Objectives. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a rapid adaptation of healthcare services to secure care for many patient groups. This includes women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We evaluated the impacts of the first COVID-19 wave on parameters such as the GDM treatment, glycemic control, and pregnancy outcomes. Methods. In this retrospective study from a reference diabetes center (Krakow, Poland), we compared patient data from two different time periods: the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020–June 2020) and the preceding five months (October 2019–February 2020). Data was collected from the medical records and telephone surveys. Results. We included 155 consecutive women (group N 1 = 73 and group N 2 = 82 from the COVID-19 pandemic period and non-COVID-19 period, respectively). During the COVID-19 pandemic, almost half of all GDM women ( N 1 = 36 , 49.3%) used telemedicine as a method of contacting their diabetic specialists while this tool was not utilized in the earlier period. Moreover, these patients reported difficulties in performing blood glucose self-control more often ( N 1 = 20 , 27.4%, vs N 2 = 7 , 8.5%; p ≤ 0.01 ) and spent less time on diabetes education than the control group on average ( N 1 = 39 , 53.4%, vs N 2 = 9 , 9.8% below 2 hours of training; p ≤ 0.01 ). Most analyzed glycemic parameters and pregnancy outcomes were similar. Differences were found with respect to the incidence of prolonged labor ( N 1 = 12 , 16.4%, vs N 2 = 3 , 3.7%; p ≤ 0.01 ) and preeclampsia ( N 1 = 0 vs N 2 = 7 , 8.5%; p = 0.01 ). Conclusion. In this single-center observational study, the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic did not seem to have a negative impact on pregnancy outcomes in GDM women, despite the difficulties in diabetes management delivery.

Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and insulin-like growth-factor-binding proteins (IGFBPs) regulate cell proliferation and differentiation and may be of importance in obesity development. The aim of the study was to analyze the expression of chosen IGF-axis genes and the concentration of their protein products in 28 obese children (OB) and 34 healthy control (HC), and their correlation with essential parameters associated with childhood obesity. The gene expression of IGFBP7 was higher, and the expression of IGF2 and IGFBP1 genes was lower in the OB. The expression of IGFBP6 tended to be lower in OB. IGFBP4 concentration was significantly higher, and IGFBP3 tended to be higher in the OB compared to the HC, while IGFBP1, IGFBP2, and IGFBP6 were significantly lower, and IGFBP7 tended to be lower in OB. We found numerous correlations between IGFs and IGFBP concentration and obesity metabolic parameters. IGFBP6 correlated positively with apelin, cholecystokinin, glucagone-like peptide-1, and leptin receptor. These peptides were also significantly lower in obese children in our study. The biological role of decreased levels of IGFBP6 in obese children needs further investigation.

Introduction Appropriate nutrition is an element affecting the metabolic control of patients with diabetes. There are only a few studies assessing the implementation of dietary recommendations in adult patients with type 1 diabetes; none of them assessed the implementation of nutritional standards. Our study aimed to assess the implementation of dietary recommendations and their relation to metabolic control in adults with T1DM treated with personal insulin pumps. Materials and Methods The study included 48 adult patients who were divided into two subgroups and compared, based on HbA1c above and below 6.5%. Each patient's nutrient, vitamin, and mineral intake was assessed on self-reported 3-day 24-hour surveys of food consumption. Records were introduced into the dietetic software DietaPro, (source: http://www.dietapro.eu/) which revealed nutrient content. We evaluated the percentage of patients with nutrient consumption below recommended values based on current recommendations. Results The studied population was characterized by insufficient consumption of most nutrients and vitamins: sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, iodine, manganese, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, vitamin C. Patients’ diet did supply correct amounts of phosphorus, and too much fatty acid and cholesterol. There were no statistically significant differences in most of the nutrient intakes across the two groups. Nevertheless, we observed a significant difference in the polyunsaturated fatty acids, sodium, niacin, and calcium intakes. Conclusions The studied patients consumed too much saturated fatty acid and dietary cholesterol. The consumption amounts of most nutrients and vitamins were associated with the risk of deficiency. The obtained results indicate the need for further dietary education for patients with T1DM.