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Biomedical subjects

I Mincu

Publications and source records attributed to I Mincu.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

No relationship between insulin antibodies and hypoglycemia in insulin-treated diabetic patients.

It has been speculated that insulin antibodies may contribute to the hypoglycemic attacks in insulin-treated diabetic patients. To address this hypothesis, we analyzed in a first part of the study the frequency to hypoglycemia in two groups of diabetic patients, one (Group A, 38 cases) with at least two episodes of severe hypoglycemia in the last year and another (Group B, 38 cases) without severe hypoglycemia in the last 3 years. In the second part of this study, we analyzed the frequency of severe and moderate episodes of hypoglycemia in another two groups of diabetics, one (Group C, 32 cases) with high insulin antibody titre (greater than or equal to 20% binding, mean +/- SD 31.2 +/- 8.1%) and another with low insulin antibody titre (less than 10% binding, mean +/- SD, 5.1 +/- 2.2%). No significant difference was found for bound insulin between diabetics with frequent hypoglycemic episodes (2.3 +/- 0.2/patient/year--Group A) and those without severe hypoglycemic episodes (Group B), i.e., bound insulin 4.89 +/- 3.21% in group A versus 5.32 +/- 4.5% in group B. Conversely, the frequency of severe episodes of hypoglycemia was similar in diabetic patients with high (31.2 +/- 8% binding in group C) and respectively low (5.1 +/- 2.1% binding in group D) insulin antibody titre, i.e., 0.15 episodes/patient/year in group C and 0.17 episodes/patient/year in group D.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cholesterol and lipid levels in the hair: indicators of the lipid metabolism balance.

A new method of long term, retrospective evaluation of the lipid metabolism balance, by cholesterol and lipid assays in the human hair, is described. The correlation index between the blood and the hair cholesterol and lipid concentrations was + 0.980 and + 0.9925, respectively. The effects of hypolipemic diet and drug therapy on the cholesterol and lipid values were studied comparatively in the blood and in successive hair segments. The results demonstrate that the new method permits an evaluation of the therapy effectiveness and of the lipid metabolism variations during several weeks or months.

Cholesterol↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pancreas transplantation. Experimental and clinical trials.

The ever increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus has stimulated the immunologic investigations concerned with the role of heredity and the toleration rate of transplants of pancreas organ or islet structures. Concomitant or subsequent trials have attempted to define or avoid the apparently diabetogenic factors. With respect to the effectiveness of diabetes therapy, one cannot deny the contrast between the practical and the theoretical aspects. Besides the technical difficulties, the pancreas organ or islet cell transplants are confronted with the still limited possibilities of immunosuppression. The recent concept of a bioartificial organ is an attempt to avoid such disadvantages. The present paper is a review of the main achievements of the experimental and the clinical trials in the above-mentioned directions of research work.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of the metabolic balance in type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetics, by assay of the hair biochemical components.

A new method of long-term retrospective evaluation of the metabolic balance in type 1 diabetic was based on the variations of the hair biochemical components. Glucose, proteic sulfur and amino acid assays were performed in two consecutive hair segments, proximal and distal, of 1.5 cm each. The differences between the glucose and the sulfur values in the two segments correlated with the HbA1 levels (r = +0.971 and r = +0.957, respectively), being statistically significant in both situations (p less than 0.001). The hair components assay permits to follow up the diabetics' metabolic balance on longer time periods than by determination of the HbA1 values.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A study on the types of diabetes mellitus in first degree relatives of diabetic patients.

