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Aims/Introduction We aimed to study the relationships among the copper (Cu)/zinc (Zn) ratio, inflammatory biomarkers, and the prevalence of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in patients with type 2 diabetes. Materials and Methods A cross‐sectional study was performed on 651 patients with type 2 diabetes. DKD was defined as a urinary albumin‐to‐creatinine ratio of ≥30 mg/g creatinine and/or an estimated glomerular filtration rate using cystatin C of

Background and aims: There is a lack of biliary epithelial molecular markers for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). We analyzed candidates from disease susceptibility genes identified in recent genome-wide association studies. Methods: Expression was quantified using immunohistochemistry in biliary epithelia in liver biopsy samples from patients with PSC (N = 45) and controls (N = 12). Samples from patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) were used as disease controls (N = 20). Results: The levels of hepatic expression of ATXN2, HHEX, PRDX5, MST1, and TNFRSF14 were significantly altered in the PSC group. We focused on the immune-related receptor, TNFRSF14. Immunohistochemistry revealed that TNFRSF14 positivity was significantly higher in biliary epithelia in the PSC group (96 %) than in the control (42 %) and PBC (55 %) groups. High expression of TNFRSF14 was observed only in patients with PSC. Moreover, the expression of LIGHT, which encodes a TNFRSF14-activating ligand, was increased in PSC liver. Immunohistochemistry showed that high expression of LIGHT was more common in PSC biliary epithelia (53 %) than in the PBC (15 %) or control (0 %) groups; moreover, it was positively associated with fibrotic progression. Conclusions: TNFRSF14 and LIGHT are attractive candidate markers for PSC.

Aims/Introduction To identify thresholds for postprandial hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia predictive of all‐cause mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes. Materials and Methods A total of 1,928 patients with type 2 diabetes visited our clinic for the first time from 1995 to 1999 and were followed up for ≥1 year. During the first year, 2‐h post‐breakfast blood glucose (2h‐BG) levels were measured in 1,122 patients (BG cohort) and postprandial serum triglyceride (ppTG) levels were measured in 1,826 patients (TG cohort). Patients were retrospectively followed until 2017 and administered questionnaires. Associations between 2h‐BG and ppTG levels and mortality risk were assessed by the multivariate Cox regression analysis. Results Over of 17,429 person‐years, 162 deaths occurred in the BG cohort, and over 28,026 person‐years, 253 deaths occurred in the TG cohort. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals for all‐cause mortality per 1‐standard deviation increases in 2h‐BG and ppTG were 1.34 (1.08–1.67) and 1.24 (1.06–1.45), respectively. HRs showed increasing trends across quintiles of 2h‐BG (P = 0.034) and ppTG (P = 0.007). The HR was significantly elevated (2.37, 1.26–4.47) in the fifth quintile of 2h‐BG (≥13.8 mmol/L) compared with the first quintile (, Postprandial hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia at clinic visits were associated with an increased risk of all‐cause mortality in real‐world patients with type 2 diabetes. We propose 2‐h post‐breakfast blood glucose levels of 13.8 mmol/L and postprandial serum triglyceride levels of 2.30 mmol/L as estimated thresholds to identify patients at increased risk of all‐cause mortality.2h‐BG, 2‐h post‐breakfast blood glucose; ppTG, postprandial serum triglyceride.

Background Although type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a known risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development, the annual incidence in diabetes patients is far below the threshold of efficient surveillance. This study aimed to elucidate the risk factors for HCC in diabetic patients and to determine the best criteria to identify surveillance candidates. Methods The study included 239 patients with T2DM who were diagnosed with non-viral HCC between 2010 and 2015, with ≥ 5 years of follow-up at diabetes clinics of 81 teaching hospitals in Japan before HCC diagnosis, and 3277 non-HCC T2DM patients from a prospective cohort study, as controls. Clinical data at the time of and 5 years before HCC diagnosis were collected. Results The mean patient age at HCC diagnosis was approximately 73 years, and 80% of the patients were male. The proportion of patients with insulin use increased, whereas the body mass index (BMI), proportion of patients with fatty liver, fasting glucose levels, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels decreased significantly in 5 years. In the cohort study, 18 patients developed HCC during the mean follow-up period of 4.7 years with an annual incidence of 0.11%. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that the FIB-4 index was an outstanding predictor of HCC development along with male sex, presence of hypertension, lower HbA1c and albumin levels, and higher BMI and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase levels. Receiver-operating characteristic analyses showed that a FIB-4 cut-off value of 3.61 could help identify high-risk patients, with a corresponding annual HCC incidence rate of 1.1%. Conclusion A simple calculation of the FIB-4 index in diabetes clinics can be the first step toward surveillance of HCC with a non-viral etiology.

