Current Diabetes Reviews - Volume 11, Issue 3, 2015

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is caused by the chronic autoimmune destruction of insulin producing beta cells. Beta cell replacement therapy through whole pancreas or islet transplantation is a therapeutic option for patients in which a stable glucose control is not achievable with exogenous insulin therapy. Long-term insulin independence is, however, hampered by the recipient immune response that includes activation of inflammat Read More

Background: Post-transplant diabetes mellitus is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease in solid organ transplantation. The main underlying pathophysiological mechanism of PTDM is pancreatic beta cell dysfunction in the context of insulin resistance, but the relative importance of each of these important components of glycemic metabolism is under intense debate. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, E Read More

Treatment options for management of post-transplantation diabetes mellitus (PTDM) are limited with regards to the availability of strong clinical evidence base. This is a concern as PTDM is common after solid organ transplantation and associated with poor clinical outcomes. PTDM and type 2 diabetes mellitus are distinct pathophysiological entities that have important differences with regards to aetiology, clinical course and m Read More

A closed-loop system that provides both the sensing of glucose and the appropriate dosage of insulin could dramatically improve treatment options for insulin-dependent diabetics. The intrahepatic implantation of allogeneic islets has the potential to provide this intimate control, by transplanting the very cells that have this inherent sensing and secretion capacity. Limiting islet transplantation, however, is the significant loss and dy Read More

The identification of at-risk individuals prior to transplantation may enable implementation of measures to prevent or delay PTDM development, while early detection facilitates prompt management and may prevent acute and chronic complications. Thus, in this review, we examine proposed tools for the prediction of PTDM for use prior to and following solid organ transplantation. This includes PTDM prediction models based o Read More

Although, metformin is a drug of the first choice in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, its molecular action is not fully determined. It is widely accepted that the antihyperglycemic effect of metformin is a result of a decrease in hepatic glucose production, and several cellular targets of the drug have been proposed. The reduction of gluconeogenesis evoked by metformin may be a result of an energy deficit evoked through Read More

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is an eye disease, which may cause blindness by the upsurge of insulin in blood. The major cause of visual loss in diabetic patient is macular edema. To diagnose and follow up Diabetic Macular Edema (DME), a powerful Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) technique is used for the clinical assessment. Many existing methods found out the DME affected patients by estimating the fovea thickness. These Read More

Chronic hyperglycemia and its associated metabolic products are key factors responsible for the development and progression of diabetic chronic kidney disease (CKD). Endocrinologists are tasked with detection and management of early CKD before patients need referral to a nephrologist for advanced CKD or dialysis evaluation. Primary care physicians are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of managing hypergly Read More

In modern society, combatting cardiovascular and metabolic diseases has been highlighted as an urgent global challenge. In recent decades, the scientific literature has identified that behavioral variables (e.g. smoking, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity) are related to the development of these outcomes and, therefore, preventive actions should focus on the promotion of physical exercise practice and a healthy diet, as we Read More