Dysfunctional insulin signaling is a key component of type 2 diabetes. Little is understood of the effects of systemic diabetes on retinal insulin signaling. A number of agents are used to treat patients with type 2 diabetes to normalize glucose levels and improve insulin signaling; however, little has been done to investigate the effects of these agents on retinal insulin signal transduction. ...

Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) and metformin decreased the incidence of diabetes in subjects at risk for developing diabetes and improved peripheral or hepatic insulin sensitivity, respectively. Whether they also directly improved beta-cell function is not clear. In vitro studies showed improved beta-cell function in response to TZDs and metformin; however, the effects of TZDs or metformin on beta-c...

CONTEXT Patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) are chronically treated with supraphysiological doses of glucocorticoids, which are known to induce insulin resistance. Thiazolidinediones might reverse this effect and improve insulin sensitivity. OBJECTIVES To assess insulin sensitivity in CAH patients and the effect of pioglitazone treatment on insulin sensitivity in CAH patients. ...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether changes in standard and novel risk factors during the Actos Now for Prevention of Diabetes trial explained the slower rate of carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) progression with pioglitazone treatment in persons with prediabetes. METHODS AND RESULTS CIMT was measured in 382 participants at the beginning and up to 3 additional times during follow-up of the Act...

AIMS/INTRODUCTION Chemerin, a novel member of the family of adipocytokines, has been shown to be associated with insulin resistance, as well as micro- and macrovascular complications of diabetes. We investigated the effects of pioglitazone and metformin, two commonly prescribed antidiabetic agents, on the reduction of serum chemerin concentrations. MATERIALS AND METHODS In an open-labeled ran...

OBJECTIVES This study's aim was to examine whether treatment with pioglitazone, added to conventional lipid-lowering therapy, would improve myocardial glucose utilization (MGU) and blood flow (MBF) in nondiabetic patients with familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL). BACKGROUND Thiazolidinediones were found to improve insulin sensitivity and MGU in type 2 diabetes and MBF in Mexican Americans...

OBJECTIVE We examined the relationship between the expression of thrombospondin (TSP)1, an antiangiogenic factor and regulator of transforming growth factor-beta activity, obesity, adipose inflammation, and insulin resistance. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS TSP1 gene expression was quantified in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) of 86 nondiabetic subjects covering a wide range of BMI and insulin...

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a common chronic liver disease for which there is no known effective therapy. A proportion of patients with NASH progress to advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis. NASH is considered one of the clinical features of the metabolic syndrome in which insulin resistance plays a central role. This prospective study evaluates the role of insulin-sensitizing agent in tr...

To the Editor We read with interest the article by Ninomiya et al., about a 45-year-old woman with maternally inherited diabetes and muscle wasting due to the presence of a m.3243A>G mutation who developed insulin resistance despite possessing a normal amount of visceral fat (1). The patient’s insulin resistance improved after the administration of pioglitazone (1). We have the following commen...

To determine whether pioglitazone influences endothelial function directly, we examined in a randomized, crossover, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial the effects of 4 weeks of pioglitazone treatment in 20 male type 2 diabetic patients. We conclude that short-term pioglitazone treatment ameliorates endothelial dysfunction in conduit arteries irrespective of significant beneficial changes in...