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Babies of women with a high BMI have an increased chance of dying in utero or soon after birth, but how weight gain between pregnancies affects this phenomenon is unclear. Findings in a new study suggest that a BMI rise of ≥4 kg/m2 between pregnancies can amplify the risk of stillbirth and neonatal mortality.
Although the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is higher in African-American than in white individuals, equations developed to predict T2DM are more effective in white individuals. A new study by Lacy and colleagues highlights the need to re-examine current paradigms and identify new biomarkers to determine the earliest features of T2DM risk in populations of African descent.
The Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network has published the 2-year results of a 5-year study comparing intravitreous ranibizumab with panretinal laser photocoagulation in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy. The results suggest that intravitreous ranibizumab will become a valuable treatment option, although its exact role remains to be defined.
Copeptin is derived from the same precursor as arginine vasopressin (AVP). Unlike AVP, copeptin is stable and readily assayed. In this Review, Christ-Crain and Fenske describe the use of copeptin as a marker for differential diagnosis of conditions within the polyuria–polydipsia syndrome.
Long and Fox present a Timeline of milestones from the first 67 years of the Framingham Heart Study, considering many important contributions to our understanding of the epidemiology of metabolic disease, and discussing what the future holds for this ground-breaking study.
The pancreatic islets of Langerhans have been intensively investigated for many years, largely because of their central role in the pathogenesis of type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Notable advances in 2015 related to glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in β cells, β-cell death and the role of epigenetics in β-cell heterogeneity.
Successful management of obesity requires integration of pharmaceutical agents and bariatric surgeries with traditional lifestyle modifications. Notable developments for managing obesity in 2015 included the demonstration of weight-beneficial outcomes for liraglutide and empagliflozin, and the first 5-year follow-up of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity randomly assigned to receive bariatric surgery or conventional medical therapy.
Studies on lifetime risk of the range of glucose impairments are scarce. A new study by Ligthart and colleagues reports that half of all people who initially have normal blood levels of glucose eventually develop prediabetes mellitus and most of these individuals progress to type 2 diabetes mellitus, with 9% eventually requiring insulin therapy.
In 2015, large-scale genetic and functional studies brought us closer to understanding the underlying aetiology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), implicating genes involved in modulation of gonadotropin and neuroendocrine action, ovarian androgen biosynthesis and possibly insulin action, providing clues to the evolutionary path and potential evolutionary advantages of PCOS.
A growing number of studies have shown changes to gut microbiota in children who go on to develop type 1 diabetes mellitus. This Review discusses the strengths and limitations of existing research, covering animal models of the disease and observational human studies. The technology used to characterize intestinal microbiota and recommendations for future studies are also addressed.
