Chronic kidney disease progression in diabetic patients: Real world data in general practice.

Aims: the aim of the study was to analyze glomerular filtration ratio (GFR) changes in diabetic patients assisted by General Practitioners (GPs) evaluating the risk factors related to glomerular function. Methods: patients with diabetes with at least three recorded values of creatinine were recruited in the study and GFR values were estimated. The quarterly percentage change in GFR for each patient was estimated. Nephrotoxic drugs were identified, and glucose-lowering drugs use was described. Linear regression analyses were performed to identify eGFR changes predictors. Results: a total of 545 patients with diabetes were selected. According to the last eGFR values 64 (11.7 %) patients were classified in G1 stage, 277 (50,8 %) in G2, 175 (32.1 %) in G3a, 25 (4.6 %) in G3b and only 4 (0.7 %) in G4. Patients treated with at least one glucose-lowering drugs were 479 (87.9 %), most of them with biguanides (67.0 %). At least one nephrotoxic drug prescription was recorded in 524 (96.1 %) patients; proton pump inhibitors (74.7 %) and NSAIDs (71.6 %) were the most prescription classes. Heart failure, diabetes duration and preserved GFR values were related to reduced eGFR values. Conclusions: patients with diabetes should be more carefully observed regardless of kidney risk factors and GFR values in clinical practice.

Impact of Hermodice carunculata (Pallas, 1766) (Polychaeta: Amphinomidae) on artisanal fishery: A case study from the Mediterranean sea.

Invasive species can cause severe economic damages, ecosystem alterations, and can even threat human health. In the global warming scenario, which can act as a driving force for the expansion of thermophilic species, we investigated for the first time the economic damage caused by the invasive bearded fireworm, Hermodice carunculata, to artisanal longline fishery in the Mediterranean Sea. We focused on bottom longline fishery targeting the highly prized white seabream Diplodus sargus, investigating catch composition of the fishing gear and Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) of species caught, with particular emphasis on the economic damage caused by the bearded fireworm, H. carunculata, in relation to water temperature. Our results clearly indicated direct and indirect economic damage to fishing activities practiced in the southeastern coast of Sicily (Ionian Sea). Type and extent of the damage caused by the invasive worm (H. carunculata) were discussed in relation to temporal scale and overall yields obtained by this traditional artisanal fishery, and some solutions are proposed. However, the actual situation requires special attention because it is expected to worsen in the context of the global warming future scenarios, such that further studies are urgently needed.

Fatty Liver as Potential Biomarker of Atherosclerotic Damage in Familial Combined Hyperlipidemia.

Familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCH) is a very common inherited lipid disorder, characterized by a high risk of developing cardiovascular (CV) disease and metabolic complications, including insulin resistance (IR) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increased in FCH patients, especially in those with IR or T2DM. However, it is unknown how precociously metabolic and cardiovascular complications appear in FCH patients. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of NAFLD and to assess CV risk in newly diagnosed insulin-sensitive FCH patients. From a database including 16,504 patients, 110 insulin-sensitive FCH patients were selected by general practitioners and referred to the Lipid Center. Lipid profile, fasting plasma glucose and insulin were determined by standard methods. Based on the results of the hospital screening, 96 patients were finally included (mean age 52.2 ± 9.8 years; 44 males, 52 females). All participants underwent carotid ultrasound to assess carotid intima media thickness (cIMT), presence or absence of plaque, and pulse wave velocity (PWV). Liver steatosis was assessed by both hepatic steatosis index (HSI) and abdomen ultrasound (US). Liver fibrosis was non-invasively assessed by transient elastography (TE) and by fibrosis 4 score (FIB-4) index. Carotid plaque was found in 44 out of 96 (45.8%) patients, liver steatosis was found in 68 out of 96 (70.8%) and in 41 out of 96 (42.7%) patients by US examination and HSI, respectively. Overall, 72 subjects (75%) were diagnosed with steatosis by either ultrasound or HSI, while 24 (25%) had steatosis excluded (steatosis excluded by both US and HSI). Patients with liver steatosis had a significantly higher body mass index (BMI) compared to those without (p < 0.05). Steatosis correlated with fasting insulin (p < 0.05), liver stiffness (p < 0.05), BMI (p < 0.001), and inversely with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p < 0.05). Fibrosis assessed by TE was significantly associated with BMI (p < 0.001) and cIMT (p < 0.05); fibrosis assessed by FIB-4 was significantly associated with sex (p < 0.05), cIMT (p < 0.05), and atherosclerotic plaque (p < 0.05). The presence of any grade of liver fibrosis was significantly associated with atherosclerotic plaque in the multivariable model, independent of alcohol habit, sex, HSI score, and liver stiffness by TE (OR 6.863, p < 0.001). In our cohort of newly diagnosed, untreated, insulin-sensitive FCH patients we found a high prevalence of liver steatosis. Indeed, the risk of atherosclerotic plaque was significantly increased in patients with liver fibrosis, suggesting a possible connection between liver disease and CV damage in dyslipidemic patients beyond the insulin resistance hypothesis.

