Switching to a fixed-ratio combination of insulin degludec/liraglutide (IDegLira) is associated with improved glycaemic control in a real-world population with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the United Arab Emirates: Results from the multicentre, prospective INTENSIFY study.

AIM: Investigate the effectiveness of IDegLira, a fixed-ratio combination of insulin degludec/liraglutide, in a real-world setting in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the United Arab Emirates. METHODS: This non-interventional study enrolled adults switching to IDegLira from basal insulin (BI) or glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) with/without concomitant oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs). Primary endpoint was change in HbA1c from baseline, assessed using a mixed model for repeated measurements. RESULTS: Among 263 patients (BI ± OADs, n = 206; GLP-1 RA ± OADs, n = 57), mean baseline HbA1c was 9.29 % (78 mmol/mol). After 26 weeks, HbA1c was significantly reduced (BI ± OADs, -0.83 % [-9.0 mmol/mol] and GLP-1 RA ± OADs, -1.24 % [-13.5 mmol/mol]; both p < 0.0001). Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) was significantly reduced (-39.48 mg/dL [BI ± OADs] and -82.49 mg/dL [GLP-1 RA ± OADs]; both p < 0.0001). Before treatment initiation, 3/263 patients experienced ≥ 1 severe hypoglycaemic episode and 7/263 patients experienced ≥ 1 non-severe hypoglycaemic episode compared with 1/263 patients who had ≥ 1 severe and 1/263 who had ≥ 1 non-severe episode at end of study. Body weight decreased significantly among patients switching from BI ± OADs (-1.05 kg [p < 0.0001]). Treatment was well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: IDegLira significantly reduced HbA1c and FPG in this real-world setting, along with less frequent episodes of hypoglycaemia. Switching to IDegLira offers effective treatment intensification for type 2 diabetes patients with inadequate glycaemic control.

Hypoglycaemia Among Insulin-Treated Patients with Diabetes: Evaluation of the United Arab Emirates cohort of the International Operations-Hypoglycaemia Assessment Tool study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of hypoglycaemia among insulin-treated patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) cohort of the non-interventional International Operations-Hypoglycaemia Assessment Tool study. METHODS: This cross-sectional observational study took place at 25 patient care centres in the UAE from October 2014 to May 2015. All adult patients with T1DM or T2DM who had been treated with insulin for >12 months were included. Self-assessment questionnaires and patient diaries were used to determine the incidence of documented hypoglycaemia both prospectively (four weeks after baseline) and retrospectively (six months and four weeks before baseline for severe and non-severe hypoglycaemic events, respectively). RESULTS: A total of 325 patients were enrolled in the study, of which 82 (25.2%) had T1DM and 243 (74.8%) had T2DM. Among patients with T1DM, 71.4% reported hypoglycaemic events retrospectively, with an incidence rate (IR) of 102.8 events per patient-year (PY), while 95% reported hypoglycaemic events prospectively, with an IR of 63.1 events per PY. Additionally, 56.3% of patients with T2DM reported hypoglycaemic events retrospectively, with an IR of 42.2 events per PY, while 91.9% reported hypoglycaemic events prospectively, with an IR of 33.3 events per PY. CONCLUSION: The prevalence and incidence of hypoglycaemia were high among insulin-treated patients with T1DM and T2DM in the UAE. Individualised glycaemic goals, patient education and blood glucose monitoring may help to reduce the incidence of hypoglycaemia in this population.

Free tissue transfer and replantation in pediatric patients: technical feasibility and outcome in a series of 28 patients.

Microsurgery in the pediatric population is still challenging because of technical difficulties in the small vessel diameter anastomosis and flaps dissection. The present study reports our experience of microsurgical reconstruction with free tissue transfer and replantation. Twenty-eight pediatric patients under the age of 15 years underwent different microsurgical procedures over a 10-year period. Twenty-one patients (75 %) underwent elective free tissue transfer, while emergency replantation was done in seven patients (25 %). The overall successful microsurgical procedures were 25/28 (89 %). All the 21 free tissue transfers survived (100 %), while three of the seven emergency replantations were lost (57 % survival rate) in this group. Microvascular surgery in children is a feasible, safe, and reliable modality with high survival rate. The indications, success, failure, and complication rates are very near to adults. Over the age of 10 years, procedure is nearly similar to adults. Between the age of 5 and 10 years, successful outcome can be achieved also but with greater challenges in surgical technique. Below the age of 5 years, more challenges could be problematic for successful outcome. Experienced surgical team remains one of the most important factors to obtain good results. Knowledge of multiple reconstructive options and mastering one of them seems essential for satisfactory results.