EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF BASAL INSULIN THERAPY IN ROMANIAN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES IN REAL-LIFE SETTINGS: A SUB-GROUP ANALYSIS OF DUNE STUDY.

CONTEXT: Despite the available evidence showing the vital role of glycemic control in the management of type 2 diabetes, a significant proportion of patients are not achieving a good glycemic control. OBJECTIVE: Here we present the results of the Diabetes Unmet Need with basal insulin Evaluation (DUNE) study for patients enrolled in Romanian centers with the aim to describe the proportion of participants who achieved individualized HbA1c targets at 12 weeks following basal insulin therapy initiation. DESIGN: Prospective, observational study. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 355 consecutive adults with type 2 diabetes, who were newly initiated with basal insulin therapy (Newly initiated group) or had been treated for less than 12 months with basal insulin prior to study enrollment (Previously initiated group) were enrolled and followed for 12 weeks. RESULTS: The individualized HbA1c target was achieved by 22.7% of the patients in the Newly initiated group and by 25.0% of the patients in the Previously initiated group. During the study period, in the Newly initiated group mean basal insulin dose increased from 16.2 U at baseline to 27.6 U at 12 weeks. In the Previously initiated group, the insulin dose increased from 27.4 U at baseline to 33.1 U at 12 weeks. In both groups, 9.7% and 12.8% of the patients reported at least 1 episode of symptomatic hypoglycemia. CONCLUSIONS: In real-world settings, despite insulin initiation a large number of patients fail to achieve their individualized glycemic targets. One of the reasons appeared to be linked to the insufficient basal insulin titration.

DIETARY PATTERNS AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH OBESITY: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY.

CONTEXT: Scarce data on dietary habits in Eastern European countries is available and reports investigated individual food items and not dietary patterns in these populations. OBJECTIVE: To identify dietary patterns and to explore their association with obesity in a sample from Romanian population. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This was an analysis of data collected from 1398 adult participants in ORO study. Data on lifestyle, eating habits and food frequency consumption were collected. RESULTS: By principal component analysis we identified 3 dietary patterns explaining 31.4% of the diet variation: High meat/High fat pattern, Western pattern and Prudent pattern. High meat/High fat pattern was associated with male gender, lower educational level, living in a rural, smoking and a higher probability for the presence of obesity (OR 1.2 [95%CI: 1.1-1.4]). Western pattern was associated with younger age, a higher level of physical activity and smoking. Prudent pattern was associated with older age, female gender, a higher level of physical activity, not smoking status and a lower probability for the presence of obesity (OR 0.8 [95%CI: 0.7-0.9]). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides for the first-time information on the association between dietary patterns in adults from an Eastern European country and the presence of obesity.

The relationship between the lipid structure of the hair and acute myocardial infarction.

In a group of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) an evaluation of the derangements in lipid metabolism was carried out by analysing the fat structure of the hair (closely reflecting serum lipid variations). The data obtained reflects the real incidence of dyslipidemia associated with myocardial infarction. Through hair analysis, the evaluation in time (over weeks, months) of lipids metabolism under hypolipidemic therapy can be carried out without taking repeated samples.

[The measurement of proteins with major involvement in the immunological process in a group of 100 elderly patients]. / Dozarea unor proteine cu implicatii majore în procesul imunologic la un lot de 100 bolnavi vîrstnici.

Alpha-2-macroglobulin, alpha-1-antitrypsin and prealbumin were studied comparatively in 100 patients aged between 60 and 90 years and a series of patients aged 25-45 years. Prealbumin was low in both groups, alpha-2-macroglobulin was higher and alpha-1-antitrypsin was lower in the elderly patients.

[Factors with an anti-infectious role and immunologic involvement in a group of 100 elderly patients compared with a group of young patients]. / Explorarea unor factori cu rol antiinfectios cu implicare immunologica la un lot de 100 bolnavi vîrstnici, în comparatie cu un lot de bolnavi tineri.

From the study of the immunological aspects in the elderly it is noticed a marked decrease of: complement C3 fraction, and lysosime and the insignificant decrease of creatininephosphokinase.