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Frank Robinson, legend and pioneer, dies

Frank Robinson, a trailblazing figure who was Major League Baseball's first African-American manager and one of its greatest players during a career that spanned 21 seasons, died Thursday after a prolonged illness. He was 83.




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Disco embraces fresh start after tough end to '18

Reds starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani hated how his 2018 season ended and didn't need any motivation to make improvements over the winter.




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Effects of Pioglitazone on Glucose-Dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide-Mediated Insulin Secretion and Adipocyte Receptor Expression in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Incretin hormone dysregulation contributes to reduced insulin secretion and hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Resistance to glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) action may occur through desensitization or downregulation of β-cell GIP receptors (GIP-R). Studies in rodents and cell lines show GIP-R expression can be regulated through peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor (PPAR) response elements (PPREs). Whether this occurs in humans is unknown. To test this, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of pioglitazone therapy on GIP-mediated insulin secretion and adipocyte GIP-R expression in subjects with well-controlled T2DM. Insulin sensitivity improved, but the insulinotropic effect of infused GIP was unchanged following 12 weeks of pioglitazone treatment. In parallel, we observed increased GIP-R mRNA expression in subcutaneous abdominal adipocytes from subjects treated with pioglitazone. Treatment of cultured human adipocytes with troglitazone increased PPAR binding to GIP-R PPREs. These results show PPAR agonists regulate GIP-R expression through PPREs in human adipocytes, but suggest this mechanism is not important for regulation of the insulinotropic effect of GIP in subjects with T2DM. Because GIP has antilipolytic and lipogenic effects in adipocytes, the increased GIP-R expression may mediate accretion of fat in patients with T2DM treated with PPAR agonists.




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Inhibition of NFAT Signaling Restores Microvascular Endothelial Function in Diabetic Mice

Central to the development of diabetic macro- and microvascular disease is endothelial dysfunction, which appears well before any clinical sign but, importantly, is potentially reversible. We previously demonstrated that hyperglycemia activates nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) in conduit and medium-sized resistance arteries and that NFAT blockade abolishes diabetes-driven aggravation of atherosclerosis. In this study, we test whether NFAT plays a role in the development of endothelial dysfunction in diabetes. NFAT-dependent transcriptional activity was elevated in skin microvessels of diabetic Akita (Ins2+/–) mice when compared with nondiabetic littermates. Treatment of diabetic mice with the NFAT blocker A-285222 reduced NFATc3 nuclear accumulation and NFAT-luciferase transcriptional activity in skin microvessels, resulting in improved microvascular function, as assessed by laser Doppler imaging and iontophoresis of acetylcholine and localized heating. This improvement was abolished by pretreatment with the nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor l-NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester, while iontophoresis of the NO donor sodium nitroprusside eliminated the observed differences. A-285222 treatment enhanced dermis endothelial NO synthase expression and plasma NO levels of diabetic mice. It also prevented induction of inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and osteopontin, lowered plasma endothelin-1 and blood pressure, and improved mouse survival without affecting blood glucose. In vivo inhibition of NFAT may represent a novel therapeutic modality to preserve endothelial function in diabetes.




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How the New Indonesia-EU FLEGT Licence Can Contribute to the Sustainable Development Agenda

15 November 2016

Alison Hoare

Senior Research Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme
The FLEGT timber licence marks a breakthrough in the battle against illegal logging and has the potential to help towards achieving the SDGs in the forest sector and beyond.

2016-11-15-Indonesia-logging.jpg

Collected logs along a river in West Kalimantan province, Indonesia. Photo by Getty Images.

Today Indonesia begins issuing the first ever FLEGT licenses for timber exports bound for the EU market. A major step in the battle against illegal logging and trade in illegal timber, these licenses are issued under a national system to verify the legality of all timber and timber products. A commitment to licensing its timber exports to Europe was made in the country’s Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the EU, although the licensing system applies to all exports and to the domestic market. The scale of this achievement can not be underestimated given the size of the country and of its forest sector – there are hundreds of thousands of forest enterprises ranging from large-scale concession holders and processing industries, to smallholders and micro-scale loggers, saw-millers and manufacturers.

It is also remarkable given the state of Indonesia’s forest sector at the turn of the century. Looking back to 2000, rule of law was all but absent and corruption was rife - with the allocation of concessions and timber industries closely tied with the country’s ruling elite. Widespread logging contributed to the high rates of deforestation seen at the turn of the century, which stood at over one per cent per year.

