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B Zinman

Publications and source records attributed to B Zinman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Effect of rosiglitazone on the frequency of diabetes in patients with impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Rosiglitazone is a thiazolidinedione that reduces insulin resistance and might preserve insulin secretion. The aim of this study was to assess prospectively the drug's ability to prevent type 2 diabetes in individuals at high risk of developing the condition. METHODS: 5269 adults aged 30 years or more with impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance, or both, and no previous cardiovascular disease were recruited from 191 sites in 21 countries and randomly assigned to receive rosiglitazone (8 mg daily; n=2365) or placebo (2634) and followed for a median of 3 years. The primary outcome was a composite of incident diabetes or death. Analyses were done by intention to treat. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00095654. FINDINGS: At the end of study, 59 individuals had dropped out from the rosiglitazone group and 46 from the placebo group. 306 (11.6%) individuals given rosiglitazone and 686 (26.0%) given placebo developed the composite primary outcome (hazard ratio 0.40, 95% CI 0.35-0.46; p<0.0001); 1330 (50.5%) individuals in the rosiglitazone group and 798 (30.3%) in the placebo group became normoglycaemic (1.71, 1.57-1.87; p<0.0001). Cardiovascular event rates were much the same in both groups, although 14 (0.5%) participants in the rosiglitazone group and two (0.1%) in the placebo group developed heart failure (p=0.01). INTERPRETATION: Rosiglitazone at 8 mg daily for 3 years substantially reduces incident type 2 diabetes and increases the likelihood of regression to normoglycaemia in adults with impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance, or both.

Adult↗

Clinical and genetic associations with hypertriglyceridemic waist in a Canadian aboriginal population.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of 'hypertriglyceridemic waist' (HTGW) in Oji-Cree, to examine its interaction with hepatic nuclear factor-1alpha (HNF1A) in association with type 2 diabetes, and to characterize its putative genetic determinants. METHOD: The presence or absence of HTGW was determined in 522 Oji-Cree subjects (223 males, 299 females), >or=18 years of age, in whom physical measurements and fasting plasma analyte concentrations were gathered, and a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test was administered, as part of a cross-sectional study. Subjects were genotyped for HNF1A codon 319, angiotensinogen (AGT) codons 174 and 235, G-protein beta3-subunit (GNB3) nucleotide 825, fatty acid-binding protein (FABP2) codon 54, nucleotides -455 and -482 of the apolipoprotein (apo) C-III (APOC3) promoter, and a 5-bp insertion/deletion polymorphism within the 3'-untranslated region of protein phosphatase 1 regulatory subunit 3 (PPP1R3). RESULTS: The unadjusted prevalence of HTGW in Oji-Cree adults was 20.5%, with more males affected than females (27.8 vs 15.1%, P=0.0004). Logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age and gender, showed type 2 diabetes was associated with both HNF1A G319S (odds ratio (OR) 4.85, 95% CI 2.45, 9.58) and HTGW (OR 4.96, 95% CI 2.49, 9.88). When the HNF1A mutation and HTGW were present in combination, the OR for type 2 diabetes was markedly increased (OR 43.2, 95% CI 12.4, 150). In women only, both GNB3 825C>T and FABP2 A54T genotypes were significantly associated with HTGW (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.01, 4.05 and OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.01, 3.74, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: HTGW is prevalent in Oji-Cree, especially in men. The ORs for type 2 diabetes were similar ( approximately 5-fold) for subjects with either the presence of HTGW or the private HNF1A G319S mutation. These two independent risk factors acted synergistically to confer an even greater increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

Abdominal Fat↗

Characteristics and prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among three ethnic groups in Canada.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the characteristics and prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) among Native Indians, Inuit, and non-Aboriginal Canadians. METHODS: The study was based on four cross-sectional studies conducted in the late 1980s and early 1990s involving three ethnic groups living in contiguous regions in central Canada: Oji-Cree Indians from several reserves in northern Ontario and Manitoba, Inuit from the Keewatin region of the Northwest Territories, and non-Aboriginal Canadians (predominantly of European heritage) in the province of Manitoba. The MetS was identified among adult subjects according to the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) definition. Prevalence rates were standardized to the 1991 Canadian national population. RESULTS: The age-standardized prevalence of the MetS varied by ethnic group, ranging from as high as 45% among Native Indian women to as low as 8% among Inuit men. Compared with Canadians of European origin, Indians had a worse metabolic profile, while Inuit had a better metabolic profile except for a high rate of abdominal obesity. The NCEP criteria in identifying individuals with the MetS were compared to those of the World Health Organization (WHO) in a subset of subjects with the requisite laboratory data. There was moderate agreement between the NCEP and WHO definitions, with a kappa value of 0.63 (95% confidence interval 0.56-0.70). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the MetS is prevalent in diverse ethnic groups in Canada but varies in the pattern of phenotypic expression. Given the diverse nature of these populations, careful consideration should be given to developing culturally appropriate community-based prevention strategies aimed at reducing the frequency of this syndrome.

