Volume 5 Issue 4, April 2009

In the past few years, new genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus have been identified in large-scale studies of genetic associations. But can their inclusion in clinically based risk models improve disease prediction?

The use of aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus is controversial. According to the findings of a Japanese trial, aspirin does not reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in this group of patients, unless they are aged 65 years and above.

Autoimmune thyroiditis has increased prevalence in patients with celiac disease and vice versa. New research suggests that serum transglutaminase 2 autoantibodies, which are present in patients with celiac disease, might have a role in the development of thyroid dysfunction.

A region of chromosome 9p21 is linked to an increased risk of coronary artery disease in the general population. Variants of the same allele might also affect risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, according to a new study.

The discovery of human embryonic stem cells raised hopes that cell-based therapies would soon become widely available. However, ethical concerns have limited their clinical use. An alternative approach is to reprogram adult somatic cells to a pluripotent state. The pros and cons of generating pluripotent stem cells for clinical applications are discussed.

Chronic hyperglycemia in diabetes mellitus can lead to erythropoietic stress and subsequent anemia, which might contribute to diabetes-related complications. The authors of this Review discuss the various causes of diabetes-related anemia and current guidelines on its correction, and emphasize the role of screening and monitoring for this preventable condition in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Studies of common genetic variants have yielded new insights into the actions of thyroid hormones and highlighted the importance of local regulation of thyroid hormones in tissues. The authors describe genetic polymorphisms that are related to the thyroid hormone pathway and discuss the influence of these polymorphisms on various biological systems.

Innate immunity and inflammatory mediators have been suggested to have a much broader role in type 1 diabetes mellitus than initially assumed. Inflammation might contribute to early induction and amplification of the immune assault against pancreatic β-cells and, at later stages, to the stabilization and maintenance of insulitis. This review summarizes the latest findings that demonstrate the role of inflammation in the different phases of the course of type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Childhood obesity is a serious public health concern. This Case Study discusses the evaluation and treatment of a child with obesity. The article details how careful assessment can exclude genetic causes of obesity in most children and outlines how children without genetic causes of the condition can benefit from individualized lifestyle modification programs.