Vol 20, No 2 (2024)

Sexual dysfunction is a common but underestimated disorder of diabetic patients of both genders, entailing specific and complex pathogenesis and severely affecting reproductive health and quality of life. Hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, hypertension, obesity, aging, and psychological factors underlie its pathogenesis. A large body of evidence indicates that advanced glycation end products and oxidative stress have a distinct impact on the pathogenesis of diabetes and its complications, including hypogonadism, which is closely related to sexual dysfunction. Advanced glycation end products seem to affect sexual function either directly by accumulation in various regions of the reproductive system and/or correlation or indirectly through oxidative stress induction via several mechanisms. They are also involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications, which are related to sexual dysfunction. Herein, we review the issue of sexual dysfunction in diabetic males and females, with special emphasis on the impact of advanced glycation end products in the pathogenesis of sexual dysfunction, the relationship of advanced glycation end products with low testosterone levels in diabetic subjects, which account for the proportion of disorder and the available therapeutic interventions.

The oral microbiome has long been considered a measure of overall systemic health. It is often significantly altered in case of chronic inflammation or any other systemic infection. Therefore, a shift in oral microbiota and oral health is bound to be observed in diabetics infected with the coronavirus. The prognosis of COVID-19 in a diabetic individual is often worse than that in a healthy individual. The increased pathogenicity of coronavirus in diabetics is due to the peculiar ways in which it interacts with specific physiological mechanisms in a diabetic patient and vice versa. Diabetes Mellitus Type-II (DM -II) is one of the most frequently associated co-morbidities in a COVID-19 patient, and therefore it is even more pertinent that their interrelationship is understood. It is essential to recognize the above-mentioned interactions and consider their implications while treating susceptible patients. This article attempts to review and summarize the said vital interactions. Additionally, it attempts to guide and prepare oral health professionals on what to expect and how to treat diabetic patients in a future where coronavirus is, as unfortunate as it is, a regularity and not a rarity.

Diabetes mellitus (DM), a chronic medical condition, has attained a global pandemic status over the last few decades affecting millions of people. Despite a variety of synthetic drugs available in the market, the use of herbal medicines for managing diabetes is gaining importance because of being comparatively safer. This article reviews the result of a substantial literature search on polyherbal formulations (PHFs) developed and evaluated with potential for DM. The accumulated data in the literature allowed us to enlist 76PHFs consisting of different parts of 147 plant species belonging to 58 botanical families. The documented plant species are laden with bioactive components with anti-diabetic properties and thus draw attention. The most favoured ingredient for PHFs was leaves of Gymnema sylvestre and seeds of Trigonella foenum-graecum used in 27 and 22 formulations, respectively. Apart from herbs, shilajit (exudates from high mountain rocks) formed an important component of 9 PHFs, whereas calcined Mytilus margaritiferus and goat pancreas were used in Dolabi, the most commonly used tablet form of PHF in Indian markets. The healing properties of PHFs against diabetes have been examined in both pre-clinical studies and clinical trials. However, the mechanism(s) of action of PHFs are still unclear and considered the pitfalls inherent in understanding the benefits of PHFs. From the information available based on experimental systems, it could be concluded that plant-derived medicines will have a considerable role to play in the control of diabetes provided the challenges related to their bioavailability, bioefficacy, optimal dose, lack of characterization, ambiguous mechanism of action, and clinical efficiency are addressed.

Diabetes mellitus is an ongoing disease that is related to a high mortality rate due to severe complications. Diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2) is a persistent metabolic deficiency and its prevalence has been increasing consistently worldwide. As a result, it is rapidly turning into a plague in some parts of the world, and the number of people affected is expected to double in the following decade due to an increase in the maturing populace, adding to the overall existing importance for medical service providers, particularly in the underdeveloped nations. Extensive diabetes care is an intricate task that takes a whole group of medical care experts, including drug specialists, to provide multidisciplinary care for the patients. The duty of drug experts has changed significantly in recent years, changing from conventional drug dispensing in the drug store to patient- centered clinical support services. Upgrading the medication treatment to accomplish better remedial results without causing drug-related issues has been considered the essential objective of treatment for diabetic patients. This review discusses the healthcare needs of patients with T2DM, the current evidence for the role of pharmacists in diabetes care, and insight into the upcoming role of pharmacists in its management. The advanced role of clinical pharmacists in diabetes control through drug treatment, diabetes care centers, and diabetes health counselor schooling, is also discussed in this review.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the main causes of liver disease, specifically chronic liver disease. Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is associated with the risk of NAFLD given that patients usually have insulin resistance as one of the observed complications with NAFLD. Hypoglycemic agents, including sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2), have shown to improve NAFLD. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of SGLT-2 inhibitors on NAFLD patients’ outcomes, whether they have T2DM or not. We conducted a comprehensive search using the PubMed and Ovid databases to identify published studies that addressed the use of SGLT-2 inhibitors in NAFLD patients. The outcomes assessed include changes in liver enzymes, lipid profiles, weight changes, the fibrosis-4-index (FIB4), and magnetic resonance imaging proton density-based fat fraction (MRI-PDFF). Only clinical trials that met the quality measures were included in this review. Out of 382 potential studies, we included 16 clinical trials that discussed the use of SGLT-2 inhibitors in NAFLD patients. A total of 753 patients were enrolled in these trials. The majority of the trials reported positive effects of SGLT-2 inhibitors on liver enzymes; alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and gamma-glutamyl transferase. All 10 trials that reported changes in body mass index (BMI) from baseline showed a statistically significant reduction with SGLT-2 inhibitor use, while 11 studies reported a significant increase in high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels, 3 studies reported a reduction in triglycerides (TG) levels, and 2 studies showed a decrease in low density lipoprotein (LDL) levels. The available evidence shows that the use of SGLT-2 inhibitors in NAFLD is associated with positive outcomes on liver enzymes, lipid profiles, and BMI. Further studies with larger sample size and longer follow-up time are warranted.