Aims/hypothesis
Hypoglycaemia is a common side effect of insulin and some other antihyperglycaemic agents used to treat diabetes. Severe hypoglycaemia has been associated with adverse cardiovascular ...events in trials of intensive glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes. The relationship between non-severe hypoglycaemic episodes (NSHEs) and severe hypoglycaemia in type 2 diabetes has been documented. However, an association between more frequent NSHEs and cardiovascular events has not been verified. This post hoc analysis of the LEADER (Liraglutide Effect and Action in Diabetes: Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcome Results) trial aimed to confirm whether there is an association between NSHEs and severe hypoglycaemic episodes in individuals with type 2 diabetes. In addition, the possible association between NSHEs and major adverse cardiac events (MACE), cardiovascular death and all-cause mortality was investigated.
Methods
LEADER was a double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled trial that found that liraglutide significantly reduced the risk of MACE compared with the placebo. In this post hoc analysis, we explored, in all LEADER participants, whether the annual rate of NSHEs (defined as self-measured plasma glucose <3.1 mmol/l 56 mg/dl) was associated with time to first severe hypoglycaemic episode (defined as an episode requiring the assistance of another person), time to first MACE, time to cardiovascular death and time to all-cause mortality. Participants with <2 NSHEs per year were used as reference for HR estimates. Cox regression with a time-varying covariate was used.
Results
We demonstrate that there is an association between NSHEs (2–11 NSHEs per year and ≥12 NSHEs per year) and severe hypoglycaemic episodes (unadjusted HRs 1.98 95% CI 1.43, 2.75 and 5.01 95% CI 2.84, 8.84, respectively), which was consistent when baseline characteristics were accounted for. Additionally, while no association was found between participants with 2–11 NSHEs per year and adverse cardiovascular outcomes, higher rates of NSHEs (≥12 episodes per year) were associated with higher risk of MACE (HR 1.50 95% CI 1.01, 2.23), cardiovascular death (HR 2.08 95% CI 1.17, 3.70) and overall death (HR 1.80 95% CI 1.11, 2.92).
Conclusions/interpretation
The analysis of data from the LEADER trial demonstrated that higher rates of NSHEs were associated with both a higher risk of severe hypoglycaemia and adverse cardiovascular outcomes in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, irrespective of the cause of this association, it is important that individuals with high rates of hypoglycaemia are identified so that the potentially increased risk of cardiovascular events can be managed and steps can be taken to reduce NSHEs.
Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov
(NCT01179048).
Graphical abstract
Background
N8‐GP (turoctocog alfa pegol; Esperoct®, Novo Nordisk A/S, Bagsvaerd, Denmark) is a glycoPEGylated human recombinant factor VIII with a half‐life of ~1.6‐fold of standard FVIII products. ...pathfinder2 (NCT01480180) was a multi‐national, open‐label trial of N8‐GP in previously treated adolescent and adult patients with severe hemophilia A.
Objective
We report end‐of‐trial efficacy and safety of N8‐GP from pathfinder2.
Methods
pathfinder2 main phase and extension phase part 1 results have been previously reported. During extension phase part 2, patients could switch from N8‐GP prophylaxis 50 IU/kg every fourth day (Q4D) or 75 IU/kg once weekly (Q7D), depending on bleeding status. Extension phase part 2 collected long‐term safety and efficacy data for all regimens until trial end (first patient in main phase, 30 January 2012; trial end, 10 December 2018).
Results
Overall, 186 patients were exposed to N8‐GP for up to 6.6 years (median 5.4 years). The estimated annualized bleeding rate (ABR) was 2.14 (median 0.84) for the Q4D prophylaxis arm and 1.31 (median 1.67) for the Q7D prophylaxis arm. Nearly 30% of patients experienced zero bleeds throughout the entire duration of the trial, the hemostatic response was 83.2% across all treatment arms, and patient‐reported outcomes were maintained or slightly improved. No safety concerns were detected.
Conclusion
Data from the completed pathfinder2 trial, one of the largest and longest‐running clinical trials to investigate treatment of severe hemophilia A, demonstrate the efficacy and safety of N8‐GP in previously treated adolescent and adult patients.
Aims
To validate the clusters of Swedish individuals with recent‐onset diabetes at differential risk of complications, which were identified in a previous study, in three global populations with ...long‐standing type 2 diabetes (T2D) who were at high cardiovascular risk, and to test for differences in the risk of major diabetes complications and survival endpoints.
Materials and methods
We assigned participants from recent global outcomes trials (DEVOTE n = 7637, LEADER n = 9340 and SUSTAIN‐6 n = 3297) to the previously defined clusters according to age at diabetes diagnosis, baseline glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and body mass index (BMI). Outcomes were assessed using Kaplan–Meier analysis and log‐rank tests.
Results
The T2D clusters were consistently replicated across the three trial cohorts. The risk of major adverse cardiovascular events and cardiovascular death differed significantly, in all trials, across clusters over a median follow‐up duration of 2.0, 3.8 and 2.1 years, respectively, and was highest for the cluster of participants with high HbA1c and low BMI (P < 0.05 in DEVOTE and LEADER). In LEADER and SUSTAIN‐6, the risk of nephropathy differed across clusters (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.003, respectively). The risk of severe hypoglycaemia differed in DEVOTE (P = 0.006).
Conclusions
Previously identified clusters can be replicated in three geographically diverse cohorts of long‐standing T2D and are associated with cluster‐specific risk profiles for additional clinical and survival outcomes, providing further validation of the clustering methodology. The external validity and stability of clusters across cohorts provides a premise for future work to optimize the clustering approach to yield T2D subgroups with maximum predictive validity who may benefit from subtype‐specific treatment paradigms.
Flavonoids are natural antioxidants found in various foods, and a major source is black tea. Some experimental evidence indicates that flavonoids could prevent prostate cancer. We investigated the ...associations between flavonoid intake, black tea consumption, and prostate cancer risk in the Netherlands Cohort study, which includes 58,279 men who provided detailed baseline information on several cancer risk factors. From 1986 to 2003, 3,362 prostate cancers were identified, including 1,164 advanced (stage III/IV) cancers. Cox proportional hazards regression using the case-cohort approach was used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Intake of total catechin, epicatechin, kaempferol, and myricetin and consumption of black tea were associated with a decreased risk of stage III/IV or stage IV prostate cancer. Hazard ratios of stage III/IV and stage IV prostate cancer for the highest versus the lowest category of black tea consumption (≥5 versus ≤1 cups/day) were 0.75 (95% confidence interval: 0.59, 0.97) and 0.67 (95% confidence interval: 0.50, 0.91), respectively. No associations were observed for overall and nonadvanced prostate cancer. In conclusion, dietary flavonoid intake and black tea consumption were associated with a decreased risk of advanced stage prostate cancer.
PDF
