Severe insulin resistance in a patient with diabetes after treatment with brentuximab vedotin.

A man in his late 60s with a history of well-controlled type 2 diabetes and hepatic cirrhosis presented to the emergency department due to uncontrollable hyperglycaemia following the initial brentuximab vedotin (BV) infusion. BV was initiated as a treatment for mycosis fungoides, a form of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. The patient was diagnosed with severe hyperglycaemia with ketosis.

Basal metabolic rate using indirect calorimetry among individuals living with overweight or obesity: The accuracy of predictive equations for basal metabolic rate.

Background & Aims: Weight reduction programs in people with overweight or obesity can be informed by indirect calorimetry (IC) which is the gold standard to measure basal metabolic rate (BMR). Since IC is labor intensive and expensive, predictive equations are often used as an alternative. In this study the accuracy rate was assessed and bias statistics of predictive equations were compared to IC among subjects with overweight or obesity.

Lipid-lowering therapy and risk-based LDL-C goal attainment in Belgium: DA VINCI observational study.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of death in Belgium. Current strategies for the prevention and management of CVD focus on reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. This analysis assessed whether LDL-C goals, recommended by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC)/European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) guidelines, were being achieved in a Belgian study population.

Efficacy and safety of high-dose glucagon-like peptide-1, glucagon-like peptide-1/glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide, and glucagon-like peptide-1/glucagon receptor agonists in type 2 diabetes.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) have become agents of choice for people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) with established cardiovascular disease or in high-risk individuals. With currently available GLP-1 RAs, 51%-79% of subjects achieve an HbA1c target of less than 7.0% and 4%-27% lose 10% of body weight, illustrating the need for more potent agents.

Clinical Practice Experiences Using a Professional Diabetes Management Ecosystem During COVID.

Background: Challenges of patient care in diabetes were exacerbated by COVID, undermining the ability of patients to engage in-person with health care professionals (HCPs). To combat this, there has been accelerated adoption of telemedicine to support patient and provider connectivity.

Methods: We collated survey information regarding telemedicine from 21 European clinical institutions.

Posttranscriptional Regulation of the Human LDL Receptor by the U2-Spliceosome.

Background: The LDLR (low-density lipoprotein receptor) in the liver is the major determinant of LDL-cholesterol levels in human plasma. The discovery of genes that regulate the activity of LDLR helps to identify pathomechanisms of hypercholesterolemia and novel therapeutic targets against atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Methods: We performed a genome-wide RNA interference screen for genes limiting the uptake of fluorescent LDL into Huh-7 hepatocarcinoma cells.

Effect of an Integrated, Multidisciplinary Nationwide Approach to Type 1 Diabetes Care on Metabolic Outcomes: An Observational Real-World Study.

Achieving good metabolic control in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) remains a challenge, despite the evolutions in diabetes technologies over the past decade. Here we investigate the evolution of metabolic control in people with T1D, where care is provided by specialized centers with access to technology, diabetes education, and regular follow-up. Data were cross-sectionally collected between 2010 and 2018 from more than 100 centers in Belgium.

Drugs Affecting Body Weight, Body Fat Distribution, and Metabolic Function-Mechanisms and Possible Therapeutic or Preventive Measures: an Update.

Purpose Of Review: Weight gain and body fat redistribution are common side effects of many widely used drugs. We summarize recent literature on prevalence data and mechanisms associated with drug-induced body fat changes and mechanisms to prevent or treat metabolic side effects.

Recent Findings: The highest prevalence of metabolic complications is seen with antipsychotics and antiretroviral drugs used in the treatment of HIV and may, at least partly, be responsible for the increased risk for co-morbid diseases such as diabetes, steatosis of the liver, and cardiovascular disease.

Features of oral glucose tolerance tests in patients after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass with and without hypoglycaemia symptoms in daily life: It's all about speed.

Objective: To evaluate the glucose and insulin profiles during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.

Research Design And Methods: This retrospective study consisted of two groups that had undergone RYGB. The symptomatic (S) group (n = 27) had an OGTT at presentation, whereas the asymptomatic (A) group (n = 99) had an OGTT 1 year after RYGB.

Patient-Reported Outcomes with Insulin Glargine 300 U/mL in People with Type 2 Diabetes: The MAGE Multicenter Observational Study.

Introduction: MAGE was a Multicenter, single-Arm, observational 6-month (plus 6-month extension) study that aimed to assess treatment satisfaction, efficacy, and safety of insulin Glargine 300 U/mL (Gla-300) in people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) receiving basal-bolus insulin in a rEal-world setting.

Materials And Methods: Participants were at least 18 years old, with T2DM for more than 1 year, HbA 7.0-10.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, but not sleeve gastrectomy, decreases plasma PCSK9 levels in morbidly obese patients.

Aim: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a master regulator of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) metabolism, acting as an endogenous inhibitor of the LDL receptor. While it has been shown that bariatric surgery differentially affects plasma LDL-C levels, little is known of its effects on plasma PCSK9 concentrations. Therefore, the present study aimed to: (i) investigate the effect of sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) on plasma PCSK9 concentrations; and (ii) correlate baseline or postoperative plasma PCSK9 concentration variations with anthropometric and metabolic parameters.

Evolving concepts on the management of dyslipidaemia.

It has been well established that low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and other apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins are causally related to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and that lowering these lipoproteins reduces the risk of ASCVD. By lowering LDL particles as much as possible, ASCVD can be prevented. There seems to be no LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) threshold below which no further ASCVD prevention can be achieved.