The genetic characteristics of the diabetic types have been assessed by following up their frequency in first degree relatives of some non-selected diabetic patients, registered at eight different centers of the country. Out of 1,003 non-diabetic controls only 46 (4.6%) had 52 diabetic relatives, 65.4% of type 2 (non-insulin-dependent). Comparatively, out of the 704 patients, 172 (24.4%) had 229 diabetic first degree relatives, 72.5 of type 2. Out of 231 type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients, 29 (12.6%) had 34 diabetic relatives, 55.9% of type 1. Out of 300 type 2 patients, 99 (33.0%) had 121 diabetic relatives, 84.0% of type 2. The other 173 diabetic patients presented an "intermediary" type of the disease (needing insulin many years after onset). Forty-four (25.4%) of them had 64 diabetic relatives, 67.2% of type 2, 20.3% of type 1 and 12.5% with "intermediary" diabetes. The five times higher frequency of diabetes in patients' relatives versus controls is pointed out. Type 2 diabetic relatives predominated. The proportion of probands with diabetic relatives increased from 4.6% in non-diabetics to 12.6% in type 1, to 25.4% in "intermediary" diabetes and to 33.0% in type 2. The heredity of type 1 prevailed in type 1 and that of type 2 in type 2 and in "intermediary" diabetes. The fact that "intermediary" diabetes tends towards type 1 (insulin-dependent) as therapy and towards type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) as heredity might be an argument supporting the controversy on the diabetic syndrome classification.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The effect of a plant mixture on the metabolic equilibrium in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus].

The present paper analyses the results obtained in 82 patients with diabetes mellitus of the 2nd type: 59 women and 23 men, between 41 and 74 years old (average +/- DS, 58 +/- 9 years), of which 58 had an index of the body weight higher than 26. The diabetes duration ranged between newly discovered and 11 years. Each patient was given, 3 times a day, a 150 ml cup containing an infusion of the following mixture of plants previously cut into small pieces: Phaseolus vulgaris (pod), Morus alba (leaf), and Vaccinum myrtillus (leaves). The approximate dose used was of about 15 g/day. The treatment lasted for two months. Before and after treatment, the following parameters were determined: Hb Al (Bio-Rex method) in 31 cases; the average of 3 consequent glycemias; the value of glycemia and insulinemia recorded after a standard lunch, consisting of about 40 g glucides, 14 g proteins and 6 g lipids (50 g bread, a boiled egg and a boiled apple of 100 g). Analysis of the results obtained enabled the following temporary conclusions (1). In 74 out of the 82 cases studied, the average values of glycemia, after the treatment with plants, were lower than those recorded before the treatment (the average values of the whole lot: 219 +/- 82 mg/dl before treatment and 166 +/- 76 mg/dl after treatment (2). The overall decrease recorded, of 53 mg/dl, represents 24.3% of the initial value (3).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Decrease of serum immunoglobulin M levels in some diabetic patients.

Contradictory results have been published on serum immunoglobulin levels in diabetes. Our study population consisted of 26 "juvenile" IDDM patients (males/females 14/12, mean age 15.8 +/- 2.4 yrs), 42 "adult-onset" IDDM patients (25/17, 45.1 +/- 15.2 yrs), 62 NIDDM patients (27/35, 59.8 +/- 7.7 yrs), 128 controls. IgM has been measured by a highly standardized endpoint radial immunodiffusion. Since age and sex significantly influence serum IgM levels, we calculated Z values using the formula: log (Xobs:Xexp): SDexp, where Xobs is the measured IgM in any individual and Xexp and SDexp are the expected (geometric) mean and standard deviation of the log IgM values for each year of age in both sexes, as previously calculated by orthogonal polynomials from a large population of "laboratory controls" (n = 755; 10-70 yrs). These Z values (+/- SD) in juvenile IDDM (-0.442 +/- 0.988) and NIDDM (-0.559 +/- 1.215) were significantly lower (P = 0.035 and P less than 10(-3)) than in "laboratory controls" (0 +/- 1). Values in adult IDDM (-0.0225 +/- 1.213; P = 0.24) and in controls (-0.018 +/- 1.04) did not differ significantly from the "laboratory controls". The prevalence of diabetes within the four quartiles of the IgM distribution differed significantly from the one expected according to the null hypothesis (chi-square = 42.2; 3df; P less than 10(-4]. This is also applied to juvenile IDDM (P less than 0.05) and NIDDM (P less than 10(-4], but not to adult-onset IDDM. These results suggest that the low IgM levels may partly contribute to the poorly explained increase in susceptibility to infections in some diabetics.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparative study of insulin antibodies in diabetic patients with primary insulin-dependence (type I) and secondary insulin-dependence (type II).

