Volume 16 Issue 12, December 2020

A need exists for rapid, cheap and noninvasive diagnostic tests for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Now, a smartphone-based photoplethysmography screening test has been reported to detect T2DM based on a novel digital vascular biomarker, distinct from blood glucose, analysed with deep learning.

This Review summarizes the adaptations to lipid metabolism that occur in skeletal muscle in response to either a high-fat diet or exercise training. In addition, obesity-associated impairments in fatty acid oxidation capacity and the importance of exercise for overcoming lipid metabolic inflexibility in obesity are discussed.

Obesity activates stress-activated protein kinases (SAPKs), such as the p38 and JNK stress kinases, in several tissues, including adipose, liver, skeletal muscle, immune organs and the central nervous system. This Review discusses the role of SAPKs in metabolic control and highlights important discoveries in the field.

This Review highlights the landmark T1DM and T2DM trials that inform the current guidelines for HbA_1c targets, which remain contentious. In addition, the Review discusses individualized HbA_1c targets, examines the limitations of HbA_1c and considers alternatives for monitoring glycaemic control.

Disruption of the circadian system can alter microbiome communities and can perturb host metabolism leading to the metabolic syndrome. This Perspective discusses the role of intestinal microbiota in mediating the effects circadian dysrhythmia on human health.