Publications by authors named "Ciardullo S"
Aims: To compare medication persistence and efficacy of oral and subcutaneous semaglutide, in a real-world setting.
Materials And Methods: This is a single-center, retrospective observational cohort study. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) starting treatment with either formulation of semaglutide between January 1 2019 and July 31 2023 and with at least one follow-up visit were included.
Natriuretic peptides (NPs) are polypeptide hormones involved in the homeostasis of the cardiovascular system. They are produced by cardiomyocytes and regulate circulating blood volume and sodium concentration. Clinically, measurements of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal pro-BNP (NT-proBNP) are recommended by international guidelines as evidence is accumulating on their usefulness.
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- The study investigates the link between resting heart rates above 70 beats/minute in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) patients and increased cardiovascular risk, aiming to determine if this reflects heightened sympathetic nervous system activity.
- Results indicate that higher heart rates were associated with greater muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and norepinephrine levels, suggesting a significant relationship between heart rate and sympathetic overdrive in T2D patients.
- The findings highlight the importance of monitoring heart rates in T2D, as they may help identify patients with increased sympathetic activity, warranting further research into lifestyle and medication strategies that could potentially mitigate this risk.
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- * New treatment options, like dual GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonists, are being developed to combat this rise, with tirzepatide being a prominent example.
- * This document reviews the main ways that GIP/GLP-1 co-agonists work and discusses the clinical effects of tirzepatide based on various studies.
Article Synopsis
- The review discusses the pharmacological treatment options for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), highlighting their link to obesity and type 2 diabetes.
- It outlines the challenges faced in clinical trials, such as issues with liver biopsies, patient recruitment, and variable placebo responses, while comparing regulatory requirements from the FDA and EMA.
- The study emphasizes the potential of repurposing existing diabetes and obesity medications and introduces drug candidates in Phase 3 trials, suggesting that combination therapies may enhance treatment effectiveness, especially in different disease stages.
Article Synopsis
- Despite advancements in glucose-lowering medications, 20-25% of people with type 2 diabetes still need insulin, with many not achieving good metabolic control due to factors like fear of side effects and difficulty in insulin management.
- Once-weekly insulins are being developed to simplify treatment, aiming to provide good blood sugar control with a lower risk of hypoglycemia compared to daily options.
- Preliminary studies show that once-weekly insulins like insulin icodec could also benefit type 1 diabetes patients, offering a promising breakthrough to improve diabetic care and patients' quality of life.
Article Synopsis
- A recent consensus defined metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and introduced MetALD, a new condition where steatotic liver disease, metabolic dysfunction, and moderate alcohol intake occur together.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of 5 studies with nearly 10 million participants examined the links between MASLD and MetALD with serious health outcomes.
- Findings showed both conditions were linked to higher rates of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease, with MetALD presenting even greater risks, particularly for cancer-related and cardiovascular mortality.
Aims: To evaluate the impact of adherence to glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RA) and sodium-glucose transporter two inhibitors (SGLT2-I) on clinical outcomes and costs in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
Materials And Methods: The 121,115 residents of the Lombardy Region (Italy) aged ≥40 years newly treated with metformin during 2007-2015 were followed to identify those who started therapy with GLP1-RA or SGLT2-I. Adherence to drug therapy over the first year was defined as the proportion of days covered >80%.
Context: Patients with diabetes are at increased risk of dying from liver-related events, but little is known on whether this increased risk has changed in recent years.
Objective: The aim of the present study is to describe time trends in cause-specific liver-related mortality in people with and without diabetes from the general Italian population.
Methods: Data were retrieved from the health care utilization databases of Lombardy, a region of Italy that accounts for about 16% (almost 10 million) of its population.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a new AI-based tool called NAIF (NAFLD-AI-Fibrosis) in identifying individuals from the general population with advanced liver fibrosis (stage F3/F4). We compared NAIF's performance to two existing risk score calculators, aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) and fibrosis-4 (Fib4).
Methods: To set up the algorithm for diagnosing severe liver fibrosis (defined as Fibroscan® values E ≥ 9.
Background & Aim: Liver fibrosis is the strongest predictor of liver-related mortality in many chronic liver diseases. NT-ProBNP is independently associated with cardiovascular mortality in general population settings. Here, we evaluate the relative contribution of non-invasively identified liver fibrosis and NT-ProBNP on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with metabolic (dysfunction)-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).
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- A study identified insulin sensitivity (IS) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) using common clinical parameters, aiming to link it with mortality risks.
- The model calculated IS from factors like triglycerides and body mass index, showing strong correlation with direct measurements of glucose disposal.
- Results indicated that higher IS was associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, suggesting its clinical importance in managing T2D.
Eating breakfast daily improves cognitive function, may contribute to learning and academic performance in children and can decrease the risk of childhood obesity. The aim of this study was to analyse how breakfast consumption changed in the period from 2008/9 to 2019 in Italy among children aged 8-9 years old participating in the OKkio alla SALUTE surveys and to explore the associations with some socio-demographic and lifestyle factors. Information about children's daily breakfast consumption (adequate, inadequate, and no breakfast) and the socio-demographic characteristics of the children and their mothers was collected through four questionnaires addressed to parents, children, teachers and head teachers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnhealthy diets, physical inactivity and high body mass index (BMI) are preventable risk factors for non-communicable diseases throughout a person's lifespan. The higher prevalence of these risk factors in children from lower socio-economic groups has been generally observed. The aim of this study is to explore the effect of parents' socio-economic conditions on children's consumption of fruit, vegetables and sugar-sweetened drinks, and inactivity, sedentary behaviour, overweight and obesity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aims: Several studies reported an association between liver stiffness measurement (LSM) obtained through vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) and all-cause mortality in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to summarize available evidence on the nature and magnitude of this association.
Methods: We systematically searched PubMed-MEDLINE and Scopus up to April 2023 for observational cohort studies in which LSM was measured with VCTE in patients with NAFLD or in general population settings, with a follow-up ≥1 year and with available data on all-cause mortality.
Background: While existing research has explored changes in health behaviours among adults and adolescents due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the impact of quarantine on young children's well-being is still less clear. Moreover, most of the published studies were carried out on small and non-representative samples. The aim of the EpaS-ISS study was to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the habits and behaviours of a representative sample of school children aged mainly 8-9 years and their families living in Italy, exploring the changes in children's well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the immediately preceding time period.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), recently renamed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) affects ~70% of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), with ~20% showing signs of advanced liver fibrosis. Patients with T2D are at an increased risk of developing cirrhosis, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma and their liver-related mortality is doubled compared with non-diabetic individuals. Nonetheless, the condition is frequently overlooked and disease awareness is limited both among patients and among physicians.
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