This study does not support the view that monocytes are in general pro-inflammatory activated in T2D patients: The circulating monocytes of the T2D patients of the validation cohort failed to show a significant up-regulation of typical pro-inflammatory genes (such as IL-1B, IL-6, TNF, CCL4 and CCL20) as compared to monocytes of non-diabetic controls with a similar ethnic background, considering the T2D patient population in total. This evidence concerns the gene TNF and type 2 diabetes mellitus.