Adult↗

Elevated C-reactive protein in Native Canadian children: an ominous early complication of childhood obesity.

AIM: Subclinical inflammation has been proposed as a pathophysiologic mechanism linking obesity with vascular and metabolic disease. Native North American populations are experiencing high prevalence rates of both (i) childhood obesity and (ii) adult cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes. Thus, we sought to determine whether subclinical inflammation is an early complication of obesity in Native children. METHODS: Serum concentrations of the inflammatory biomarker C-reactive protein (CRP) were assessed in a population-based, cross-sectional study of the Sandy Lake Oji-Cree community of Northern Ontario, Canada, involving 228 children aged 10-19 years (mean age 14.8). RESULTS: Median CRP in this population was 0.5 mg/l (interquartile range 0.18-1.79 mg/l). CRP levels were higher than age-matched reference data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). Importantly, fully 15.8% of the children of this community had CRP concentrations between 3 and 10 mg/l, a range that identifies adults at high risk of CVD. Moreover, increasing CRP concentration in this paediatric population was associated with an enhanced CV risk profile, consisting of increased adiposity, higher insulin resistance, worsening lipid profile (higher total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoprotein B and total cholesterol : high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol ratio), increased leptin and decreased adiponectin. On multivariate analysis, waist circumference and interleukin-6 (IL-6) emerged as independent determinants of CRP concentration. CONCLUSION: Subclinical inflammation is an early complication of childhood obesity in Native children and may foreshadow an increased burden of CVD and type 2 diabetes in the future.

Adolescent↗

Preventing type 2 diabetes using combination therapy: design and methods of the CAnadian Normoglycaemia Outcomes Evaluation (CANOE) trial.

Several studies have demonstrated that type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) can be prevented/delayed in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) by using pharmacologic agents and/or lifestyle interventions. However, a number of challenges remain, including the translation of lifestyle programmes to the general population and the need to achieve greater risk reductions by using pharmacologic approaches. IGT, like DM, is characterized by insulin resistance, beta-cell dysfunction and increased hepatic glucose production. We believe that the use of combination diabetes therapy would be a particularly effective diabetes prevention strategy. In this context, we initiated the Canadian Normoglycemia Outcomes Evaluation (CANOE) study, a moderately sized, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. The primary objective of CANOE is to determine whether treatment with metformin plus rosiglitazone, in addition to a healthy living lifestyle programme, will prevent the development of DM. The secondary objective of CANOE is to determine whether this treatment approach will improve cardiovascular risk factors associated with IGT. A total of 200 patients will be recruited in Toronto and London, Ontario, and followed for an average of 4 years (range 3-5 years). Active treatment with metformin (500 mg) plus rosiglitazone (2 mg), administered as one capsule twice daily, will be compared to matched placebo. Subjects will be eligible for randomization if they have IGT and are between the ages of 30-75 years. The primary outcome will be the development of new-onset DM, diagnosed by either two fasting plasma glucose values of >or=7 mmol/l or one positive oral glucose tolerance test with a 2-h plasma glucose value of >11.0 mmol/l during the active drug phase of the trial. With a sample size of 100 participants per group, we will be able to detect a relative risk reduction of 45%, with a two-sided log-rank test with a significance level of 0.05 and 80% power, assuming that the median time to progression is 8 years in the control group and that participants will be recruited over 2 years and followed for an average of 4 years. In conclusion, the CANOE study will determine whether combination pharmacological therapy combined with a lifestyle intervention programme can significantly modify the development of diabetes in high-risk Canadians.

Combined Modality Therapy↗

Use of vascular risk-modifying medications for diabetic patients differs between physician specialties.

