Rasouli N, Kern PA, Reece EA, Elbein SC. Effects of pioglitazone and metformin on -cell function in nondiabetic subjects at high risk for type 2 diabetes. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 292: E359–E365, 2007. First published September 12, 2006; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00221.2006.— Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) and metformin decreased the incidence of diabetes in subjects at risk for developing diabetes a...

OBJECTIVE Diabetic hyperglycemia results from insulin resistance of peripheral tissues and glucose overproduction due to increased gluconeogenesis (GNG). Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) improve peripheral insulin sensitivity, but the effect on the liver is less clear. The goal of this study was to examine the effect of TZDs on GNG. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Twenty sulfonylurea-treated type 2 diab...

Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most common diseases worldwide and insulin insufficiency and insulin resistance are two main metabolic issues connected with it. The dyslipidemia associated with insulin resistance and T2DM is characterized by higher triglycerides (TGs), higher very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and lower apo A1. Pioglitazone, a member of the thiazo...

OBJECTIVE This study was designed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of intensive insulin therapy for patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. METHODS A total of 219 patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned into insulin group (n = 55), gliclazide group (n = 52), metformin group (n = 55) and pioglitazone group (n = 57). On the basis of diet and physical interve...

The Authors Replies Thank you for your letter regarding our case report about a patient with mitochondrial diabetes who was successfully treated with pioglitazone (1). We considered that the low plasma adiponectin level (hypoadiponectinemia) and skeletal muscle atrophy would have contributed to the insulin resistance that was observed in the present case. Insulin resistance was also reported to...

BACKGROUND Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are nuclear transcription factors that play a role in insulin sensitivity, lipid metabolism and inflammation. However, the effects of PPARgamma agonist on renal inflammation have not been fully examined in type 2 diabetic nephropathy. METHODS In the present study, we investigated the effect and molecular mechanism of the PPARgamma...

BACKGROUND The nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activator gamma (PPARγ) is a useful therapeutic target for obesity and diabetes, but its role in protecting β-cell function and viability is unclear. METHODS To identify the potential functions of PPARγ in β-cells, we treated mouse insulinoma 6 (MIN6) cells with the PPARγ agonist pioglitazone in conditions of lipotoxicity, endoplasmic re...

Obesity is one of the fast-growing major diseases in developed and developing countries. As has been persuasively argued, long-term imbalance between intake and expenditure of fat is a central factor in the etiology of obesity. Obesity aggravates insulin resistance and promotes cardiovascular diseases and atherosclerosis. We hypothesized that elevating lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity in skele...

Correspondence: Giuseppe Derosa Department of internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia, italy email [email protected] Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is one of the most important cardiovascular risk factors. Insulin-resistance represents the common mechanism that leads to type 2 diabetes in obese subjects. Pioglitazone is an insulin-sensitizing agent availabl...