Tag Archives: type 2 diabetes

A new gene therapy that targets the heart and requires only one treatment session, has been found safe for patients with coronary artery disease, according to a successful trial carried out in Finland (doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehx352). The treatment enhances circulation in ischaemic heart muscle and the effects were still visible one year after treatment. The randomised, blinded, placebo-controlled phase 1/2a trial was carried out in collaboration between the University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio University Hospital and Turku PET Centre. The biological bypass is based on gene transfer in which a natural human growth factor, AdVEGF-DΔNΔC, a ne

Nanoparticles, inhaled from sources such as vehicle exhausts, have been shown to cross from the lungs into the blood stream. They can then accumulate in areas susceptible to heart problems, according to research part-funded by the British Heart Foundation.  Previous studies have identified a correlation but not a causal link between nanoparticles and strokes or cardiovascular disease. It is not currently possible to measure environmental nanoparticles in the blood. So, researchers from the University of Edinburgh, and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands, used a variety of specialist techniques to t

ESC backs regulations for medical devices The European Society of Cardiology has said in a position paper that it welcomes the European Commission’s (EC) proposals for a new Regulation to govern the evaluation and approval of medical devices in Europe as an important step towards improving patient safety. The EC proposal document is available at http://ec.europa.eu/health/medical-devices/documents/revision/index_en.htm New risk analysis scoring system A new risk scoring system, based on the SMART study, allows doctors to determine more accurately the risk of cardiovascular disease patients developing a new event, such as heart attack or str

“It’s no coincidence that we’re publishing the series at a time when the country and much of the world is gripped with Olympic fever,” stated Dr Pamela Das, executive editor of the Lancet, at a press conference. One paper reported that 9.4% of deaths from any cause are attributable to physical inactivity. Although the host nation of the Olympics, the UK came out particularly badly in the research. In terms of coronary heart disease, lack of exercise was said to account for 5.8% of cases worldwide, but this rises to 10.5% in the UK. If everyone were to engage in just a modest level of physical activity, this would translate into a gain

Introduction Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a major risk factor for developing both microvascular (retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy) and macrovascular complications (coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and peripheral vascular disease).1 The link between maintaining good glycaemic control and prevention of these complications is well established.2-4 Guidelines recommend a target glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) of 7% or less, but a large number of patients fail to meet this target and, as of yet, no ideal pharmacological blood glucose-lowering agent exists. Existing pharmacological therapies, which have been previously describ

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Introduction Type 2 diabetes, which is increasing in prevalence, is a major risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Although there are a number of pharmacological approaches to the management of type 2 diabetes, a large number of patients fail to reach glycaemic targets and a limited amount of drugs have shown benefit without glycaemic control. Therefore, there is still an unmet need in this therapeutic area. One recent advance in the management of type 2 diabetes has been the development and clinical use of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists.1 The development of the

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