The independence of associations between glucose, lipids, ILs, MMP-12 and vascular (Table 2) and cardiac (Table 3) measures was tested in multiple regression models with stepwise removal, after adjustment for age, sex, body size, BP, heart rate, smoking habit, BP-lowering and lipid-lowering therapy and, in T2DM patients, also for diabetes duration and antidiabetic treatment. The gene discussed is MMP12; the disease is type 2 diabetes mellitus.