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Objectives Much attention has been paid recently to a relationship between glucose metabolism and weather. This study investigated the temporal correlation between total solar irradiance (TSI) and glycated hemoglobin (A1C) values in patients with diabetes. Methods In 1531 patients with diabetes who received follow-up care between 2009 and 2013 (type 1 diabetes, 123 patients; type 2 diabetes, 1408 patients; male 53.6%; mean age, 61.2 years), A1C levels were measured a total of 58,830 times. The correlation between mean monthly TSI and mean A1C values from 1 to 4 months later was then examined. Results The mean values for TSI and A1C throughout the entire study period were 13.7 MJ/m 2 and 7.7%, respectively. The correlation coefficient between TSI and mean monthly A1C values at 1 to 4 months was −0.516, −0.734, −0.726 and −0.475, respectively (all p Conclusions There was a highly negative correlation between TSI and mean A1C values 2 to 3 months later in this population; thus, this fact may need to be considered when using A1C levels as a glycemic control index in patients with diabetes. Further studies are warranted.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors decrease blood glucose level by increasing urinary glucose excretion, and are used for the treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM). However, they are expected to have various effects in addition to blood glucose-lowering effect. The purpose of this study

INTRODUCTION: Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) helps patients with diabetes mellitus maintain glycemic control. However, few reports exist on whether ambient temperature can influence SMBG values. AIM: To investigate the effect of ambient temperature on the association between SMBG and plasma glucose (PG) values. METHODS: The study was conducted between 2003 and 2010 in diabetic patients (n=2777, male/female = 1216/1561, mean age = 60.5 ±13.6 years) for whom the measurements of SMBG and PG were performed simultaneously (66 197 samples were measured). SMBG and PG were both measured by enzyme methods. Correlation coefficients were determined between SMBG and PG values, and the differences between their values were compared based on the temperature. RESULTS: SMBG and PG were closely correlated at each temperature. The PG–SMBG difference was smallest at an ambient temperature of 20°C, around which SMBG differed from PG with temperature; namely, the SMBG value decreased as the ambient temperature increased, while the SMBG value increased as the ambient temperature decreased. DISCUSSION: The present data indicate that the ambient temperature can minimally but significantly influence SMBG values. Further studies about the relevance of these findings on patient self-care are warranted. KEYWORDS: Blood glucose self-monitoring; diabetes mellitus; patient education; self care; skin temperature; temperature