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Biomedical subjects

T Kazumi

Publications and source records attributed to T Kazumi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Dyslipidemia in diabetes mellitus.

Patients with diabetes mellitus have a higher rate of mortality than the general population. This higher mortality may be attributed mainly to cardiovascular disease. A high prevalence of dyslipidemia in diabetics can be one of the reasons for this. The most commonly recognized lipid abnormality in non-insulin-dependent diabetics (NIDDM) is hypertriglyceridemia, which is known to be an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease in diabetics. Hypertriglyceridemia can be produced by two mechanisms, increased synthesis of very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) triglyceride and removal defect of plasma triglyceride. It has been a matter of debate whether insulin always stimulates hepatic VLDL secretion but it is generally accepted that insulin deficiency results in an impairment of plasma triglyceride clearance. Considerable attention has recently been focused on the atherogenecity of postprandial hyperlipidemia, remnant lipoproteins, small, dense LDL, lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] and isolated hypo-alphalipoproteinemia in NIDDM subjects. Several reports suggested that these atherogenic lipoprotein abnormalities are present in NIDDMs even if they are apparently normolipidemic. Association of visceral fat obesity, insulin resistance and nephropathy may aggravate the atherogenic lipoprotein profile. Therefore, we propose here that plasma lipid levels of diabetic subjects must be more strictly controlled than for the non-diabetic population in order to avoid an increased risk for coronary heart disease. If they are obese or associated with insulin resistance or nephropathy, these conditions should be carefully controlled.

Diabetes Complications↗

VLDL triglyceride kinetics in Wistar fatty rats, an animal model of NIDDM: effects of dietary fructose alone or in combination with pioglitazone.

The effects of dietary fructose alone or in combination with a new oral agent, pioglitazone, on VLDL-triglyceride (TG) turnover were studied in genetically obese Wistar fatty rats characterized by hyperinsulinemia (7,488 +/- 954 pmol/l), hyperglycemia, (22.5 +/- 1.4 mmol/l), and hypertriglyceridemia (4.39 +/- 0.54 mmol/l). They had an increased hepatic TG production (16.2 +/- 0.1 micromol/min; lean rats, 5.4 +/- 0.3 micromol/min) as well as a longer half-life of VLDL-TG from lean donors (8.8 +/- 1.4 min, lean recipients; 2.3 +/- 0.9 min). In addition, in lean recipients, the half-life of VLDL-TG from fatty donors was longer than that from lean donors (4.80 +/- 0.56 vs. 3.14 +/- 0.23 min). Although feeding fructose into fatty rats did not change plasma glucose and insulin levels, it produced a twofold increase in TG levels (8.74 +/- 1.15 mmol/l). This was associated with a 1.7-fold increase in TG production to 27.5 +/- 1.2 micromol/min, while no significant change was found in the half-life of lean VLDL-TG in fructose-fed fatty recipients (10.9 +/- 2.4 min) or in that of VLDL-TG from fructose-fed fatty donors in lean recipients (4.46 +/- 0.76 min). Daily administration of pioglitazone (3 mg/kg body weight) in fructose-fed fatty rats ameliorated glycemia and triglyceridemia to the level of lean rats (8.1 +/- 0.7 and 1.18 +/- 0.05 mmol/l, respectively) and insulinemia to a lesser extent (2,712 +/- 78 pmol/l). A fall in TG levels was associated with improvement of an impairment in the ability of fructose-fed fatty rats to remove lean VLDL-TG (half-fife: 2.6 +/- 0.6 min). Pioglitazone, however, produced no change in TG production (25.9 +/- 2.7 micromol/min), the half-life of VLDL-TG from fructose-fed fatty donors in lean recipients (4.17 +/- 0.38 min), or the activity of lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase in postheparin plasma. We conclude that in Wistar fatty rats 1) hypertriglyceridemia is attributed to TG overproduction and impaired TG catabolism, and the latter is due to changes in both VLDL, such that they are less able to be removed, and changes in the nature of Wistar fatty rats, such that they are less able to remove VLDL-TG; 2) fructose further increases hepatic TG production with a resultant deterioration in hypertriglyceridemia; 3) pioglitazone normalizes TG levels by altering the physiology of the Wistar fatty rats in a manner that increases their ability to remove VLDL-TG from the circulation.

