The Effect of Clothing on Vitamin D Status, Bone Turnover Markers, and Bone Mineral Density in Young Kuwaiti Females.

Many Arab women in the Gulf region cover their bodies for cultural and religious reasons, limiting the skin's exposure to sunlight and therefore its ability to synthesize vitamin D. The aim of this study is to determine whether the clothing style of Kuwaiti premenopausal women affects their vitamin D status, bone marker expression, and bone density. Three groups of healthy unmarried single Kuwaiti females (20-35 years old; n=30 per group) were recruited randomly from the general community: a control group who wear Western-style clothing (unveiled group), a group who wear a hejab that covers the whole body except for the face and hands (hejab group), and a group who wear a black veil with the entire body covered (veiled group).

Is there a relationship between vitamin D with insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus?

Available data suggest a possible link between abnormal vitamin D level and abnormal glucose homeostasis, two of the most common chronic medical conditions. Both conditions are associated with inflammation, and the exact mechanism for role of either on the other is not well clear. Literature investigating the link between vitamin D and either pre-diabetic states or diabetes is reviewed.

Altered activities of kininase II, an angiotensin converting enzyme, prekallikrein, and nitric oxide in Kuwaiti patients with type 2 diabetes.

The current investigation was conducted to examine kininase II or angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), plasma prekallikrein (PK), and nitric oxide (NO) concentrations in healthy Kuwaiti subjects and newly diagnosed Kuwaiti type 2 diabetic patients before and after treatment for 6 weeks with metformin hydrochloride 500 mg twice daily after meal. With the consent of volunteers, blood and urine samples were collected after an overnight fasting. Samples were collected from the diabetic patients before and after treatment for 6 weeks.

Bradykinin-forming components in Kuwaiti patients with type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes is the most common risk factor in inducing hypertension, nephropathy and retinopathy. The bradykinin (BK)-forming system has been proposed to protect cardiovascular and renal functions. We therefore evaluated urinary active and proactive kallikrein, total kininogen, plasma tissue kallikrein, plasma creatinine, plasma glucose and plasma HbA1c in newly diagnosed untreated type 2 diabetic patients and healthy subjects.

Does insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes alter vitamin D status?

Aims: Data on changes of vitamin D due to insulin resistance are conflicting. We assessed vitamin D concentrations and parameters of glycemia and mineral homeostasis in patients with insulin resistant type 2 diabetes and in matched normal controls.

Methods: Sixty-nine patients with type 2 diabetes and 60 matched normal control subjects were studied.