Pharmacological treatment of ectopic pregnancy: Accuracy, safety and cost-effectiveness of day 1-7 ß-hCG measurements.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to compare accuracy, safety and cost-effectiveness of three ß-hCG measurements protocols, applied in managing ectopic pregnancies (EP) with methotrexate (MTX): (1) day 1 to 7 ß-hCG levels, (2) day 1 to 4 ß-hCG levels and (3) day 4 to 7 ß-hCG levels. METHODS: Cost-minimization analysis (CMA) based on a retrospective study of patients treated with single-dose MTX for EP, was evaluated at a single institution between January 2001 to May 2021. Successful MTX treatment was defined as no surgical intervention. We evaluated safety by analyzing cases of day 4 interventions and cases of inconsistency between the different protocols. Predicting accuracy was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC) curve. RESULTS: A total of 229 patients with single dose MTX treatment were included. Overall, 184 (80.3%) patients were treated successfully with a single dose of MTX. For days 1 and 7 the optimal cutoff point was 7% reduction in ß-hCG levels with sensitivity, specificity and PPV of 76.6% (69.9-82.5, 95% CI), 75.5% (60.5-87.1, 95% CI) and 92.8% (88.4-95.6, 95% CI), respectively. There was no significant difference between the protocols' AUC. None of the patients had any change of management during their day 4 visit in our 20 years of records. The cost for each visit day (day 4 and 7) was calculated with a total cost of 251 USD per patient. CONCLUSION: Patients treated with MTX for EP, measurement of day 1 and day 7 ß-hCG serum levels has a cost minimization advantage and is not inferior to the traditional protocol for predictive accuracy and safety.

Type 2 diabetes subgroups and response to glucose-lowering therapy: Results from the EDICT and Qatar studies.

AIM: To examine the efficacy of glucose-lowering medications in subgroups of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Cluster analysis was performed in participants in the Efficacy and Durability of Initial Combination Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes (EDICT) study and the Qatar study using age, body mass index (BMI), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and beta-cell function (HOMA-ß). Participants also underwent an oral glucose tolerance test with measurement of plasma glucose, insulin and C-peptide concentrations to derive independent measures of insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity. The response to glucose-lowering therapies (change in HbA1c) was measured in each participant cluster for 3 years. RESULTS: Three distinct and comparable clusters/groups of T2DM patients were identified in both the EDICT and Qatar studies. Participants in Group 1 had the highest HbA1c and manifested severe insulin deficiency. Participants in Group 3 had comparable insulin sensitivity to those in Group 1 but better beta-cell function and better glucose control. Participants in Group 2 had the highest BMI with severe insulin resistance accompanied by marked hyperinsulinaemia, which was primarily attributable to decreased insulin clearance. Unexpectedly, participants in Group 1 had better response to combination therapy with pioglitazone plus exenatide than with insulin therapy or metformin sequentially followed by glipizide and basal insulin, while participants in Group 2 responded equally well to both therapies despite very severe insulin resistance. CONCLUSION: Distinct metabolic phenotypes characterize different T2DM clusters and differential responses to glucose-lowering therapies. Participants with severe insulin deficiency respond better to agents that preserve beta-cell function, while, surprisingly, patients with severe insulin resistance did not respond favourably to insulin sensitizers.

Two-step approach for the prediction of future type 2 diabetes risk.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a model for the prediction of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) risk on the basis of a multivariate logistic model and 1-h plasma glucose concentration (1-h PG). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The model was developed in a cohort of 1,562 nondiabetic subjects from the San Antonio Heart Study (SAHS) and validated in 2,395 nondiabetic subjects in the Botnia Study. A risk score on the basis of anthropometric parameters, plasma glucose and lipid profile, and blood pressure was computed for each subject. Subjects with a risk score above a certain cut point were considered to represent high-risk individuals, and their 1-h PG concentration during the oral glucose tolerance test was used to further refine their future T2DM risk. RESULTS: We used the San Antonio Diabetes Prediction Model (SADPM) to generate the initial risk score. A risk-score value of 0.065 was found to be an optimal cut point for initial screening and selection of high-risk individuals. A 1-h PG concentration >140 mg/dL in high-risk individuals (whose risk score was >0.065) was the optimal cut point for identification of subjects at increased risk. The two cut points had 77.8, 77.4, and 44.8% (for the SAHS) and 75.8, 71.6, and 11.9% (for the Botnia Study) sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value, respectively, in the SAHS and Botnia Study. CONCLUSIONS: A two-step model, based on the combination of the SADPM and 1-h PG, is a useful tool for the identification of high-risk Mexican-American and Caucasian individuals.

Role of glycated hemoglobin in the prediction of future risk of T2DM.

AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the predictive power of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) for future type 2 diabetes risk. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Six hundred eighty-seven subjects who were free of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) participated in the study. Each subject received a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test at baseline and 624 received a repeat oral glucose tolerance test after 3.5 ± 0.1 yr of follow-up. Anthropometric measurements, lipid profile, and HbA1c were measured during the baseline visit. Logistic multivariate models were created with T2DM status at follow-up as the dependent variable and other parameters as the independent variables. The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) was used to assess the predictive discrimination of the various models. RESULTS: HbA1c was a significant predictor of future T2DM risk (area under the ROC curve = 0.73, P < 0.0001). A HbA1c cut point of 5.65% had the maximal sum of sensitivity and specificity. Although the area under the ROC curve of HbA1c was smaller than the area under the ROC curve of both the 1-h plasma glucose concentration and a multivariate logistic model (including anthropometric parameters, lipid profile, and fasting plasma glucose), the addition of HbA1c to both the 1-h plasma glucose and the multivariate logistic model significantly increased their predictive power. CONCLUSION: Although HbA1c alone is a weaker predictor of future T2DM risk compared with the 1-h plasma glucose, it provides additive information about future T2DM risk when added to previously published prediction models.

One-hour plasma glucose concentration and the metabolic syndrome identify subjects at high risk for future type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of 1-h plasma glucose concentration and the metabolic syndrome in predicting future risk of type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 1,611 subjects from the San Antonio Heart Study, who were free of type 2 diabetes at baseline; who had plasma glucose and insulin concentrations measured at time 0, 30, 60, and 120 min during the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT); and who had their diabetes status determined with an OGTT after 7-8 years of follow-up, were evaluated. Two models, based on glucose tolerance status, 1-h plasma glucose concentration, and presence of the metabolic syndrome, were tested in predicting the risk for type 2 diabetes at 7-8 years of follow-up. RESULTS: A cutoff point of 155 mg/dl for the 1-h plasma glucose concentration during the OGTT was used to stratify subjects in each glucose tolerance group into low, intermediate, and high risk for future type 2 diabetes. A model based upon 1-h plasma glucose concentration, Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III criteria for the metabolic syndrome, and fasting plasma glucose, independent of 2-h plasma glucose, performed equally well in stratifying nondiabetic subjects into low, intermediate, and high risk for future type 2 diabetes and identified a group of normal glucose-tolerant subjects who were at very high risk for future type 2 diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: The plasma glucose concentration at 1 h during the OGTT is a strong predictor of future risk for type 2 diabetes. A plasma glucose cutoff point of 155 mg/dl and the ATP III criteria for the metabolic syndrome can be used to stratify nondiabetic subjects into three risk groups: low, intermediate, and high risk.