Pharmacological Treatment of Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Patients With Coronary Artery Disease in the Real World of General Practice.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) severely increases the probability of developing coronary artery disease (CAD), and diabetic patients with CAD should be considered at very high cardiovascular risk. The complexity of this clinical scenario makes very hard the appropriateness of the pharmacological treatment in the real world. To investigate the implementation of guideline recommendations for the treatment of patients affected by CAD with or without T2DM, a retrospective observational study was carried out between 2018 and 2020, by using the computerized clinical medical record of 10 general practitioners (GPs) including 13,206 subjects. A total of 926 patients (7.0%) were affected by CAD and 393 (42.4%) of them were also diabetic. LDLc, SBP, DBP, and FPG were recorded in 77.4%, 65.4%, 66.5%, and 82.6% of patients, respectively. Comorbidities (median; IQR = 8; 6-10 vs. 5; 3-7: p < 0.001) were significantly high in diabetic patients. Specialist counselling has been observed in 59.9% of diabetic and 57% of non-diabetic patients (p = 0.400). Antithrombotic drugs, statins, ß-blockers, or RAASs were prescribed in 67.2%, 59.6%, and 75.9% of patients, respectively. Overall, 462 (49.9%) patients used the treatment suggested by guidelines. Dyslipidemia, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and specialist counselling were predictors of suggested drugs use both in diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Diabetes was not an independent factor related to the likelihood to be properly treated, according to the guidelines. Glucose lowering drugs were prescribed in 69.5% of diabetic patients, but only 39 (14.3%) were treated with the proper GLP-1 or SGLT2-i, whereas 45 patients (16.5%) received the improper sulphonylureas. Our results showed that a "non-ideal" therapeutic approach was adopted in patients affected by diabetes and CAD. ADA and ESC guidelines recommend the use of at least one hypoglycemic agent belonging to the GLP-1 or SGLT2-i class in diabetic patients with high/very high cardiovascular risk, regardless of the glycemic target (HbA1c <7%). However, only a few diabetic patients on hypoglycemic therapy were appropriately treated. These data suggest that a closer collaboration between the GPs, clinical pharmacologist, and specialists is needed in the real world scenario of the general practice in order to effectively improve adherence to guidelines and overall management of global cardiovascular risk in diabetic patients.

Management of High Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetic Patients: Focus on Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Appropriate Drug Use in General Practice.

This study aimed to evaluate the management of high cardiovascular risk (CVr) in the patients with diabetes by exploring the prescribing behavior in a setting of general practitioners (GPs). A retrospective cohort study was carried out using the data recorded between 2018 and 2020 in the clinical database of 10 GPs. Diabetes was defined using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9-CM) coding (250*) or using the laboratory parameters (hyperglycemia condition: ≥126 mg/dL). A cohort was described stratifying by demographic, clinical and therapeutic characteristics, and laboratory tests. Both the CVr and statin prescriptions were evaluated; adherence to statin therapy (medication possession ratio, MPR ≥ 80) was calculated in accordance with the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) target. The multivariate logistic regression models with adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) were calculated to identify the predictors of lipid modifying agents use and achieved target therapy; moreover, glucose-lowering drugs use was evaluated. Out of 13,206 people screened, 1,851 (14.0%) patients were affected by diabetes mellitus (DM), and 1,373 were identified at high/very high CVr. Of them, 1,158 (84.3%) had at least one measurement of LDL-C, and 808 (58.8%) received a prescription with at least one lipid-lowering drug (LLD). The patients at high/very high CVr treated or not treated with LLD, reached the LDL-C target in 24.0 and 10.3%, respectively (p < 0.001). Furthermore, 34.6% of patients treated with high intensity LLDs and adherent to therapy showed the LDL-C values below the therapeutic target. Out of 1,373 patients at high/very high CVr, 958 (69.8%) had at least one prescription of glucose-lowering drugs. Of them, 52.0% (n = 498) were prescribed not in agreement with the current guidelines. More specifically, 392 patients (40.9%) were treated with metformin only, while the remaining 106 (11.1%) were treated with metformin together with hypoglycemic agents other than glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RA) or sodium-glucose-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. Our results suggest the urgent need to improve the management of patients with diabetes at high and very high CVr in the real life, to reduce the burden of diabetes on the health system.

