Factors associated with preservation of C-peptide levels at the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes

Aims

The level of C-peptide can identify individuals most likely to respond to immune interventions carried out to prevent pancreatic β-cell damage.The aim of the study was to evaluate factors associated with C-peptide levels at type 1 diabetes (T1D) diagnosis.

Microbial shifts in the swine distal gut in response to the treatment with antimicrobial growth promoter,tylosin

Antimicrobials have been used extensively as growth promoters (AGPs) in agricultural animal production. However, the specific mechanism of action for AGPs has not yet been determined. The work presented here was to determine and characterize the microbiome of pigs receiving one AGP, tylosin, compared with untreated pigs. We hypothesized that AGPs exerted their growth promoting effect by altering gut microbial population composition. We determined the fecal microbiome of pigs receiving tylosin compared with untreated pigs using pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene libraries. The data showed microbial population shifts representing both microbial succession and changes in response to the use of tylosin. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of sequences showed that tylosin caused microbial population shifts in both abundant and less abundant species. Our results established a baseline upon which mechanisms of AGPs in regulation of health and growth of animals can be investigated. Furthermore, the data will aid in the identification of alternative strategies to improve animal health and consequently production.     

Five-year observation of the relationship between body mass index and glycated hemoglobin in children with Type 1 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Background: Poor metabolic control is a well-recognized risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, the relationship between such factor as body weight and metabolic control in children with diabetes mellitus type 1 (DM1) is unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between body weight, age, metabolic control, sex, and form of insulin therapy in children with DM1.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of children with DM1 treated at one diabetes center for a minimum of 5?years since diagnosis.

Results: Median body mass index standard deviation score (BMI-SDS) increased annually (p?=?.0042) on average 0.08?±?0.27 per year throughout the observation. As well HbA1c and daily dose insulin increased annually (p?p?p?=?.01895). No correlation between BMI-SDS and metabolic control (HbA1c) was found (R?=?0.09, p?=?.60).

Conclusions: Body weight appears to be more affected by non-diabetic factors (e.g. irregular eating and sedentary lifestyle) than by the clinical course of diabetes. Metabolic control and body weight must be maintained in all children with DM1 (males and females) to reduce their future risk of cardiovascular disease.     

Brain volumes in healthy adults aged 40 years and over: a voxel-based morphometry study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Gender and age effect on brain morphology have been extensively investigated. However, the great variety in methods applied to morphology partly explain the conflicting results of linear patterns of tissue changes and lateral asymmetry in men and women. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of age, gender and laterality on the volumes of gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) in a large group of healthy adults by means of voxel-based morphometry. This technique, based on observer-independent algorithms, automatically segments the 3 types of tissue and computes the amount of tissue in each single voxel. METHODS: Subjects were 229 healthy subjects of 40 years of age or older, who underwent magnetic resonance (MR) for reasons other than cognitive impairment. MR images were reoriented following the AC-PC line and, after removing the voxels below the cerebellum, were processed by Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM99). GM and WM volumes were normalized for intracranial volume. RESULTS: Women had more fractional GM and WM volumes than men. Age was negatively correlated with both fractional GM and WM, and a gender x age interaction effect was found for WM, men having greater WM loss with advancing age. Pairwise differences between left and right GM were negative (greater GM in right hemisphere) in men, and positive (greater GM in left hemisphere) in women (-0.56+/-4.2 vs 0.99+/-4.8; p=0.019). CONCLUSIONS: These results support side-specific accelerated WM loss in men, and may help our better understanding of changes in regional brain structures associated with pathological aging.     

Antioxidant enzymes and pulmonary function in steel mill welders

It is known that high levels of nitric oxide and ozone lead to disturbances of the balance between oxidants and antioxidants. The purpose of this study was to investigate ventilatory parameters in relation to the antioxidant status measured as total antioxidant status (TAS), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CT). The study group consisted of 94 welders, aged 41.2 +/- 10.0 years, employed in the Steel Mill in Kraków, Poland, and exposed to nitric oxides and ozone in concentrations exceeding the threshold limit values. The control group consisted of 115 unexposed healthy workers aged 40.8 +/- 10.2 years. All the subjects under study were smokers. Determination of ventilatory efficiency was based on a "flow-volume" curve and spirometry. TAS was measured using reagents from the Randox Laboratories Ltd, SOD according to Fridovich and CT with Aebi's method. It was found that in the group of welders, the concentrations of TAS, CT and SOD were lower compared to controls (TAS-1.15/1.33 mmol/ml; CT-18.1/28.4 m/gHb, SOD-767.6/855.6 U/gHb). The incidence of extreme obstructive pulmonary disease and small airway disease in the welder group was more frequent than in controls. Changes in the concentration (or activity) of antioxidant parameters cannot be used as early markers of ventilatory dysfunction, although the values in the lowest class of TAS, SOD and CT showed a significantly larger number of welders than controls.     

Evaluation of the Anti-Shigellosis Activity of Dietary Isothiocyanates in Galleria mellonella Larvae

Cruciferous vegetables, widely present in daily diets, are a rich source of organosulfur compounds with proven health benefits, especially chemopreventive or antioxidative effects. Isothiocyanate derivatives (ITCs) exhibit a broad spectrum of biological and pharmacological activity and recently, their antibacterial properties have been of particular importance. Here, we have focused on the anti-shigellosis activity of sulforaphane (SFN) and phenethyl ITC (PEITC). The genus Shigella causes gastroenteritis in humans, which constitutes a threat to public health. Production of a potent Stx toxin by S. dysenteriae type 1 results not only in more severe symptoms but also in serious sequela, including the hemolytic uremic syndrome. Here, we present evidence that two aliphatic and aromatic ITCs derivatives, SFN and PEITC, have an effective antibacterial potency against S. dysenteriae, also negatively regulating the stx gene expression. The molecular mechanism of this effect involves induction of the global stress-induced stringent response. ITCs also inhibit bacterial virulence against the Vero and HeLa cells. We present evidence for the therapeutic effect of sulforaphane and phenethyl ITC against a S. dysenteriae infection in the Galleria mellonella larvae model. Thus, our results indicate that isothiocyanates can be effectively used to combat dangerous bacterial infections.