Influence of Timing of Insulin Initiation on Long-term Glycemic Control in Japanese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective Delays in insulin initiation can lead to the development of complications in the management of type 2 diabetes. Methods In this study, the effects of the timing of insulin initiation on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes were evaluated retrospectively. Changes in the HbA1c levels of 237 patients were analyzed after insulin initiation. Results The patients were divided into 4 groups according to the duration of diabetes at the time of insulin initiation: ≤3 years, 4 to 6 years, 7 to 9 years, or ≥10 years. Patients with a diabetes duration of ≤3 years were more frequently hospitalized at the time of insulin initiation, had a higher HbA1c level before insulin initiation and a lower HbA1c level at 1 year after insulin initiation and exhibited significant decreases in HbA1c at 1, 3, or 5 years after insulin initiation than those in the other 3 groups with longer durations of diabetes. In the group receiving 4 insulin injections per day, the reduction in HbA1c after 5 years of treatment was larger in patients with a diabetes duration at the time of insulin initiation of ≤3 years than in those with a duration of 7 to 9 years or ≥10 years. Conclusion Our results suggested that an earlier initiation of insulin therapy was crucial for sustaining glycemic control in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes, particularly in those with a history of obesity or receiving multiple insulin injections daily.

Efficacy and safety of insulin degludec U100 and insulin glargine U100 in combination with meal-time bolus insulin in hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes: an open-label, randomized controlled study.

The short-term efficacy and safety of insulin degludec U100 (IDeg) in patients with type 2 diabetes have not been reported widely. We compared insulin IDeg and insulin glargine U100 (IGla) for glycemic control and glucose variability in hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes. In an open-label, multicenter, randomized controlled trial, 74 patients were randomly assigned to either the IDeg (36 patients) or IGla (38 patients) group and were administered with basal-bolus therapy during hospitalization. Following the start of the treatment, on day 11, glucose variability was assessed by continuous glucose monitoring. A fasting blood glucose level of 110 mg/dL and 2-hour postprandial blood glucose level of 180 mg/dL throughout at least one day during the observation period were achieved in 31.3% (10/32) and 30.6% (11/36) of the patients in the IDeg and IGla groups, respectively. The 6-point self-monitoring of blood glucose profiles showed a significant difference between the two groups. On day 7, the intra-day variation was larger in the IDeg group than in the IGla group. The incidence of hypoglycemia or glucose variability was comparable in the two groups. This study suggests that short-term efficacy and safety of IDeg and IGla in patients with type 2 diabetes during the initial phase of basal-bolus therapy were comparable, and these results can help in deciding which treatment to opt for.

PREVALENCE OF OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA DETERMINED BY THE WATCHPAT IN NONOBESE JAPANESE PATIENTS WITH POOR GLUCOSE CONTROL AND TYPE 2 DIABETES.

OBJECTIVE: Diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) usually involves high cost, patient inconvenience, and the need for examination at a specialized center. This study employed a portable, wearable, diagnostic device (WatchPAT) to investigate the prevalence of OSA in nonobese Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Patients with type 2 diabetes were tested for OSA over one night using the WatchPAT. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) of risk factors for OSA in nonobese subjects. RESULTS: A total of 200 eligible patients with type 2 diabetes were studied (64.5% men; aged 60.1 ± 13.6 years; body mass index [BMI], 26.3 ± 5.2 kg/m2). When OSA was defined as apnea-hypopnea index ≥5/hour, its prevalence was 80.5%. The prevalence of OSA in subjects with a BMI <20 kg/m2, ≥20 and <25 kg/m2, ≥25 and <30 kg/m2, and ≥30 kg/m2 was 38.9%, 73.5%, 86.5%, and 97.5%, respectively. The severity of OSA increased in proportion to BMI, especially when the BMI was >25 kg/m2. The prevalence of OSA was also high (66.3%) in normal-weight subjects (BMI <25 kg/m2). Furthermore, the serum triglyceride level (OR, 1.01; 95% confidence interval, 1.00 to 1.02; P = .042) was significantly related to OSA. CONCLUSION: A high prevalence of OSA was observed in this nonobese population of Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes. The triglyceride level was associated with OSA among nonobese patients. ABBREVIATIONS: AHI = apnea-hypopnea Index; BMI = body mass index; CI = confidence interval; ESS = Epworth Sleepiness Scale; HbA1c = glycated hemoglobin; OR = odds ratio; OSA = obstructive sleep apnea; PAT = peripheral arterial tone; T2D = type 2 diabetes; TG = triglyceride.

