Dynamic risk factors associated with non-severe hypoglycemia in patients treated with insulin glargine or exenatide once weekly

Longitudinal assessment of the quality of life and patterns of antidiabetic medication use in patients with type 2 diabetes, Saudi Arabia perspective, DISCOVER study

OBJECTIVES

Patients with type 2 diabetes nowadays have a wide range of new antidiabetic medications with better efficacy and safety. Physicians' attitude toward selecting antidiabetic medications to reach targeted glycemic control and better quality of life (QOL) has not been studied prospectively. The global DISCOVER study aims to comprehensively provide a real-world assessment of the treatment pattern changes for patients with type 2 diabetes, in addition to QOL assessment. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was one of the countries participating in the DISCOVER study program.

METHODS

This study is a part of the prospective, longitudinal multinational DISCOVER study conducted in 38 countries including Saudi Arabia, a country facing an epidemic of type 2 diabetes, recruited 519 adult patients with type 2 diabetes with a mean age of 52.4 ± 11 years, where, they were followed up for three years period, where 477 patients completed the follow-up period. The clinical, biochemical, and patient lifestyle data were assessed periodically during the study period. DISCOVER study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT02322762.

RESULTS

The most frequently used antidiabetic medications (ADMs) initially and during the follow-up were biguanides (metformin) and sulfonylureas (gliclazide, glibenclamide, glimepiride, glipizide, and glyclopyramide). Insulin (premix Insulin, basal insulin, and basal/bolus insulin) and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors (sitagliptin, vildagliptin, saxagliptin, and linagliptin) were the most frequent second and alternative of therapy. Other medications namely thiazolidinediones (TZds) (pioglitazone and rosiglitazone), incretins (exenatide and liraglutide), and Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors (canagliflozin) were used at a lesser rate. Drug availability, efficacy, and safety were the main determinants for choosing antidiabetic medications. The physical component score of the QOL had shown a significant decrease, while the mental component score has demonstrated an increase in QOL using SF36v2 Survey.

CONCLUSIONS

There is an increasing trend of using of newly available ADMs, mainly DPP-4 inhibitors. The major limitation of ADMs use is related to efficacy, availability, and safety. This warrant taking all the measures to overcome these limitations through adopting a multidisciplinary team approach for close monitoring of the patients and any unfavorable side effects. Additionally, global insurance coverage for all patients with type 2 diabetes could be a solution for the drug availability factor.

Risk for Imbalanced Blood Glucose Pattern: Construct Analysis and Nursing Diagnosis Proposal

To identify a clinical judgment of susceptibility referring to the development of glycemic fluctuations in adults with Diabetes Mellitus undergoing treatment. Theoretical study with construct analysis. The exploration of the phenomena of glycemic variations provided clues for the description of the blood glucose pattern construct and the proposal of a new risk Nursing diagnosis as a judgment of susceptibility to the balance of this pattern. The risk factors for "Risk for Imbalanced Blood Glucose Pattern" are cognitive dysfunction; excessive alcohol consumption; excessive daily exercise; inadequate follow through with treatment regimen; increased frequency of self-monitoring of blood glucose; inadequate knowledge of disease process; inadequate management of amount of food; inadequate regularity of meal consumption; obesity; overweight; smoking; underweight. The elaboration of "Risk for Imbalanced Blood Glucose Pattern" Nursing diagnosis contributes to the advancement in the Nursing classifications and to the elaboration of planning actions and specific interventions.

Discovery of a novel rice-derived peptide with significant anti-gout potency

As a metabolic disease, gout, which seriously affects the normal life of patients, has become increasingly common in modern society. However, the existing medicines cannot completely meet the clinical needs. In the current study, a novel short peptide (named rice-derived-peptide-2 (RDP2), AAAAGAMPK-NH2, 785.97 Da) was isolated and identified from water extract of shelled Oryza sativa fruits, without toxic side effects but excellent stability. Our results indicated that RDP2 (the minimum effective concentration is 5 μg kg^-1) induced a significant reduction in serum uric acid levels in hyperuricemic mice via suppressing xanthine oxidase activity and urate transporter 1 expression, as well as alleviated renal damage through inhibiting the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. In addition, RDP2 can also alleviate paw swelling and inflammatory reactions in mice after subcutaneous injection of monosodium urate crystals. As mentioned above, we obtained a novel peptide which could work through all stages of gout, not only reducing uric acid levels and renal damage in hyperuricemic mice, but also alleviating inflammatory responses associated with acute gout attack, and thus provided a new peptide molecular template for the development of anti-gout drugs.

