Efficacy and safety of lobeglitazone added to metformin and sitagliptin combination therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes: A 52-week, multicentre, randomized, placebo-controlled, phase III clinical trial.

Aims: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of adding lobeglitazone to a triple therapy regimen in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes whose blood glucose levels were inadequately controlled despite dual therapy with metformin and sitagliptin.

Materials And Methods: This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 study involved 231 Korean patients with type 2 diabetes whose HbA1c levels ranged from 7.0% to 10.

Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of controlled-release phentermine/topiramate in adults with obesity in Korea: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 4 trial (QUEEN's study).

Aims: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of a combination of phentermine and delayed-release topiramate (PHEN/TPM CR) versus placebo as an adjunct to standard lifestyle recommendations in Korean adults.

Materials And Methods: This 56-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 4 trial enrolled adults (age 19-70 years) with obesity (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m) at eight sites in South Korea. After a 12-week lifestyle programme, participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive PHEN/TPM CR or placebo.

Genotypic characterization of novel S-DEL variants of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus identified in South Korea.

The highly pathogenic genotype 2b (HP-G2b) of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), which caused a pandemic in 2013-2014, evolved in South Korea and became endemic, affecting the domestic pig industry. This study describes the genotypic traits of novel HP-G2b PEDV strains identified on affected farms experiencing low disease severity with < 10% neonatal mortality. Nucleotide sequencing revealed common deletion patterns, termed S-DEL2, resulting in a two-amino-acid deletion at positions 60 and 61, 61 and 62, or 63 and 64 in the N-terminal domain of the spike (S) protein of all isolates.

A multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, parallel comparison, phase 3 trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pioglitazone add-on therapy in type 2 diabetic patients treated with metformin and dapagliflozin.

Aim: To investigate the efficacy and safety of pioglitazone compared to placebo when added to metformin plus dapagliflozin, a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Materials And Methods: In a multicentre study, with a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, 249 Korean patients with T2DM suboptimally managed on metformin and dapagliflozin were assigned to receive either pioglitazone (15 mg daily) or placebo for 24 weeks, followed by a 24-week pioglitazone extension. Primary outcomes included changes in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), with secondary outcomes assessing insulin resistance, adiponectin levels, lipid profiles, liver enzymes, body weight and waist circumference.

Association of Blood Pressure With Cardio-Renal Events and Mortality in Type 2 DM: A National Health Insurance Database.

Context: The relationship of blood pressure (BP) with cardio-renal events and all-cause mortality in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is still controversial.

Objective: To investigate the optimal BP target in Korean individuals with T2DM.

Methods: Using the Korean National Health Insurance System database, data of individuals with T2DM who underwent regular health checks from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2007, were extracted (N = 1 800 073).

Alcohol-induced increase in BMP levels promotes fatty liver disease in male prediabetic stage Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty rats.

Alcohol consumption exacerbates liver abnormalities in animal models, but whether it increases the severity of liver disease in early diabetic or prediabetic rats is unclear. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying alcohol-induced liver steatosis or hepatitis, we used a prediabetic animal model. Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) and Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (LETO) rats were pair-fed with an ethanol-containing liquid diet for 6 weeks.

Therapeutic Effects of Switching to Anagliptin from Other DPP-4 Inhibitors in T2DM Patients with Inadequate Glycemic Control: A Non-interventional, Single-Arm, Open-Label, Multicenter Observational Study.

Introduction: The effects of switching DPP-4 inhibitors in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients are being widely studied. However, information of which factors affect the therapeutic response is limited. We evaluated the difference in HbA1c lowering effect by comorbidity and other variables after switching to anagliptin in patients with T2DM inadequately controlled by other DPP-4 inhibitors.

A Real-World Study of Long-Term Safety and Efficacy of Lobeglitazone in Korean Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Background: Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) have been associated with various safety concerns including weight gain, bladder cancer, and congestive heart failure (CHF). This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of lobeglitazone, a novel TZD in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in real practice.

Methods: In this non-interventional, multi-center, retrospective, and observational study conducted at 15 tertiary or secondary referral hospitals in Korea, a total of 2,228 patients with T2DM who received lobeglitazone 0.

Comprehensive Review of Current and Upcoming Anti-Obesity Drugs.

Obesity is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide and its prevalence continues to increase globally. Because obesity is a chronic, complex, and heterogeneous disease influenced by genetic, developmental, biological, and environmental factors, it is necessary to approach obesity with an integrated and comprehensive treatment strategy. As it is difficult to achieve and sustain successful long-term weight loss in most patients with obesity through lifestyle modifications (e.

Efficacy and Safety of Pitavastatin in a Real-World Setting: Observational Study Evaluating SaFety in Patient Treated with Pitavastatin in Korea (PROOF Study).

Background: While randomized controlled trials provide useful information about drug safety and efficacy, they do not always reflect the observed results in the real world. The prospective, observational, non-comparative trial in South Korea was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pitavastatin in clinical practice in 28,343 patients.

Methods: This study was conducted in 893 facilities in Korea from April 2, 2012 to April 1, 2017.

Independent Impact of Diabetes on the Severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in 5,307 Patients in South Korea: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Background: Inconsistent results have been observed regarding the independent effect of diabetes on the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We conducted a nationwide population-based cohort study to evaluate the relationship between diabetes and COVID-19 severity in South Korea.

