Diabetes News December 2nd 2011

Ranibizumab for the treatment of diabetic macular oedema
Ranibizumab (Lucentis, Novartis) is not recommended for the treatment of visual impairment due to diabetic macular oedema (NICE)

Evaluation of Nonfasting Tests to Screen for Childhood and Adolescent Dysglycemia
HbA1c had poor discrimination, which could lead to missed cases of dysglycemia in children. Random glucose or 1-h GCT may potentially be incorporated into clinical practice as initial screening tests for prediabetes or diabetes and for determining which children should undergo further definitive testing (Diabetes Care)

Risk models and scores for type 2 diabetes: systematic review
Much work has been done to develop diabetes risk models and scores, but most are rarely used because they require tests not routinely available or they were developed without a specific user or clear use in mind Encouragingly, recent research has begun to tackle usability and the impact of diabetes risk scores (BMJ)

Increased Risk of Urinary Tract Calculi Among Patients with Diabetes Mellitus—A Population-based Cohort Study
This cohort study provides epidemiologic support for the causal association between diabetes and UTC, which is independent of UTI. In addition, female patients with UTI accompanied by diabetes tended to be associated with a greater rate of UTC (Urology)

Intracellular pathways of pancreatic ß-cell apoptosis in type 1 diabetes
Bid-deficient islets are protected from recombinant human perforin and granzyme B, as well as from Fas-mediated killing. This makes Bid a target for protection of ß cells from multiple insults relevant to type 1 diabetes (Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews)

Altered Insulin Receptor Signalling and ß-Cell Cycle Dynamics in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
These data may have important implications for therapeutic efforts to counter hyperglycemia in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes that are focused on the regenerative potential of ß-cells (PLoS ONE)

Increased expression of microRNA miR-326 in type 1 diabetic patients with ongoing islet autoimmunity
miR-326 is expressed at higher levels in T1D subjects with ongoing islet autoimmunity, similar to what has been observed in multiple sclerosis, in which levels of this microRNA were highly correlated with disease severity. Interestingly, an online search of miR-326 predicted targets revealed vitamin D receptor and Erythroblastosis virus E26 oncogene homologue 1, two molecules highly involved in immune regulation (Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews)

Surgical Offloading Surgery of the Diabetic Foot
Video presentation (present PODIATRY)

Aligning actions in the Routemap with the Healthy Weight Outcomes Framework
This paper introduces an outcomes framework to support outcome-focused approaches for healthy weight. The resources are intended to support partners (particularly those developing Single Outcome Agreements) focus on key outcomes, ways of achieving them and ways of measuring them (NHS Health Scotland)

Myocardial perfusion imaging and risk classification for coronary heart disease in diabetic patients
The addition of MPS imaging data to a prediction model based on traditional risk factors and ECG stress test data significantly improved CHD risk classification in patients with diabetes (European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging)

ONGLYZA® (saxagliptin) Approved for Use in Europe as Combination Therapy With Insulin (With or Without Metformin) in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes
The approval was based on Phase 3b 24-week data submitted to the European Medicines Agency which showed that ONGLYZA 5 mg added to insulin (with or without metformin) significantly reduced blood sugar levels (glycosylated hemoglobin levels, or HbA1c) in adult patients with type 2 diabetes, compared to treatment with placebo added to insulin – with or without metformin (Bristol-Myers Squibb)

Andromeda announces Phase III Clinical Study with DiaPep277®, a Novel Immunotherapeutic Agent for Type 1 Diabetes, Met Primary Endpoint
The 24-month study was randomized, placebo-controlled, designed to assess the safety and efficacy of DiaPep277®, a novel immunotherapeutic agent for the treatment of newly diagnosed patients with Type 1 Diabetes (AndromedA)