Mayo Clinic proceedings
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Dec 2010
Review Comparative StudyCarotid stenting vs endarterectomy: new results in perspective.
Carotid artery stenosis is a major risk factor for stroke, and treatments for this condition to decrease the risk of stroke include medical therapy, carotid endarterectomy (CEA), and, more recently, carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS). Randomized controlled trials comparing the efficacy of CEA vs medical therapy showed a clear benefit for CEA in patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis of greater than 70% and a lesser benefit in patients with 50% to 69% stenosis. Treatments have evolved in the ensuing 20 years, and a new method, CAS, has emerged as a possible alternative to CEA. ⋯ Later and larger-scale studies comparing CAS to CEA failed to reach conclusions regarding a clear neurologic outcome advantage of one method over the other. This subject was of sufficient interest that 2 larger-scale randomized controlled trials comparing CAS and CEA, the Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy vs Stenting Trial and the International Carotid Stenting Study, were undertaken to further explore this issue. This brief review places the new data arising from these studies in the context of prior efforts to address the problem of carotid artery stenosis and explores further opportunities for improvement and patient recommendations in light of these new findings.
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Dec 2010
Review Comparative StudyIncorporating incretin-based therapies into clinical practice: differences between glucagon-like Peptide 1 receptor agonists and dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is a prevalent disorder that affects children, adolescents, and adults worldwide. In addition to risks of microvascular disease, patients with type 2 DM often have multiple risk factors of macrovascular disease; for example, approximately 90% of patients with type 2 DM are overweight/obese. Type 2 DM is a complex disease that involves a variety of pathophysiologic abnormalities, including insulin resistance, increased hepatic glucose production, and abnormalities in the secretion of hormones, such as insulin, glucagon, amylin, and incretins. ⋯ Treatment with GLP-1 receptor agonists has demonstrated durable glycemic control and improvement in multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors. In addition, unlike insulin or sulfonylureas, treatment with a GLP-1 receptor agonist or a DPP-4 inhibitor has not been associated with substantial hypoglycemia. These factors should be considered when selecting monotherapy or elements of combination therapy for patients with type 2 DM who are overweight/obese, for patients who have experienced hypoglycemia with other agents, and when achieving glycemic targets is difficult.
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Dec 2010
ReviewImproving the differential diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary care.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma represent a substantial portion of primary care practice. In adults, differentiating asthma from COPD can be difficult but is important because of the marked differences in treatment, disease progression, and outcomes between the 2 conditions. Currently, clinical COPD is often misdiagnosed or undiagnosed until late in the disease. ⋯ Key areas for improvement include enhanced case identification, improved quality and interpretation of findings on spirometry, and increased use of tools such as differential diagnosis questionnaires and algorithms to guide the diagnostic and monitoring process. To achieve optimal outcomes, the primary care team should make every effort to establish a firm diagnosis. For this review, we conducted a PubMed search with no time limits using the Medical Subject Headings chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD and asthma, in association with the following search terms: diagnosis, differential diagnosis, mixed or comorbid disease, diagnostic techniques, spirometry, questionnaires, and primary care.
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Dec 2010
ReviewGlycemic control and weight reduction without causing hypoglycemia: the case for continued safe aggressive care of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and avoidance of therapeutic inertia.
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major and growing concern in the United States, in large part because of an epidemic of obesity in America and its relation to type 2 DM. In affected patients, postprandial glucose may be an early indicator of glucose intolerance or a prediabetes condition, which may be a better predictor of cardiovascular risk than impaired fasting glucose level. Treating patients who have early signs of hyperglycemia, including elevated postprandial glucose level, with intensive glucose control that does not lead to weight gain, and ideally may be associated with weight reduction, may be vital to preventing or reducing later cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. ⋯ This review is a hypothesis article that presents arguments against general approaches to the treatment of type 2 DM. An algorithm is presented in which the goal for managing patients with type 2 DM is to lower the blood glucose level as much as possible for as long as possible without causing hypoglycemia. In addition, body weight should ideally be improved, reducing cardiovascular risk factors and avoiding therapeutic inertia.
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Dec 2010
ReviewA physiologic and pharmacological basis for implementation of incretin hormones in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Progressive deterioration of β-cell function is a hallmark of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Together with increasing insulin resistance in peripheral tissues (in both the liver and the skeletal muscle), the inability of pancreatic insulin secretion to manage fasting and postprandial glucose levels results in hyperglycemia. Currently available oral antidiabetes agents improve glycemic parameters, but no single drug addresses the numerous pathophysiologic defects known to contribute to hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 DM. ⋯ Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists also promote weight loss and provide beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors. A new approach that promotes the selection of pharmacotherapy for the treatment of patients with DM, with the goal of slowing or reversing the natural history of the disease, may be in order. Clinicians can select agents to address specific pathophysiologic defects to improve glycemia, with the hope of preventing the development of complications.