Association of usual sleep quality and glycemic control in type 2 diabetes in Japanese: A cross sectional study. Sleep and Food Registry in Kanagawa (SOREKA).

OBJECTIVES: Excessively short and long sleep durations are associated with type 2 diabetes, but there is limited information about the association between sleep quality and diabetes. Accordingly, the present study was performed to investigate this relationship. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects were 3249 patients with type 2 diabetes aged 20 years or older. Sleep quality was assessed by using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). A higher global PSQI score indicates worse sleep quality, and a global PSQI score >5 differentiates poor sleepers from good sleepers. RESULTS: The mean global PSQI score was 5.94 ± 3.33, and 47.6% of the patients had a score of 6 or higher. Regarding the components of the PSQI, the score was highest for sleep duration, followed by subjective sleep quality and then sleep latency in decreasing order. When the patients were assigned to HbA1c quartiles (≤ 6.5%, 6.6-7.0%, 7.1-7.8%, and ≥ 7.9%), the top quartile had a significantly higher global PSQI score than the other quartiles. The top HbA1c quartile had a sleep duration of only 6.23 ± 1.42 hours, which was significantly shorter than in the other quartiles. Also, sleep latency was 25.3 ± 31.8 minutes in the top quartile, which was significantly longer (by approximately 20 minutes) than in the other quartiles. When analysis was performed with adjustment for age, gender, BMI, smoking, and other confounders, the global PSQI score was still significantly higher and sleep duration was shorter in the top HbA1c quartile (HbA1c ≥ 7.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes were found to have poor subjective sleep quality independently of potential confounders, especially those with inadequate glycemic control. Impairment of sleep quality was associated with both increased sleep latency and a shorter duration of sleep.

Incretin Kinetics Before and After Miglitol in Japanese Patients With Late Dumping Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: In patients with late dumping syndrome following gastrectomy, it has been reported that hypoglycemia occurs due to inhibition of glucagon secretion as a result of excessive insulin production facilitated by an increase in glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). METHODS: To determine the kinetics of incretins in Japanese patients with late dumping syndrome, an oral glucose tolerance test was carried out before and after miglitol administration, and the kinetics of insulin and incretins were analyzed. RESULTS: After miglitol administration, there was improvement of hypoglycemia and early phase insulin secretion, with persistent excessive insulin secretion being minimized. These findings revealed that miglitol inhibited rapid excessive influx of carbohydrates into the blood and persistent elevation of GLP-1, resulting in improvement of early phase insulin secretion and minimizing persistent excessive insulin secretion. CONCLUSIONS: Eating frequent small meals is generally effective for late dumping syndrome, but patients often find it difficult to continue such a regimen. Based on the present analysis of incretin kinetics, miglitol may be a useful treatment option for late dumping syndrome.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Vildagliptin Versus Alogliptin: Effective Switch From Sitagliptin in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the effects of vildagliptin or alogliptin on blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled by sitagliptin. METHODS: In a single-center open-label trial, 35 patients with inadequate glycemic control on sitagliptin therapy (50 mg once daily) were randomly switched to treatment with vildagliptin (50 mg twice daily) or alogliptin (25 mg once daily). After 12 weeks, patients who failed to achieve the target HbA1c level of < 7.0% with vildagliptin or alogliptin treatment were switched to high-dose sitagliptin (100 mg once daily) and the effect on glycemic control was assessed. RESULTS: Vildagliptin did not significantly alter the mean plasma glucose level (175.5 ± 54.4 mg/dL vs. 179.1 ± 73.4 mg/dL) or HbA1c (8.01% vs. 8.02%) after 12 weeks. With alogliptin, mean plasma glucose increased from 175.4 ± 50.9 mg/dL to 195.3 ± 55.0 mg/dL after 12 weeks and HbA1c increased significantly from 8.0% to 8.3% (P < 0.05). At 12 weeks after switching from vildagliptin to high-dose sitagliptin (100 mg daily), HbA1c was increased to 8.3%, but it was significantly (P < 0.05) reduced to the baseline level of 8.0% after switching from alogliptin. The reduction of HbA1c was significantly greater in the vildagliptin group than the alogliptin group (P = 0.008), but the response rate (achieving the target HbA1c < 7.0%) did not differ significantly between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The glucose-lowering effects of these three dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors (vildagliptin, alogliptin, and sitagliptin) were different, and the effects of vildagliptin and sitagliptin were stronger than that of alogliptin.