Cardiometabolic importance of 1-h plasma glucose in obese subjects.

Background/objectives: To study the importance and clinical usefulness of the 1-h plasma glucose (1hPG) in a Caucasian obese population with regard to the presence of prediabetes, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Subjects/methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 2439 overweight or obese subjects. All received an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) using the American Diabetes Association criteria.

A Belgian consensus strategy to identify familial hypercholesterolaemia in the coronary care unit and its subsequent cascade screening and treatment: BEL-FaHST (The BELgium Familial Hypercholesterolaemia STrategy).

Background And Aims: Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant lipoprotein disorder characterized by significant elevation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and markedly increased risk of premature cardiovascular disease (CVD). Because of the very high coronary artery disease risk associated with this condition, the prevalence of FH among patients admitted for CVD outmatches many times the prevalence in the general population. Awareness of this disease is crucial for recognizing FH in the aftermath of a hospitalization of a patient with CVD, and also represents a unique opportunity to identify relatives of the index patient, who are unaware they have FH.

Bile Acid Alterations Are Associated With Insulin Resistance, but Not With NASH, in Obese Subjects.

Context: Bile acids (BAs) are signaling molecules controlling energy homeostasis that can be both toxic and protective for the liver. BA alterations have been reported in obesity, insulin resistance (IR), and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). However, whether BA alterations contribute to NASH independently of the metabolic status is unclear.

Implementing a Reminder System in the Northern Part of Belgium to Stimulate Postpartum Screening for Glucose Intolerance in Women with Gestational Diabetes: The "Sweet Pregnancy" Project.

Aims: To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of a gestational diabetes (GDM) recall register on the long-term screening uptake postpartum and to evaluate the prevalence of prediabetes postpartum.

Methods: Evaluation of a GDM recall register implemented in 66 obstetrical centers in the northern part of Belgium from 2009 to 2016. Registrants receive yearly reminders to have a fasting plasma glucose test in primary care to timely detect prediabetes.

Do E-cigarettes induce weight changes and increase cardiometabolic risk? A signal for the future.

The prevalence of non-cigarette tobacco use in electronic cigarettes, also called vaping, is rapidly increasing, especially in adolescents and young adults, due to attractive marketing techniques promoting them as healthier alternatives to conventional tobacco cigarettes. Although smoking is associated with weight loss, it increases insulin resistance and attributes to other features of the metabolic syndrome, increasing the cardiometabolic risk profile. Whether vaping has the same deleterious effects on metabolic parameters as regular cigarette smoke has not yet been studied thoroughly in humans.

Drug-induced obesity and its metabolic consequences: a review with a focus on mechanisms and possible therapeutic options.

Weight gain is a common side effect of many widely used drugs. Weight gain of a few kilograms to an increase of 10% or more of initial body weight has been described. Not only the weight gain as such puts a burden on the health risks of the involved patients, the accompanying increase in the incidence of the metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular risk factors urges the caregiver to identify and to closely monitor the patients at risk.

Clinical action measures improve the reliability of feedback on quality of care in diabetes centres: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Assessment of quality of care using classical threshold measures (TM) is open to debate. Measures that take into account the clinician's actions and the longitudinal nature of chronic care are more reliable, although their major limitation is that they require more sophisticated electronic health records. We created a clinical action measure (CAM) for the control of LDL and non-HDL cholesterol from low-complexity data, and investigated how quality of care in individual diabetes centres based on the CAM is related to that based on the classical TM.

Screening for pregestational and gestational diabetes in pregnancy: a survey of obstetrical centers in the northern part of Belgium.

Background: There is lack of consensus concerning the best screening strategy for gestational diabetes (GDM). The aim of our survey was therefore to investigate attitudes and practices of all obstetrical centers in the northern part of Belgium regarding screening for pregestational diabetes in early pregnancy and screening for GDM. We also aimed to identify the penetrance of the 'International Association of Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Groups' (IADPSG) screening strategy for GDM.

Lower limb functioning and its impact on quality of life in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy.

Background: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) are confronted on a daily basis with their motor problems affecting gait, which might impact on their quality of life (QOL).

Aim: The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of gross motor and gait function on QOL in ambulatory children with CP attending regular school.

Methods: A condition-specific questionnaire (CP QOL-Child), including a parent/proxy and child self-report, was used to assess the relation between patient characteristics, lower limb impairments and functioning, and the different aspects of the child's QOL.

Botulinum toxin type A injections in the psoas muscle of children with cerebral palsy: muscle atrophy after motor end plate-targeted injections.

Unlabelled: MEP targeting during BoNT-A injections has been demonstrated to improve outcome. Two injection techniques of the psoas muscle - proximal MEP targeting versus a widely used more distal injection technique - are compared using muscle volume assessment by digital MRI segmentation as outcome measure.

Method: 7 spastic diplegic children received injections in both psoas muscles: two different injection techniques randomly in 5 patients, in 2 patients bilateral MEP targeting.

Anomer-equilibrated streptozotocin solution for the induction of experimental diabetes in mice (Mus musculus).

Streptozotocin is widely used to induce diabetes in laboratory animals through multiple low-dose or single high-dose intraperitoneal injections. HPLC analysis has shown that the composition of the solution may change considerably during the first 2 h after dissolution due to equilibration of the 2 anomers (alpha and beta) of streptozotocin. Because of the drug's alleged instability in solution, the typical recommendation is to administer streptozotocin within 10 min after dissolution.