Glutathione metabolism in type 2 diabetes and its relationship with microvascular complications and glycemia.

Aims/hypotheses: We hypothesized that there is decreased synthesis of glutathione (GSH) in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) especially in the presence of microvascular complications, and this is dependent on the degree of hyperglycemia.

Methods: In this case-control study, we recruited 16 patients with T2DM (7 without and 9 with microvascular complications), and 8 age- and sex-matched non-diabetic controls. We measured GSH synthesis rate using an infusion of [2H2]-glycine as isotopic tracer and collection of blood samples for liquid chromatography mass spectrometric analysis.

Population Reference Values and Prevalence Rates following Universal Screening for Subclinical Hypothyroidism during Pregnancy of an Afro-Caribbean Cohort.

Background: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) has been reported to be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, however universal screening and treatment is controversial.

Objectives: Our objectives were to determine population-specific pregnancy reference values (R1) for serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4) at 14 weeks' gestation, along with the prevalence of SCH and thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb).

Methods: This was a prospective hospital-based cohort study.

Foot care and footwear practices among patients attending a specialist diabetes clinic in Jamaica.

This study aimed to estimate the proportion of patients at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) Diabetes Clinic who engage in recommended foot care and footwear practices. Seventy-two participants from the UHWI Diabetes Clinic completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire on foot care practices and types of footwear worn. Participants were a subset of a sex-stratified random sample of clinic attendees and were interviewed in 2010.

Early onset type 2 diabetes in Jamaica and in Mexico. Opportunities derived from an interethnic study.

Populations with Amerindian or African heritages are the one with the highest prevalence of diabetes worldwide. A large percentage of these individuals survived famine. However, the survival effect has become detrimental to their descendents living in an environment of caloric surplus.

Multigenerational inheritance and clinical characteristics of three large pedigrees with early-onset type 2 diabetes in Jamaica.

Objective: To document the existence and clinical characteristics of three large families with multigenerational inheritance of early-onset type 2 diabetes in Jamaica.

Methods: Three probands from large families with multigenerational inheritance of early-onset type 2 diabetes in at least three generations were detected at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Jamaica. Each proband at the time of diagnosis was < 25 years of age, was lean, and did not require insulin therapy.

Clinical features of spontaneous hypothyroidism in one physician's practice in Jamaica.

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics of patients with spontaneous hypothyroidism, the frequency of chronic autoimmune thyroiditis, and the thyroid autoantibody most often associated with this condition in a referral population in Jamaica.

Methods: A retrospective study of all cases referred to the author's endocrinology practice from 1995 to 2005 with a diagnosis of spontaneous hypothyroidism was undertaken. The clinical history, examination findings, biochemical test results, thyroid autoimmune antibodies, and imaging data were reviewed.

Diabetes and psychological co-morbidity in children with a family history of early-onset type 2 diabetes.

The present study was conducted to evaluate for depressive symptoms and undiagnosed diabetes in children with familial history of early-onset type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown that diabetes doubles the risk for depression and that the duration of diabetes is related to the severity of the depression. Individuals with depression are also said to be at greater risk for developing diabetes.

The burden of gestational diabetes mellitus in Jamaican women with a family history of autosomal dominant type 2 diabetes.

Objectives: To determine if Jamaican women of African descent with a family history of early onset autosomal dominant type 2 diabetes have greater odds of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) than those without a family history of the disease.

Methods: A comparative study was conducted of two groups of pregnant Jamaican women: the first with a family history of early onset autosomal dominant type 2 diabetes; the second with no history of the disease. Incidence, odds for developing GDM, and metabolic profiles in first and second trimesters were assessed using SPSS 11.

Depressive symptoms in children of women with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

Objective: Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease with increasing prevalence. Individuals with diabetes are at risk for long-term complications such as nephropathy, retinopathy, and cardiovascular complications. Additionally, several studies have indicated that diabetes doubles the risk for depression.

Predictors of hyperglycaemic crises and their associated mortality in Jamaica.

The objective of the study was to determine the clinical characteristics and mortality of patients with hyperglycaemic hyperosmolar syndrome (HHS) and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) at a Jamaican tertiary care hospital. In a retrospective study of 1560 admissions for diabetes during the period 1998-2002, 980 dockets were reviewed and 164 individuals met the ADA diagnostic criteria for DKA or HHS. Patients with HHS were older than DKA patients (64.

A genome-wide scan in families with maturity-onset diabetes of the young: evidence for further genetic heterogeneity.

Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is a heterogeneous single gene disorder characterized by non-insulin-dependent diabetes, an early onset and autosomal dominant inheritance. Mutations in six genes have been shown to cause MODY. Approximately 15-20% of families fitting MODY criteria do not have mutations in any of the known genes.