Diabetes care has improved in the US over the last decade, but there is still plenty of room for improvement in control of cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and glycemia.

In patients with type 2 diabetes, pre-meal treatment with the alpha-glucosidase inhibitor acarbose may help protect against endothelial dysfunction and perhaps future cardiovascular decline due to postprandial hyperglycemia, research suggests.

Poor glycemic control and frequent ER visits are among the signs that a child or adolescent with diabetes may have a depressed mood, according to the results of a study published in the April issue of Pediatrics.

An elevated serum uric acid level increases the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes in individuals with impaired glucose tolerance at baseline, according to a report in the March issue of Diabetes Care.

Researchers report that treatment with rosiglitazone alone and with atorvastatin improves lipid profiles and reduces levels of certain vascular inflammatory biomarkers in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Use of a blood glucose (BG) monitoring manual improves glycemic control, according to the results of a randomized study.

HDL cholesterol predicts major adverse coronary events independent of other cardiovascular risk factors. A 10mg/dL. decrease in HDL increases risk by 11%, according to a report in the March American Heart Journal.

Something like three out of every five patients with type 2 diabetes show signs of vitamin D deficiency, Italian researchers report.

Abbott Laboratories Inc. said on Monday it has received U.S. regulatory approval for a blood glucose monitor that uses a very small blood sample, reducing the pain of testing by diabetics.

This Weeks Cartoon by Theresa L. Garnero, ARNP, CDE. Issue 306