ABSTRACT
In a general practice observation study 11,476 patients with type 2 diabetes pretreated with oral antidiabetic drugs, mainly metformin, received an oral combination therapy of nateglinide with metformin. Mean age+/-SD of the participants was 61+/-10.3 years, range 19 to 97 years, the body mass index (mean+/-SD) was 29.4+/-4.5 kg/m2, range 14.9 to 68.7 kg/m2. The observation period lasted 3 to 4 months (mean 96 days). During this period the mean HbA1c decreased from 8.4 % to 7.2%, displaying a positive relation between initial value and degree of reduction. Postprandial glucose levels dropped from a mean of 210 to 152 mg/dl. At the beginning of the study the combination of the two target values for glucose control, HbAc <7% and postprandial glucose <180 mg/dl, was reached in only 5.8% of the participants, at the end in 44.9%. During the therapy, weight and blood pressure dropped slightly. Adverse events were reported in only 2.9% of the patients and involved a broad range of symptoms with mild gastrointestinal complaints being predominant (1.3%). This study demonstrated that the combination of nateglinide with metformin can be considered as an effective and safe option for treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes, with additional beneficial effects on body weight and blood pressure.
Subject(s)
Blood Glucose/metabolism , Cyclohexanes/therapeutic use , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/drug therapy , Hypoglycemic Agents/therapeutic use , Metformin/therapeutic use , Phenylalanine/therapeutic use , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Blood Glucose/drug effects , Blood Pressure , Body Weight , Cyclohexanes/adverse effects , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/blood , Drug Therapy, Combination , Family Practice , Female , Humans , Hypoglycemic Agents/adverse effects , Male , Metformin/adverse effects , Middle Aged , Nateglinide , Phenylalanine/adverse effects , Phenylalanine/analogs & derivatives , Postprandial Period , Product Surveillance, Postmarketing/methodsSubject(s)
Child Development/drug effects , Fatty Acids, Unsaturated/pharmacology , Infant Food , Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena , Child Development/physiology , Dietary Carbohydrates/analysis , Dietary Fats/analysis , Dietary Fats, Unsaturated/analysis , Double-Blind Method , Fatty Acids, Unsaturated/analysis , Female , Humans , Infant Food/analysis , Infant, Newborn , Male , Milk Proteins/analysis , Minerals/analysis , Nutritional Status , Prospective Studies , Vitamins/analysis , Weight GainABSTRACT
In a search for neurotrophic factors (NTFs) regulating retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death in the chick embryo we have used purified and cultured RGCs. Purification of RGCs from embryonic day 10 was achieved by employing the "panning" method (Silverstein and Chun: Soc Neurosci Abstr 13:1054, 1987). The obtained neuron population consisted of 97% RGCs as demonstrated by retrograde labeling with a fluorescence dye. RGCs were cultured at low density in a chemically defined medium and short-term survival (24 hr) was determined. In the absence of NTFs, less than 3% of the RGCs survived. In the presence of various crude or purified NTFs (eye, brain, and tectum extracts; glial-conditioned medium; ciliary neurotrophic factor [CNTF]; nerve growth factor [NGF]) 31% to 52% of the RGCs were maintained. The effects of NGF and CNTF were not additive. Neither acidic nor basic fibroblast growth factor was able to maintain RGCs in culture. Our results, obtained with a culture system which allowed the analysis of direct trophic actions, suggest that NGF and CNTF may be NTFs for overlapping subpopulations of chick RGCs.