Accurate diagnosis of the disease extension of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is often difficult in clinical practice. The diagnostic yield of conventional pre-operative imaging or endoscopic procedures is sometimes insufficient for the evaluation of longitudinal spreading of CCA. Here we investigated the usefulness of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) for the pre- or intra-operative diagnosis of CCA, using patient-derived organoids.Four CCA- and two adjacent tissue-derived organoids were established. After 5-ALA treatment, we assessed their photodynamic activity using fluorescence microscopy.CCA organoids established from different patients showed diverse morphology in contrast to monolayer structures of non-tumor organoids, and had the ability to form subcutaneous tumors in immunodeficient mice. CCA organoids demonstrated remarkably high photodynamic activity based on higher accumulation of protoporphyrin IX as a metabolite of 5-ALA compared to non-tumor organoids (40-71% vs. 4%, respectively). Importantly, cancer cell-specific high photodynamic activity distinguished the organoids originated from biliary stenotic lesions from those of non-stenotic lesions in a CCA patient. The high photodynamic activity did not depend on the expression profile of heme biosynthesis genes.Distinct 5-ALA-based photodynamic activity could have diagnostic potential for the discrimination of CCA from non-tumor tissues.

Aims/Introduction We assessed the relationship between diabetic retinopathy (DR) and/or diabetic kidney disease (DKD) according to their severity and all‐cause, cancer, vascular and non‐cancer non‐vascular mortality in real‐world patients with type 2 diabetes. Materials and Methods A total of 1,902 patients with type 2 diabetes were enrolled from 1995 to 1999 and followed to 2017. At baseline, DR was diagnosed in 374 patients, DKD in 529, vision‐threatening DR in 123 and advanced DKD in 287. Patients were classified by the status of DR and DKD. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was carried out. Results There were 266 deaths during a median follow‐up period of 18.6 years. Among these, 92 were from cancer, 78 were from vascular causes and 82 were from non‐cancer non‐vascular causes. DR and/or DKD predicted all‐cause, vascular and non‐cancer non‐vascular mortality, but not cancer mortality. Similarly, vision‐threatening DR and/or advanced DKD predicted all‐cause, vascular and non‐cancer non‐vascular mortality, but not cancer mortality. Hazard ratios for all‐cause, vascular and non‐cancer non‐vascular mortality were highest in the DR(+)DKD(+) group, and higher in the DR(−)DKD(+) and the DR(+)DKD(−) groups than in the DR(−)DKD(−) group. The results for vision‐threatening DR and advanced DKD were similar. The interaction for non‐cancer non‐vascular mortality, but not all‐cause and vascular mortality, between DR and DKD and between vision‐threatening DR and advanced DKD might be significant. Conclusions DR and DKD may be jointly and independently associated with all‐cause, vascular and non‐cancer non‐vascular mortality, but not cancer mortality, according to their severity in real‐world patients with type 2 diabetes., Diabetic retinopathy and diabetic kidney disease may be jointly and independently associated with all‐cause, vascular and non‐cancer non‐vascular mortality, but not cancer mortality, according to the severity of these microvascular complications in real‐world patients with type 2 diabetes.