Long-term Trends in Antidiabetes Drug Usage in the U.S.: Real-world Evidence in Patients Newly Diagnosed With Type 2 Diabetes

OJBECTIVE

To explore temporal trends in antidiabetes drug (ADD) prescribing and intensification patterns, along with glycemic levels and comorbidities, and possible benefits of novel ADDs in delaying the need for insulin initiation in patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Patients with type 2 diabetes aged 18-80 years, who initiated any ADD, were selected (n = 1,023,340) from the U.S. Centricity Electronic Medical Records. Those who initiated second-line ADD after first-line metformin were identified (subcohort 1, n = 357,482); the third-line therapy choices were further explored.

RESULTS

From 2005 to 2016, first-line use increased for metformin (60-77%) and decreased for sulfonylureas (20-8%). During a mean follow-up of 3.4 years post metformin, 48% initiated a second ADD at a mean HbA_1c of 8.4%. In subcohort 1, although sulfonylurea usage as second-line treatment decreased (60-46%), it remained the most popular second ADD choice. Use increased for insulin (7-17%) and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) (0.4-21%). The rates of intensification with insulin and sulfonylureas did not decline over the last 10 years. The restricted mean time to insulin initiation was marginally longer in second-line DPP-4i (7.1 years) and in the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist group (6.6 years) compared with sulfonylurea (6.3 years, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Most patients initiate second-line therapy at elevated HbA_1c levels, with highly heterogeneous clinical characteristics across ADD classes. Despite the introduction of newer therapies, sulfonylureas remained the most popular second-line agent, and the rates of intensification with sulfonylureas and insulin remained consistent over time. The incretin-based therapies were associated with a small delay in the need for therapy intensification compared with sulfonylureas.

A Review of the Long-Term Efficacy, Tolerability, and Safety of Exenatide Once Weekly for Type 2 Diabetes

Introduction

Exenatide once weekly (ExeOW, Bydureon^®, Astra Zeneca), a drug belonging to the class of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, is the first agent approved for treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D) that can be administered on a weekly basis.

Methods

Data concerning treatment of T2D with ExeOW are reviewed with special reference to its long-term efficacy, tolerability, and safety. Relevant literature was identified through the PubMed database from inception to January 2015.

Results

In randomized clinical trials ExeOW, as add-on to oral antidiabetics, achieved significantly improved glycemic control compared to maximum recommended doses of exenatide twice daily, sitagliptin, pioglitazone, and insulin glargine, as measured by HbA1c. In drug-naïve patients ExeOW was superior to sitagliptin and non-inferior to metformin, whereas non-inferiority to pioglitazone and liraglutide was not proven. In different trials reductions in HbA1c ranged from −1.1% to −2.0%. ExeOW therapy over 6 months was also associated with a mean weight loss of −2 to −4 kg, improved systolic blood pressure and lipid profile, and no hypoglycemia unless associated to sulfonylurea. ExeOW long-term therapy up to 3–6 years allowed persistent glycemic control (HbA1c −1.6%), sustained decreases in blood pressure (−2 mmHg), and improvements of lipid profile. ExeOW tolerability was comparable to that of the other GLP-1 receptor agonists, with better gastrointestinal tolerability when direct comparison was done (namely liraglutide and exenatide BID), but higher incidence of injection site reactions and few treatment discontinuations mainly due to gastrointestinal events.

Conclusion

ExeOW is a well-tolerated and convenient option for long-term treatment of T2D allowing significant and persistent glycemic control with moderate weight loss and low risk of hypoglycemia unless associated with sulfonylureas.

Comparison of trajectories of self-monitored glucose levels by hypoglycemia status over 52 weeks of treatment with insulin glargine or exenatide once weekly

BACKGROUND

Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is used as a means to detect and prevent hypoglycemia in patients with diabetes. However, information on the longitudinal measures (trajectory) of SMBG-based pre- and postprandial glucose fluctuations over time in relation to hypoglycemia is limited. Among patients treated with exenatide once weekly (EQW) or insulin glargine (IG), this study compared SMBG profiles over 52 weeks between patients who did and did not experience hypoglycemia.

