Diabetes News May 20th 2011

Pharmacy campaign
Diabetes UK Cymru is organising a campaign which will see every pharmacy in Wales offer free Type 2 diabetes risk assessments for a fortnight (Diabetes UK Cymru)

HbA1c may not be a sensitive determinant of diabetic status in the elderly
HbA1c has a low sensitivity to diagnose diabetes in older Asian subjects and caution is required when using HbA1c in isolation. This raises the possibility that a different cut-off value for different age groups may be more appropriate (Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice)

Insulin sensitivity at childhood predicts changes in total and central adiposity over a 6-year period
These results give further support to the concept that lower insulin sensitivity at childhood may predict subsequent total and central adiposity gain at adolescence. These findings enhance the role of insulin sensitivity as a target of obesity prevention already from the first decades of life (International Journal of Obesity)

Depressive symptoms predict change in glycemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes: rates, magnitude, and moderators of change
Results suggest that depressive symptoms are important predictors of A1c change by themselves as well as when considered with adherence to BGM. There is a need to screen for depressive symptoms and expand and develop prevention and intervention strategies in order to put adolescents with type 1 diabetes in the best position for optimal glycemic control (Pediatric Diabetes)

Diabetes, specialty drugs continue to drive growth in drug spending
For the fourth consecutive year, diabetes therapy topped the list of contributors to drug use trends in therapeutic categories, contributing 16.1% to overall growth in drug spending in 2010 due to an increasing number of patient (Formulary)

Endocrinology Advance
Central access point for endocrinology journals (Elsevier)

Increased F-18 FDG Intestinal Uptake in Diabetic Patients on Metformin: A Matched Case–Control Analysis
Physiologic accumulation of F-18 FDG in bowel is increased in diabetic patients maintained on metformin (Clinical Nuclear Medicine)

Seven-year mortality in heart failure patients with undiagnosed diabetes: an observational study
Undiagnosed diabetes is common in patients requiring hospitalization for acute heart failure. Patients with undiagnosed diabetes, despite having a lower cardiovascular risk profile than those with clinical diabetes, show a similar increased mortality (Cardiovascular Diabetology)

Association of Genetic Loci With Glucose Levels in Childhood and Adolescence A Meta-Analysis of Over 6,000 Children
In nondiabetic adults, fasting glucose changes little over time, and our results suggest that age-independent effects of fasting glucose loci contribute to long-term interindividual differences in glucose levels from childhood onwards (Diabetes)

The Feasibility of Detecting Neuropsychologic and Neuroanatomic Effects of Type 1 Diabetes in Young Children
It is feasible to perform MRI and NP testing in young children with type 1 diabetes. Further, early signs of neuroanatomic variation may be present in this population. Larger cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of neurocognitive function and neuroanatomy are needed to define the effect of type 1 diabetes on the developing brain (Diabetes Care)

USA – Updated Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) to Restrict Access to Rosiglitazone-containing Medicines
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is informing the public of new restrictions to the prescribing and use of rosiglitazone-containing medicines. These medicines to treat type II diabetes are sold under the names Avandia, Avandamet, and Avandaryl. Healthcare providers and patients must enroll in a special program in order to prescribe and receive these drugs (FDA)