In 2016, the forest sector is vastly different – there are much higher levels of accountability and legal compliance, the result of the considerable effort and resources that have been put into enforcement and anti-corruption efforts. The sector is also much more open, reflected both in the significant improvements in the availability of forest data and legislation as well as the increased space that has been made available to civil society to participate both in policy processes and in monitoring of the sector.

These improvements are the result in large part of the reform processes that have been enabled and supported by the VPA process, for which negotiations began in 2007. However, the process is far from complete and the issuance of FLEGT licences is best viewed as a marking point in an ongoing trajectory towards establishing a legal and sustainable sector.

If we take 2000 as the starting point of this trajectory, with FLEGT licensing as the midway point, this brings us to just beyond 2030, the target date for the UN’s global agenda for sustainable development of which the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are an integral part. The SDGs provide a broader framework for considering what further progress is needed in the coming years both to improve legality and to ensure that the forest sector makes a positive contribution towards achieving widespread sustainable development in Indonesia.

There are a number of factors that risk the achievement of these aims. Key challenges that remain in the country’s forest sector include the high levels of informality in the small-scale sector, corruption, limited transparency and pressure on forests from other sectors (as highlighted in the report 'Illegal Logging and Related Trade. The Response in Indonesia').

As noted, there are hundreds of thousands of forest enterprises in the country, many of which – particularly small-scale businesses – operate informally. Further concerted efforts are needed to ensure that these enterprises are not excluded from the formal market, but are able to contribute to a thriving economy – for example, through continued support for certification, as well as much greater investment in the provision of extension services and further reforms to establish a policy framework that facilitates the growth of small businesses (see 'Improving Legality Among Small-Scale Forest Enterprises'). This will make an important contribution to the achievement of SDG 8, to enable ‘decent work and economic growth’, this including the target [8.3] to encourage the growth of small enterprises.

Both corruption and limited transparency also need to be addressed if widespread legality and sustainability are to be achieved in the forest sector. Transparency has improved greatly in the forest sector, with significant improvements to the availability of information and the establishment of independent monitoring by civil society. However, further progress is needed to improve the accessibility of information, not least to ensure that NGOs are able to fulfil this monitoring role. In relation to corruption, the anti-corruption agency has made good progress, but it remains under threat and needs to be strengthened. Improving governance is a priority under the SDGs, Goal 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) including targets to reduce corruption, develop transparent institutions and ensure public access to information.  

The progress made in these areas also needs to be replicated outside the forest sector. A major threat to Indonesia’s forests comes from conversion to other land-uses, in particular agricultural plantations. Effective land-use planning, including transparent and participatory decision-making, is needed if the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources is to be achieved and deforestation slowed – as set out under SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production) and SDG 15 (life on land).

An important means to drive progress is to ensure close monitoring of progress as well as the evaluation of the measures being adopted. A framework for monitoring the impact of FLEGT licences, as well as the related measures being implemented under the VPA, is under development. This will need to link up to national efforts to monitor progress towards the SDGs – both to contribute towards the monitoring of these goals and to facilitate communication of the progress and lessons being learnt in the forest sector.

To comment on this article, please contact Chatham House Feedback




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{beta}-Cell Stress Shapes CTL Immune Recognition of Preproinsulin Signal Peptide by Posttranscriptional Regulation of Endoplasmic Reticulum Aminopeptidase 1

The signal peptide of preproinsulin is a major source for HLA class I autoantigen epitopes implicated in CD8 T cell (CTL)–mediated β-cell destruction in type 1 diabetes (T1D). Among them, the 10-mer epitope located at the C-terminal end of the signal peptide was found to be the most prevalent in patients with recent-onset T1D. While the combined action of signal peptide peptidase and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) is required for processing of the signal peptide, the mechanisms controlling signal peptide trimming and the contribution of the T1D inflammatory milieu on these mechanisms are unknown. Here, we show in human β-cells that ER stress regulates ERAP1 gene expression at posttranscriptional level via the IRE1α/miR-17-5p axis and demonstrate that inhibition of the IRE1α activity impairs processing of preproinsulin signal peptide antigen and its recognition by specific autoreactive CTLs during inflammation. These results underscore the impact of ER stress in the increased visibility of β-cells to the immune system and position the IRE1α/miR-17 pathway as a central component in β-cell destruction processes and as a potential target for the treatment of autoimmune T1D.




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Prospective registration and reporting of trial number in randomised clinical trials: global cross sectional study of the adoption of ICMJE and Declaration of Helsinki recommendations




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Use of genetic variation to separate the effects of early and later life adiposity on disease risk: mendelian randomisation study




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How Far Does the European Union’s Influence Extend?

