Deposition of islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) as amyloid in the pancreatic islet occurs in approximately 90% of individuals with Type 2 diabetes and is associated with decreased islet beta-cell mass and function. Human IAPP (hIAPP), but not rodent IAPP, is amyloidogenic and toxic to islet beta-cells. In addition to IAPP, islet amyloid deposits contain other components, including heparan sulfat...

With recent advances in methods of islet isolation and the introduction of more potent and less diabetogenic immunosuppressive therapies, islet transplantation has progressed from research to clinical reality. Presently, several international centres have demonstrated successful clinical outcomes with high rates of insulin independence after islet transplantation. Ongoing refinements in donor p...

The success of the Edmonton Protocol for islet transplantation has provided new hope in the treatment of type 1 diabetes. This study reports on the assessment of 83 human islet grafts transplanted using the Edmonton Protocol since 1999. Cellular composition, as assessed by immunohistochemistry, showed a lower islet purity (approximately 40%) than has been reported in previous studies using dith...

Carlsson, Per-Ola, Arne Andersson, and Leif Jansson. Influence of age, hyperglycemia, leptin, and NPY on islet blood flow in obese-hyperglycemic mice. Am. J. Physiol. 275 (Endocrinol. Metab. 38): E594–E601, 1998.—This study aimed to elucidate possible age-related changes in islet blood perfusion in lean and obese C57BL/6 mice. Obese mice aged 1 mo were hyperglycemic and hyperinsulinemic and had...

OBJECTIVE Cardiovascular mortality and morbidity are major problems in type 1 diabetic patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The aim of this study was to determine whether islet transplantation can improve cardiovascular function in these patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We assessed various markers of cardiac function at baseline and 3 years later in a population of 42 type 1 dia...

In the week following pancreatic islet transplantation, up to 50% of transplanted islets are lost due to apoptotic cell death triggered by hypoxic and pro-inflammatory cytokine-mediated cell stress. Thus, therapeutic approaches designed to protect islet cells from apoptosis could significantly improve islet transplant success. IGF2 is an anti-apoptotic endocrine protein that inhibits apoptotic ...

The vascular network supporting the islets of Langerhans represents a highly specialised system arterioles, capillaries and venules. Several features islet vasculature (density fenestration capillaries) ensure rapid exchange nutrients hormones, which is central to islets' capacity control systemic metabolism via reciprocal changes insulin glucagon secretion. Here we discuss how in blood flow ma...

Carlsson, Per-Ola, Arne Andersson, and Leif Jansson. Influence of age, hyperglycemia, leptin, and NPY on islet blood flow in obese-hyperglycemic mice. Am. J. Physiol. 275 (Endocrinol. Metab. 38): E594–E601, 1998.—This study aimed to elucidate possible age-related changes in islet blood perfusion in lean and obese C57BL/6 mice. Obese mice aged 1 mo were hyperglycemic and hyperinsulinemic and had...

OBJECTIVE Clinical islet transplantation can provide insulin independence in patients with type 1 diabetes, but chronic graft failure has been observed. This has been attributed in part to loss of >or=60% of the transplanted islets in the peritransplant period, resulting in a marginal implant mass. Strategies designed to maximize survival of the initial islet mass are likely to have major impac...

BACKGROUND Traditionally, interferon-γ (IFN-γ) was regarded as a pro-inflammatory cytokine, however, recent reports suggested role of IFN-γ in immune tolerance. In our previous report, we could induce tolerance to male antigen (HY) just by male islet transplantation in wild type C57BL/6 mice without any immunological intervention. We tried to investigate the influence of IFN-γ deficiency on tol...