalence of prediabetes was 9.0% (95% CI 7.5–10.5); 9.4% (7.1–11.8) in men and 8.6% (6.6–10.6) in women. For DM it was 12.1% (10.7–13.5); 12.9% (10.7–13.5) in men and 11.4% (9.5–13.3) in women. The prevalence based on World Population as standard was 18.3% for DM and 11.9% for prediabetes. The prevalence of DM and prediabetes increased with age. Of people aged ≥50 years 46% of men and 44% of women had DM. Prediabetes and DM were associated with various measures of adiposity. DM was also associated with and family history of dyslipidemia in women, cardiovascular disease in men, and with hypertension, dyslipidemia and family history of diabetes in both sexes.DiscussionAge was the strongest predictor of DM and prediabetes followed by obesity. Of people aged 50 years or over almost half had DM and another 10–15% had prediabetes leaving only a small proportion of people in this age group with normoglycemia. Since we did not use an oral glucose tolerance test the true prevalence of DM and prediabetes is thus likely to be even higher than reported here. These results demonstrate the urgent need to develop primary prevention strategies for type 2 diabetes in Saudi Arabia.     

Chromium Status and Glucose Tolerance in Saudi Men With and Without Coronary Artery Disease

Chromium deficiency is associated with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and dyslipidemia. Hence, the objective of the current study was to investigate chromium status among Saudi men with and without established cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its relationship to glucose tolerance, lipid profile and other established CVD risk factors. We measured serum and urine chromium concentrations, fasted lipid profile, plasma glucose, and serum lipid peroxide in 130 Saudi men with an established history of myocardial infarction and 130 age-matched controls without established CVD. Patients with established CVD had higher serum triglycerides (p < 0.05) and plasma glucose (p < 0.0001) and lower serum and urinary chromium concentrations (p < 0.0001) than controls. Serum chromium was inversely correlated with plasma glucose among cases and controls (r = −0.189, p < 0.05 and r = −0.354, p < 0.00001, respectively). Plasma glucose (OR 1.127, CI 1.0–1.269, p < 0.05), serum chromium (OR 0.99, CI 0.985–0.995, p < 0.0001), and urinary chromium (OR 0.988, CI 0.981–0.995, p < 0.001) were independently associated with the presence of established coronary disease applying this model. While chromium metabolism appears to be altered in individuals with CVD, it is unclear whether chromium supplementation would be effective in CVD prevention among patients with IGT. This would need to be tested in long-term outcome trials.     

Molecular docking analysis and dynamics simulation of salbutamol with the monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) enzyme

The monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) enzyme is linked with Parkinson''s disease. Therefore, it is of interest to document the molecular docking analysis and dynamics simulation of salbutamol, a well-known β2-adrenoceptor agonist, with the monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) enzyme for further consideration in drug design and development.     

The adaptor function of SHP-2 downstream of the prolactin receptor is required for the recruitment of p29, a substrate of SHP-2

SHP-2, a cytosolic protein tyrosine phosphatase with two SH2 domains and multiple tyrosine phosphorylation sites, contributes to signal transduction as an enzyme and/or adaptor molecule. Here we demonstrate that prolactin (PRL) stimulation of the PRL-responsive Nb2 cells, a rat lymphoma cell line, and T47D cells, a human breast cancer cell line, lead to the complex formation of SHP-2 and growth factor receptor-bound protein-2 (grb2). Using transient co-overexpression studies of the prolactin receptor (PRLR) and several tyrosine to phenylalanine mutants of SHP-2, we show that grb2 associates with SHP-2 through the C-terminal tyrosine residues of SHP-2, Y(546) and Y(584). Furthermore, in this study, we found a highly phosphorylated, 29-kDa protein (p29), a substrate of SHP-2. The recruitment of p29 to SHP-2 requires the carboxy-terminal tyrosine residues of SHP-2 (Y(546) and Y(584)). Together, our results indicate that SHP-2 may function as an adaptor molecule downstream of the PRLR and highlight a new recruitment mechanism of SHP-2 substrates.     

Serum Myeloperoxidase as a Biomarker of Asthma Severity Among Adults: A Case Control Study

Background:The contribution of neutrophils is still indistinct in the inflammatory response of bronchial asthma (BAs). Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is an enzyme released from the primary azurophilic granules of the neutrophils. The study aimed to evaluate the levels of serum MPO as a biomarker for the assessment of the level of asthma control. Methods:The study participants included 94 asthmatic patients and 86 healthy controls. The identification of asthma severity had assessed using the ''''Global Initiative for Asthma guidelines''''. Asthmatic adults had divided into three groups: Good (n= 22), partial (n= 30), and poor control (n= 44). Also, patients have been divided again into two groups (treated and untreated) for BAs.Results:The predicted FEV1% and the peak expiratory flow (PEF/L) of all participants had verified by spirometry. The mean patients’ age was 31.9±15.1 year, with a predominance of females. The mean asthma duration was 10.5±8.6 years. Mean spirometric parameters (FEV1 and PEF) were significantly lower among the patients (0.00). Significant higher MPO levels had observed among BAs patients (p-0.00). The MPO levels have not differed significantly with asthma levels and had significant differences with the history of treatment. There was a nonsignificant negative correlation between the mean MPO levels and the spirometry variables among the patients. ROC curves revealed a sensitivity, specificity, accuracy for MPO (80.9%, 72.1%, and 84.3%), respectively to predict asthmatic severity.Conclusion:There were significantly higher MPO levels compared to healthy controls. Levels of serum MPO had a non-significant positive correlation with levels of asthma control, but a negative non-significant correlation with spirometric results. Key Words: Asthma, And Neutrophils, FEV1, MPO, PEF