A small-for-dates male infant who developed acute metabolic acidosis shortly after birth had diabetes and died aged 40 hours. At necropsy there was an absence of any recognizable islets of Langerhans though lymphorecticular aggregates were found. This was the fourth child of healthy unrelated parents whose first child, also a male, died at 48 hours under similar circumstances. It is suggested t...

The clinical results recently reported by the Edmonton group in recipients of allogeneic islet grafts, all of whom achieved at least temporary insulin independence, has rekindled interest in transplantation of islets of Langerhans as a means to cure diabetes. Long-term islet graft survival has been achieved in a non-human primate pre-clinical model with a protocol of T-cell signaling blockade u...

Permanent effects of early postnatal nutrition on the development and function of tissues and organs have been previously demonstrated primarily in humans and rodents. The objective of this study in calves was to analyze the impact of rearing conditions during the first 3 wk of life on morphology of insulin-producing pancreatic β-cells. Forty-two male Holstein calves were raised during the firs...

As Janbon first reported in 1942, some sulfonamide derivatives(S)have an action which lowers blood sugar level, and they are nowadays profited to clinical practice. There are several opinions in regard to the mechanism of the hypoglycemic action of S, such as, increased secretion of insulin or inhibition of the discharge of glucagon, etc. , however, it has not yet been completely understood. It...

We examined the effects of rat islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) on insulin biosynthesis and secretion by isolated rat islets of Langerhans. Culture of islets for 24 h in the presence of 10(-6) M IAPP and 5.5 mM glucose had no effect on insulin mRNA levels. Similarly, the rates of proinsulin biosynthesis were not altered in islets incubated in 10(-4)-10(-9) M IAPP and 5.5 mM glucose, nor was the...

BACKGROUND Transplantation of islets of Langerhans (islets) is a promising technique for treating insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (type I). One unsolved issue is the early graft loss due to inflammatory reactions triggered by blood coagulation and complement activation that occurs immediately after transplantation into the liver through the portal vein. Several proposed approaches for impro...

Transplantation of an excessive number of islets of Langerhans (two to four pancreata per recipient) into patients with type I diabetes is required to restore euglycemia. Hypoxia, nutrient deprivation, local inflammation, and the beta cell inflammatory response (up-regulation of NF-kappaB-dependent genes such as inos) result in beta cell destruction in the early post-transplantation period. Gen...

FEW theories about diabetes gain universal acceptance, and the role attributed to the pancreas varies from a major to a very minor one in the opinions of different groups of workers. Two facts that are generally accepted are that diabetes can be caused by pancreatectomy, and that its symptoms can be alleviated by insulin administration. The relative lack of insulin which is implied by these two...

The microscopic study of the morphological changes in the rabbit pancreas were investigated after vagotomy. Structural changes were observed in the pancreatic acinar cells and in the islets of langerhans two and three weeks after vagotomy. Measurement of the fasting blood glucose level at different intervals of time post operatively and also the glucose tolerance test confirmed the structural c...