AIMS: Although heart disease and stroke are the underlying causes of death in most people with diabetes, vascular risk modification targets are frequently not met. This study examined whether vascular risk-modifying medication utilization for diabetic patients differed among physician specialties. METHODS: A population-based study using administrative data from 105 715 people aged >/= 65 years with newly diagnosed diabetes in Ontario between 1994 and 2001. The receipt of antihypertensive and lipid-lowering drugs was compared between patients who had regular care from endocrinologists, internists/geriatricians and family physicians. Hierarchical logistic regression adjusted for patient-level differences, physician-level differences and patient clustering within physicians. RESULTS: Only two-thirds of patients received antihypertensive drugs and about one-quarter received lipid-lowering drugs. Compared with patients of family physicians, the adjusted odds ratios for antihypertensive drug use were 1.27 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16, 1.38] for patients of internists/geriatricians and 1.03 (95% CI 0.94, 1.12) for patients of endocrinologists. For lipid-lowering drugs, the odds ratios were 1.20 (95% CI 1.11, 1.30) for patients of internists/geriatricians and 1.58 (95% CI 1.42, 1.76) for patients of endocrinologists. CONCLUSIONS: Despite recommendations to use vascular risk-modifying medication for most older people with diabetes, many patients were not receiving these medications. Medication utilization differed between physician specialties, with family physicians having the lowest rates of use. Notably, although blood pressure control has the greatest evidence of benefit and is cost-saving, endocrinologists did not use antihypertensive drugs more often than family physicians after adjustment for other differences.

Aged↗

A Diabetes Outcome Progression Trial (ADOPT): baseline characteristics of Type 2 diabetic patients in North America and Europe.

AIMS: To examine baseline characteristics of patients recruited into ADOPT, a multinational trial comparing three oral glucose-lowering monotherapies. METHODS: Between April 2000 and June 2002, 4360 patients aged 30-75 years with Type 2 diabetes diagnosed for < 3 years and remaining on diet therapy alone with fasting plasma glucose levels (FPG) between 7.0 and 10.0 mmol/l were enrolled by 488 North American and European centres. Medical histories, anthropometric data and laboratory measurements were determined using common methodologies. RESULTS: The mean (SD) age of the patients was 57 (10) years, body mass index 32.2 (6.4) kg/m(2), HbA(1c) 7.4 (0.9)%; 58% were male, 88% Caucasian and 15% smoked. North American Caucasians (NAC) were younger, more obese, and more insulin resistant than European Caucasians (EUC), but had better pancreatic B-cell function. NAC had lower total, low-density lipoprotein- and high-density liporpotein-cholesterol concentrations with higher triglyceride concentrations and were more often on lipid-lowering treatment. They had lower blood pressure levels but were equally likely to be on antihypertensive treatment. Metabolic syndrome was more frequent and microalbuminuria less frequent in NAC. Within North America, NAC had lower HbA(1c) concentrations than Blacks, Hispanics and Asians despite similar or higher FPG and 30-min postchallenge glucose concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Caucasian North American and European ADOPT patients differ with respect to adiposity, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome prevalence. North American Blacks, Hispanics and Asians had lower HbA(1c) concentrations than NAC despite similar or higher glucose concentrations. These phenotypic differences may influence the progression of Type 2 diabetes and the response to initial oral glucose-lowering monotherapy.

Adult↗

Adiponectin and beta cell dysfunction in gestational diabetes: pathophysiological implications.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) identifies a population of young women at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes and thus provides an excellent model for studying early events in the natural history of this disease. Adiponectin, a novel adipocyte-derived protein with insulin-sensitising properties, has been proposed as a factor linking insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. We conducted the current investigation to determine whether adiponectin is associated with beta cell dysfunction in GDM. METHODS: We studied 180 women undergoing OGTT in late pregnancy. Based on the OGTT results, participants were stratified into three groups: (1) NGT (n=93); (2) IGT (n=39); and (3) GDM (n=48). First-phase insulin secretion was determined using a validated index previously proposed by Stumvoll. Insulin sensitivity was assessed using the validated OGTT insulin sensitivity index of Matsuda and DeFronzo (IS(OGTT)). RESULTS: To evaluate beta cell function in relation to ambient insulin sensitivity, an insulin secretion-sensitivity index (ISSI) was derived from the product of the Stumvoll index and the IS(OGTT), based on the existence of the predicted hyperbolic relationship between these two measures. Mean ISSI was highest in the NGT group (6,731), followed by that in the IGT group (4,976) and then that in the GDM group (3,300) (overall p<0.0001), compatible with the notion of declining beta cell function across these glucose tolerance groups. Importantly, adiponectin was significantly correlated with ISSI (r=0.34, p<0.0001), with a stepwise increase in mean ISSI observed per tertile of adiponectin concentration (trend p<0.0001). In multivariate linear regression analysis, ISSI was positively correlated with adiponectin and negatively correlated with GDM, IGT and C-reactive protein (r(2)=0.54). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Adiponectin concentration is an independent correlate of beta cell function in late pregnancy. As such, adiponectin may play a key role in mediating insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction in the pathogenesis of diabetes.