Aims/Introduction There is little evidence on the role of postprandial glycemia in the incidence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in a real‐world setting. We aimed to assess the effect of postprandial hyperglycemia at clinic visits on the incidence of DR in patients with type 2 diabetes, and whether its effect differs depending on glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) values and age. Materials and Methods Intrapersonal mean blood glucose levels at 1–2 h post‐breakfast (1–2h‐PBBG), post‐lunch (1–2 h‐PLBG) and both (1–2h‐PBLBG) during 2 years from the first visit were used as baseline data. This retrospective cohort study enrolled 487, 323 and 406 patients who had 1–2h‐PBLBG, 1–2h‐PBBG and 1–2h‐PLBG measurements, respectively. These three groups were followed from 1999 up through 2017. Results DR occurred in 145, 92 and 126 patients in the 1–2h‐PBLBG, 1–2h‐PBBG and 1–2h‐PLBG groups, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the mean 1–2h‐PBLBG, 1–2h‐PBBG and 1–2h‐PLBG levels were significant predictors of DR, independent of mean HbA1c. In patients with mean HbA1c, The present study shows that postprandial hyperglycemia at clinic visits is associated with the incidence of diabetic retinopathy, independent of glycated hemoglobin levels, in a real‐world setting in patients with type 2 diabetes. The effect of postprandial hyperglycemia on retinopathy is obvious in patients with well‐controlled glycated hemoglobin levels and in patients aged

Although adipocytes are major targets of insulin, the influence of impaired insulin action in adipocytes on metabolic homeostasis remains unclear. We here show that adipocyte-specific PDK1 (3'-phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1)-deficient (A-PDK1KO) mice manifest impaired metabolic actions of insulin in adipose tissue and reduction of adipose tissue mass. A-PDK1KO mice developed insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and hepatic steatosis, and this phenotype was suppressed by additional ablation of FoxO1 specifically in adipocytes (A-PDK1/FoxO1KO mice) without an effect on adipose tissue mass. Neither circulating levels of adiponectin and leptin nor inflammatory markers in adipose tissue differed between A-PDK1KO and A-PDK1/FoxO1KO mice. Lipidomics and microarray analyses revealed that leukotriene B4 (LTB4) levels in plasma and in adipose tissue as well as the expression of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) in adipose tissue were increased and restored in A-PDK1KO mice and A-PDK1/FoxO1KO mice, respectively. Genetic deletion of the LTB4 receptor BLT1 as well as pharmacological intervention to 5-LO or BLT1 ameliorated insulin resistance in A-PDK1KO mice. Furthermore, insulin was found to inhibit LTB4 production through down-regulation of 5-LO expression via the PDK1-FoxO1 pathway in isolated adipocytes. Our results indicate that insulin signaling in adipocytes negatively regulates the production of LTB4 via the PDK1-FoxO1 pathway and thereby maintains systemic insulin sensitivity.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of glycemic control and diabetes treatment to gastric residue observed during an esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Among 6,592 individuals who had esophagogastroduodenoscopy at our clinic between 2003 and 2019, we retrospectively and longitudinally identified those who had gastric residue during an esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Other data collected were age, sex, diagnosis of diabetes, glycated hemoglobin and diabetes medication. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the association of these data with the occurrence of gastric residue. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first retrospective cohort study finding that undergoing insulin treatment is a risk factor for gastric residue independent of age, sex and diabetes or glycated hemoglobin.

Immunoprecipitation with autoantibodies to the insulin receptor derived from patients with extreme insulin resistance and acanthosis nigricans revealed that the receptor is comprised of two subunits of 135 kDa (α subunit) and 95 kDa (β subunit) and that insulin induces the rapid phosphorylation of the β subunit in intact cells. Incubation of a highly purified insulin receptor preparation with [γ-32P]ATP also resulted in tyrosine phosphorylation of the β subunit in an insulin-dependent manner, suggesting that the receptor itself is a tyrosine-specific protein kinase. Furthermore, a Japanese boy with insulin resistance and acanthosis nigricans was found to be heterozygous for a mutation of the insulin receptor gene that resulted in the replacement of glycine-996 with valine in the ATP binding site of the receptor. Expression of the mutant receptor in cultured cells revealed it to be deficient in tyrosine kinase activity and mediation of insulin action, suggesting that the tyrosine kinase activity of the insulin receptor is essential for insulin action in vivo.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) consistently reduces blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus but increases hepatic gluconeogenic gene expression and glucose production, offsetting its glucose-lowering effect. This study aimed to elucidate the effect of SGLT2i on hepatic gluconeogenic response and its mechanism in both insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant states. A hepatic mouse model was generated to show liver-specific expression of Gaussia luciferase (GLuc) driven by the gluconeogenic enzyme gene G6pc promoter. Hepatic gluconeogenic response was evaluated by measuring plasma GLuc activity. SGLT2i was given to lean and obese mice in single gavage administration or 4-week dietary administration with controlled feeding every 3 hours. In lean mice, single-dose SGLT2i increased plasma GLuc activity from 2 hours after administration, decreasing blood glucose and plasma insulin from 1 to 2 hours after administration. In obese mice, which had higher plasma GLuc activity than lean ones, SGLT2i did not further increase GLuc activity despite decreased blood glucose and plasma insulin. Hepatic Akt and GSK3β phosphorylation was attenuated by single-dose SGLT2i in lean mice in accordance with the plasma insulin decrease, but not in obese mice. Long-term SGLT2i administration, which increased plasma GLuc activity in lean mice, decreased it in obese mice from 3 weeks after initiation, with increased hepatic Akt and GSK3β phosphorylation. In conclusion, single SGLT2i administration increases hepatic gluconeogenic response in lean insulin-sensitive mice, but not in obese insulin-resistant mice. Long-term SGLT2i administration relieves obesity-induced upregulation of the hepatic gluconeogenic response by restoring impeded hepatic insulin signaling in obese insulin-resistant mice.

