Diabetes News November 18th 2011

Renal responses to three types of renin–angiotensin system blockers in patients with diabetes mellitus on a high-salt diet: a need for higher doses in diabetic patients?
The relative resistance of the renal renin response to acute (irbesartan) and chronic (irbesartan and aliskiren) renin–angiotensin system blockade supports the concept of an activated renal renin–angiotensin system in diabetes, particularly at the level of the juxtaglomerular cell, and implies that diabetic patients might require higher doses of renin–angiotensin system blockers to fully suppress the renal renin–angiotensin system (Journal of Hypertension)

Intensive Diabetes Therapy and Glomerular Filtration Rate in Type 1 Diabetes
The long-term risk of an impaired GFR was significantly lower among persons treated early in the course of type 1 diabetes with intensive diabetes therapy than among those treated with conventional diabetes therapy (NEJM)

Preventing type 2 diabetes
Risk identification and interventions for individuals at high risk: draft guidance consultation. Consultation dates: 9 November 2011 – 9 January 2012 (NICE)

Periodontitis and diabetes: a two-way relationship
There is emerging evidence to support the existence of a two-way relationship between diabetes and periodontitis, with diabetes increasing the risk for periodontitis, and periodontal inflammation negatively affecting glycaemic control. Incidences of macroalbuminuria and end-stage renal disease are increased twofold and threefold, respectively, in diabetic individuals who also have severe periodontitis compared to diabetic individuals without severe periodontitis (Diabetologia)

Molecular changes in diabetic foot ulcers
ESWT showed significant increases in angiogenesis and tissue regeneration over HBOT in diabetic foot ulcers (Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice)

Asthma and allergic symptoms and type 1 diabetes-related autoantibodies in 2.5-yr-old children
We conclude that allergic symptoms are associated with the development of T1D-related autoantibodies during the first years of life (Pediatric Diabetes)

Mast cell stabilization: novel medication for obesity and diabetes
Mechanistic studies suggest that mast cells participate in these metabolic disorders by affecting energy expenditure, protease expression, angiogenesis, apoptosis, and preadipocyte differentiation. These observations open a new era of basic research regarding mast cells, and offer hope to patients suffering from these metabolic disorders (Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews)

Epigenetics and diabetic cardiomyopathy
In this article, we review current literature on the epigenetic mechanisms involved in diabetes and discuss recent evidence of epigenetic changes that may play an important role in pathophysiology of DCM (Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice)

Diabetes mellitus and risk of gastric cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
These findings of this systematic review indicate that compared with nondiabetic individuals, diabetic women have an 18% increased risk of GC development. However, diabetic men have a similar risk of GC (European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology)

Comparing the effects of insulin glargine and thiazolidinediones on plasma lipids in type 2 diabetes: a patient-level pooled analysis
These findings suggest that favorable effects on plasma lipid profiles should be considered among the attributes of treatment with insulin glargine as they are for TZDs (Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews)

GSK Receives Initial Data From the First Completed Phase Lll Study of Albiglutide in Type 2 Diabetes
Results showed a reduction in HbA1c of 0.78% for patients receiving albiglutide compared to a reduction of 0.99% for liraglutide. While albiglutide did demonstrate a statistically significant reduction in HbA1c from baseline (p<0.001), it did not meet the pre-specified primary endpoint of non-inferiority to liraglutide (95% CI: 0.08 – 0.34%) (GlaxoSmithKline)