Adiponectin↗

Synergism between mutant HNF1A and the metabolic syndrome in Oji-Cree Type 2 diabetes.

AIMS: To determine the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in the Sandy Lake Oji-Cree and to examine its interaction with HNF1A in association with impaired glucose tolerance and Type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Using data collected from the Sandy Lake Health and Diabetes Project (1993-1995), the presence or absence of the metabolic syndrome was determined in 515 Oji-Cree subjects, > or = 18 years of age. In the original study, fasting plasma analytes were measured, a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test was administered, and subjects were genotyped for HNF1A G319S. RESULTS: The unadjusted prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in the Oji-Cree adults was 29.9%. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval for Type 2 diabetes among subjects who carried the HNF1A G319S mutation and had the modified metabolic syndrome (excluding hyperglycaemia) was 20.3 (6.94, 59.6). Adjusted ORs for Type 2 diabetes for subjects with either the HNF1A G319S mutation alone or the modified metabolic syndrome alone were 5.56 (2.85, 10.9) and 4.84 (2.53, 9.27), respectively. The risk of having impaired glucose tolerance was not influenced by the presence of either factor. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of Type 2 diabetes was similar (approximately five-fold increased) for subjects with either the presence of the modified metabolic syndrome or the private HNF1A G319S mutation. Interestingly, when present in combination, the two independent risk factors appeared to act synergistically to confer an even greater increased risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Adult↗

Improving glucose management: ten steps to get more patients with type 2 diabetes to glycaemic goal.

Despite increasingly stringent clinical practice guidelines for glycaemic control, the implementation of recommendations has been disappointing, with over 60% of patients not reaching recommended glycaemic goals. As a result, current management of glycaemia falls significantly short of accepted treatment goals. The Global Partnership for Effective Diabetes Management has identified a number of major barriers that can prevent individuals from achieving their glycaemic targets. This article proposes 10 key practical recommendations to aid healthcare providers in overcoming these barriers and to enable a greater proportion of patients to achieve glycaemic goals. These include advice on targeting the underlying pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes, treating early and effectively with combination therapies, adopting a holistic, multidisciplinary approach and improving patient understanding of type 2 diabetes. Implementation of these recommendations should reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications, improve patient quality of life and impact more effectively on the increasing healthcare cost related to diabetes.

Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring↗

Earlier intervention in type 2 diabetes: the case for achieving early and sustained glycaemic control.

In type 2 diabetes, the onset and progression of complications is significantly delayed by improving glycaemic control. However, the proportion of patients reaching and sustaining guideline recommendations for glycaemic targets remains unacceptably low. Recent clinical trials and predictive physiologically based mathematical simulations (Archimedes model) indicate that benefits can be enhanced with earlier intervention and timely achievement of glycaemic targets. This article reviews the evidence for early intervention, showing that intensive approaches, including earlier introduction of combination therapy, allow more patients to achieve glycaemic targets and hence reduce complications and delay disease progression.

Diabetes Complications↗

Hypoadiponectinaemia in South Asian women during pregnancy: evidence of ethnic variation in adiponectin concentration.

