Short telomeres compromise β-cell signaling and survival.

The genetic factors that underlie the increasing incidence of diabetes with age are poorly understood. We examined whether telomere length, which is inherited and known to shorten with age, plays a role in the age-dependent increased incidence of diabetes. We show that in mice with short telomeres, insulin secretion is impaired and leads to glucose intolerance despite the presence of an intact β-cell mass.

Cardiopulmonary complications leading to premature deaths in adult patients with sickle cell disease.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with early mortality. We sought to determine the incidence, cause, and risk factors for death in an adult population of patients with SCD. All patients aged >/=18 years seen at the Adult Sickle Cell Center at Duke University Medical Center between January 2000 and April 2005 were enrolled.

Association of alcohol abuse and injection drug use with immunologic and virologic responses to HAART in HIV-positive patients from urban community health clinics.

The purpose of this study is to examine the association of alcohol abuse and injection drug use (IDU) with the immunologic and virologic responses to highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) in urban community health clinics. The medical records of 293 HIV-infected adult patients who visited either of two urban health clinics in New Haven, Connecticut, from June 2003 to December 2004 were retrospectively reviewed. Changes in mean CD4 lymphocyte counts and undetectable viral loads were compared before and after the initiation of HAART for patients categorized into one of four substance abuse groups: history of neither alcohol abuse nor IDU, alcohol abuse only, IDU only, or both.