Mothers After Gestational Diabetes in Australia Diabetes Prevention Program (MAGDA-DPP) post-natal intervention: an update to the study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background
The Mothers After Gestational Diabetes in Australia Diabetes Prevention Program (MAGDA-DPP) is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) that aims to assess the effectiveness of a structured diabetes prevention intervention for women who had gestational diabetes.

Methods/Design
The original protocol was published in Trial s (http://www.trialsjournal.com/content/14/1/339). This update reports on an additional exclusion criterion and change in first eligibility screening to provide greater clarity. The new exclusion criterion “surgical or medical intervention to treat obesity” has been added to the original protocol. The risks of developing diabetes will be affected by any medical or surgical intervention as its impact on obesity will alter the outcomes being assessed by MAGDA-DPP. The screening procedures have also been updated to reflect the current recruitment operation. The first eligibility screening is now taking place either during or after pregnancy, depending on recruitment strategy.

Severe hypoglycaemia in type 1 diabetes mellitus: underlying drivers and potential strategies for successful prevention

Hypoglycaemia remains an over-riding factor limiting optimal glycaemic control in type 1 diabetes. Severe hypoglycaemia is prevalent in almost half of those with long-duration diabetes and is one of the most feared diabetes-related complications. In this review, we present an overview of the increasing body of literature seeking to elucidate the underlying pathophysiology of severe hypoglycaemia and the limited evidence behind the strategies employed to prevent episodes. Drivers of severe hypoglycaemia including impaired counter-regulation, hypoglycaemia-associated autonomic failure, psychosocial and behavioural factors and neuroimaging correlates are discussed. Treatment strategies encompassing structured education, insulin analogue regimens, continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion pumps, continuous glucose sensing and beta-cell replacement therapies have been employed, yet there is little randomized controlled trial evidence demonstrating effectiveness of new technologies in reducing severe hypoglycaemia. Optimally designed interventional trials evaluating these existing technologies and using modern methods of teaching patients flexible insulin use within structured education programmes with the specific goal of preventing severe hypoglycaemia are required. Individuals at high risk need to be monitored with meticulous collection of data on awareness, as well as frequency and severity of all hypoglycaemic episodes.

Shining the light on sunshine: a systematic review of the influence of sun exposure on type 2 diabetes mellitus-related outcomes

Prospective observational studies uniformly link vitamin D deficiency with the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), yet trials supplementing participants at risk of T2DM with vitamin D to reduce progression to T2DM have yielded inconsistent results. Inconsistencies between supplementation trials may be due to insufficient dosing or small sample sizes. Observational studies may also have reported spurious associations due to uncontrolled confounding by lifestyle or genetic factors. Alternatively, observational and intervention studies may not be entirely comparable. Observational studies show an association between higher vitamin D status, which is predominantly derived from sun exposure, and decreased incidence of T2DM. Trials intervene with vitamin D supplementation, and therefore may be missing alternate causes of the effect of sun exposure, as seen in observational studies. We propose that sun exposure may be the driving force behind the associations seen in observational studies; sun exposure may have additional benefits beyond increasing serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels. We performed an electronic literature search to identify articles that examined associations between sun exposure and T2DM and/or glucose metabolism. A best evidence synthesis was then conducted using outcomes from analyses deemed to have high methodological quality. Ten eligible full-text articles were identified, yielding 19 T2DM-related outcomes. The best evidence analysis considered 11 outcomes which were grouped into six outcome types: T2DM, fasting glucose, glucose tolerance, fasting insulin, insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity. There was moderate evidence to support a role of recreational sun exposure in reducing odds of T2DM incidence. High-level evidence was lacking; evidence presented for other outcomes was of low or insufficient level. This review highlights significant gaps in research pertaining to sun exposure and T2DM-related outcomes. Further research is encouraged as we aim to identify novel preventative strategies for T2DM.

Barriers and enablers to healthcare access and use among Arabic-speaking and Caucasian English-speaking patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a qualitative comparative study

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to explore the decision-making processes and associated barriers and enablers that determine access and use of healthcare services in Arabic-speaking and English-speaking Caucasian patients with diabetes in Australia. STUDY SETTING AND DESIGN: Face-to-face semistructured individual interviews and group interviews were conducted at various healthcare settings-diabetes outpatient clinics in 2 tertiary referral hospitals, 6 primary care practices and 10 community centres in Melbourne, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 100 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus were recruited into 2 groups: 60 Arabic-speaking and 40 English-speaking Caucasian. DATA COLLECTION: Interviews were audio-taped, translated into English when necessary, transcribed and coded thematically. Sociodemographic and clinical information was gathered using a self-completed questionnaire and medical records. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Only Arabic-speaking migrants intentionally delayed access to healthcare services when obvious signs of diabetes were experienced, missing opportunities to detect diabetes at an early stage. Four major barriers and enablers to healthcare access and use were identified: influence of significant other(s), unique sociocultural and religious beliefs, experiences with healthcare providers and lack of knowledge about healthcare services. Compared with Arabic-speaking migrants, English-speaking participants had no reluctance to access and use medical services when signs of ill-health appeared; their treatment-seeking behaviours were straightforward. CONCLUSIONS: Arabic-speaking migrants appear to intentionally delay access to medical services even when symptomatic. Four barriers to health services access have been identified. Tailored interventions must be developed for Arabic-speaking migrants to improve access to available health services, facilitate timely diagnosis of diabetes and ultimately to improve glycaemic control.