Aims To analyze the duration and extent of the legacy effect on diabetic complications in real-world patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study. We included the following three cohorts of patients: diabetic retinopathy (DR) (n = 1107), diabetic kidney disease (DKD) (n = 1486), and cardiovascular disease (CVD) (n = 1485). Patients were enrolled from 1995 to 1999 and followed up to 2017. Endpoints were DR incidence, ≥40% decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate, and CVD incidence. The relationships between HbA1c as a time-dependent variable and the risk of reaching each endpoint were analyzed using multivariate Cox regression models. Results A total of 313 patients developed DR, 316 developed DKD, and 177 developed CVD. Hazard ratios as a function of time-dependent HbA1c (moving mean) accumulated over time. This accumulation was largest for DR, followed by DKD and CVD. The hazard ratios for each endpoint reached a plateau during the preceding 14–19 years. Conclusions The effect of past glycemic control may continue during 14–19 years, with a greater effect during ≤10 years. Therefore, the end of the legacy effect could be 15–20 years. This effect may be the greatest for DR, followed by DKD, and the smallest for CVD.

To ensure that experiences and lessons learned from the unprecedented 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake are used to improve future disaster planning, the Japan Diabetes Society (JDS) launched the “Research and Survey Committee for Establishing Disaster Diabetes Care Systems Based on Relevant Findings from the Great East Japan Earthquake” under the supervision of the Chairman of the JDS. The Committee conducted a questionnaire survey among patients with diabetes, physicians, disaster medical assistance teams (DMATs), nurses, pharmacists, and nutritionists in disaster areas about the events they saw happening, the situations they found difficult to handle, and the needs that they felt required to be met during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. A total of 3,481 completed questionnaires were received. Based on these and other experiences and lessons reported following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and the 2004 Niigata‐Chuetsu Earthquakes, the current “Manual for Disaster Diabetes Care” has been developed by the members of the Committee and other invited authors from relevant specialties. To our knowledge, the current Manual is the world's first to focus on emergency diabetes care, with this digest English version translated from the Japanese original. It is sincerely hoped that patients with diabetes and healthcare providers around the world will find this manual helpful in promoting disaster preparedness and implementing disaster relief.

The purpose of this retrospective cohort study at a Tokyo diabetes clinic was to evaluate the effect of telemedicine and clinic visit on glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) during the coronavirus disease 2019 state of emergency. The effect of telemedicine and clinic visit during the emergency period on the post‐emergency measured HbA1c was evaluated by multiple regression models and logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, type of diabetes, pre‐emergency HbA1c and body mass index, and body mass index change during the emergency period. Among 2,727 patients who visited the clinic before and after the emergency period, the interval between clinic visits during the emergency period was significantly associated with HbA1c improvement. Telemedicine and clinic visit were independently associated with HbA1c improvement when pre‐emergency HbA1c was ≥7%. In conclusion, clinic visit and telemedicine during the coronavirus disease 2019 emergency period were both independently effective in HbA1c improvement in Japanese diabetes patients who had insufficient HbA1c control., Clinic visit and telemedicine during the coronavirus disease 2019 emergency period were both independently effective in glycated hemoglobin improvement in Japanese diabetes patients who had insufficient glycated hemoglobin control. Our findings suggest that diabetes care should be provided to patients through either clinic visits or telemedicine, whichever is more feasible, during future emergencies.

