Effects of different doses of metformin on bone mineral density and bone metabolism in elderly male patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND Diabetes is a chronic disease,which may cause various complications.Patients with diabetes are at high risk of bone and joint disorders,such as osteoporosis and bone fractures.In addition,it became widely accepted that diabetes has an important impact on bone metabolism.Metformin is a commonly used and effective first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes.Some glucose-lowering agents have been found to have an effect on bone metabolism.The present study explored if different doses of metformin have an effect on bone mineral density(BMD)and bone metabolism in type 2 diabetes.AIM To investigate the effects of different doses of metformin on BMD and bone metabolism in elderly male patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.METHODS A total of 120 elderly male outpatients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who were admitted to our hospital were included in the study from July 2018 to June 2019.They were randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group with 60 patients in each group.Patients in the experimental group were given high dose metformin four times a day 0.5 g each time for 12 wk.Patients in the control group were given low dose metformin orally twice a day 0.5 g each time for 12 wk.The changes in bone mineral density and bone metabolism before and after treatment and the efficacy rate of the treatment were compared between the two groups.RESULTS There was no significant difference in the efficacy rate between the two groups(P>0.05).Before the treatment,there was no significant difference in BMD and bone metabolism between the two groups(P>0.05).However,after the treatment,BMD and bone metabolism were improved in the two groups.Moreover,BMD and 25-hydroxyvitamin D were significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group,and N-terminal/midregion andβ-isomerized Cterminal telopeptides were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group(all P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups(P>0.05).CONCLUSION Both high and low dose metformin can effectively control the blood glucose levels in elderly male patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.However,the benefits of high dose metformin in improving BMD and bone metabolism level was more obvious in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Management experience of care workers during epidemic prevention and control of COVID-19

Since the rapid spread of COVID‑19,our hospital has actively implemented the idea of“preventing the coronavirus from entering.”We paid close attention to details,rapidly carried out personnel and material management at all levels,and strived to do a good job in the prevention and control of the epidemic,so as to achieve zero infection.Patients’carers are an important part of quality care.Lacking of protection knowledge of infectious diseases would increase the risk of nosocomial infection.Therefore,our nursing department set up a team of epidemic prevention and control management.The team made the revision on contingency plans and care management regulations during the outbreak of COVID‑19,strengthened epidemic prevention and control knowledge training,carried out the supervision inspection work,and paid attention to humanized management measures to provide an important guarantee for victory over the COVID‑19.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Based on Zheng Differentiation versus Angiotensin Receptor Blocker/Angiotensin?converting Enzyme Antagonist in Efficacy of Treating Diabetic Kidney Disease: A Meta?analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

Objective: To compare the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) based on Zheng differentiation with angiotensin receptor blocker/angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor(ARB/ACEI) in treating diabetic kidney disease(DKD) from the aspects of decreasing urinary microalbumin, declining 24-h urinary protein, reducing endpoint events, and renal function protection. Methods: The Chinese Biomedical Literature Database(CBM), the Chinese Academy of Sciences database(CNKI), the VIP Chinese journal database, Wanfang DATA, Medline database, Cochrane library, excerpt medical database(Embase), and Web of science were used for literature searching. The reviewer manager5.3 software was utilized to analyze the data. Results: Twenty-four studies including 1956 participants were involved in this review. Results showed that TCM had a better effect(mean difference [MD],-23.20, 95% confidence interval [CI],-30.60 to-15.79, P < 0.00001) than ARB/ACEI on lowering urinary albumin excretion rate(UAER) and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio(MD-4.56 mg/mmol, 95% CI,-5.76 to-3.36, P < 0.00001). Moreover, the advantage of decreasing UAER was greater as the follow-up period become longer(P = 0.04). TCM also had a better effect in 24-h urinal protein, decreasing 0.36 g/24 h(95% CI,-0.45 to-0.27, P < 0.00001) more than the control in shorter follow-up period(ranged from 12 to 24 weeks) subgroup but only 0.08 g/24 h(95% CI,-0.13 to-0.03, P = 0.0006) in the longer follow-up period(>24 weeks) subgroup. TCM worked as well as ACEI/ARB in reducing endpoint events(relative risk, 0.67, 95% CI, 0.20–2.224, P = 0.51)and decreasing urinary albumin concentration(UAC)(MD,-16.50, 95% CI,-46.28–13.28, P = 0.28). As for protecting renal function, TCM had an equal effect to AECI/ARB in improving creatinine clearance ratio(MD,-3.30, 95% CI,-6.66–0.03, P = 0.05) or estimated glomerular filtration rate(MD, 1.00, 95% CI,-0.59–2.58, P = 0.22). However, TCM had a better effect in releasing the glomerular hyperfiltration state(MD,-9.64, 95% CI,-14.45 to-4.84, P < 0.0001). Conclusions: TCM based on Zheng differentiation can work as well as ACEI/ARB in treating DKD and even better in decreasing urinary microalbumin and releasing glomerular hyperfiltration. It is a good alternative treatment of DKD.