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©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Diabetes. Oct 15, 2025; 16(10): 111548
Published online Oct 15, 2025. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v16.i10.111548
Published online Oct 15, 2025. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v16.i10.111548
Serum alpha-1-microglobulin as a predictor of multiple complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients
Li-Chao Ge, Bin Lu, Jia-Qing Shao, Xing Li, Department of Endocrinology, Jinling Clinical Medical College, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210002, Jiangsu Province, China
Yu-Ling Zhang, Bin Lu, Jia-Qing Shao, Xing Li, Department of Endocrinology, Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210002, Jiangsu Province, China
Yu-Ling Zhang, Gui-Liang Peng, Min Long, Department of Endocrinology, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University (The Third Military Medical University), Chongqing 400038, China
Tao Jin, Department of Health Medicine, Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210002, Jiangsu Province, China
Bin Lu, Jia-Qing Shao, Xing Li, Department of Endocrinology, Jinling Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing 210002, Jiangsu Province, China
Co-first authors: Li-Chao Ge and Yu-Ling Zhang.
Co-corresponding authors: Jia-Qing Shao and Xing Li.
Author contributions: Ge LC wrote the main manuscript text; Ge LC and Zhang YL conducted the statistical analyses and prepared the figures and tables; Zhang YL, Jin T, and Peng GL collected the dataset information; Li X, Long M, Lu B, and Shao JQ designed and discussed the research idea; Long M, Li X, and Shao JQ also revised the manuscript and provided suggestions. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript. For their equal contributions to the manuscript, Ge LC and Zhang YL are designated as co-first authors. The project was supervised and received funding from Li X and Shao JQ, who served as co-corresponding authors. The designation of two co-corresponding authors, Dr. Li X and Dr. Shao JQ, is justified by their substantial and complementary contributions to this study. Both played a central role in conceiving and designing the research framework, supervising the entire project, and securing the necessary funding to ensure its completion. In addition, Dr. Li X was directly involved in verifying the statistical analyses, reviewing the methodological details, and providing critical revisions that improved the accuracy and clarity of the manuscript. Dr. Shao JQ, on the other hand, offered continuous academic supervision, provided important conceptual input, and contributed significantly to the refinement of the manuscript through constructive feedback and strategic guidance. Their joint leadership has been essential at every stage, from project initiation to final manuscript preparation. Assigning co-corresponding authorship not only reflects their equal responsibility for the study’s integrity but also facilitates effective communication, ensuring that inquiries can be addressed efficiently and comprehensively.
Institutional review board statement: This cross-sectional study was approved by the Southwest Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee (KY2024007).
Informed consent statement: Given the retrospective nature of this study and the anonymity of participant data, the institutional reviewer waived the requirement for informed consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There is no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: The data included in the study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xing Li, PhD, Professor, Department of Endocrinology, Jinling Clinical Medical College, Nanjing Medical University, No. 305 East Zhongshan Road, Nanjing 210002, Jiangsu Province, China. xiahcaihong@163.com
Received: July 3, 2025
Revised: July 29, 2025
Accepted: September 2, 2025
Published online: October 15, 2025
Processing time: 104 Days and 21.5 Hours
Revised: July 29, 2025
Accepted: September 2, 2025
Published online: October 15, 2025
Processing time: 104 Days and 21.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Research on the relationship between serum alpha-1-microglobulin (α1-MG) and multiple complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is limited. Our study revealed a significant correlation between elevated α1-MG levels and the risk of diabetic nephropathy, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and left ventricular hypertrophy. By combining traditional statistics with machine learning, we established the diagnostic value of α1-MG for microvascular and cardiac complications, demonstrating its superior performance in early risk prediction. These findings indicate the potential of α1-MG as a biomarker for predicting multiple complications in patients with T2DM.