Introduction Studies show that OSA is linked to impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, and the onset of diabetes. We hypothesized that diabetic OSA patients will have higher apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) values than OSA patients without diabetes after adjusting for age and body mass index (BMI) and that this difference can be explained through increases in upper airway structures between diabetic and non-diabetic OSA patients. Methods This study evaluated differences in upper airway and craniofacial dimensions and volume of the pharyngeal soft tissues between diabetic and non-diabetic patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Airway sizes, soft tissue volumes and craniofacial dimensions were quantified using three-dimensional MRI in OSA patients without diabetes (n=237) and OSA patients with diabetes (n=64). Comparisons in upper airway measures among diabetics and non-diabetics were performed using linear regression models controlling for age, sex, BMI, race, and AHI. Results Among study participants, diabetic OSA patients were older than non-diabetic OSA patients (54.2±10.1 vs. 47.3±11.1 years; p<0.0001). No significant differences were found between diabetic and non-diabetic OSA patients with respect to BMI (39.8±7.0 vs. 38.4±8.8 kg/m2; p=0.207) or AHI (45.0±31.0 vs. 38.8±27.8 events/hour; p=0.154). In covariate adjusted models, non-diabetic OSA patients also had smaller RP minimum airway area (adjusted difference [95% CI] = -3119 [-5359, 879] mm2; p=0.0066) and RP minimum AP distance (-16.0 mm [-29.6, -2.5]; p=0.021) compared to diabetic OSA patients. No differences were observed in soft tissue volumes or craniofacial dimensions. Conclusion While diabetics had higher average AHI, we observed no significant differences in AHI between diabetic and non-diabetic patients with sleep apnea. In general, upper airway anatomy was similar between diabetic and non-diabetics apneics, controlling for demographic factors and AHI. Future studies should examine dynamic changes, in addition to static upper airway anatomy, in diabetic and non-diabetics apneics. Support

Background Smoking is strongly associated with arterial stiffness. Long-term regular aerobic exercise is an effective lifestyle intervention that improve arterial stiffness in healthy young people, however, the results of research on the immediate effect of short-term aerobic exercise on arterial stiffness in individuals with different smoking statuses have been inconsistent. The purpose of this study was to investigate the immediate effects of acute aerobic exercise on arterial stiffness in people with different smoking statuses. Method: People who participated in the sixth follow-up visit of the Kailuan Study (trial registration number: ChiCTR-TNRC-11001489) and participated in the fifth National Physical Fitness Monitoring were selected as subjects. All participants completed measurements of brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity, blood pressure, and heart rate before and after a two-stage load test on a power bicycle. The generalized linear model was established to analyze between-group differences in the change in brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity before and after aerobic exercise in people with different smoking statuses. Results There was a total of 940 male participants (36.82 ± 7.76 years old). On the basis of the smoking status, the subjects were divided into the following four groups: never smokers (n = 231), former smokers (n = 165), low-intensity smokers (n = 254), and high-intensity smokers (n = 290). After the two-stage load test, brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity was immediately decreased overall (1375.08 ± 209.09 vs. 1341.53 ± 208.04 cm/s, P < 0.05). The generalized linear model showed that after adjusting for confounding factors, the β-values and 95% confidence intervals of former smokers, low-intensity smokers, and high-intensity smokers were − 12.17 (− 30.08, 5.75), − 18.43 (− 34.69, − 2.16), and − 22.46 (− 38.39, − 6.54) cm/s compared with never smokers, respectively. Conclusion Our results suggest that a single short-term aerobic exercise can immediately improve arterial stiffness in people with different smoking statuses. and clinicians must prescribe individualized exercises for different groups of people to improve arterial stiffness, and reduce the damage to blood vessels caused by smoking.