METHODS

Pooled patient-level 52-week longitudinal data of treatment with EQW (n = 531) or IG (n = 219) from three controlled trials were analyzed.

RESULTS

The proportion of patients with at least one episode of hypoglycemia in the EQW and IG groups was 23% and 54%, respectively. The preprandial glucose measures from SMBG were significantly lower among patients who experienced hypoglycemia in both treatment groups compared with those who did not. In patients who experienced hypoglycemia, the average preprandial glucose levels over 52 weeks were lower by 0.64 and 0.66 mmol/L in the EQW and IG groups, respectively (P < 0.01 in both cases) compared with those without hypoglycemia. The average postprandial levels were not significantly different between patients who did and did not experience hypoglycemia in both treatment groups. Among patients with hypoglycemia, the average prebreakfast glucose trajectory was higher by 0.48 mmol/L in the EQW compared with the IG group.

CONCLUSIONS

This study has revealed differential trajectories of pre- and postprandial glucose profiles between patients with and without hypoglycemia. However, the SMBG trajectories were similar between patients treated with EQW and IG.

Treatment of clozapine-associated obesity and diabetes with exenatide (CODEX) in adults with schizophrenia: study protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Clozapine causes significant metabolic disturbances including obesity and type 2 diabetes. Recent evidence that reduced glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1) may contribute to aetiology of clozapine-associated metabolic dysregulation suggests a potential therapeutic role for GLP-1 agonists.

METHOD

This open-label, pilot randomised controlled trial evaluates the effect of exenatide in clozapine-treated obese adults who have schizophrenia, with or without poorly controlled diabetes. Sixty out-patients will be randomised to once weekly extended release exenatide or treatment as usual for 24 weeks.

AIMS

To evaluate the feasibility of larger studies regarding methodology, acceptability, tolerability and estimate efficacy for glycaemic control or weight loss. Secondary outcomes are psychosis severity and metabolic parameters.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first trial investigating GLP-1 agonists for glycaemic control and weight loss in clozapine-treated patients with either diabetes or obesity. Clozapine-associated obesity and diabetes with exenatide (CODEX) will provide proof-of-concept empirical evidence addressing whether this novel treatment is practical and worthy of further investigation.

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

A.W.R. has received speaker honoraria and travel grants from AstraZeneca, BoehringerIngelheim, Eli Lilly, MSD, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi and has participated on advisory panels for MSD and Novo Nordisk.

COPYRIGHT AND USAGE

© The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2015. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) licence.

Exenatide can inhibit calcification of human VSMCs through the NF-kappaB/RANKL signaling pathway

Background

Arterial calcification is an important pathological change of diabetic vascular complication. Osteoblastic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) plays an important cytopathologic role in arterial calcification. The glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA), a novel type of antidiabetic drugs, exert cardioprotective effects through the GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R). However, the question of whether or not GLP-1RA regulates osteoblastic differentiation and calcification of VSMCs has not been answered, and the associated molecular mechanisms have not been examined.

Methods

Calcifying VSMCs (CVSMCs) were isolated from cultured human arterial smooth muscle cells through limiting dilution and cloning. The extent of matrix mineralization was measured by Alizarin Red S staining. Protein expression and phosphorylation were detected by Western blot. Gene expression of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) was silenced by small interference RNA (siRNA).

Results

Exenatide, an agonist of GLP-1 receptor, attenuated β-glycerol phosphate (β-GP) induced osteoblastic differentiation and calcification of human CVSMCs in a dose- and time-dependent manner. RANKL siRNA also inhibited osteoblastic differentiation and calcification. Exenatide decreased the expression of RANKL in a dose-dependent manner. 1,25 vitD₃ (an activator of RANKL) upregulated, whereas BAY11-7082 (an inhibitor of NF-κB) downregulated RANKL, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin (OC), and core binding factor α1 (Runx2) protein levels and reduced mineralization in human CVSMCs. Exenatide decreased p-NF-κB and increased p-AMPKα levels in human CVSMCs 48 h after treatment. Significant decrease in p-NF-κB (p-Ser²⁷⁶, p-Ser⁵³⁶) level was observed in cells treated with exenatide or exenatide + BAY11-7082.

Conclusion

GLP-1RA exenatide can inhibit human VSMCs calcification through NF-κB/RANKL signaling.