Members Event

26 February 2020 - 6:00pm to 7:00pm

Chatham House | 10 St James's Square | London | SW1Y 4LE

Event participants

Anu Bradford, Author, The Brussels Effect: How the European Union Rules the World; Henry L. Moses Professor of Law and International Organization, Columbia Law School

Creon Butler, Research Director, Trade, Investment & New Governance Models; Director, Global Economy and Finance Programme, Chatham House

Chair: Pepijn Bergsen, Research Fellow, Europe Programme, Chatham House

The European Union (EU) is increasingly looking to its regulatory capacity as a foreign policy tool. In areas such as data privacy and chemical safety, the EU’s success in setting policy standards that are replicated globally have helped cement its reputation as a norm-setting power.

Despite this success, narratives of decline that focus on the EU’s internal and external challenges – including Brexit, the rise of China and growing Euroscepticism within member states – have dominated popular discussions of the bloc’s viability and authority.

The speakers consider the strengths and shortcomings in the EU’s ability to exert global influence focusing particularly on its norm-setting power. Brussels’ primary motivations for setting internal standards and regulations have traditionally been to preserve and strengthen its single market.

What, then, explains the attractiveness of these regulations in external markets? How will the departure of one of its largest internal economies affect the EU’s capacity to export its internal regulations globally?

And to what extent could the EU benefit from diversifying its avenues of exerting global influence?

Members Events Team




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Executive Power Showdown: Congress and White House Quarrel over Immigration Spending

Though a faceoff between the U.S. executive and legislative branches is now in the courts, with President Trump's decision to declare a national emergency so he can allocate more money for construction of a border wall, a less-noted dispute has been taking place over the Department of Homeland Security's decision to add thousands more immigration detention beds than Congress provides annually, as this article explains.




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The Unintended Consequences for English Learners of Using the Four-Year Graduation Rate for School Accountability

High school graduation is a landmark event for students. It also plays an important role in the state accountability systems designed to ensure that schools provide all students a high-quality education. Yet relying on a school's four-year graduation rate for federal accountability purposes can have unintended consequences for English Learners, who may need extra time to graduate.




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Spike in Unaccompanied Child Arrivals at U.S.-Mexico Border Proves Enduring Challenge; Citizenship Question on 2020 Census in Doubt

Approximately 11,500 unaccompanied children were apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border in May, putting this year on track to exceed 2014's surge. As the U.S. government struggles to care for these child migrants, with public outrage mounting over reports of unsafe, filthy conditions in initial Border Patrol custody, the failure of the executive branch and Congress to plan for increased shelter and care demands are increasingly apparent, as this article explores.




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Trends in Unaccompanied Child and Family Migration from Central America

This fact sheet uses U.S. and Mexican apprehensions data to trace the evolving trends in unaccompanied child and family migration from Central America through Mexico and to the United States, and discusses the push factors and pull factors responsible for the increase in flows seen in recent years, as well as the growing role of smuggling organizations.




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Will Immigration Reform Ever Succeed Again? The Legacy of IRCA & Its Enduring Lessons

This discussion on the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) showcases MPI Fellow Charles Kamasaki's book, Immigration Reform: The Corpse That Will Not Die. Kamasaki is joined by other veterans of the IRCA debate for a conversation on the lessons, the intended and unintended consequences, and how the law’s legacy has shaped contemporary politics on immigration.




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George W. Bush Calls for an End to Partisanship in Fight Against Virus

Source:

Former U.S. President George W. Bush has called for an end to partisanship in the nation's continued battle against the coronavirus, urging Americans to "remember that empathy and simple kindness are essential powerful tools of national recovery."






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Emigration Trends and Policies in China: Movement of the Wealthy and Highly Skilled

This report analyzes the evolution of Chinese emigration from the 1970s, when market-oriented reforms began reducing barriers to movement beyond the country's borders, to the present day. High-skilled and high-value emigration is rising fast. Despite liberalized exit controls, low-skilled labor migration is stagnant as a result of complicated and expensive recruitment procedures.




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Reception and Reintegration Services in Central America: Ending the Deportee Revolving Door

A webinar releasing a report examining deportations to Central America and reception and reintegration services in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.




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Reception and Reintegration Services in Central America: Ending the Deportee Revolving Door

A webinar releasing a report examining deportations to Central America and reception and reintegration services in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.




