Studies of experimental diabetes in rodents induced by the beta-cell toxin streptozocin have shown that the insulin-resistant glucose transport of peripheral tissues (muscle and adipose) in these animals can be ascribed in part to a pretranslational reduction of the major insulin-sensitive glucose transporter (GLUT4) in these tissues. Because a central feature of non-insulin-dependent diabetes ...

Telomere regression has been shown to be associated with several complex disorders like diabetes mellitus, cancer, cataract etc. Diabetic retinopathy develops as a complication of chronic hyperglycemia leading to increased oxidative stress that may potentially lead to shortening of telomeres. We sought to determine whether there is any association between telomere mean length (TML) of periphera...

The role of coagulation factors in diabetic retinopathy was studied in non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients. Patients with retionopathy had higher levels of beta thromboglobulin, von Willebrand factor and fibrinogen levels compared to diabetics without retinopathy and controls. Serum magnesium levels were not significantly different between the groups studied. The role of coagulation factors...

Background and purpose: A likely explanation for the increase in lens fluorescence with aging and the acceleration of this process in patients with diabetes, is that lens proteins are altered by non-enzymatic glycosylation and the further steps of the Maillard reaction. Thus, the lens fluorescence intensity appears to represent a cumulative index of glycemia over the entire lifetime of the subj...

The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), arterial hypertension, coronary artery disease and the risk factors for these diseases in perimenopausal women with a history of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) treatment. A group of 28 women was selected from a large group of patients who had undergone wedge ovarian resection. A total of 7...

Insulin-stimulated kinase activity of adipocyte-derived insulin receptors is reduced in subjects with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) but normal in obese nondiabetics. To assess the reversibility of the kinase defect in NIDDM, insulin receptor kinase activity was measured before and after weight loss in 10 NIDDM and 5 obese nondiabetic subjects. Peripheral insulin action was als...

To date, the human G-protein beta 3 subunit (GNB3) gene and some of its variants represent some of the best examples of genetic influences that are involved in the determination of hypertension and obesity, which make it a sensible candidate gene for type 2 diabetes. To assess the influence of GNB3 in type II diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), we carried out a retrospective, case-control study of varia...

Hematological abnormalities associated with the diabetic state include reduced platelet function, enhanced factor activation and hyperfibrinolysis. The present investigation evaluated blood loss and the transfusion requirements in diabetic and non-diabetic patients undergoing extracorporeal circulation and cardiac surgery. A retrospective study of 151 consecutive patients undergoing primary cor...

Background and purpose: A likely explanation for the increase in lens fluorescence with aging and the acceleration of this process in patients with diabetes, is that lens proteins are altered by non-enzymatic glycosylation and the further steps of the Maillard reaction. Thus, the lens fluorescence intensity appears to represent a cumulative index of glycemia over the entire lifetime of the subj...

The effects of processed Aloe vera gel (PAG) on the course of established diet-induced non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) were studied in C57BL/6J mice. NIDDM was induced in C57BL/6J mice by feeding them a high-fat diet. Mice exhibiting diet-induced obesity (DIO) with blood glucose levels above 180mg/dl were selected to examine the antidiabetic effects of PAG. Oral administration o...