Animals↗

Diabetes mellitus carrying a mutation in the mitochondrial tRNA(Leu(UUR)) gene.

We screened 214 Japanese NIDDM (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic patients with a family history of diabetes for mutations in the mitochondrial tRNA(Leu(UUR)) gene using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism and direct sequencing. Six patients were identified as having an A to G transition at position 3243 (3243 mutation), but no patients were detected with a T to C transition at position 3271, in the mitochondrial tRNA(Leu(UUR)) gene. These two mutations were not present in 85 healthy control subjects. It was disclosed that the patients' mothers were also affected by diabetes mellitus in five of the six cases. In these six affected patients, the 3243 mutation shows variable phenotypes, such as the degree of multiple organ involvement, intrafamilial and interfamilial differences in disease characteristics, and the degree of the involvement of MELAS (mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes) phenotype. Endocrinological examinations revealed that those diabetic patients with the 3243 mutation show not only beta-cell dysfunction, but also a defect in alpha-cell function, which is considered characteristic of diabetes with the 3243 mutation. When compared with 50 selected diabetic control subjects without the 3243 mutation, whose mothers, but not fathers, were found to have diabetes, it was established statistically that those with the 3243 mutation possess the following clinical characteristics; 1) the age of diabetes onset is lower, 2) they have lean body constitutions, and 3) they are more likely to be treated with insulin than control subjects. We suggest that diabetes with the 3243 mutation possesses phenotypes distinct from those in common forms of diabetes.

Adolescent↗

Long-term efficacy and tolerability of pravastatin in hypercholesterolemia in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Hyogo Pravastatin Study Group.

This study reports the result of a 12-month, open-label multicenter study of the efficacy and tolerability of pravastatin in the management of hypercholesterolemia associated with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Pravastatin produced a decrease, in 138 diabetic and 51 non-diabetic patients, in total serum cholesterol by 19 and 20%, in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by 25 and 29%, in apolipoprotein B by 15 and 19% and in triglycerides by 8 and 5%, respectively. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were increased by 9% in both groups. All of these changes were significant (P < 0.001) except for triglycerides changes in non-diabetic patients, where the change was not significant and no significant differences were observed between the two groups. These favorable effects on LDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B were not influenced by gender, the type of diabetic therapy, baseline hemoglobin A1c levels and by the presence of hypertension or gross proteinuria, although a decrease in the two variables were less in those with body mass index > or = 26.4 kg/m2 or in those with age < 60 years. Adverse experiences were similar between treatment groups and the drug was well tolerated. Only one diabetic patient was withdrawn from the study because of pruritus. Pravastatin produced no change in fasting plasma glucose concentrations and hemoglobin A1c levels in diabetic patients throughout the study. Pravastatin was generally effective in improving the serum lipids of hypercholesterolemic diabetic patients.

Adult↗

Long-term effects of simvastatin in hypercholesterolemic patients with NIDDM and additional atherosclerotic risk factors. Hyogo Simvastatin Study Group.

Effects of 12 months of simvastatin treatment were examined in 48 NIDDM patients with total serum cholesterol levels exceeding 220 mg/dl and were compared with those in 35 nondiabetic patients with hypercholesterolemia. In the diabetic group, 5-10 mg of simvastatin given once daily at bedtime significantly lowered total cholesterol (21%). LDL cholesterol (28%), apoB (15%) and triglycerides (8%) levels. These changes were identical to those in the nondiabetic group, except for triglycerides which did not change significantly. HDL cholesterol increased significantly in the nondiabetic group but not in the diabetic group. The reductions in LDL cholesterol and apoB in hypercholesterolemic patients with NIDDM were not influenced by gender, age, glycemic control, the presence or absence of systemic hypertension, obesity and overt proteinuria. In addition, the decrease in LDL cholesterol was not affected by the number of risk factors per patient. Simvastatin did not significantly alter hemoglobin A1c or fasting plasma glucose and was well tolerated in both groups. Simvastatin produced beneficial effects on serum lipids and apolipoproteins and neutral effects on glycemic control in hypercholesterolemic patients with NIDDM, whether or not they had an additional atherosclerotic risk factor.

