Special Collection of GRADE articles, feature on this month’s Profile in Progress, in-depth interview of Dr. David M. Nathan, and more!

Welcome to episode no. 18 (April 2024) of Diabetes Care “On Air”—a new and different way to bring the research published in Diabetes Care to life. Join co-hosts Alice Cheng, MD, FRCPC, and Michael Rickels, MD, MS, as they discuss the latest and greatest content in the April 2024 issue of Diabetes Care. 

Notably, this episode is a more expansive journey than usual. Dive in at your own pace—segment by segment— or all at once. You can find time stamps for each segment in the notes below. 

Mike and Alice begin the show by announcing that the April episode will be unlike any episode of Diabetes Care “On Air” that they’ve done. This month, they focus on a Special Collection of articles in the April issue of Diabetes Care. This collection features 10 articles from the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study (GRADE) as well as a commentary on these articles. The full collection is openly accessible at https://diabetesjournals.org/collection/2066/Reports-from-the-GRADE-Study.  

2:06: Mike and Alice begin the deep dive into the GRADE articles by bringing in David M. Nathan, chair of the steering committee for the GRADE study. They are then joined by Jennifer B. Green, a member of the GRADE Research Group and an associate editor of Diabetes Care. 

9:56: After David M. Nathan and Jennifer B. Green give an overview and synopsis of the collection of GRADE articles, Alice brings in Matthew C. Riddle, former editor in chief of Diabetes Care and author of a commentary on the GRADE articles, to get his general impression of and insights into the GRADE collection. Dr. Riddle’s commentary on the GRADE collection is openly available at https://doi.org/10.2337/dci24-0008. 

As the discussion continues, the speakers touch on each of the 10 articles of the Special Collection in the April issue of Diabetes Care. The following is a list of all the articles in the collection as well as the commentary, along with links to where these articles can be found (all are openly available). 

• Riddle. Individualizing treatment of type 2 diabetes after metformin: more insights from GRADE. https://doi.org/10.2337/dci24-0008 
• Gonzalez et al. Differential effects of type 2 diabetes treatment regimens on diabetes distress and depressive symptoms in the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study (GRADE). https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-2459 
• Garvey et al. Association of baseline factors with glycemic outcomes in GRADE: a comparative effectiveness randomized clinical trial. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-1782 
• Banerji et al. Mortality in the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study (GRADE). https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-1356 
• Cherrington et al. Does emotional distress predict worse glycemic control over time? Results from the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study (GRADE). https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-0642
• Hoogendoorn et al. Emotional distress predicts reduced type 2 diabetes treatment adherence in the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study (GRADE). https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-1401
• Rasouli et al. Longitudinal effects of glucose-lowering medications on β-cell responses and insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes: the GRADE randomized clinical trial. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-1070
• Kirkman et al. Comparative effects of randomized second-line therapy for type 2 diabetes on a composite outcome incorporating glycemic control, body weight, and hypoglycemia: an analysis of the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study (GRADE). https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-1332
• Utzschneider et al. Impact of insulin sensitivity and β-cell function over time on glycemic outcomes in the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study (GRADE): differential treatment effects of dual therapy. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-1059
• Cherrington et al. Impact of glucose-lowering medications on health-related quality of life in the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study (GRADE). https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-1648
• Hollander et al. The use of rescue insulin in the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study (GRADE). https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-0516

42:50: Alice directs our attention to another kind of special article available in Diabetes Care, a Profile in Progress on none other than Dr. David M. Nathan. Alice chats with the author of the Profile, Deborah Wexler. Her piece, which Alice notes is “beautifully written,” is openly available at https://doi.org/10.2337/dci23-0095.

48:14: Mike and Alice are once again joined by David M. Nathan, this time for a discussion of his remarkable and extensive career as well as his dedication to advancing the understanding and treatment of diabetes. 

1:10:00: In the “Diabetes Care Rapid Exchange,” Alice and Mike wrap up the episode by reviewing several interesting articles in the April 2024 issue of Diabetes Care. Studies highlighted in this segment include: 

• Birukov et al. Lifetime Duration of Breastfeeding and Cardiovascular Risk in Women With Type 2 Diabetes or a History of Gestational Diabetes: Findings From Two Large Prospective Cohorts. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-1494
• Al Rifai et al. Epidemiology and Prognostic Implications of Coronary Artery Calcium in Asymptomatic Individuals With Prediabetes: A Multicohort Study. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-1864
• Sattar et al. Cardiovascular and Kidney Risks in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes: Contemporary Understanding With Greater Emphasis on Excess Adiposity. https://doi.org/10.2337/dci23-0041
• Foss-Freitas et al. Efficacy and Safety of Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Agonists in a Retrospective Study of Patients With Familial Partial Lipodystrophy. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-1614    
• Al-Sofiani et al. A Real-World Prospective Study of the Effectiveness and Safety of Automated Insulin Delivery Compared With Other Modalities of Type 1 Diabetes Treatment During Ramadan Intermittent Fasting. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-1968  
• Abdelgani et al. Empagliflozin Reduces Liver Fat in Individuals With and Without Diabetes. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-1646   

To learn more about Diabetes Care, please visit diabetesjournals.org/care. Interested in submitting cover art to the journal? Please visit https://diabetesjournals.org/care/pages/submit_a_cover_image.