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Aim To gain insight into the presence of islet cell autoimmunity in an ethnic Asian compared with a white European population. Methods For this cross‐sectional study we recruited people with adult‐onset diabetes (age of diagnosis 20–60 years), at tertiary referral centres in Germany (n=1020) and Singapore (n=1088). Glutamic acid decarboxylase and islet antigen 2 antibodies were measured according to Islet Autoantibody Standardization Program protocols. Results The prevalence of glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody positivity was 13.9% (95% CI 12.1–16.0; P, What's new? Data on the prevalence of adult‐onset autoimmune diabetes gathered from population‐based studies in Asia are sparse. We assessed the presence of islet cell antibodies [glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and islet antigen 2 (IA2) antibodies] in three ethnic Asian groups from Singapore as compared with a white European population with diabetes.In the Asian cohort, IA2 antibodies were most prevalent, across the three ethnicities, whereas GAD antibodies were more frequent in the white European cohort. In the white European cohort, those who were GAD autoantibody‐positive had a lower BMI than those who were GAD autoantibody‐negative, but this trend was absent in the Asian cohort.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Increased expression of cell adhesion molecules (CAM) and their ligands mediate essential processes in atherogenesis. Niacin reduces atherosclerotic cardiovascular complications and total mortality. Further understanding is needed on effects of niacin on CAM, and its functional consequences. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of niacin on CAM expression and monocyte adhesion in endothelial cells. Endothelial cells (HUVEC) were cultured to reach 80-90% confluence before experiments were initiated. Cells were exposed to DME/F12 with selected concentrations of niacin. To elicit the expression of CAM, cells were stimulated by addition of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1 or interferon-gamma. Lysate from the conditioned media was assayed for CAM. The effect of niacin on mRNA expression of ICAM-1 was studied using semi-quantitative analysis of ICAM-1 mRNA. Adhesion assays were performed with flow cytometry to study the functional significance of the effects niacin on CAM expression. Niacin significantly reduced ICAM-1 and PECAM-1 protein levels basally, and reduced the cytokine-induced rise in ICAM-1, with a similar effect for TNF-alpha-induced PECAM-1 rise. The decrease in TNF-alpha-induced rise in ICAM-1 level was associated with a reduction of NF-kappaB activation, a reduction in mRNA expression of ICAM-1, and a functional reduction in monocyte adhesion to cultured endothelial cells. Niacin reduces CAM expression and monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells. Apart from its lipid-modifying effects, these pleiotropic effects of niacin may potentially contribute to the beneficial effects of risk reduction for atherosclerotic disease.

Objective To evaluate the effect of apolipoprotein E (apoE) genotype on baseline lipid levels and the response to hydroxy-methyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) therapy in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Research design and methods We consecutively recruited Chinese patients with type 2 DM requiring lipid-lowering therapy according to current guidelines. Patients were started on either simvastatin 10 mg daily or given an equivalent dose of lovastatin 20 mg. After 12 weeks of statin therapy, patients had fasting lipid profiles repeated. ApoE genotyping was performed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Results Ninety-six patients were studied. The epsilon3/epsilon3 genotype was in 62.5%, epsilon2/epsilon3 and epsilon3/epsilon4, 16.7 and 20.8%, respectively. After adjusting for confounding variables, baseline total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels were significantly higher in those with epsilon3/epsilon4 compared with epsilon2/epsilon3 genotype (6.7 vs. 5.5 mm for TC, 4.5 vs. 3.6 mm for LDL-C; p = 0.015 and p = 0.025, respectively). With statin therapy, epsilon3/epsilon4 patients had significantly greater LDL-C lowering compared with epsilon2/epsilon3 patients (48 vs. 27.7%; p = 0.04). There was no gender difference in baseline lipid parameters or response to statin therapy. Conclusions ApoE genotype accounts for interindividual variability of baseline cholesterol levels, and response to statin therapy in Chinese patients with type 2 DM.