NKT cell defects in NOD mice suggest therapeutic opportunities.

Recent studies have reported that immunoregulatory NKT cells are defective in NOD mice and that treatment of mice with alpha-galactosylceramide that selectively stimulate NKT cells, is anti-diabetogenic. The objective of this study was to document the natural history of changes in NKT cells in various organs in NOD mice in the period up to the time of diabetes onset so that novel intervention therapies could be devised. We found that NKT cell-specific receptor (NKT-TCR) Valpha14Jalpha281 expressions by quantitative (RealTime) RT-PCR in thymus, spleen and liver of NOD male and female mice were low at 1-3 months of life compared to BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice, albeit a transient spike in levels occurred in female NOD livers at 2 months.

Medical care from childhood to adulthood in type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes mellitus comprises a heterogeneous group of diseases that have in common the development of macro- and microvascular complications. It is now possible to identify subjects at high risk of Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, especially in the patient's family members. Preventive interventions are quickly becoming available, and can help delay the onset of the disease and thereby reduce complications in these subjects.

[Neonatal diabetes, heterogeneous syndrome].

Neonatal diabetes (ND) is a rare condition of hyperglycaemia which occurs, generally, within the first month of life, requires insulin therapy and lasts more than two weeks. The pathogenesis is uncertain and the different clinical variants are heterogeneous; both a "permanent" and a "transient" form of ND exist. We report the clinical history of three neonates (A.

Metabolic control in children and adolescents with diabetes: experience of two Italian Regional Centers.

A survey on glycemic control in 201 diabetic children and adolescents, aged 0-18 years, was performed in two Italian Centers for Childhood Diabetes (Chieti and Parma). Mean HbA1c was 7.8+/-1.

Ketoacidosis and hyperosmolarity as first symptoms of type 1 diabetes mellitus following ingestion of high-carbohydrate-containing fluids.

The concomitant occurrence of diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperosmolarity is reported in two children, as early symptoms of misdiagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus. The precipitating factor for both severe metabolic abnormalities was the ingestion of a large amount of high-carbohydrate-containing fluids, a few days before admission. A similar situation has never been reported before in the literature.