AIMS: People of South Asian descent face an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and coronary artery disease (CAD) compared with other ethnic groups. One candidate factor underlying this risk may be adiponectin, as circulating levels of this adipocyte-derived protein are reduced in both Type 2 DM and CAD. In a recent study, we assessed the relationship between adiponectin and gestational diabetes (GDM), a potential model of early events in the natural history of Type 2 DM. Here, we report the impact of ethnicity on plasma adiponectin concentration in that study. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed in 180 women undergoing oral glucose tolerance testing in late second or early third trimester to investigate the relationship between adiponectin and glucose tolerance in pregnancy. Based on self-reported ethnicity, participants were stratified into three groups: (i) Caucasian (n = 116), (ii) South Asian (n = 31), and (iii) Asian (n = 28). RESULTS: Median adiponectin concentration was much lower in the South Asian group (9.7 micro g/ml) than in Caucasians (15.8 micro g/ml) or Asians (16.1 micro g/ml) (overall P < 0.0001). With adjustment for age, prepregnancy body mass index, weight gain in pregnancy, previous history of GDM, family history of DM, fasting insulin and glucose intolerance, mean adiponectin remained significantly lower among South Asians compared with either Caucasians (P < 0.0001) or Asians (P = 0.0034). CONCLUSIONS: Women of South Asian descent exhibit significantly reduced plasma concentrations of adiponectin in pregnancy compared with Caucasian and Asian counterparts. This observation raises the possibility of hypoadiponectinaemia as a potential factor contributing to the increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in South Asians.

Adiponectin↗

Relation of waist circumference and glycemic status to C-reactive protein in the Sandy Lake Oji-Cree.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) in the Sandy Lake Oji-Cree, an aboriginal community residing in the Sioux Lookout zone of Northwestern Ontario, Canada, and to determine the associations of obesity and diabetes with CRP in a community with a very high prevalence of type II diabetes. DESIGN: We surveyed 512 community members aged 18 y and older to determine the prevalence and the determinants of elevated CRP in Sandy Lake. MEASUREMENTS: Clinical variables, indices of obesity and serum concentrations of CRP, insulin, serum amyloid A (SAA) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). RESULTS: The prevalence of CRP >or=3.8 mg/l was significantly higher in women than in men (51% vs. 32%, P<0.0001). Regression analysis determined that body mass index and IL-6 were independent determinants of CRP concentration in women and waist circumference and IL-6 were independent determinants of CRP concentration in men. Diabetes was associated with elevated CRP in both sexes, but was only a moderate strong determinant in CRP concentration in multivariate regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of elevated CRP in this aboriginal community is remarkably high. These data further demonstrate that the association between CRP and specific indices of obesity and metabolism vary according to gender and glycemic status.

Adolescent↗

Alternative routes of insulin delivery.

Attempts at replicating physiological insulin secretion, as a means of restoring the normal metabolic milieu and thereby minimizing the risk of diabetic complications, has become an essential feature of insulin treatment. However, despite advances in the production, purification, formulation and methods of delivery of insulin which have occurred in recent years, this has met with limited success. The current advocacy of intensive insulin therapy regimens involving multiple daily subcutaneous injection places a heavy burden of compliance on patients and has prompted interest in developing alternative, less invasive routes of delivery. To date, attempts to exploit the nasal, oral, gastrointestinal and transdermal routes have been mainly unsuccessful. The respiratory tree, with a large surface area, offers the greatest potential for the delivery of polypeptide drugs and there is renewed interest in administrating insulin by the intrapulmonary route. Current pulmonary drug delivery systems include a variety of pressurized metered dose inhalers, dry powder inhalers, nebulizers and aqueous mist inhalers. Recent clinical studies suggest a possible role for inhaled insulin in fulfilling meal-related insulin requirements in persons with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Most experience with inhaled insulin has been obtained using either dry powder formulation in the Nektar Pulmonary Inhaler/Exubera device (Nektar Therapeutics Inc., San Carlos, CA, Aventis, Bridgewater, NJ, Pfizer, NY) or a liquid aerosol formulation in the AERx Insulin Diabetes Management System (Aradigm Corp., Hayward, CA, NovoNordisk A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark). If long-term safety and efficacy is confirmed, inhalation may become the first non-subcutaneous route of insulin administration for widespread clinical use. Despite overwhelming interest and investment in administering insulin via the oral route, success is not expected in the short term. Attempts at utilizing the buccal mucosa and skin are also continuing. Pancreatic transplantation will remain limited to those patients receiving a kidney transplant and immunotherapy. Islet cell transplantation is at an early though encouraging stage following the availability of new less toxic immunosuppressive agents. True insulin independence will require further advances in the combined fields of cell biology and genetics to ensure freedom from both the need for lifelong administration of insulin and the complications of diabetes.

Administration, Buccal↗

Ramipril and the development of diabetes.

