The aim was to evaluate the impact of bariatric surgery on cardiac and sudomotor autonomic C-fiber function in obese subjects with and without Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), using sudorimetry and heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. Patients were evaluated at baseline, 4, 12 and 24 weeks after vertical sleeve gastrectomy or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. All subjects were assessed using Sudoscan^TM to measure electrochemical skin conductance (ESC) of hands and feet, time and frequency domain analysis of HRV, Neurologic Impairment Scores of lower legs (NIS-LL), quantitative sensory tests (QST) and sural nerve conduction studies. Seventy subjects completed up to 24-weeks of follow-up (24 non-T2DM, 29 pre-DM and 17 T2DM). ESC of feet improved significantly towards normal in T2DM subjects (Baseline = 56.71±3.98 vs 12-weeks = 62.69±3.71 vs 24-weeks = 70.13±2.88, p<0.005). HRV improved significantly in T2DM subjects (Baseline sdNN (sample difference of the beat to beat (NN) variability) = 32.53±4.28 vs 12-weeks = 44.94±4.18 vs 24-weeks = 49.71±5.19, p<0,001 and baseline rmsSD (root mean square of the difference of successive R-R intervals) = 23.88±4.67 vs 12-weeks = 38.06±5.39 vs 24-weeks = 43.0±6.25, p<0.0005). Basal heart rate (HR) improved significantly in all groups, as did weight, body mass index (BMI), percent body fat, waist circumference and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C), insulin and HOMA2-IR (homeostatic model assessment) levels improved significantly in pre-DM and T2DM subjects. On multiple linear regression analysis, feet ESC improvement was independently associated with A1C, insulin and HOMA2-IR levels at baseline, and improvement in A1C at 24 weeks, after adjusting for age, gender and ethnicity. Sudomotor function improvement was not associated with baseline weight, BMI, % body fat or lipid levels. Improvement in basal HR was also independently associated with A1C, insulin and HOMA2-IR levels at baseline. This study shows that bariatric surgery can restore both cardiac and sudomotor autonomic C-fiber dysfunction in subjects with diabetes, potentially impacting morbidity and mortality.

Background: Early diagnosis in pancreatic cancer is key for improving prognosis. Hypoxia plays a critical role in tumor progression. Thus, an evaluation of associations between pancreatic tumor progression and markers of hypoxia is needed. Methods: We assessed the expression of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF-1α and HIF-2α) by immuno-histochemical staining from 29 subjects with the following: pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN), intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN), neuroendocrine tumor (NET), and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and compared it to the expression in non-tumor samples. Results: Expression of HIF-1α increased significantly from PanIN (3.01 ± 0.17) to IPMN (7.63 ± 0.18), NET (9.10 ± 0.23) and PDAC samples (11.06 ± 0.15, p < 0.0001). Similar findings were observed for HIF-2α (p < 0.0001)}. A strong correlation between HIF-1α and HIF-2α expression was demonstrated (R2 = 0.8408, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: This data suggest that HIF-1α and HIF-2α may play a role in the progression from PanIN through PDAC. Further studies are necessary to confirm these findings and determine the effect of HIFs abrogation on tumor progression that can lead to novel therapies.

The prevalence of fatigue in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) can be as high as 50 %. Physical, mental, and psychosocial components of fatigue negatively impact quality of life (QOL), morbidity and mortality. Several tools have been developed to address fatigue, but none specifically for measuring fatigue in DM. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of diabetes and neuropathy on fatigue using the Norfolk QOL-Fatigue (QOL-F) survey. 605 adult participants from [Anonymous] were recruited (400 subjects with type 1 or type 2 DM and 205 subjects without diabetes (controls)). All subjects completed the Norfolk QOL-F. Demographics, weight, BMI, and duration of diabetes were obtained. The Norfolk QOL-F, a 35-item validated questionnaire, assesses five domains: subjective fatigue, physical and cognitive fatigue, reduced activities, impaired activities of daily living, and depression. Subjects with DM reported significantly higher fatigue total scores (52.63vs33.89, p < 0.0001) and in all five domains when compared to controls. Patients with DM with neuropathy were significantly more fatigued than those without (59.72vs27.83, p < 0.0001). Fatigue scores in patients with DM without neuropathy were similar to controls (27.83vs33.89, p = NS). In multivariate analysis, age, gender, and presence of neuropathy significantly impacted fatigue scores. The Norfolk QOL-F questionnaire can potentially identify the impact of chronic diseases such as diabetes on fatigue. Assessing the different components of fatigue is important for clinicians in improving disease management and outcomes. Further investigations are needed to confirm these observations in specific cohorts with other comorbidities.

Purpose: Studies have shown that subjects with psoriasis (PsO) are associated with an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome (MetS), diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. In addition, MetS and diabetes are associated with autonomic dysfunction (AD). The aim of this study was to investigate cardiac and sudomotor autonomic function in subjects with PsO and without diabetes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 20 subjects with PsO, compared with age- and sex-matched 21 healthy controls, and 20 subjects with MetS. Subjects underwent skin evaluation by dermatologist, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), insulin, glucose, and lipid levels, sudomotor function testing with Sudoscan^™ device (Impeto Medical, Paris, France), and cardiac autonomic function testing with ANSAR device (ANX 3.0; ANSAR Group, Inc., Philadelphia, PA). Quality of Life (QOL) and peripheral neurologic function were also assessed. Results: Participants with PsO were significantly more obese, had higher levels of fasting insulin and triglycerides, and were more insulin resistant when compared to controls. Subjects with PsO showed significantly worse cardiac autonomic function when compared to control and MetS groups. Sudomotor function and QOL scores were similar between the groups. Subgroup analysis of PsO subjects without MetS criteria (n = 15) showed persistent significantly deteriorated cardiac autonomic function when compared to the other two groups. Conclusion: This study suggests an association between PsO and cardiac AD, independent of the presence of overt dysglycemia and MetS. Additional larger studies are needed to clarify the significance of these findings and the relationship between PsO, AD, and metabolic disease.