Objective. In this pilot study, we aimed to analyze the blood irisin levels in relation to glucose and mineral metabolism assays in menopausal women with non-diabetic altered glucose regulation: impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Methods. This was a prospective, transversal, non-interventional, bi-centric (bi-country) study, between December 2024 and October 2025. Results. The patients (N=47) with IGT (N=21) or IFG (N=26) had a similar age (63±9.24 versus 63.46±8.16years, p=0.856), menopause duration (14.05±9.37 versus 16.76±8.07years, p=0.297), and body mass index with mean values within the obesity range (34.84±5.07 versus 31.34±6.46kg/sqm, p=0.765). Average 25-hydroxyvitamin D showed an insufficiency (28.62±8.09 versus 28.06± 6.99ng/mL). The IGT versus IFG group were found with statistically significantly higher 1-hour glycaemia in the oral glucose tolerance test (207.04±34.72 versus 179.40±33.91mg/dL, p=0.009), 2-hour insulin (101.44±67.26 versus 48.97±34.35 µUI/mL, p=001), fasting insulin (13.00±7.38 versus 8.36±3.96µUI/mL, p=0.008); HOMA-IR (3.53±2.32 versus 2.27±1.17; p=0.21) with mean levels sustaining insulin resistance. Conclusion. Circulating irisin was marginally elevated in the IGT versus the IFG group and positively correlated with body mass index in both. We found no correlation with the glucose profile, but with selective mineral metabolism assays. This pilot study requires an expansion of the sample size to pinpoint the potential practical utility of irisin as a biomarker.
Objective. In this retrospective study, we aimed to analyse bone profile in menopausal women who suffered a low-trauma fall and were found to have an osteoporotic fracture. Methods. This real-life setting included individuals with a fall within the last year before DXA scan [providing bone mineral density (BMD)/T-score], and excluded traumatic falls, prior anti-osteoporosis therapy, diagnosis of osteoporosis, cancers, and bone metabolic diseases. Results. 5-year age-group analysis was statistically significantly different (N=48, p=0.017): in the 70-74 year interval, 75% were in group F (fracture +ve), in the 50-54 year interval, 83.33% were in group nonF (fracture-free). Mineral metabolism assays and bone turnover markers pinpointed a similar profile, except for DXA: femoral neck T-score was lower in group F versus nonF (-1.75±0.72 versus -1.17±0.91, p=0.029). Receiver operating characteristic curve of femoral neck T-score for predicting a fracture showed an area under the curve of 0.691 (p=0.031). Conclusion. Menopausal women with a 1-year fall history with fractures were older, had a longer menopause duration, and had lower femoral neck BMD than fracture-free women. Type 2 diabetes and hypertension had similar prevalence, as did the vitamin D profile and bone turnover markers. Individuals with vertebral fractures (most common types) showed a lower lumbar BMD versus those with non-vertebral fractures.
