Context Reduced bone material strength index (BMSi) and increased cortical porosity (CtPo) have emerged as potentially contributing to fracture risk in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Objective To determine whether BMSi or CtPo are related to other diabetic complications. Design Cross-sectional observational study. Setting Subjects recruited from a random sample of southeast Minnesota residents. Participants A total of 171 T2DM patients (mean age, 68.8 years) and 108 age-matched nondiabetic controls (mean age, 67.3 years). Main Measures Bone material strength index was measured using microindentation, skin advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) measured using autofluorescence, high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography at the distal radius and tibia, assessment of diabetic microvascular complications including urine microalbuminuria, retinopathy, neuropathy, and vascular disease (ankle brachial index and transcutaneous oxygen tension [TcPO₂]). All analyses were adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index. Results Skin AGEs were negatively correlated with the BMSi in both T2DM (r = -0.30, P < 0.001) and control (r = -0.23, P = 0.020) subjects. In relating diabetic complications to CtPo, we found that T2DM patients with clinically significant peripheral vascular disease (TcPO₂ ≤ 40 mm Hg) had higher (+21.0%, P = 0.031) CtPo at the distal tibia as compared to controls; in these subjects, CtPo was negatively correlated with TcPO₂ at both the distal tibia (r = -0.39, P = 0.041) and radius (r = -0.41, P = 0.029). Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that bone material properties are related to AGE accumulation regardless of diabetes status, while CtPo in T2DM patients is linked to TcPO₂, a measure of microvascular blood flow.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to assess efficacy and safety of the hepatitis B vaccination in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients receiving conventional and/or biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Methods: A longitudinal open-label study was conducted. Of 46 RA patients, 33 received only conventional synthetic DMARDs, and 13 received both conventional synthetic DMARDs and biological DMARDs, and 9 healthy age- and sex-matched control subjects were vaccinated with 20 μg recombinant hepatitis B vaccine (EuVax B) at weeks 0, 4, and 24. Hepatitis B surface antibody levels were measured 8 weeks after the last dose of vaccination. Seroprotection was defined as hepatitis B surface antibody level of 10 mIU/mL or greater. Disease Activity Score in 28 Joints scores were recorded at weeks 0, 4, and 32 in 46 RA patients who received hepatitis B vaccination and 47 treatment-matched RA patients who did not receive it. Adverse events were recorded at each visit. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 16.0. Results: Seroprotection was lower in the RA patients than in the control subjects (64% vs. 100%, p = 0.045). Patients receiving biological DMARDs and conventional DMARDs had a lower proportion of seroprotection compared with the control group (50% vs. 100% [p = 0.02] and 69.7% vs. 100% [p = 0.09], respectively). Among RA patients, responders were younger than nonresponders with a mean age of 57.5 (SD, 9.0) years and 64.9 (SD, 10.9) years (p = 0.04) and less likely to be treated with rituximab (6.9% vs. 37.5%, p = 0.01). Overall, hepatitis B vaccination was well tolerated. The rate of RA flare was not increased after hepatitis B vaccination. Conclusions: Patients with RA receiving DMARDs had less humoral response to hepatitis B vaccination as compared with control subjects. Aging and rituximab use were associated with impaired response to hepatitis B vaccination. Hepatitis B vaccination is safe and well tolerated in RA patients.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL) ratio has emerged as a potential marker for CVD risk. However, its predictive value for high 10-year predicted Cardiovascular (CV) risk remains unclear; This study evaluates the predictive value of the TG/HDL-C ratio for 10-year cardiovascular risk using the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) risk prediction model in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). A cross-sectional study was conducted on 61,004 adults from 2014,2015, and 2018 aged 30–74 years with T2DM, without a history of CVD. The FHS model was used to estimate 10-year predicted CV risk, and high CVD risk was defined as ≥ 20%. ROC curve analysis was used to determine the optimal TG/HDL cutoff for high 10-year predicted CV risk in the overall population and age-specific subgroups. Logistic regression was performed to find the association between TG/HDL and high 10-year predicted CV risk, adjusting for potential confounders. The optimal TG/HDL-C cutoff was 2.52 (AUC = 0.618, 95% CI: 0.612–0.624), with 67% sensitivity and 50% specificity. Higher TG/HDL were associated with increased odds of high predicted CVD risk in a dose-dependent manner, with an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of 5.16 (95% CI: 4.86–5.49) in the highest TG/HDL quartile (> 4.91). Age-stratified analysis identified lower cutoffs for older adults (≥ 60 years: 2.42, AUC = 0.694) than younger individuals (< 60 years: 2.98, AUC = 0.636), indicating stronger predictive performance in older adults. The TG/HDL ratio is significantly associated with 10-year predicted CVD risk in T2DM with age-specific differences in predictive value. The lower cutoff for older adults (2.42) suggests even modest elevations indicate increased risk. These findings support TG/HDL integration into routine CVD risk assessments and highlight the importance of age-specific cutoffs for improved risk stratification.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is closely linked with sarcopenia. The lack of validated, easy, and effective sarcopenia screening tools for people with T2DM may result in underdiagnosis, delayed interventions, and worsening outcomes. This study evaluated and compared the diagnostic accuracy of various sarcopenia screening tools in T2DM outpatients. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 329 people with T2DM at Phramongkutklao Hospital, Thailand, between December 2023 and November 2024. This study compared eight sarcopenia screening tools. The Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 (AWGS 2019) criteria served as the reference standard. Sensitivity, Specificity, and diagnostic accuracy were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The optimal cutoffs were identified with the Youden index. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 23.7%. Calf circumference showed the highest diagnostic accuracy at standard cutoff (AUC: 0.892), with optimised cutoff points of < 37.0 cm for males and < 36.0 cm for females, and achieved high sensitivity (90.1% for males, 91.1% for females) with acceptable specificity (77.2% for males, 67.8% for females). Neck circumference demonstrated diagnostic utility (AUC: 0.741) with proposed thresholds of < 39.5 cm (males) and < 36.5 cm (females), yielding moderate sensitivity (69.7% for males, 82.2% for females) and acceptable specificity (78.9% for males, 62.6% for females). Questionnaire-based tools showed limited diagnostic accuracy with SARC-CalF performing the best (AUC: 0.789, sensitivity: 48.7%, specificity: 93.2%). Among physical performance tests, handgrip strength was the most accurate (AUC: 0.716), although these tests generally exhibited high sensitivity, but lower specificity. Calf circumference was the most effective screening tool for sarcopenia in people with T2DM. Neck circumference emerged as a promising alternative at optimal cutoff values, offering a simple, novel and practice screening tool option. These findings support the implementation of anthropometric measures for sarcopenia screening in clinical settings, particularly in outpatient care.