Expert Opinion on Optimising Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Using Fixed-Ratio Combination of Basal Insulin and GLP-1 RA for Treatment Intensification and Simplification.

The management of type 2 diabetes (T2D) often necessitates treatment intensification, and sometimes simplification to achieve glycaemic targets and mitigate complications. This expert opinion paper evaluates the use and positioning of the fixed-ratio combinations (FRCs) of basal insulin (BI) and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) in optimising T2D management. On the basis of the evidence presented and discussions, these FRCs offer a promising approach for both treatment intensification and simplification in people with suboptimal glucose control despite receiving various therapies.

Expert Opinion on Current Trends in the Use of Insulin in the Management of People with Type 2 Diabetes from the South-Eastern European Region and Israel.

Despite the availability of various antihyperglycaemic therapies and comprehensive guidelines, glycaemic control in diabetes management has not improved significantly during the last decade in the real-world clinical setting. Treatment inertia arising from a complex interplay among patient-, clinician- and healthcare-system-related factors is the prime reason for this suboptimal glycaemic control. Also, the key factor leading to inadequate glycaemic levels remains limited communication between healthcare professionals (HCPs) and people with type 2 diabetes (PwT2D).

Biomarkers for the Diagnosis of Heart Failure in People with Diabetes: A Consensus Report from Diabetes Technology Society.

Diabetes Technology Society assembled a panel of clinician experts in diabetology, cardiology, clinical chemistry, nephrology, and primary care to review the current evidence on biomarker screening of people with diabetes (PWD) for heart failure (HF), who are, by definition, at risk for HF (Stage A HF). This consensus report reviews features of HF in PWD from the perspectives of 1) epidemiology, 2) classification of stages, 3) pathophysiology, 4) biomarkers for diagnosing, 5) biomarker assays, 6) diagnostic accuracy of biomarkers, 7) benefits of biomarker screening, 8) consensus recommendations for biomarker screening, 9) stratification of Stage B HF, 10) echocardiographic screening, 11) management of Stage A and Stage B HF, and 12) future directions. The Diabetes Technology Society panel recommends 1) biomarker screening with one of two circulating natriuretic peptides (B-type natriuretic peptide or N-terminal prohormone of B-type natriuretic peptide), 2) beginning screening five years following diagnosis of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and at the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes (T2D), 3) beginning routine screening no earlier than at age 30 years for T1D (irrespective of age of diagnosis) and at any age for T2D, 4) screening annually, and 5) testing any time of day.

CVOT Summit 2022 Report: new cardiovascular, kidney, and glycemic outcomes.

The 8th Cardiovascular Outcome Trial (CVOT) Summit on Cardiovascular, Kidney, and Glycemic Outcomes was held virtually on November 10-12, 2022. Following the tradition of previous summits, this reference congress served as a platform for in-depth discussion and exchange on recently completed outcomes trials as well as key trials important to the cardiovascular (CV) field. This year's focus was on the results of the DELIVER, EMPA-KIDNEY and SURMOUNT-1 trials and their implications for the treatment of heart failure (HF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and obesity with glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists.

Finerenone and effects on mortality in chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes: a FIDELITY analysis.

Aims: Finerenone reduces the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). We investigated the causes of mortality in the FIDELITY population.

Methods And Results: The FIDELITY prespecified pooled data analysis from FIDELIO-DKD and FIGARO-DKD excluded patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction.

Triglyceride Lowering with Pemafibrate to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk.

Background: High triglyceride levels are associated with increased cardiovascular risk, but whether reductions in these levels would lower the incidence of cardiovascular events is uncertain. Pemafibrate, a selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α modulator, reduces triglyceride levels and improves other lipid levels.

Methods: In a multinational, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes, mild-to-moderate hypertriglyceridemia (triglyceride level, 200 to 499 mg per deciliter), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels of 40 mg per deciliter or lower to receive pemafibrate (0.

A Glycemia Risk Index (GRI) of Hypoglycemia and Hyperglycemia for Continuous Glucose Monitoring Validated by Clinician Ratings.

Background: A composite metric for the quality of glycemia from continuous glucose monitor (CGM) tracings could be useful for assisting with basic clinical interpretation of CGM data.

Methods: We assembled a data set of 14-day CGM tracings from 225 insulin-treated adults with diabetes. Using a balanced incomplete block design, 330 clinicians who were highly experienced with CGM analysis and interpretation ranked the CGM tracings from best to worst quality of glycemia.

Screening, diagnosis and management of diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy in clinical practice: International expert consensus recommendations.

Diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSPN) affects around one third of people with diabetes and accounts for considerable morbidity, increased risk of mortality, reduced quality of life, and increased health care costs resulting particularly from neuropathic pain and foot ulcers. Painful DSPN is encountered in 13-26% of diabetes patients, while up to 50% of patients with DSPN may be asymptomatic. Unfortunately, DSPN still remains inadequately diagnosed and treated.

Worldwide inertia to the use of cardiorenal protective glucose-lowering drugs (SGLT2i and GLP-1 RA) in high-risk patients with type 2 diabetes.

The disclosure of proven cardiorenal benefits with certain antidiabetic agents was supposed to herald a new era in the management of type 2 diabetes (T2D), especially for the many patients with T2D who are at high risk for cardiovascular and renal events. However, as the evidence in favour of various sodium-glucose transporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) accumulates, prescriptions of these agents continue to stagnate, even among eligible, at-risk patients. By contrast, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) DPP-4i remain more widely used than SGLT2i and GLP-1 RA in these patients, despite a similar cost to SGLT2i and a large body of evidence showing no clear benefit on cardiorenal outcomes.

Evidence from routine clinical practice: EMPRISE provides a new perspective on CVOTs.

EMPA-REG OUTCOME is recognised by international guidelines as a landmark study that showed a significant cardioprotective benefit with empagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease. To assess the impact of empagliflozin in routine clinical practice, the ongoing EMPRISE study is collecting real-world evidence to compare effectiveness, safety and health economic outcomes between empagliflozin and DPP-4 inhibitors. A planned interim analysis of EMPRISE was recently published, confirming a substantial reduction in hospitalisation for heart failure with empagliflozin across a diverse patient population.

CARMELINA: An important piece of the DPP-4 inhibitor CVOT puzzle.

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors are a class of glucose-lowering agent for type 2 diabetes (T2D) that are commonly used in clinical practice. With the recent disclosure of data from the CARMELINA cardiovascular outcomes trial (CVOT), which investigated linagliptin, CV and renal outcomes data are now available for four agents in the DPP-4 inhibitor class that are approved in most markets. To consider how the CARMELINA study may be interpreted, and the relevance for our clinical practice, we convened as an expert group of diabetes specialists from the Central and Eastern Europe region to discuss the new disclosures.

Predictors of response to treatment with actovegin for 6 months in patients with type 2 diabetes and symptomatic polyneuropathy.

Aims: To evaluate two definitions of response and the predictive value of baseline covariates for response to actovegin treatment in type 2 diabetic patients with symptomatic diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSPN).

Methods: Response to 6-months treatment with actovegin or placebo was defined as a clinically meaningful decline from baseline to 6months in (1) both Neuropathy Impairment Score of Lower Limbs (NIS-LL) ≥2 points and Total Symptom Score (TSS) >50% and (2) NIS-LL ≥2 points only. Nineteen baseline covariates were evaluated using separate logistic regression models and either both NIS-LL and TSS or NIS-LL response definitions.

Impact of hypoglycemia on daily life of type 2 diabetes patients in Ukraine.

This study evaluates the impact of hypoglycemia on the lives of Ukrainian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The secondary objective was to explore patient-physician relationships and the attitudes of patients towards various informational resources on diabetes management. Three focus groups with 26 patients were conducted.

Treatment of symptomatic polyneuropathy with actovegin in type 2 diabetic patients.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of actovegin in patients with diabetic polyneuropathy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In this multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial, 567 patients with type 2 diabetes received 20 intravenous infusions of actovegin (2,000 mg/day) (n = 281) or placebo (n = 286) once daily followed by three tablets of actovegin (1,800 mg/day) or placebo three times daily for 140 days. Total symptom score (TSS) of the lower limbs and vibration perception threshold (VPT) were used as coprimary outcome measures, computed as the area under the curve (AUC) from repeated scores and divided by duration of exposure.

Stroke in patients with diabetes mellitus.

The article's objective is to review the key advances in the scientific literature related to the association of stroke with diabetes mellitus and to summarize the current approaches to stroke prevention in diabetic patients. The key findings from the literature regarding stroke incidence in patients with diabetes, specific and nonspecific risk factors of stroke in the diabetic population, such as arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, diabetes duration, diabetic complications, insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia, course and outcome of stroke in subjects with diabetes and/or hyperglycemia, and the peculiarities of type, site and size of stroke in diabetic patients are discussed. The results of recent clinical trials aimed at correcting hyperglycemia, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, to prevent stroke in people with diabetes, are reviewed.