[Why is a combination of basal insulin with a GLP-1 receptor agonist useful in many patients with type 2 diabetes?].

Background: In 2015, the combination of basal insulin and GLP-1 receptor agonist (RA) was incorporated into the guideline recommendations for type 2 diabetes as an option for the last escalation step. The two antidiabetics to be injected subcutaneously are complementary regarding their respective main effects and limitations. Basal insulin is predominantly active between meals and in the fasting state, whereas the main action of GLP-1 RA consists in preventing an excessive postprandial blood glucose increase.

Determination of nitrotyrosine concentrations in plasma samples of diabetes mellitus patients by four different immunoassays leads to contradictive results and disqualifies the majority of the tests.

Background: In the course of type 2 diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance has a severe impact on endothelial function leading to decreased synthesis of nitric oxide (NO). Postprandial hyperglycemia leads to the generation of reactive oxygen species, which counteracts the beneficial NO effects. NO and superoxide combine very fast in solution to form peroxynitrite, which is a potent protein-oxidizing agent.

Investigation of the vascular and pleiotropic effects of atorvastatin and pioglitazone in a population at high cardiovascular risk.

We investigated the effect of atorvastatin monotherapy and combined treatment with atorvastatin and pioglitazone on intima-media thickness, vascular function and the cardiovascular risk profile. In all, 148 patients (76 male, 72 female; aged 61.4+/-6.

Endothelial function and arterial stiffness in uncomplicated type 1 diabetes and healthy controls and the impact of insulin on these parameters during an euglycemic clamp.

Background: In addition to its role in glucose metabolism, insulin has shown to exert numerous vascular effects, and an impaired vascular function of insulin is assumed to be a major contributor in the development of vascular complications. Arterial augmentation (AP) and the augmentation index (Aix) are surrogate parameters of arterial stiffness and are commonly used as predictors for cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of insulin on arterial stiffness and parameters of endothelial function in patients with type 1 diabetes and healthy control subjects.

Rosiglitazone and glimeperide: review of clinical results supporting a fixed dose combination.

Type 2 diabetes has become a major burden to the health care systems worldwide. Among the drugs approved for this indication, glimepiride and rosiglitazone have gained substantial importance in routine use. While glimepiride stimulates beta-cell secretion and leads to reduction of blood glucose values, rosiglitazone activates PPARgamma and improves insulin resistance, at the vascular and metabolically active cells.

Increased arterial augmentation and augmentation index as surrogate parameters for arteriosclerosis in subjects with diabetes mellitus and nondiabetic subjects with cardiovascular disease.

Background: Arterial augmentation (AP) and the augmentation index (Aix) are surrogate parameters of arterial stiffness and are commonly used as predictors for cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study is to compare these parameters in diabetic subjects and nondiabetic cardiovascular risk subjects with healthy control subjects.

Methods: One hundred sixty-six nonsmoking subjects aged between 35 and 70 years were included in the study, which included 100 subjects with cardiovascular disease but not diabetes (mean age 62.

Evaluation of CGMS during rapid blood glucose changes in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Background: CGMS (Medtronic Minimed, Duesseldorf, Germany) allows continuous glucose monitoring. Recent studies with invasive monitoring techniques revealed discrepancies in blood glucose measurements obtained from different anatomical sites compared with those from the fingertip. The aim of this study was to investigate the CGMS and a device for alternative site testing (AST) during dynamic blood glucose changes and to compare these results with fingertip measurements.

[Long-term effects of 7-year growth hormone substitution on bone metabolism, bone density, and bone quality in growth hormone-deficient adults].

Background And Purpose: Subnormal bone mineral density (BMD) and increased fracture risk are described in patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). Growth hormone (GH) has been reported to have beneficial effects on bone in GHD. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effects of GH replacement therapy on bone metabolism, BMD, and bone quality in patients with GHD.