Objectives: This study investigated the clinical efficacy and safety of metformin hydrochloride sustained-release (SR) tablet (II) produced by Dulening and the original metformin hydrochloride tablet produced by Glucophage in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: This randomized, open and parallel controlled clinical trial consecutively recruited a total of 886 patients with T2DM in 40 clinical centers between May 2016 and December 2018. These patients were randomly assigned to the Dulening group (n=446), in which patients were treated with Dulening metformin SR tablets, and the Glucophage group (n=440), in which patients were treated with Glucophage metformin tablets, for 16 weeks. The changes in the levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbAc1) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) as well as weight loss were compared between these two groups. Also, the overall incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and the incidence of ADR of the gastrointestinal system observed in patients of these two groups were also compared. Results: There were no significant differences in demographic and basal clinical characteristics between these two groups. The Dulening and Glucophage groups showed comparable levels of decrease in HbA1c levels, FBG and weight loss after 12-week treatment (all p>0.05). The Dulening group had a significantly lower overall incidence of ADRs as well as gastrointestinal ADR than the Glucophage group. Conclusions: Metformin SR tablets (II) and the original metformin tablets exhibit similar therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of T2DM, but metformin SR tablets (II) has the significantly lower incidence of ADRs than the original metformin tablets.

Background. The prevalence of diabetes and potentially related complications, including stroke, is rapidly increasing in China. The long-term effects of lifestyle may affect glucose metabolism in the general population. Although some studies have shown an association between smoking and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), the relationship remains unclear. Furthermore, the relationship between smoking and stroke in patients with T2DM has not been fully elucidated. Objective. We investigated the influence of cigarette smoking on T2DM and stroke in China. Detailed questionnaires about smoking status and anthropometric measurement were completed by participants, and oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR), and blood lipids were measured. Results. In total, 8196 adults aged 40 years or older were included. We found a reduced risk of impaired glucose regulation (IGR) and T2DM in male smokers with normal weight (bodymassindexBMI<25kg/m2 or waistcircumferenceWC<90cm) compared with nonsmokers after adjusting for age, alcohol intake, physical activity, educational level, family history of diabetes, SBP, DBP, TG, TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C. However, no significant association was detected in male current smokers with overweight/obesity or female smokers. In addition, compared with nonsmokers without T2DM, current smokers with T2DM had a significantly higher risk of stroke (odds ratio: 2.64, 95% confidence interval: 1.25–5.57; P=0.011) after adjusting for confounders. Conclusions. Smoking was negatively associated with T2DM in Chinese men of normal body weight, but no significant association was found for men with overweight/obesity or women. In addition, smoking was positively associated with nonfatal stroke, especially in patients with T2DM. Further prospective studies are needed to examine the association between smoking, diabetes, and stroke in different ethnic groups.

Introduction: This study aimed to explore the novel classification of inpatients with new-onset diabetes in Eastern China by the cluster-based classification method and compare the clinical characteristics among the different subgroups.Methods: A total of 1017 Inpatients with new-onset diabetes of five hospitals in Eastern China were included in the study. Clustering analysis was used to cluster the data into five subgroups according to six basic variables. The differences in clinical characteristics, treatments, and the prevalence of diabetes-related diseases among the five subgroups were analyzed by multiple groups comparisons and pairwise comparisons. The risk of diabetes-related diseases in the five subgroups was compared by calculating odd ratio (OR). P value < 0.05 was considered significant.Results: Five subgroups were obtained by clustering analysis with the highest proportion of patients with severe insulin-deficient diabetes (SIDD) 451 (44.35%), followed by patients with mild age-related diabetes (MARD) 236 (23.21%), patients with mild obesity-related diabetes (MOD) 207 (20.35%), patients with severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD) 81 (7.96%), and patients with severe autoimmune diabetes (SAID) 42 (4.13%). Five subtypes had their own unique characteristics and treatments. The prevalence and risk of diabetes-related complications and comorbidities were also significantly different among the five subtypes. Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) was the most common in SIRD group. Patients in SIDD, SIRD, and MARD groups were more likely to develop cardiovascular disease (CVD) and/or stroke, diabetic peripheral vascular disease (DPVD), and diabetic distal symmetric polyneuropathy (DSPN). The prevalence and risk of metabolic syndrome (MS) were the highest in MOD and SIRD groups. Patients in SAID group had the highest prevalence and risk of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Patients with MOD were more likely to develop non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).Conclusions: The inpatients with new-onset diabetes in Eastern China had the unique clustering distribution. The clinical characteristics, treatments, and diabetes-related complications and comorbidities of the five subgroups were different, which may provide the basis for precise treatments of diabetes.

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is highly aggressive and tends to develop drug resistance to standard chemotherapies. To overcome the drug resistance of ATC, we synthesized dopamine-melanin nanoparticles (MNPs) loaded with doxorubicin (Dox) molecules. The Dox-loaded MNPs (Dox-MNPs) developed exhibited increased cellular uptake and enhanced therapeutic efficacy in drug-resistant ATC cell line HTh74R, compared with free Dox. The native MNPs were found to have excellent biocompatibility, which suggests that Dox-MNPs may have potential in the treatment of ATC.