Not only quantitative but also qualitative changes of serum immunoglobulins in diabetes mellitus.

To extend previous observations on the quantitative changes of IgA and other serum Ig in diabetics, additional immunochemical investigations were carried out in 96 patients, 63 males and 33 females, mean age 43.5 +/- 15.7 years, 51 with type 1 (insulin-dependent) and 45 with type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes.

Comparative study of insulin antibodies in diabetic patients with primary insulin-dependence (type I) and secondary insulin-dependence (type II).

Insulin antibodies (% binding) were determined by RIA method in 404 insulin-treated diabetic patients divided into two groups: (A) primary insulin-dependent patients (Type I diabetes): 300 cases, 170 M, 130 F, mean age +/- SD 29.2 +/- 7.5 yrs, disease and insulin treatment duration 7.

Microalbuminuria following exercise, an early sign of diabetic nephropathy.

Microalbuminuria after physical exercise is characteristic for the preclinical stage of diabetic nephropathy, permitting an early diagnosis of this severe complication of diabetes mellitus. In 24 patients with type I diabetes, 11 women and 13 men free of clinical and biological signs of renal damage, the presence of microalbuminuria has been investigated by radial immunodiffusion in the urines collected between 3 and 7 hrs in the morning, as well as after a 20-min rest following a moderate exercise of 75 watts during 20 min at the ergometric bicycle. The patients were distributed into four groups, according to the age of disease, and microalbuminuria was expressed in micrograms/min.

Disappearance rate of insulin antibodies after discontinuing insulin treatment in 42 type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic patients.

The disappearance rate of insulin antibodies was studied after cessation of insulin treatment which had been given for 3 months to 6 years in 42 Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic patients. Insulin antibodies were measured before and 15 days after interruption of insulin treatment, and every 30 days until the disappearance of insulin antibodies. The mean +/- SD value of insulin binding in the entire group before the interruption of insulin treatment was 32 +/- 14%.

Study of some serum protein fractions in various clinical forms of diabetes mellitus.

With a view to studying the eventual alterations of protein metabolism, some serum protein fractions such as: immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM), transferrin and ceruloplasmin were determined in 100 diabetics (52 males, 48 females) in comparison with a control group of 26 healthy subjects. Significant differences were found between IgA and transferrin values both in diabetics and in controls. IgA tended to increase with the length of disease, whereas IgG, IgM and transferrin showed a contrary trend.