Anticholesteremic Agents↗

Autophosphorylation of insulin receptor in a patient with Werner's syndrome associated with insulin resistant diabetes mellitus.

The tissue sensitivity to insulin was evaluated using the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp technique in a 44-year old male with Werner's syndrome associated with diabetes mellitus. In addition, the autophosphorylation of insulin receptors and the number of autophosphorylated insulin receptors were measured in his erythrocytes by a new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. He had an increased serum insulin level (30.5 microU/ml) in addition to hyperglycemia (226 mg/dl), suggesting that he had insulin-resistant diabetes mellitus. A clamp study revealed that his insulin-stimulated glucose disposal rate (2.80 mg/kg/min) was comparable to that in noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (4.14 +/- 1.94 (SD) mg/kg/min, n = 23). The number of autophosphorylated insulin receptors per 300 microliters of erythrocytes was also identical to that in normal control subjects. In addition, the autophosphorylation of insulin receptors determined at six different insulin concentrations was within the normal range, even when it was expressed as per 300 microliters of erythrocytes as well as per unit receptor. These results demonstrate that insulin resistance in the patient with Werner's syndrome is caused by a defect that cannot be detected by means employed in this study, and suggest that the defect is present at the steps distal to the autophosphorylation of tyrosine kinase of insulin receptors.

Adult↗

Long-term effects of dietary fiber supplementation on serum glucose and lipoprotein levels in diabetic rats fed a high cholesterol diet.

We have shown that cholesterol-fed diabetic rats developed atheromatous lesions in the aorta and coronary arteries, which were not observed in cholesterol-fed diabetic rats receiving concomitant supplementation with 15% glucomannan, a soluble dietary fiber concentrate. The present study was designed to examine the effects of the dietary fiber supplementation on serum levels of glucose and lipoproteins in cholesterol-fed diabetic rats. Feeding a diet containing 1.5% cholesterol (wt/wt) and 0.37% cholic acid for 18 weeks to rats made diabetic by streptozotocin (35 mg/kg body weight, iv) produced moderate hyperglycemia and moderate hypercholesterolemia, the latter being characterized by high concentrations not only of low density lipoproteins but also intermediate density lipoproteins and very low density lipoproteins. These changes in serum lipoproteins and hyperglycemia were substantially reduced by 18 weeks of supplementation with glucomannan but high density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels did not change after feeding a cholesterol-rich diet in the presence or absence of glucomannan supplementation. These results suggest that amelioration in hyperlipoproteinemia and hyperglycemia induced by the dietary fiber supplementation may help retard or prevent the atheromatous formation found in cholesterol-fed diabetic rats.

Animals↗

Substitution of glutamine for arginine 1131. A newly identified mutation in the catalytic loop of the tyrosine kinase domain of the human insulin receptor.

We studied a patient with severe insulin resistance and a remarkable decrease in the in vivo autophosphorylation of the insulin receptor. Using a polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism method and direct sequencing, we identified a heterozygous mutation substituting Gln for Arg1131 in the putative "catalytic loop" of the tyrosine kinase domain of the insulin receptor gene. The Gln1131 mutant receptor was expressed by transfection in Chinese hamster ovary cells and compared with cells expressing the wild-type insulin receptor. Both mutant and wild-type receptors were expressed on the cell surface and displayed similar insulin-binding affinity. The Gln1131 mutation impaired the activity of the receptor tyrosine kinase and inhibited the ability of insulin to phosphorylate the endogenous substrate insulin receptor substrate-I. In addition, the Gln1131 mutant receptor exhibited diminished tyrosine-phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and myelin basic protein kinase activities compared with the wild-type cells. It also demonstrated a defective mediation of the insulin signal stimulating 2-deoxy-D-glucose transport and thymidine incorporation, resistance to endocytosis, and insulin-induced down-regulation. Unlike a previously described mutation in the putative catalytic loop of the receptor that substituted Glu for Ala1135, the Gln1131 mutation retained proteolytic cleavage of the proreceptor into separate subunits. Our results demonstrate that a naturally occurring mutation (R1131Q) in the putative catalytic loop of the insulin receptor results in severe impairment of the tyrosine kinase function in our patient. In addition, our results indicate that Arg1131 is important for receptor-mediated insulin action in vivo and suggest that the amino acids constituting the catalytic loop of protein kinases may possess different modes in order to retain kinase function.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Effect of long-term administration of probucol on triglyceride turnover in rats.

