Results
When considering the patients in the upper tertile (HIGH-DIR), C-peptide AUC (0–120 min) at 13 weeks was higher in the LDX group (n = 16) than in the placebo (n = 10) group [difference: 0.72 nmol/L (95% CI 0.9–1.34), p = 0.027]. This difference reduced over time (0.71 nmol/L at 26 weeks, p = 0.04; 0.42 nmol/L at 52 weeks, p = 0.29), while it has never been significant at any time in patients in the lower and/or middle tertile (LOW-DIR). We characterized at baseline the HIGH-DIR and found that endo-metabolic (HOMA-B, adiponectin, and glucagon-to-C-peptide ratio) and immunologic (chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2)/monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP1) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF)) features distinguished this group from LOW-DIR.