Although adipocytes are major targets of insulin, the influence of impaired insulin action in adipocytes on metabolic homeostasis remains unclear. We here show that adipocyte-specific PDK1 (3′-phosphoinositide–dependent kinase 1)-deficient (A-PDK1KO) mice manifest impaired metabolic actions of insulin in adipose tissue and reduction of adipose tissue mass. A-PDK1KO mice developed insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and hepatic steatosis, and this phenotype was suppressed by additional ablation of FoxO1 specifically in adipocytes (A-PDK1/FoxO1KO mice) without an effect on adipose tissue mass. Neither circulating levels of adiponectin and leptin nor inflammatory markers in adipose tissue differed between A-PDK1KO and A-PDK1/FoxO1KO mice. Lipidomics and microarray analyses revealed that leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4)) levels in plasma and in adipose tissue as well as the expression of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) in adipose tissue were increased and restored in A-PDK1KO mice and A-PDK1/FoxO1KO mice, respectively. Genetic deletion of the LTB(4) receptor BLT1 as well as pharmacological intervention to 5-LO or BLT1 ameliorated insulin resistance in A-PDK1KO mice. Furthermore, insulin was found to inhibit LTB(4) production through down-regulation of 5-LO expression via the PDK1−FoxO1 pathway in isolated adipocytes. Our results indicate that insulin signaling in adipocytes negatively regulates the production of LTB(4) via the PDK1−FoxO1 pathway and thereby maintains systemic insulin sensitivity.

EIF2AK4, which encodes the amino acid deficiency-sensing protein GCN2, has been implicated as a susceptibility gene for type 2 diabetes in the Japanese population. However, the mechanism by which GCN2 affects glucose homeostasis is unclear. Here, we show that insulin secretion is reduced in individuals harboring the risk allele of EIF2AK4 and that maintenance of GCN2-deficient mice on a high-fat diet results in a loss of pancreatic β cell mass. Our data suggest that GCN2 senses amino acid deficiency in β cells and limits signaling by mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 to prevent β cell failure during the consumption of a high-fat diet.

Obesity can initiate and accelerate the progression of kidney diseases. However, it remains unclear how obesity affects renal dysfunction. Here, we show that a newly generated podocyte-specific tubular sclerosis complex 2 (Tsc2) knockout mouse model (Tsc2Δpodocyte) develops proteinuria and dies due to end-stage renal dysfunction by 10 weeks of age. Tsc2Δpodocyte mice exhibit an increased glomerular size and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, including podocyte foot process effacement, mesangial sclerosis and proteinaceous casts. Podocytes isolated from Tsc2Δpodocyte mice show nuclear factor, erythroid derived 2, like 2-mediated increased oxidative stress response on microarray analysis and their autophagic activity is lowered through the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)—unc-51-like kinase 1 pathway. Rapamycin attenuated podocyte dysfunction and extends survival in Tsc2Δpodocyte mice. Additionally, mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) activity is increased in podocytes of renal biopsy specimens obtained from obese patients with chronic kidney disease. Our work shows that mTORC1 hyperactivation in podocytes leads to severe renal dysfunction and that inhibition of mTORC1 activity in podocytes could be a key therapeutic target for obesity-related kidney diseases.