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La Situación de Cambio Constante entre EE UU y México: Tendencias y Políticas de Migración, Incluyendo Menores No Acompañados

Una llamada en español que analiza las dinámicas cambiantes y las cuestiones políticas relacionadas con la migración a través de México a los Estados Unidos.




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La Situación de Cambio Constante entre EE UU y México: Tendencias y Políticas de Migración, Incluyendo Menores No Acompañados

Durante este seminario, ponentes presentaron hallazgos de un reciente informe que utiliza datos de agencias gubernamentales mexicanas, entrevistas con funcionarios clave y relatos de la sociedad civil para examinar el marco legal para la protección de menores no acompañados y su aplicación, al igual que las brechas entre este marco y su aplicación durante los procesos de detención, interrogación y alojamiento. El presidente de MPI, Andrew Selee, también expuso cómo el cambio en la dinámica política en Estados Unidos puede afectar las cuestiones migratorias con México, así como los efectos en la relación bilateral en medio de tensiones sobre el muro fronterizo, la renegociación del acuerdo del TLCAN y una cifra significativa de repatriaciones de migrantes mexicanos.




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Despite Trump Invitation to Stop Taking Refugees, Red and Blue States Alike Endorse Resettlement

Forty-two governors, Republican and Democrat alike, have affirmed their consent for continued refugee resettlement, bypassing an invitation from the Trump administration to stop accepting refugees. These actions, which reportedly surprised the White House, suggest there may be limits to the Trump immigration agenda when it comes to refugees, as this Policy Beat explores.




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Weekend live sports include UFC 249, 14 baseball games in Asia

UFC 249 will be sandwiched between 14 live baseball broadcasts out of South Korea and Taiwan this weekend for American sports fans to watch as they wait for major sports leagues to return.




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Japan offers weekend's only top-level event as horse racing struggles to resume

Coronavirus brings worldwide horse racing almost to a halt, with only one Grade 1 event on the weekend schedule, but rays of hope exist.




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Glucose, Advanced Glycation End Products, and Diabetes Complications: What Is New and What Works

Melpomeni Peppa
Oct 1, 2003; 21:
Council's Voice




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Health Care Expenditures Among Adults With Diabetes After Oregons Medicaid Expansion

OBJECTIVE

To compare trends in Medicaid expenditures among adults with diabetes who were newly eligible due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion to trends among those previously eligible.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Using Oregon Medicaid administrative data from 1 January 2014 to 30 September 2016, a retrospective cohort study was conducted with propensity score–matched Medicaid eligibility groups (newly and previously eligible). Outcome measures included total per-member per-month (PMPM) Medicaid expenditures and PMPM expenditures in the following 12 categories: inpatient visits, emergency department visits, primary care physician visits, specialist visits, prescription drugs, transportation services, tests, imaging and echography, procedures, durable medical equipment, evaluation and management, and other or unknown services.

RESULTS

Total PMPM Medicaid expenditures for newly eligible enrollees with diabetes were initially considerably lower compared with PMPM expenditures for matched previously eligible enrollees during the first postexpansion quarter (mean values $561 vs. $793 PMPM, P = 0.018). Within the first three postexpansion quarters, PMPM expenditures of the newly eligible increased to a similar but slightly lower level. Afterward, PMPM expenditures of both groups continued to increase steadily. Most of the overall PMPM expenditure increase among the newly eligible was due to rapidly increasing prescription drug expenditures.

CONCLUSIONS

Newly eligible Medicaid enrollees with diabetes had slightly lower PMPM expenditures than previously eligible Medicaid enrollees. The increase in PMPM prescription drug expenditures suggests greater access to treatment over time.




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Despite Flurry of Actions, Trump Administration Faces Constraints in Achieving Its Immigration Agenda

Though it has achieved success in some areas, the Trump administration’s many efforts to stiffen immigration enforcement in the U.S. interior and at the Southwest border are being consistently stymied by court injunctions, existing laws and settlements, state and local resistance, congressional pushback, and migration pressures that are beyond the government’s ability to swiftly address, as this article explores.




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Democrats Under Pressure: Political Calendar Exposes Ideological Differences on Immigration

Ideological differences in the Democratic Party over immigration that were once masked by unity against President Trump’s border wall and immigration agenda are now being exposed as Democratic presidential candidates seek to stand out in a crowded field and amid controversy over an emergency border spending bill. As the 2020 electoral calendar accelerates, how the party navigates the gulf between its most liberal and conservative wings will become a greater challenge for its leaders.