CONTEXT: Type 2 diabetes is a growing clinical and public health problem. Preventive efforts related to lifestyle modification are not always successful; therefore, alternative prevention strategies need to be studied. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of ramipril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, in preventing diabetes among high-risk persons. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The randomized, controlled Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation trial of 5720 patients older than 55 years without known diabetes but with vascular disease who were followed up for a mean of 4.5 years. The study included 267 hospitals in 19 countries and was conducted between 1994 and 1999. INTERVENTION: Patients were randomly assigned to receive ramipril, up to 10 mg/d (n = 2837), or placebo (n = 2883). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Diagnosis of diabetes determined from self-report at follow-up visits every 6 months, compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: One hundred and two individuals (3.6%) in the ramipril group developed diabetes compared with 155 (5.4%) in the placebo group (relative risk [RR], 0.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51-0.85, P<.001). Similar results were noted when different diagnostic criteria were used; in the ramipril group, the RR for diagnosis of diabetes and hemoglobin A(1c) greater than 110% was 0.60 (95% CI, 0.43-0.85), for initiation of glucose-lowering therapy, 0.56 (95% CI, 0.41-0.77), and for both, 0.51 (95% CI, 0.34-0.76). These effects were also consistently seen in several subgroups examined. CONCLUSIONS: Ramipril is associated with lower rates of new diagnosis of diabetes in high-risk individuals. Because these results have important clinical and public health implications, this hypothesis requires prospective confirmation.

Aged↗

Insulins today and beyond.

The advent of insulin almost 80 years ago revolutionised treatment of diabetes and must be one of the most outstanding achievements of twentieth century medicine. Since then, there has been an ever-increasing awareness and acceptance of the need to achieve and sustain near-normoglycaemia to delay onset and retard progression of diabetic angiopathy. Physiological insulin replacement is therefore central to management of patients with diabetes who are unable to make [corrected] insulin. Insulin formulations, treatment strategies, and methods and routes of delivery have changed much, with more and more options for monitoring the effect on blood glucose concentrations. Patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes need insulin much more aggressively than previously. Parallel developments in glucose-sensing technologies are welcomed as an integral part of safe and optimum implementation of insulin replacement therapy.

Absorption↗

Albuminuria and risk of cardiovascular events, death, and heart failure in diabetic and nondiabetic individuals.

CONTEXT: Microalbuminuria is a risk factor for cardiovascular (CV) events. The relationship between the degree of albuminuria and CV risk is unclear. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the risk of CV events in high-risk individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM) and without DM who have microalbuminuria and to determine whether levels of albuminuria below the microalbuminuria threshold increase CV risk. DESIGN: The Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation study, a cohort study conducted between 1994 and 1999 with a median 4.5 years of follow-up. SETTING: Community and academic practices in North and South America and Europe. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals aged 55 years or more with a history of CV disease (n = 5545) or DM and at least 1 CV risk factor (n = 3498) and a baseline urine albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) measurement. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, stroke, or CV death); all-cause death; and hospitalization for congestive heart failure. RESULTS: Microalbuminuria was detected in 1140 (32.6%) of those with DM and 823 (14.8%) of those without DM at baseline. Microalbuminuria increased the adjusted relative risk (RR) of major CV events (RR, 1.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.64-2.05), all-cause death (RR, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.84-2.38), and hospitalization for congestive heart failure (RR, 3.23; 95% CI, 2.54-4.10). Similar RRs were seen for participants with or without DM, even after adjusting for other CV risk factors (eg, the adjusted RR of the primary aggregate end point was 1.97 [95% CI, 1.68-2.31] in those with DM and 1.61 [95% CI, 1.36-1.90] in those without DM). Compared with the lowest quartile of ACR (<0.22 mg/mmol), the RRs of the primary aggregate end point in the second quartile (ie, ACR range, 0.22-0.57 mg/mmol) was 1.11 (95% CI, 0.95-1.30); third quartile, 1.38 (95% CI, 1.19-1.60; ACR range, 0.58-1.62 mg/mmol); and fourth quartile, 1.97 (95% CI, 1.73-2.25; ACR range, >1.62 mg/mmol) (P for trend <.001, even after excluding those with microalbuminuria). For every 0.4-mg/mmol increase in ACR level, the adjusted hazard of major CV events increased by 5.9% (95% CI, 4.9%-7.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that any degree of albuminuria is a risk factor for CV events in individuals with or without DM; the risk increases with the ACR, starting well below the microalbuminuria cutoff. Screening for albuminuria identifies people at high risk for CV events.

Aged↗