Woo MH, et al. – Via conducted a nested case–control study using data from the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort in Korea, researchers assessed the secondary preventive effects of pioglitazone in patients with acute ischemic stroke and diabetes mellitus based on nationwide real-world data. Patients who experienced composites of recurrent stroke (I60–63), myocardial infarction (I21), or all-cause mortality following ischemic stroke were defined as eligible cases for assessment. For each case, three controls were matched based on sex, age, treatment with insulin, and oral antidiabetic medications, apart from pioglitazone. Overall, pioglitazone treatment demonstrated significant cardiovascular preventative effects in this patient population.