Postgraduate medicine
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Postgraduate medicine · May 2020
Patient factors associated with diabetes medication adherence at different health literacy levels: a cross-sectional study at a family medicine clinic.
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) incurs tremendous health costs associated with various complications due to poor diabetes control. Medication adherence, which is correlated with patients' health literacy, should be consistently practiced achieving optimal diabetes control. A deeper understanding of the specific communication and psychosocial factors related to medication-taking behaviors across different levels of health literacy among people with T2D will guide the development of effective interventions and strategies to enhance medication adherence. ⋯ Findings suggest that practitioners should address concern beliefs among low-adherent patients with low health literacy, help improve self-efficacy, and address perceived barriers to medication adherence among all low-adherent patients to optimally support patients' diabetes care.
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Postgraduate medicine · May 2020
A U-shaped association between serum uric acid with all-cause mortality in normal-weight population.
It is uncertain how serum uric acid (SUA) associated with all-cause mortality among people with normal weight, hence was explored in this study. ⋯ In normal-weight population, SUA was seemed to be a U-shaped relationship with all-cause mortality.
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Postgraduate medicine · May 2020
Diabetes mellitus is associated with high sleep-time systolic blood pressure and non-dipping pattern.
Compared to clinic blood pressure (BP), sleep-time BP and non-dipping BP pattern are better predictors of target organ damage and cardiovascular sequalae. ⋯ DM is independently associated with suboptimal 24-hour BP control. This association is mainly attributed to a high sleep-time systolic BP.
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Postgraduate medicine · May 2020
ReviewOsteoarthritis and inflammation: a serious disease with overlapping phenotypic patterns.
Globally, osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent arthritic condition in those aged over 60 years. OA has a high impact on patient disability and is associated with a significant economic burden. Pain is the most common first sign of disease and the leading cause of disability. ⋯ This review focuses on what we feel are three key phenotypes: post-trauma, metabolic, and aging. A greater understanding of OA phenotypes, particularly at the early stages of disease, may be necessary to improve treatment outcomes. In the future, non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments could be tailored to patients based on the key features of their phenotype and disease pathway.
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Postgraduate medicine · May 2020
Randomized Controlled TrialTriple fixed-dose combination empagliflozin, linagliptin, and metformin for patients with type 2 diabetes.
Fixed-dose combination (FDC) therapy can improve outcomes in type 2 diabetes (T2D). We evaluated the bioequivalence of 2 doses of an FDC of extended-release metformin (metformin XR), empagliflozin, a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor, and linagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, versus corresponding free tablet combinations. ⋯ The evaluated doses of empagliflozin/linagliptin/metformin XR FDC tablets were bioequivalent to the corresponding free combinations. Based on these two bioequivalence studies and existing phase 3 data, the FDA has recently approved this triple FDC to improve glycemic control in adults with T2D.