BACKGROUND: Our previous observation revealed that probucol, a well known cholesterol-lowering drug, can improve impaired catabolism of plasma triglyceride in streptozotocin-diabetic rats without reducing plasma glucose. The present study was conducted using Triton WR1339 and endogenously radiolabeled lipoproteins in order to examine the mechanisms whereby the drug can stimulate triglyceride removal from the circulation in rats independent of glucose metabolism. METHODS: The short- and long-term effects of probucol on triglyceride turnover were examined in rats. Male Wistar rats received a diet containing probucol (1%) for 2 weeks and 4 months. Triglyceride turnover was estimated in rats using Triton WR1339. RESULTS: After 2 weeks of probucol administration, triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations in plasma and in the very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) fraction were suppressed slightly but significantly in the probucol-administered rats compared with standard chow-fed control rats. However, triglyceride secretion rates were similar in the two groups. Probucol-administered rats showed markedly suppressed triglyceride concentration in plasma and the VLDL fraction compared with chow-fed control rats after 4 months of administration. However, triglyceride secretion rate was significantly increased in rats given probucol. The radioisotope experiment revealed that probucol-administered rats can remove VLDLs (lipoproteins either from probucol-administered or control rats) from their system faster than normal rats and that probucol-containing VLDL can be removed from the circulation of both groups of rats more rapidly than normal VLDL. Therefore, probucol-administered rats as well as probucol-containing VLDL (lipoprotein from probucol-administered rats) are responsible for accelerated catabolism of VLDL-triglyceride. CONCLUSION: No significant differences in the lipid composition of newly-secreted VLDL particles between control rats and those given probucol were noted after Triton injection. The precise mechanism behind increased triglyceride secretion rate in rats after long-term administration of probucol is not known. However, we concluded from the present data that long-term administration of probucol results in markedly accelerated VLDL-triglyceride turnover without affecting lipid composition of newly secreted VLDL particles in normal rats.

Animals↗

Failure to detect brown adipose tissue uncoupling protein mRNA in benign symmetric lipomatosis (Madelung's disease).

We report a case of benign symmetric lipomatosis with hypothyroidism. Functional abnormalities and distribution of lipomas in benign symmetric lipomatosis suggest that the lipomas in this disorder may represent brown adipose tissue. In conditions where mRNAs of uncoupling protein, which is believed to be unique for brown adipose tissue mitochondria, were detected in one microgram of poly (A+) rat brown fat RNA, no signal at all was found in the lipomatous tissue, suggesting that the masses of benign symmetric lipomatosis are not functional brown adipose tissue.

Adipose Tissue, Brown↗

Unusual combination of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus with transient-pituitary-isolated gonadotropin deficiency.

We report a 27-year-old man with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and transient-pituitary-isolated gonadotropin deficiency. He had typical diabetic symptoms, and loss of libido of a 6-month duration. Although antibodies to islet cells or islet cell surface were not detected in his sera, daily urinary excretion of c-peptide immunoreactivity was extremely low, and antibodies to the pituitary AtT-20 cell were detected. The plasma responses of gonadotropin to a single and a repetitive luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone were extremely low, whereas testosterone concentrations in the serum and urine were low normal. After 6 months, the gonadotropin deficiency and loss of libido were not detected and antibodies to the AtT-20 cell was negative. We suspected that both insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and transient-gonadotropin-deficiency might be an autoimmune mechanism.

Adult↗