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From Control to Crisis: Changing Trends and Policies Reshaping U.S.-Mexico Border Enforcement

How did the U.S. border enforcement picture go in the span of two years from the lowest levels of illegal immigration since 1971 to a spiraling border security and humanitarian crisis? This report draws on enforcement and other data as well as analysis of changing migration trends and policies to tell this story. The authors outline key elements for a new strategy that can succeed over the long term.




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Colts QB Philip Rivers to coach at Alabama high school once NFL career ends

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers will become the head football coach at St. Michael Catholic High School, the school announced Friday.




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Evidence-Informed Clinical Practice Recommendations for Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes Complicated by Problematic Hypoglycemia

Pratik Choudhary
Jun 1, 2015; 38:1016-1029
Type 1 Diabetes at a Crossroads




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Endothelial Dysfunction in Diabetes: The role of reparatory mechanisms

Angelo Avogaro
May 1, 2011; 34:S285-S290
Hypertension




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Trends in Drug Utilization, Glycemic Control, and Rates of Severe Hypoglycemia, 2006-2013

Kasia J. Lipska
Apr 1, 2017; 40:468-475
Emerging Science and Concepts for Management of Diabetes and Aging




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Long-term Benefits of Intensive Glucose Control for Preventing End-Stage Kidney Disease: ADVANCE-ON

Muh Geot Wong
May 1, 2016; 39:694-700
Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes




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Clinical Targets for Continuous Glucose Monitoring Data Interpretation: Recommendations From the International Consensus on Time in Range

Tadej Battelino
Aug 1, 2019; 42:1593-1603
International Consensus Report




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Standardizing Clinically Meaningful Outcome Measures Beyond HbA1c for Type 1 Diabetes: A Consensus Report of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, the American Association of Diabetes Educators, the American Diabetes Association, the Endo

Gina Agiostratidou
Dec 1, 2017; 40:1622-1630
Continuous Glucose Monitoring and Risk of Hypoglycemia




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Diabetes Prevention in the Real World: Effectiveness of Pragmatic Lifestyle Interventions for the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes and of the Impact of Adherence to Guideline Recommendations: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Alison J. Dunkley
Apr 1, 2014; 37:922-933
Current Concepts of Type 2 Diabetes Prevention




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Staging Presymptomatic Type 1 Diabetes: A Scientific Statement of JDRF, the Endocrine Society, and the American Diabetes Association

Richard A. Insel
Oct 1, 2015; 38:1964-1974
Scientific Statement




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Hypoglycemia and Diabetes: A Report of a Workgroup of the American Diabetes Association and The Endocrine Society

Elizabeth R. Seaquist
May 1, 2013; 36:1384-1395
Scientific Statement




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Staging Presymptomatic Type 1 Diabetes: A Scientific Statement of JDRF, the Endocrine Society, and the American Diabetes Association

Richard A. Insel
Oct 1, 2015; 38:1964-1974
Scientific Statement




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Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes: From "Guidelines" to "Position Statements" and Back: Recommendations of the Israel National Diabetes Council

Ofri Mosenzon
Aug 1, 2016; 39:S146-S153
II. Diabetes Treatment Options




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Clinical Targets for Continuous Glucose Monitoring Data Interpretation: Recommendations From the International Consensus on Time in Range

Tadej Battelino
Aug 1, 2019; 42:1593-1603
International Consensus Report




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Effects of Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy on Insulin Sensitivity and Incretin Responses in Transgender People

OBJECTIVE

The long-term influences of sex hormone administration on insulin sensitivity and incretin hormones are controversial. We investigated these effects in 35 transgender men (TM) and 55 transgender women (TW) from the European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence (ENIGI) study.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Before and after 1 year of gender-affirming hormone therapy, body composition and oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) were evaluated.

