The Medical journal of Australia
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Treatment options for type 2 diabetes have expanded. While metformin remains the first line treatment in most cases, choices for second line treatment now extend beyond sulfonylureas and include the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) receptor agonists, and dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) inhibitors. SGLT2 inhibitors are recommended for people with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, heart failure or kidney disease. ⋯ DPP4 inhibitors are generally well tolerated, but alogliptin and saxagliptin should be used with caution in people with risk factors for heart failure. To optimise the management of type 2 diabetes, clinicians need to be aware of the pharmacological characteristics of each class of blood glucose-lowering medications and of the effect on cardiovascular health and renal function, balanced by potential adverse effects. Medications that have cardiovascular or renal benefits should be prescribed for patients with these comorbidities, and this is reflected in recent international guidelines.
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Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is an uncommon but life-threatening infection caused by Neisseria meningitidis. Serogroups B, C, W and Y cause most IMD cases in Australia. The highest incidence occurs in children under 5 years of age. ⋯ Due to the epidemiology and disease burden from MenB, a meningococcal B vaccine program has been implemented in South Australia for individuals with age-specific incidence rates higher than the mean rate of 2.8/100 000 population in South Australia in the period 2000-2017, including infants, young children (< 4 years) and adolescents (15-20 years). Program evaluation of vaccine effectiveness against IMD is important. As observational evidence also suggests 4CMenB may have an impact on Neisseria gonorrhoeae with genetic homology between bacterial species, the vaccine impact on gonorrhoea will also be assessed.