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OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of metformin therapy on coronary endothelial function and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients with prediabetes with stable angina and nonobstructive coronary stenosis (NOCS). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Metformin therapy may be needed to reduce coronary heart disease risk in patients with prediabetes. A total of 258 propensity score–matched (PSM) patients with stable angina undergoing coronary angiography were enrolled in the study. Data from 86 PSM subjects with normoglycemia (NG), 86 PSM subjects with prediabetes (pre-DM), and 86 PSM subjects with prediabetes treated with metformin (pre-DM metformin) were analyzed. During coronary angiography, NOCS was categorized by luminal stenosis 0.80. In addition, we assessed the endothelial function, measuring coronary artery diameter of left anterior descending coronary (LAD) at baseline and after the infusion of acetylcholine, by means of an intracoronary Doppler guide wire. MACE, as cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and heart failure, was evaluated at 24 months of follow-up. RESULTS At baseline, NG patients had a lower percentage of LAD endothelial dysfunction compared with pre-DM patients (P < 0.05). The pre-DM patients had a higher percentage of endothelial LAD dysfunction as compared with the pre-DM metformin patients (P < 0.05). At the 24th month of follow-up, MACE was higher in pre-DM versus NG (P < 0.05). In pre-DM metformin patients, MACE was lower compared with pre-DM patients (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Metformin therapy may reduce the high risk of cardiovascular events in pre-DM patients by reducing coronary endothelial dysfunction.

ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is one of the leading causes of death and hospitalization worldwide (1). Hyperglycemia (HG) has been shown to adversely affect STEMI clinical outcomes, leading to higher mortality and severe complications (1,2). The aim of our study was to investigate the impact of HG at hospital admission on the risk of restenosis after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for STEMI, comparing normoglycemic subjects (NG group), patients without diabetes mellitus (DM) but with HG (HG-non-DM group), and patients with both HG and DM (HG-DM group). HG was defined by glycemia >140 mg/dL, according to the guidelines of the American Diabetes Association (3). We evaluated STEMI patients referred to the Division of Cardiology of “Antonio Cardarelli” Hospital from February 2008 to February 2016. Inclusion criteria were age >18 years and first STEMI. Exclusion criteria were left ventricular ejection fraction

Cognitive processes in a group of neurologically asymptomatic patients with relativelysevere but uncomplicated insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) were studied. In comparison with a homogeneous group of normoglycemic controls, the diabetic group performed significantly worse in global memory, abstract reasoning, and eye-hand coordination tests. The two groups scored similarly in intelligence, concentration and attention, spatial, visual, and psychomotor tests. The neuropsychological deficits did not correlate with the duration or the severity of the disease. Whether these mild neuropsychological deficits are transient or stable or whether they are caused by central nervous system vascular or metabolic dysfunctions or by the emotional influence of the chronic illness on the intellectual and educational development of patients remains unclear. Our findings need to be cautiously interpreted and perhaps could not be extended to diabetic patients with better metabolic control.