Effects of exenatide and liraglutide on 24-hour glucose fluctuations in type 2 diabetes.

We evaluated the influence of short-term treatment with exenatide twice daily or liraglutide once daily on daily blood glucose fluctuations in 40 patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled by sulfonylureas. The patients in a multicenter, open-label trial were randomly assigned to receive add-on exenatide (10 µg/day, n = 21) or add-on liraglutide (0.3-0.9 mg/day, n = 19), and underwent 24-hour continuous subcutaneous glucose monitoring. There was no significant between-group difference in glucose fluctuations during the day, as assessed by calculating mean amplitude of glycemic excursion (MAGE) and standard deviation (SD). However, the mean blood glucose levels at 3 hours after breakfast and dinner were significantly lower in the exenatide group than the liraglutide group (breakfast: 127.3 ± 24.1 vs. 153.4 ± 28.7 mg/dL; p = 0.006, dinner: 108.7 ± 17.3 vs. 141.9 ± 24.2 mg/dL; p < 0.001). In contrast, mean blood glucose levels and their SD were significantly lower between 0000 h and 0600 h in the liraglutide group than the exenatide group (average glucose: 126.9 ± 27.1 vs. 107.1 ± 24.0 mg/dL; p = 0.029, SD: 15.2 ± 10.5 vs. 8.7 ± 3.8; p = 0.020). Both groups had similar glucose fluctuations despite differences in 24-hour blood glucose profiles. Therefore, each of these agents may have advantages or disadvantages and should be selected according to the blood glucose profile of the patient.

Effects of pre-meal versus post-meal administration of miglitol on plasma glucagon-like peptide-1 and glucosedependent insulinotropic polypeptide levels in healthy men.

We previously reported that the administration of miglitol after a meal was equally effective as administration before a meal. Since glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) reportedly promotes islet cell growth and inhibits apoptosis in animal models, an increase in GLP-1 secretion might also be beneficial for islet cell function and mass in humans. Miglitol reportedly enhances GLP-1 responses and reduces glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). However, whether the effect of miglitol on these incretins is comparable when miglitol is administered before or after a meal remains uncertain. Here, we compared the effects of the pre-meal versus post-meal administration of miglitol on the plasma active GLP-1 and total GIP levels in healthy men. Miglitol was administered according to three different intake schedules in each subject (control: no drug, intake 1: drug administered just before a meal [50 mg]; intake 2: drug administered at 30 min after the start of a meal [50 mg]). The area under the curve (AUC) of the plasma GLP-1 level for the intake 1 group was significantly greater than those of the control and intake 2 groups. The AUCs of the plasma GIP level for the intake 1 and 2 groups were significantly smaller than that of the control. The administration of miglitol just before a meal, rather than after a meal, is recommended in view of the up-regulation of GLP-1.