Using smartphones for accountable care and evidence-based decision making in managing gestational diabetes : an Australian case study

Better managing diabetes has become a global priority, especially given the exponential increase in the number of diabetes patients and the financial implications of treating this silent epidemic. In this paper, we focus on how it might be possible to use a mobile technology solution to support and enable superior diabetes monitoring and management. To test this solution, we examined the context of gestational diabetes and adopted a non-blinded randomized control trial with two-arm cross over applied to a private hospital in Victoria, Australia. Further, we use an accountable care system as the theoretical lens and, from this, develop a conceptual framework to bridge evidence-based management with technologies. Theoretically, we unpack McCleallan, McKethan, Lewis, Roski, and Fisher’s (2010) study with our conceptual framework that comprises providers for information (evidence-based management) and technology (smartphone). We enhance Muhlestein, Croshaw, Merrill, Pena, and James’ (2013) accountable care paradigm with three concepts: 1) quality of life, 2) evidence-based management, and 3) affordable care. From the perspective of practice, far-reaching implications have arisen particularly for hospital management pertaining to the cost and quality of care issues. In particular, it appears that adapting mobile technology solutions such as smartphones to support various aspects of care and patient-clinician interactions is a prudent choice to minimize costs and yet provide highquality care.

Clinical pharmacology of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors are a class of oral antidiabetic drugs that improve glycaemic control without causing weight gain or increasing hypoglycaemic risk in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The eight available DPP-4 inhibitors, including alogliptin, anagliptin, gemigliptin, linagliptin, saxagliptin, sitagliptin, teneligliptin, and vildagliptin, are small molecules used orally with identical mechanism of action and similar safety profiles in patients with T2DM. DPP-4 inhibitors may be used as monotherapy or in double or triple combination with other oral glucose-lowering agents such as metformin, thiazolidinediones, or sulfonylureas. Although DPP-4 inhibitors have the same mode of action, they differ by some important pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties that may be clinically relevant in some patients. The main differences between the eight gliptins include: potency, target selectivity, oral bioavailability, elimination half-life, binding to plasma proteins, metabolic pathways, formation of active metabolite(s), main excretion routes, dosage adjustment for renal and liver insufficiency, and potential drug-drug interactions. The off-target inhibition of selective DPP-4 inhibitors is responsible for multiorgan toxicities such as immune dysfunction, impaired healing, and skin reactions. As a drug class, the DPP-4 inhibitors have become accepted in clinical practice due to their excellent tolerability profile, with a low risk of hypoglycaemia, a neutral effect on body weight, and once-daily dosing. It is unknown if DPP-4 inhibitors can prevent disease progression. More clinical studies are needed to validate the optimal regimens of DPP-4 inhibitors for the management of T2DM when their potential toxicities are closely monitored.

Conhecimento e prática dos portadores de diabetes mellitus tipo 2 com relação aos cuidados na prevenção do pé diabético

Este estudo teve como objetivo identificar o conhecimento e prática dos portadores de Diabetes Mellitus tipo 2 com relação aos cuidados na prevenção do pé diabético em uma Unidade de Saúde localizada no município de São Caetano do Sul -SP. Trata-se de um estudo transversal descritivo, exploratório, com abordagem quantitativa. O procedimento técnico utilizado foi o levantamento de dados através do formulário que norteou a realização 21 entrevistas. Foi constatado que os sujeitos da pesquisa realizavam de maneira rotineira alguns cuidados com os pés, porém, não relacionavam essa prática à prevenção do pé diabético. Ao serem questionados sobre as conseqüências do diabetes, 82% não tinham informação sobre o pé diabético. Em relação às orientações sobre os cuidados com os pés, 67% dos entrevistados não tiveram orientação e 67% já apresentavam alterações nos pés, o que mostra necessidade de investir em programas de orientação sobre as complicações do Diabetes.

Estudo de custo-efetividade do rastreamento populacional para o diabetes mellitus em nível nacional realizados no Brasil

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Avaliação normativa do atendimento prestado pelo programa municipal de atendimento a portadores de diabetes mellitus de Santa Maria (RS)

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Níveis urinários de TGF-B1 em pacientes com diabetes mellitus tipo 2 : impacto da hipertensão arterial sistêmica

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A campanha nacional de detecção do diabetes mellitus : cobertura e resultados glicêmicos

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Caracterização dos diabéticos com diagnóstico prévio e sem tratamento rastreados pela Campanha Nacional de Detecção de Diabetes Mellitus - CNDDM

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