Acta Diabetologica

Abstract  We assessed the presence of lung dysfunction in children with type 1 diabetes, evaluated as reduced diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO), and its components: membrane diffusing capacity (DM) and pulmonary capillary blood volume (Vc). A total of 42 children, aged 15.6 ± 3.8 years, with type 1 diabetes for 8.3 ± 5.5 years, and 30 healthy age and sex-matched peers were recruited for the study. Lung volumes and spirometric dynamic parameters were assessed by plethysmography. Single-breath DLCO was measured according to international recommendation. DM and Vc volume were calculated. Lung volumes were significantly reduced in young patients with type 1...

Abstract  Rosiglitazone often results in weight gain. We hypothesized that rosiglitazone may modulate circulating levels of ghrelin and peptide YY3–36 and this modulation may be related to weight-gaining effect of this agent. This study was designed as an open-label, randomized, controlled trial of 3-month duration. Women with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes were studied. Twenty-eight of the 55 eligible participants were randomly assigned to receive rosiglitazone (4 mg/d). Twenty-seven patients with diabetes matched for age and body mass index served as controls on diet alone. We evaluated the effects of 3 months of rosiglitazone treatment on fasting peptide YY3–36 and ghrelin levels, and...

Abstract  The aim of this study was to determine the effects of hip circumference (HC) and height on diabetes incidence in non-diabetic first-degree relatives (FDRs) of patients with type 2 diabetes. A total of 1,092 (254 men and 838 women) non-diabetics FDRs ≥ 30 years old in 2003–2005 were followed through 2010 for the occurrence of type 2 diabetes. At baseline and through follow-ups, participants were underwent a standard 75 g 2-h oral glucose tolerance test. The incidence of type 2 diabetes was 17.0 (95% CI: 13.7, 20.2) (13.0 men and 18.1 women) per 1,000 person-year based on 6,015 person-years of follow-up. Height was inversely...

Abstract  Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in adults, and oxidative stress has been pathogenically associated with retinal neurodegeneration. Cellular stresses induce expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs) and this results in cytoprotection. Our aim was to assess retinal expression of HSP25 in early experimental diabetes. Mice were rendered diabetic by streptozotocin injection. Ten weeks after diabetes onset retinal HSP25 expression were studied by real-time PCR, immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Expression of nitrotyrosine and Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD), was assessed by IHC and apoptosis by TUNEL. Retinal HSP25 mRNA and protein expression was significantly increased in diabetic as compared...

Abstract  The relationship between obesity and mortality in people with type 2 diabetes has not been definitely assessed. We have examined this issue in a well-characterized population-based cohort of Mediterranean diabetic people. Standardized anthropometric data from the population-based Casale Monferrato Study have been prospectively analyzed. The cohort included 1,475 people (62.6% aged ≥65 years) who had been recruited in 1991 and followed-up to December 31, 2006. Cox proportional hazards modeling was employed to estimate the independent associations between all-cause and cardiovascular mortality and BMI. Out of 1,475 people, 972 deaths occurred during a 15-year follow-up. Cox regression analyses showed that with respect...