Insulin antibodies (% binding) were determined by RIA method in 404 insulin-treated diabetic patients divided into two groups: (A) primary insulin-dependent patients (Type I diabetes): 300 cases, 170 M, 130 F, mean age +/- SD 29.2 +/- 7.5 yrs, disease and insulin treatment duration 7.7 +/- 6 yrs: (B) Type II diabetic patients needing insulin (secondary insulin-dependence): 104 cases, 47 M, 57 F, aged 53.4 +/- 9.2 yrs, duration of diabetes 13.1 +/- 8.3 yrs, and of insulin treatment 3.1 +/- 2.1 yrs. Both groups of patients were with the same types of insulin preparations. In 297 cases, all belonging to group (A), fasting C-peptide was also determined. The titre of insulin antibodies was significantly (p less than 0.001) higher in patients with secondary insulin dependence than in those with primary insulin dependence (22.96 +/- 15.1% vs 10.25 +/- 9.89) in spite of the longer duration of insulin treatment in the later group; the mean C-peptide value found in 58 Type I diabetic patients with a binding capacity less than 10% was significantly lower (p less than 0.001) than that found in 11 Type I diabetic cases with a binding capacity greater than 20% (0.091 +/- 0.57 vs 0.273 +/- 0.37 pmol/ml); no correlation was found between insulin antibodies and metabolic control, insulin requirements or chronic complications.

C-Peptide↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Is microalbuminuria a different problem for type I and type II diabetes mellitus?

As in previous studies an improved single radial immunodiffusion technique was used for albumin, calculating the albumin/creatinine ratio in spot urine (mg/g/1.73 m2). This ratio was 4.7 +/- 0.0174 (geometric mean +/- SEM as logarithm) in 130 healthy controls, the highest value being 10.8. The 182 non-selected ambulatory diabetic patients presented three subgroups, each showing a non-gaussian frequency distribution: 47% with normal values (5.0 +/- 0.0224); 42% with ratio values from 11.0 to 88.8 (22.7 +/- 0.0269, significantly differing from the controls); 11% with clinical proteinuria (subsequently excluded from the study). Type I (9.6 +/- 0.0452; n = 76) and type II diabetic patients (10.7 +/- 0.0430; n = 86) significantly differed (p less than 0.001) from the controls but not from one another. Irrespective of the diabetes type, ratio values were significantly correlated with the duration of diabetes, age of patients, age of diagnosis (for instance 16.2 +/- 0.0974 in 15 patients aged greater than 65 years versus 9.1 +/- 0.0792 in 23 patients aged less than 20 years), glycemia level and chronic complications (especially retinopathy). Therefore, more than half the diabetic patients, non-selected, presented an increased albumin excretion as compared to the controls. On the other hand, microalbuminuria appears to be linked to age, duration of the disease and quality of the metabolic control rather than to the diabetes type.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Correlations between insulin antibodies and the HLA system in a group of type I diabetic patients in Bucharest.

Investigations were carried out in Bucharest in 102 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) in order to verify the possible existence of a relationship between the HLA system and the level of insulin antibodies. The A and B loci were tested with monospecific antisera, using PEC as a separation agent for the determination of the insulin antibody titer. Group I, without antibodies (34 cases), presented: HLA-B7 (18.89% of total specificities), A3 (11.02%), A1 and B5 (8.74% each), etc.: for haplotypes the following were found: HLA-A3/B7 (9.91% of the total haplotypes), A2/B7 (8.26%), A1/B7 (5.78%). Group II (50 cases) with low or medium titers (less than 30% binding) included: HLA-B7 (20.47%), A2 (11.88%), (A1 (9.44%), B5 (8.74%), and haplotypes: HLA-A2/B7 (8.88%), A1/B7 (7.22%), A3/B7 (6.11%). Group III (18 cases), with high antibody titers (greater than 30% binding), presented: HLA-B7 (20.28%), A1 and A2 (11.59% each), A10 (10.14%), and haplotypes: HLA-A1/B7 (10.60%), A2/B7 and A10/B7 (9.09% each), A3 B7, A2 B5 and A10/B5, (6.06% each). Irrespective of the insulin antibody titer, B7 antigen surprisingly appeared predominant in our cases. Moreover, a marked tendency of A1, and to a certain extent of A2, to increase in terms of the titer was noted in parallel with a significant decrease of A3.

Adolescent↗