Impaired hepatic glucose uptake (HGU) causes postprandial hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes. Here, we show that diminished hepatic Sirt2 activity impairs HGU in obese diabetic mice. Hepatic Sirt2 overexpression increases HGU in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed obese diabetic mice and mitigates their impaired glucose tolerance. Hepatic Sirt2 knockdown in non-diabetic mice reduces HGU and causes impaired glucose tolerance. Sirt2 promotes glucose-dependent HGU by deacetylating K126 of glucokinase regulatory protein (GKRP). Glucokinase and GKRP glucose-dependent dissociation is necessary for HGU but is inhibited in hepatocytes derived from obese diabetic mice, depleted of Sirt2 or transfected with GKRP acetylation-mimicking mutants. GKRP deacetylation-mimicking mutants dissociate from glucokinase in a glucose concentration-dependent manner in obese diabetic mouse-derived hepatocytes and increase HGU and glucose tolerance in HFD-induced or db/db obese diabetic mice. We demonstrate that Sirt2-dependent GKRP deacetylation improves impaired HGU and suggest that it may be a therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes., During diabetes, postprandial hyperglycemia is caused by impaired glucose uptake. Here, Watanabe and colleagues show that impaired hepatic glucose uptake during obesity is caused by a reduction in Sirt2 activity, which promotes glucokinase regulatory protein acetylation and its dissociation from glucokinase.

Hepatic gluconeogenesis during fasting results from gluconeogenic gene activation via the glucagon–cAMP–protein kinase A (PKA) pathway, a process whose dysregulation underlies fasting hyperglycemia in diabetes. Such transcriptional activation requires epigenetic changes at promoters by mechanisms that have remained unclear. Here we show that GCN5 functions both as a histone acetyltransferase (HAT) to activate fasting gluconeogenesis and as an acetyltransferase for the transcriptional co-activator PGC-1α to inhibit gluconeogenesis in the fed state. During fasting, PKA phosphorylates GCN5 in a manner dependent on the transcriptional coregulator CITED2, thereby increasing its acetyltransferase activity for histone and attenuating that for PGC-1α. This substrate switch concomitantly promotes both epigenetic changes associated with transcriptional activation and PGC-1α–mediated coactivation, thereby triggering gluconeogenesis. The GCN5-CITED2-PKA signalling module and associated GCN5 substrate switch thus serve as a key driver of gluconeogenesis. Disruption of this module ameliorates hyperglycemia in obese diabetic animals, offering a potential therapeutic strategy for such conditions., GCN5 inhibits hepatic gluconeogenesis through acetylation of PGC-1α. Here the authors show that GCN5 also activates hepatic gluconeogenesis by acetylating histone H3K9, and that the affinity of GCN5 for its different substrates is regulated via phosphorylation at S275 by PKA in a CITED2-dependent manner.

Glucagon-mediated gene transcription in the liver is critical for maintaining glucose homeostasis. Promoting the induction of gluconeogenic genes and blocking that of insulin receptor substrate (Irs)2 in hepatocytes contributes to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. However, the molecular mechanism by which glucagon signalling regulates hepatocyte metabolism is not fully understood. We previously showed that a fasting-inducible signalling module consisting of general control non-repressed protein 5, co-regulator cAMP response element-binding protein binding protein/p300-interacting transactivator with Glu/Asp-rich carboxy-terminal domain 2, and protein kinase A is required for glucagon-induced transcription of gluconeogenic genes. The present study aimed to identify the downstream effectors of this module in hepatocytes by examining glucagon-induced potential target genes. One of these genes was prolyl hydroxylase domain (PHD)3, which suppressed stress signalling through inhibition of the IκB kinase–nuclear factor-κB pathway in a proline hydroxylase-independent manner to maintain insulin signalling. PHD3 was also required for peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ coactivator 1α-induced gluconeogenesis, which was dependent on proline hydroxylase activity, suggesting that PHD3 regulates metabolism in response to glucagon as well as insulin. These findings demonstrate that glucagon-inducible PHD3 regulates glucose metabolism by suppressing stress signalling and optimising gluconeogenesis and insulin signalling in hepatocytes.

