Riccardo Magris1 · Andrea Monte1 · NicolòVigolo2 · Francesca Nardello1 · Michele Trinchi1 · Carlo Negri2 · Paolo Gisondi3 · Chiara Cosma4 · Giovanni Sartore4 · Annunziata Lapolla4 · Paolo Moghetti2 · Paola Zamparo1
Received: 17 November 2025 / Accepted: 11 April 2026©The Author(s) 2026
Abstract
Aims This study aimed to investigate the impact of type 2 diabetes (T2D) on muscle and tendon mechanics by comparing individuals with controlled diabetes to a healthy cohort matched for age, BMI, and physical activity level. A secondary aim was to investigate the possible association between muscle-tendon proprieties and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) or advanced glycated end products (AGE, RAGE) as determined in blood and skin biopsies.
Methods Twenty-eight patients and eighteen controls were recruited for this study.Achilles tendon stiffness (kT), muscletendon stiffness (kM, in gastrocnemius medialis) and the rate of torque development (RTD) were evaluated by combining dynamometric and ultrasound data.
Results Diabetic patients showed increased tendon stiffness and reduced tendon elongation compared to controls, but similar RTD and kM values. No differences in advanced glycation end products (in serum or biopsies) were observed between cohorts,but a significant positive correlation was observed between kT and HbA1c (r =0.610,N=46,P<0.001).
Conclusion Our data indicate that muscle, but not tendon, properties can be preserved in controlled and physically active diabetic patients and that higher tendon stiffness does not result in a functional deficit (i.e., same explosive capacity between cohorts).Although this study is cross-sectional and has a limited sample size, our data suggest a potential role of HbA1c as a non-invasive biomarker of altered tendon mechanics in people with diabetes.
ClinicalTrials.gov, protocol number NCT05585502 .
Keywords Advanced glycation end products · Glycated haemoglobin · Tendon stiffness · Muscle stiffness
Bárbara Maria Farias Kruschewsky1 · Roseanne Montargil Rocha1 · Marcelo Araújo2 · Rafael Ernane Andrade3 · Icaro J. S. Ribeiro1
Received: 17 February 2026 / Accepted: 12 April 2026 © The Author(s) 2026
Aims To identify patterns of complication burden among individuals with diabetes mellitus based on sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics, and to examine their co-occurrence with diabetes-related comorbidities.
Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted during a diabetes health campaign in a municipality in southern Bahia, Brazil, involving 1,542 patients. Data were obtained through a standardized questionnaire and ophthalmological examina-tions. Latent class analysis was applied to identify subgroups with similar clinical characteristics. Models with two to four classes were estimated, with the two-class model presenting the most parsimonious and interpretable solution according to BIC. Associations between classes and comorbidities were estimated using Poisson regression with robust variance, adjusted for age and sex.
Results Two classes were identified. Class 1 (86.6%) showed lower complication burden, with preserved vascular and sen-sory function. Class 2 (13.4%) was characterized by a higher frequency of ulceration, amputation, absent peripheral pulses, and impaired protective sensation. Individuals in Class 2 presented higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease (PR=1.47), myocardial infarction (PR=1.64), neurological disease (PR=1.67), and retinopathy (PR=1.63).
Conclusion The identified classes primarily reflect differences in peripheral complication burden, with higher co-occurrence of vascular and microvascular conditions in the more affected group. These findings describe patterns of complication clus-tering within a screening population and may support population-level strategies for identifying individuals with greater healthcare needs.
Keywords Diabetes mellitus · Risk stratification · Latent class analysis
This article is excerpted from the《PubMed》 by Wound World
伤口世界平台生态圈,以“关爱人间所有伤口患者”为愿景,连接、整合和拓展线上和线下的管理慢性伤口的资源,倡导远程、就近和居家管理慢性伤口,解决伤口专家的碎片化时间的价值创造、诊疗经验的裂变复制、和患者的就近、居家和低成本管理慢性伤口的问题。
2019广东省医疗行业协会伤口管理分会年会
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