Patient age, ethnicity, medical history, and risk factor profile, but not drug insurance coverage, predict successful attainment of glycemic targets: Time 2 Do More Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (T2DM QUERI).

Objective: To identify factors in patients with type 2 diabetes and A1C >7.0% associated with attainment of A1C ≤ 7.0%.

Effects of ezetimibe add-on to statin therapy on adipokine production in patients with metabolic syndrome and stable vascular disease.

The aim of this study was to determine whether the addition of ezetimibe to ongoing statin therapy in patients with atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome would favorably affect levels of inflammatory markers and adipokines. Individuals with the metabolic syndrome exhibit higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers and adipokines, which have been implicated in the pathobiology of cardiovascular risk. The impact of the addition of ezetimibe to statin therapy on these proinflammatory mediators is unclear.

Role of renin-angiotensin system blockade in patients with diabetes mellitus.

The investigators review the evidence of the potential role of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockers in delaying or preventing the onset and progression of diabetes mellitus (DM) and cardiovascular disease and the suggested mechanisms by which these agents exert their favorable metabolic and cardiovascular effects. Data from clinical trials suggest that RAS blockade not only reduces cardiovascular risk in patients with DM but also may prevent or delay DM onset in at-risk subjects. These observations set the stage for further studies evaluating the risk for developing DM as a primary end point: the Diabetes Reduction Approaches With Ramipril And Rosiglitazone Medications (DREAM) trial, in which ramipril significantly increased regression to normoglycemia (although it did not reduce the primary end point of new-onset DM or death), and the ongoing Nateglinide and Valsartan in Impaired Glucose Tolerance Outcomes Research (NAVIGATOR) trial, the only DM prevention trial also powered to evaluate whether a reduced risk for DM is associated with a reduction in cardiovascular disease events.

Statin effects on LDL and HDL cholesterol in South Asian and white populations.

Inasmuch as statins appear to exhibit altered efficacy in some Asian populations (predominantly East Asian), current lipid guidelines recommend the use of lower statin doses in all Asians. Whether this should also apply to South Asians, a population at high risk for coronary heart disease, remains unclear. The authors evaluated the lipid-modifying effects of statins in South Asian and white patients with established coronary heart disease.