Pharmacoeconomic researches have confirmed that hypoglycemic treatment strategies including a dipeptidyl peptidase-Ⅳ (DPP-4) inhibitor exhibit excellent cost-effectiveness when compared with others.Direct comparisons with active glucose-lowering comparators in drug-naive patients have demonstrated that DPP-4 inhibitors exert slightly less pronounced HbA1c reduction than metformin (with the advantage of better gastrointestinal tolerability) and similar glucose-lowering effects compared with a thiazolidinedione (TZD,with the advantage of no weight gain).In metformin-treated patients,gliptins were associated with similar HbA1C reductions compared with a sulphonylurea(SU,with the advantage of no weight gain,considerably fewer hypoglycaemic episodes and no need for titration) and a TZD (with the advantage of no weight gain and better overall tolerability).In addition,excellent efficacy could also reduce the incidence of diabetic complications and increase patient's work productivity and thus lower indirect cost.

Pituitary adenomas represent one of the most common type of central nervous system tumors. Since many signs and symptoms of pituitary adenomas overlap with those of other common diseases, missed diagnosis is more common. A long duration of active disease in patients with secreting pituitary adenomas is associated with an increased risk of complications and reduced quality of life. Therefore, correct, early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for these patients. Treatment options for pituitary adenomas include medical therapy, microscopic or endoscopic surgical resection, and radiation therapy. The recent progresses in diagnosis and treatment for pituitary adenomas have been discussed in present paper for improving our understanding of the disease.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an ineretin hormone released from intestinal L-cells into circulation in response to dietary nutrient intake.Based on the recently finished studies,we reviewed the impact of GLP-1 on gastric emptying,satiety,and food intake.Meanwhile,the ehnical advantage and gastrointestinal adverse effects of long-acting GLP-1 analogue liraglutide were evaluated.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4)inhibitors are two classes of incretin-based drugs for type 2 diabetes treatment.GLP-1 receptor agonists can directly activate the GLP-1 receptor while DPP-4 inhibitors act indirectly via preventing incretin enzymatic degradation.The comparison of two classes of drugs in clinical use becomes a hot research topic.A head to head comparison study has shown that,compared with DPP-4 inhibitor sitagliptin,GLP-1 analogue liraglutide shows better blood glucose control,weight loss,and β-cell function improvement,as well as higher patient treatment satisfaction and better cost-effectiveness of drug economics.Those advantages of liraglutide provide an ideal choice for the clinical treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes.

is factor-α, interferon-γ, and NO is very important in the courses of β-cell apoptosis. However, the main mechanisms leading to β-cell apoptosis in type 2 diabetes are inflammation stress, oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress.

This article reviews the long-term outcome data and guidelines up to date, and systemically reviews the effect of ω-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid consumption, the major effective component in deep-sea fish oil, on metabolic syndrome, including improvements in abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hypertension, etc. Its adverse effects are also commented.

Since recent years, the incidence of precocious puberty has been rising. However, questions regarding its treatment and other conditions remain. This article reviews recent published papers with long-term outcome data and guidelines, and systemical introduction to identification of precocious puberty, different treatment options, therapeutic goals, and indications for different types of diseases, as well as adverse effects of drugs.

It has been widely recognized that bone mineral density (BMD) is one of the best predictors of osteoporosis. Sex hormone status clearly affects bone either directly or indirectly. A longer estrogen exposure appears to be a major determinant of postmenopausal BMD and cardiovascular disease(CVD). However, there was insufficient evidence to draw conclusions that BMD might be used as a predictor factor of the risk of CVD. Therefore, the aim of the review was to examine the existing evidence on the association between BMD and risk of CVD, and to address the issue of a putative common pathogenic factor of estrogen deficiency.

microRNAs are small non-coding RNA molecules involved in almost every biological process.The advance in microRNAs has demonstrated the potential role to act as the cancer biomarkers as well as the target for cancer therapy.Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare malignancy without appropriate standards of diagnosis.This review elucidates on some microRNAs which have been reported to be related to parathyroid carcinoma.

Objective To evaluate the satisfaction and usability of SoloStar(R),a prefilled pen for injecting insulin glargine ( Lantus(R),Sanofi ) in Chinese diabetic patients.Methods This was a 3-month,observational,multicenter,prospective registry study in adult diabetic patients who were ever insulin users or insulin naive.The SoloStar(R) was prescribed at physician's discretion.At baseline,patients were asked to evaluate their previous insulin pen if applicable.After 3-month SoloStar(R) use,the satisfaction and usability in using SoloStar(R) were assessed,and the evaluation from physicians was also collected.Results Total 1052 patients aged 56.5 years (27.6％ ≥65years),with mean diabetes duration 7.6 years,54.6％ male,94.1％ type 2 diabetes,6.5％ visual impairment,and 2.4％ dexterity impairment,were analyzed.Of these,488 patients (46.4％) had previously used insulin pen.Most patients (95.3％) rated SoloStar(R) assatisfied/very satisfied.Most patients planned to continue using SoloStar(R)(94.7％) and would recommend it to others(86.0％ ).Compared with previous insulin pen,most patients felt using SoloStar(R) became easier ( 57.3％ ) and more convenient ( 60.7％ ).63 physician questionnaires were analyzed,over 70％ physicians rated SoloStar(R) features as good/excellent,and 96.8％ physicians regarded training on SoloStar(R) as easier and quicker than other pens.Conculsion Most patients were satisfied/very satisfied with SoloStar(R) and most physicians rated SoloStar(R) as good/excellent,suggesting that SoloStar(R) was well accepted by patients and physicians in China.