Faculté de médecine Faculté de médecine

Complications of Diabetes: Mechanisms and Management

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RESEARCH AIMS

Diabetes mellitus is associated with multiple systemic complications that profoundly affect morbidity and quality of life. Chronic hyperglycemia drives endothelial dysfunction, microvascular injury, and impaired immune defences, predisposing to infection, delayed healing, and oral health problems such as periodontitis, which further exacerbates systemic inflammation. Diabetic neuropathy remains one of the most prevalent and disabling complications, leading to sensory loss, autonomic imbalance, and motor impairment, thereby increasing the risk of unnoticed trauma and ulceration. Diabetic foot disease is a critical manifestation, resulting from the interplay of neuropathy, peripheral arterial disease, and poor tissue repair, and frequently progressing to infection or amputation. Our research group is particularly focused on these issues, with ongoing prospective clinical projects and retrospective database studies aimed at improving understanding, prevention, and management.

CORE EXPERTISE

Assessment of diabetes-related complications in clinical studies, diabetes management and meta-analysis of diabetes treatment and diabetes-related complications

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

  1. Uçkay I, Lebowitz D, Kressmann B, Lipsky BA, Gariani K. Influence of skin commensals on therapeutic outcomes of surgically debrided diabetic foot infections: a large retrospective comparative study. Antibiotics (Basel). 2023 Feb 3;12(2):316. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics12020316.

  2. Asrih M, Sinturel F, Dubos R, Guessous I, Pataky Z, Dibner C, Jornayvaz FR, Gariani K. Sex-specific modulation of circulating growth differentiation factor-15 in patients with type 2 diabetes and/or obesity. Endocr Connect. 2022 Jul 12;11(7):e220054. doi: 10.1530/EC-22-0054.

  3. Gariani K, Pham TT, Kressmann B, Jornayvaz FR, Gastaldi G, Stafylakis D, Philippe J, Lipsky BA, Uçkay L. Three weeks versus six weeks of antibiotic therapy for diabetic foot osteomyelitis: a prospective, randomized, noninferiority pilot trial. Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Oct 5;73(7):e1539–45. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1758.

  4. Gariani K, Ryu D, Menzies KJ, Yi HS, Stein S, Zhang H, Perino A, Lemos V, Jha P, Vijgen S, Rubbia-Brandt L, Kim YK, Kim JT, Kim KS, Shong M, Schoonjans K, Auwerx J. Inhibiting poly ADP-ribosylation increases fatty acid oxidation and protects against fatty liver disease. J Hepatol. 2017 Jan;66(1):132–41. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2016.08.024. Epub 2016 Sep 20.

  5. Gariani K, Menzies KJ, Ryu D, Wegner CJ, Wang X, Ropelle ER, Moullan N, Zhang H, Perino A, Lemos V, Kim B, Park YK, Piersigilli A, Pham TX, Yang Y, Ku CS, Koo SI, Fomitchova A, Cantó C, Schoonjans K, Sauve AA, Lee JY, Auwerx J. Eliciting the mitochondrial unfolded protein response by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide repletion reverses fatty liver disease in mice. Hepatology. 2016 Apr;63(4):1190–204. doi: 10.1002/hep.28245. Epub 2015 Dec 16.

19 Sept 2025

Research