RESULTS

In TM, body weight (2.8 ± 1.0 kg; P < 0.01), fat-free mass (FFM) (3.1 ± 0.9 kg; P < 0.01), and waist-to-hip ratio (–0.03 ± 0.01; P < 0.01) increased. Fasting insulin (–1.4 ± 0.8 mU/L; P = 0.08) and HOMA of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (2.2 ± 0.3 vs. 1.8 ± 0.2; P = 0.06) tended to decrease, whereas fasting glucose (–1.6 ± 1.6 mg/dL), glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) (–1.8 ± 1.0 pmol/L), and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) (–0.2 ± 1.1 pmol/L) were statistically unchanged. Post-OGTT areas under the curve (AUCs) for GIP (2,068 ± 1,134 vs. 2,645 ± 1,248 [pmol/L] x min; P < 0.01) and GLP-1 (2,352 ± 796 vs. 2,712 ± 1,015 [pmol/L] x min; P < 0.01) increased. In TW, body weight tended to increase (1.4 ± 0.8 kg; P = 0.07) with decreasing FFM (–2.3 ± 0.4 kg; P < 0.01) and waist-to-hip ratio (–0.03 ± 0.01; P < 0.01). Insulin (3.4 ± 0.8 mU/L; P < 0.01) and HOMA-IR (1.7 ± 0.1 vs. 2.4 ± 0.2; P < 0.01) rose, fasting GIP (–1.4 ± 0.8 pmol/L; P < 0.01) and AUC GIP dropped (2,524 ± 178 vs. 1,911 ± 162 [pmol/L] x min; P < 0.01), but fasting glucose (–0.3 ± 1.4 mg/dL), GLP-1 (1.3 ± 0.8 pmol/L), and AUC GLP-1 (2,956 ± 180 vs. 2,864 ± 93 [pmol/L] x min) remained unchanged.

CONCLUSIONS

In this cohort of transgender persons, insulin sensitivity but also post-OGTT incretin responses tend to increase with masculinization and to decrease with feminization.




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ACE and Type 2 Diabetes Risk: A Mendelian Randomization Study

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether ACE inhibitors reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes using a Mendelian randomization (MR) approach.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

A two-sample MR analysis included 17 independent genetic variants associated with ACE serum concentration in 4,147 participants from the Outcome Reduction with Initial Glargine INtervention (ORIGIN) (clinical trial reg. no. NCT00069784) trial, and their effects on type 2 diabetes risk were estimated from 18 studies of the DIAbetes Genetics Replication And Meta-analysis (DIAGRAM) consortium. A genetic risk score (GRS) underpinning lower ACE concentration was then tested for association with type 2 diabetes prevalence in 341,872 participants, including 16,320 with type 2 diabetes, from the UK Biobank. MR estimates were compared after standardization for blood pressure change, with the estimate obtained from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) meta-analysis of ACE inhibitors versus placebo (n = 31,200).

RESULTS

Genetically lower ACE concentrations were associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes (odds ratio [OR] per SD 0.92 [95% CI 0.89–0.95]; P = 1.79 x 10–7). This result was replicated in the UK Biobank (OR per SD 0.97 [0.96–0.99]; P = 8.73 x 10–4). After standardization, the ACE GRS was associated with a larger decrease in type 2 diabetes risk per 2.4-mmHg lower mean arterial pressure (MAP) compared with that obtained from an RCT meta-analysis (OR per 2.4-mmHg lower MAP 0.19 [0.07–0.51] vs. 0.76 [0.60–0.97], respectively; P = 0.007 for difference).

CONCLUSIONS

These results support the causal protective effect of ACE inhibitors on type 2 diabetes risk and may guide therapeutic decision making in clinical practice.




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Naturalization Trends in the United States

Nearly 22 million immigrants—about half of the overall immigrant population—were naturalized U.S. citizens in fiscal year 2017. In the same year, more than 707,000 immigrants became U.S. citizens. Naturalized citizens tend to have higher incomes and educational attainment compared to other immigrants, as this data-rich article explores.




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ADA Member Advantage ends two endorsements

ADA Member Advantage announced Jan. 8 the end of its endorsement relationship with two companies.




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Send Give Kids A Smile photos

ADA News welcomes digital submissions from GKAS program participants.




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ADA House rescinds The Dentist’s Prayer, amends recognition of religious diversity policy to be more inclusive

In an effort to advance the Association’s diversity and inclusion efforts, the ADA House of Delegates voted at its meeting in September to rescind the policy titled “The Dentist’s Prayer,” used by some state and local dental societies during their meetings, and amend its policy on recognition of religious diversity.




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Dental practice sued for allegedly sending unsolicited text messages

A class action lawsuit alleging that a Florida dental practice sent unsolicited text messages in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Jan. 6.




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Looking back: ADA annual meeting welcomes more than 200,000 attendees since 2010

The last decade brought 236,658 attendees to the American Dental Association's annual meeting. The ADA will continue to build on that momentum with the ADA FDC Annual Meeting from Oct. 15-18 in Orlando, Florida.




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CDC reminds clinicians to use standard precautions, recommends isolating patients with coronavirus symptoms

In light of the “emerging, rapidly evolving” outbreak of the novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reminding clinicians to use standard precautions consistently and advising they isolate patients who show signs and symptoms of the virus.