Anti-obesity drug therapy in clinical practice: Evidence of a poor prescriptive attitude.

Obesity is a worldwide growing problem for the health care systems and its treatment is strongly recommended. Orlistat, naltrexone/bupropion, and liraglutide are approved for weight loss in Italy in patients with a Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2 or ≥ 27 kg/m2 with concomitant diseases. However, the prescription of these drugs is significantly low worldwide. General practitioners (GPs) play a key role in the early diagnosis and appropriate management of obesity. The aim of the study was to investigate the management of obesity and the prescriptive attitude of anti-obesity drugs in a general practice setting. All patients registered in lists of 8 GPs with a recorded diagnosis of obesity or BMI values ≥ 30 kg/m2 in the period 2017-2018, were recruited. A descriptive analysis of demographic and clinical characteristic was carried out. The Spearman's correlation rank test was applied to identify correlations between BMI and all the variables of interest. Among 1301 obese patients, only 66.1 % had been diagnosed and 29.4 % had no registered BMI value. Patients with recorded BMI, were overweight (7.8 %) or in the obesity class I (38.8 %), class II (14.1 %), and class III (7.1 %), respectively. The obese patients (class 1-3) were older [66 (55-76) vs 49 (32-59); p < 0.01], and had more concurrent diseases [5 (3-8) vs 4 (2-6); p < 0.01] than patients who reached a BMI < 30 Kg/m2. Moreover, most of obese were high cardiovascular risk (HCVr) patients (67.0 % vs 31.9 %; p < 0.01). The BMI was directly related to age (rs 0.14; p < 0.01), diabetes (rs 0.19; p < 0.01), hypertension (rs 0.14; p < 0.01), heart failure (rs 0.09; p < 0.01), HCVr (rs 0. 12; p < 0.01) and number of comorbidities (rs 0.08; p = 0.01). No prescriptions of orlistat or naltrexone/bupropion were found. Liraglutide was prescribed only in 7 patients because of the concomitant presence of diabetes. Our results suggest a low adherence to guide line recommendations for obesity management and confirm an under-prescription of anti-obesity drugs in Italy.

Chronic Kidney Disease Management in General Practice: A Focus on Inappropriate Drugs Prescriptions.

Nephrotoxic drugs prescriptions are often prescribed inappropriately by general practitioners (GPs), increasing the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this study was to detect inappropriate prescriptions in patients with CKD and to identify their predictive factors. A retrospective study on patients with creatinine values recorded in the period 2014-2016 followed by 10 GPs was performed. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was used to identify CKD patients. The demographic and clinical characteristics and drugs prescriptions were collected. A descriptive analysis was conducted to compare the characteristics and logistic regression models to estimate the predictive factors of inappropriate prescriptions. Of 4098 patients with creatinine values recorded, 21.9% had an eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73m2. Further, 56.8% received inappropriate prescriptions, with a significantly lower probability in subjects with at least a nephrologist visit (Adj OR 0.54 (95% CI 0.36-0.81)) and a greater probability in patients treated with more active substances (1.10 (1.08-1.12)), affected by more comorbidities (1.14 (1.06-1.230)), or with serious CKD (G4/G5 21.28 (7.36-61.57)). Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were the most used contraindicated drugs (48.5%), while acetylsalicylic acid was the most inappropriately prescribed (39.5%). Our results highlight the inappropriate prescriptions for CKD authorized by GPs and underline the need of strategies to improve prescribing patterns.