Environmental and genetical aspects of the link between pregnancy, birth size, and type 2 diabetes.

Exposure of the fetus to the intrauterine milieu can have profound effects on the health of the offspring in adulthood. These observations are highly reproducible in many populations worldwide although the mechanisms behind them remain elusive. The 'thrifty phenotype' hypothesis proposes that poor fetal nutrition leads to programming of metabolism and an adult phenotype that is adapted to poor but not plentiful nutrition.

Alterations of platelet biochemical and functional properties in newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes: a role in cardiovascular risk?

Background: The involvement of platelets in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular complications is supported by several studies. Type 1 diabetic (T1D) platelets show increased adhesiveness and aggregation related to a modification of nitric oxide synthase activity. Moreover, different cell types from diabetic patients showed a decreased membrane Na(+) /K(+) -ATPase activity, which might be involved in diabetic complications.