Methods: Patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 aged ≥30 years were enrolled and medical claims data were obtained from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service.

Efficacy and safety of gemigliptin as add-on therapy to insulin, with or without metformin, in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (ZEUS II study).

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of gemigliptin added to a stable dose of insulin alone or of insulin in combination with metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. After a two-week run-in period, patients were randomized 2:1 to receive gemigliptin 50 mg or placebo once daily as add-on to background therapy with insulin or insulin plus metformin for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was change in haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) from baseline at Week 24.

Teneligliptin versus sitagliptin in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled with metformin and glimepiride: A randomized, double-blind, non-inferiority trial.

Aim: To assess the efficacy and safety of add-on therapy with the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor teneligliptin compared with sitagliptin in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) inadequately controlled with metformin and glimepiride.

Materials And Methods: This was a phase 3, randomized, double-blind, non-inferiority study of adult Korean subjects with T2DM (n = 201), with HbA1c ranging from 7.0% to 11.

Alpha-lipoic acid preserves skeletal muscle mass in type 2 diabetic OLETF rats.

Background: Increased oxidative stress and impaired antioxidant defense are important mechanisms in the pathogenesis of diabetic myopathy. Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) has been indicated as a weight-loss treatment in rodents and humans, but studies are limited. In the present study, we aimed to determine the influence of ALA, a potent biological antioxidant, on metabolic and growth processes in diabetic rat skeletal muscle.

Long-term insulin treatment leads to a change in myosin heavy chain fiber distribution in OLETF rat skeletal muscle.

The objective of this study was to investigate molecular and physiological changes in response to long-term insulin glargine treatment in the skeletal muscle of OLETF rats. Male Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) and Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) rats aged 24 weeks were randomly allocated to either treatment with insulin for 24 weeks or no treatment, resulting in three groups. Insulin glargine treatment in OLETF rats (OLETF-G) for 24 weeks resulted in changes in blood glucose levels in intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests compared with age-matched, untreated OLETF rats (OLETF-C), and the area under the curve was significantly decreased for OLETF-G rats compared with OLETF-C rats (P < 0.

Time- and frequency-domain measures of heart rate variability predict cardiovascular outcome in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Aims: To evaluate the association between impaired heart rate variability (HRV) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

Methods: A total of 655 patients with T2DM who underwent cardiovascular autonomic function testing were consecutively recruited and followed up prospectively. Time- and frequency-domain HRV were assessed for 5 min by beat-to-beat heart rate recording.

Clinical Characteristics of People with Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes between 2015 and 2016: Difference by Age and Body Mass Index.

Background: We evaluated the clinical characteristics of insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction in newly diagnosed, drug-naive people with type 2 diabetes by analyzing nationwide cross-sectional data.

Methods: We collected the clinical data of 912 participants with newly diagnosed diabetes from 83 primary care clinics and hospitals nationwide from 2015 to 2016. The presence of insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction was defined as a homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) value ≥2.

Changing Clinical Characteristics according to Insulin Resistance and Insulin Secretion in Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetic Patients in Korea.

Background: The role of increased insulin resistance in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes has been emphasized in Asian populations. Thus, we evaluated the proportion of insulin resistance and the insulin secretory capacity in patients with early phase type 2 diabetes in Korea.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 1,314 drug-naive patients with newly diagnosed diabetes from primary care clinics nationwide.

Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 Inhibitors and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Tale of Three Studies.

Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) inhibitors have been touted as promising antihyperglycemic agents due to their beneficial effects on glycemia without inducing hypoglycemia or body weight gain and their good tolerability. Beyond their glucose-lowering effects, numerous clinical trials and experimental studies have suggested that DPP4 inhibitors may exert cardioprotective effects through their pleiotropic actions via glucagon-like peptide 1-dependent mechanisms or involving other substrates. Since 2008, regulatory agencies have required an assessment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) safety for the approval of all new anti-hyperglycemic agents, including incretin-based therapies.

Chronic Alcohol Consumption Results in Greater Damage to the Pancreas Than to the Liver in the Rats.

Alcohol consumption increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. However, its effects on prediabetes or early diabetes have not been studied. We investigated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in the pancreas and liver resulting from chronic alcohol consumption in the prediabetes and early stages of diabetes.

Inhibitory effect of the carnosine-gallic acid synthetic peptide on MMP-2 and MMP-9 in human fibrosarcoma HT1080 cells.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of zinc-dependent endopeptidases that degrade extracellular matrix components and play important roles in a variety of biological and pathological processes such as malignant tumor metastasis and invasion. In this study, we constructed carnosine-gallic acid peptide (CGP) to identify a better MMP inhibitor than carnosine. The inhibitory effects of CGP on MMP-2 and MMP-9 were investigated in the human fibrosarcoma (HT1080) cell line.

Effects of patient-tailored atorvastatin therapy on ameliorating the levels of atherogenic lipids and inflammation beyond lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Aims/introduction: Recently, patient-tailored statin therapy was proven effective for achieving target low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. It is unclear, however, whether this therapeutic modality would be effective for atherogenic lipid profiles and inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Materials And Methods: The present study was an 8-week, multicenter, single-step titration trial of patient-tailored atorvastatin therapy (10, 20 and 40 mg) according to baseline LDL cholesterol levels in 440 patients with type 2 diabetes.