Introduction To examine the long‐term efficacy and safety of duloxetine in the treatment of Japanese patients with diabetic neuropathic pain, we carried out a 52‐week, randomized, open‐label extension of a 12‐week, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study. Materials and Methods Japanese adults with diabetic neuropathic pain who completed the double‐blind study were eligible for this long‐term study, carried out at 71 sites in Japan (March 2008 to March 2010). Participants (n = 258) were re‐randomized (1:1) to 40 mg/day or 60 mg/day duloxetine. Pain (Brief Pain Inventory severity and interference), quality of life (Patient's Global Impression of Improvement), and safety (primary outcome; adverse events, vital signs, metabolic measures) were measured. Results Significant (P

Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is a heterozygous monogenic diabetes; more than 13 disease genes have been identified. However, the pathogenesis of MODY is not fully understood, because the pancreatic β-cells of the patients are inaccessable. Therefore, we attempted to establish MODY patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (MODY-iPS) cells to investigate the pathogenic mechanism of MODY by inducing pancreatic β-cells. We established MODY5-iPS cells from a Japanese patient with MODY5 (R177X), and confirmed that MODY5-iPS cells possessed the characteristics of pluripotent stem cells. In the course of differentiation from MODY5-iPS cells into pancreatic β-cells, we examined the disease gene, HNF1B messenger ribonucleic acid. We found that the amount of R177X mutant transcripts was much less than that of wild ones, but they increased after adding cycloheximide to the medium. These results suggest that these R177X mutant messenger ribonucleic acids are disrupted by nonsense-mediated messenger ribonucleic acid decay in MODY-iPS cells during the developmental stages of pancreatic β-cells.

The liver has robust regenerative potential in response to damage, but hepatic steatosis (HS) weakens this potential. We found that the enhanced integrated stress response (ISR) mediated by phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2α) impairs regeneration in HS and that growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible 34 (Gadd34)-dependent suppression of ISR plays a crucial role in fatty liver regeneration. Although mice fed a high-fat diet for 2 weeks developed moderate fatty liver with no increase in eIF2α phosphorylation before 70% hepatectomy, they showed impaired liver regeneration as a result of reduced proliferation and increased death of hepatocytes with increased phosphorylation of eIF2α and ISR. An increased ISR through Gadd34 knockdown induced C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP)-dependent apoptosis and receptor-interacting protein kinase 3-dependent necrosis, resulting in increased hepatocyte death during fatty liver regeneration. Furthermore, Gadd34 knockdown and increased phosphorylation of eIF2α decreased cyclin D1 protein and reduced hepatocyte proliferation. In contrast, enhancement of Gadd34 suppressed phosphorylation of eIF2α and reduced CHOP expression and hepatocyte apoptosis without affecting hepatocyte proliferation, clearly improving fatty liver regeneration. In more severe fatty liver of leptin receptor-deficient db/db mice, forced expression of hepatic Gadd34 also promoted hepatic regeneration after hepatectomy. Conclusion: Gadd34-mediated regulation of ISR acts as a physiological defense mechanism against impaired liver regeneration resulting from steatosis and is thus a possible therapeutic target for impaired regeneration in HS. (Hepatology 2015;61:1343–1356)

In the ‘Evidence‐based Practice Guideline for the Treatment for Diabetes in Japan 2013’, a new concept of the glycemic control in patients with diabetes in Japan has been declared from the Japan Diabetes Society. The main objective value of HbA1c was set to

The Japan Diabetes Society/Japanese Cancer Association Joint Committee on Diabetes and Cancer published its first report in July 2013 on the epidemiological assessment of the associations of diabetes with cancer risk/prognosis, the common risk factors for diabetes and cancer, and cancer risk associated with diabetes treatment. The Joint Committee continued its work to assess the role of glycemic control in the development of cancer in patients with diabetes. This review shows that high‐quality evidence examining the association between glycemic control and cancer risk is lacking. In 2014, the Japan Diabetes Society (JDS) and the Japanese Cancer Association (JCA) restarted the JDS/JCA Joint Committee on Diabetes and Cancer, which published the second committee report in Japanese [1]. This is the English version of that report. This article has been jointly published in Diabetology International (doi:10.1007/s13340‐016‐0257‐z) and Cancer Science by the Japan Diabetes Society and the Japanese Cancer Association. Members of the JDS/JCA Joint Committee on Diabetes and Cancer. JDS: Mitsuhiko Noda, Kohjiro Ueki, Masato Kasuga, Naoko Tajima, and Ken Ohashi; Editorial collaborators: Atsushi Goto and Hiroshi Noto; JCA: Ryuichi Sakai, Shoichiro Tsugane, Nobuyuki Hamajima, Kazuo Tajima, Kohzoh Imai, and Hitoshi Nakagama.