Project description:Critical illness hyperglycemia (CIH) is common in pediatric and adult intensive care units (ICUs). Children undergoing surgical repair or palliation of congenital cardiac defects are particularly at risk for CIH and its occurrence has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality in this population. Strict glycemic control through the use of intensive insulin therapy (IIT) has been shown to improve outcomes in some adult and pediatric studies, yet these findings have sparked controversy. The practice of strict glycemic control has been slow in extending to pediatric ICUs because of the documented increase in the incidence of hypoglycemia in patients treated with IIT. Protocol driven approaches with more liberal glycemic targets have been successfully validated in general and cardiac critical care pediatric patients with low rates of hypoglycemia. It is unknown whether a therapeutic benefit is obtained by keeping patients in this more liberal glycemic control target. Definitive randomized controlled trials of IIT utilizing these targets in critically ill children are ongoing.
Project description:Rationale: The outcomes of survivors of critical illness due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) compared with non-COVID-19 are yet to be established. Objectives: We aimed to investigate new disability at 6 months in mechanically ventilated patients admitted to Australian ICUs with COVID-19 compared with non-COVID-19. Methods: We included critically ill patients with COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 from two prospective observational studies. Patients were eligible if they were adult (age ⩾ 8 yr) and received ⩾24 hours of mechanical ventilation. In addition, patients with COVID-19 were eligible with a positive laboratory PCR test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Measurements and Main Results: Demographic, intervention, and hospital outcome data were obtained from electronic medical records. Survivors were contacted by telephone for functional outcomes with trained outcome assessors using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0. Between March 6, 2020, and April 21, 2021, 120 critically ill patients with COVID-19, and between August 2017 and January 2019, 199 critically ill patients without COVID-19, fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Patients with COVID-19 were older (median [interquartile range], 62 [55-71] vs. 58 [44-69] yr; P = 0.019) with a lower Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (17 [13-20] vs. 19 [15-23]; P = 0.011). Although duration of ventilation was longer in patients with COVID-19 than in those without COVID-19 (12 [5-19] vs. 4.8 [2.3-8.8] d; P < 0.001), 180-day mortality was similar between the groups (39/120 [32.5%] vs. 70/199 [35.2%]; P = 0.715). The incidence of death or new disability at 180 days was similar (58/93 [62.4%] vs. 99/150 [66/0%]; P = 0.583). Conclusions: At 6 months, there was no difference in new disability for patients requiring mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure due to COVID-19 compared with non-COVID-19. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04401254).
Project description:RNA sequencing was performed on Golden Syrian hamster fat tissue depots from hamsters inoculated with SARS-CoV-2 in PBS or PBS only
Project description:COVID-19 has proven to be a metabolic disease resulting in adverse outcomes in individuals with diabetes or obesity. Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and hyperglycemia suffer from longer hospital stays, higher risk of developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and increased mortality compared to those who do not develop hyperglycemia. Nevertheless, the pathophysiological mechanism(s) of hyperglycemia in COVID-19 remains poorly characterized. Here we show that insulin resistance rather than pancreatic beta cell failure is the prevalent cause of hyperglycemia in COVID-19 patients with ARDS, independent of glucocorticoid treatment. A screen of protein hormones that regulate glucose homeostasis reveals that the insulin sensitizing adipokine adiponectin is reduced in hyperglycemic COVID-19 patients. Hamsters infected with SARS-CoV-2 also have diminished expression of adiponectin. Together these data suggest that adipose tissue dysfunction may be a driver of insulin resistance and adverse outcomes in acute COVID-19.
Project description:A high-fat diet increases the risk of insulin resistance, type-2 diabetes, and non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis. Here we identified two heat-shock proteins, Heat-Shock-Protein70 and Glucose-Regulated Protein78, which are increased in the jejunum of rats on a high-fat diet. We demonstrated a causal link between these proteins and hepatic and whole-body insulin-resistance, as well as the metabolic response to bariatric/metabolic surgery. Long-term continuous infusion of Heat-Shock-Protein70 and Glucose-Regulated Protein78 caused insulin-resistance, hyperglycemia, and non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis in rats on a chow diet, while in rats on a high-fat diet continuous infusion of monoclonal antibodies reversed these phenotypes, mimicking metabolic surgery. Infusion of these proteins or their antibodies was also associated with shifts in fecal microbiota composition. Serum levels of Heat-Shock-Protein70 and Glucose-Regulated Protein78were elevated in patients with non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis, but decreased following metabolic surgery. Understanding the intestinal regulation of metabolism may provide options to reverse metabolic diseases.
Project description:Stress hyperglycemia (SH) commonly occurs during critical illness in children. The historical view that SH is beneficial has been questioned in light of evidence that demonstrates the association of SH with worse outcomes. In addition to intrinsic changes in glucose metabolism and development of insulin resistance, specific intensive care unit (ICU) practices may influence the development of SH during critical illness. Mechanical ventilation, vasoactive infusions, renal replacement therapies, cardiopulmonary bypass and extracorporeal life support, therapeutic hypothermia, prolonged immobility, nutrition support practices, and the use of medications are all known to mediate development of SH in critical illness. Tight glucose control (TGC) to manage SH has emerged as a promising therapy to improve outcomes in critically ill adults, but results have been inconclusive. Large variations in ICU practices across studies likely resulted in inconsistent results. Future studies of TGC need to take into account the impact of commonly used ICU practices and, ideally, standardize protocols in an attempt to improve the accuracy of conclusions from such studies.
Project description:Individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 who also display hyperglycemia suffer from longer hospital stays, higher risk of developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and increased mortality. Nevertheless, the pathophysiological mechanism of hyperglycemia in COVID-19 remains poorly characterized. Here, we show that hyperglycemia is similarly prevalent among patients with ARDS independent of COVID-19 status. Yet among patients with ARDS and COVID-19, insulin resistance is the prevalent cause of hyperglycemia, independent of glucocorticoid treatment, which is unlike patients with ARDS but without COVID-19, where pancreatic beta cell failure predominates. A screen of glucoregulatory hormones revealed lower levels of adiponectin in patients with COVID-19. Hamsters infected with SARS-CoV-2 demonstrated a strong antiviral gene expression program in the adipose tissue and diminished expression of adiponectin. Moreover, we show that SARS-CoV-2 can infect adipocytes. Together these data suggest that SARS-CoV-2 may trigger adipose tissue dysfunction to drive insulin resistance and adverse outcomes in acute COVID-19.
Project description:The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges in critical care medicine, including extreme demand for intensive care unit (ICU) resources and rapidly evolving understanding of a novel disease. Up to one-third of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 experience critical illness. The most common form of organ failure in COVID-19 critical illness is acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, which clinically presents as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in three-quarters of ICU patients. Noninvasive respiratory support modalities are being used with increasing frequency given their potential to reduce the need for intubation. Determining optimal patient selection for and timing of intubation remains a challenge. Management of mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 largely mirrors that of non-COVID-19 ARDS. Organ failure is common and portends a poor prognosis. Mortality rates have improved over the course of the pandemic, likely owing to increasing disease familiarity, data-driven pharmacologics, and improved adherence to evidence-based critical care.
Project description:ObjectiveStress induced hyperglycemia occurs in critically ill patients who have normal glucose tolerance following resolution of their acute illness. The objective was to evaluate the association between stress induced hyperglycemia and incident diabetes in survivors of critical illness.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingAll adult patients surviving admission to a public hospital intensive care unit (ICU) in South Australia between 2004 and 2011.PatientsStress induced hyperglycemia was defined as a blood glucose ≥ 11.1 mmol/L (200 mg/dL) within 24 hours of ICU admission. Prevalent diabetes was identified through ICD-10 coding or prior registration with the Australian National Diabetes Service Scheme (NDSS). Incident diabetes was identified as NDSS registration beyond 30 days after hospital discharge until July 2015. The predicted risk of developing diabetes was described as sub-hazard ratios using competing risk regression. Survival was assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression.Main resultsStress induced hyperglycemia was identified in 2,883 (17%) of 17,074 patients without diabetes. The incidence of type 2 diabetes following critical illness was 4.8% (821 of 17,074). The risk of diabetes in patients with stress induced hyperglycemia was approximately double that of those without (HR 1.91 (95% CI 1.62, 2.26), p<0.001) and was sustained regardless of age or severity of illness.ConclusionsStress induced hyperglycemia identifies patients at subsequent risk of incident diabetes.