[Effect of pancreatic islet cell culture allotransplantation on the clinical course of proliferative diabetic retinopathy].

The authors describe the effect of intramuscular human fetal pancreatic islet cell (IC) culture transplantation on the clinical course of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Four patients with the preterminal stage of PDR were followed-up no less than 2 yrs. after transplantation.

[Changes in the C-peptide concentration in the blood of patients with diabetes mellitus after the transplantation of cultures of pancreatic islet cells].

The time course of the blood level of C-peptide was studied in 20 patients with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus in the course of 1 year after human fetal pancreatic islet cell allotransplantation. All the recipients suffered from a labile type of diabetes complicated by polyneuropathy, glomerulosclerosis and progressive retinopathy. C-peptide concentration was determined by a radioimmunoassay using Behring-Werke AE kits (FRG).

[Osmoregulatory function of the kidneys in diabetes mellitus].

In 42 patients with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus of average and grave forms with preserved glomerular renal function without signs of dehydration and hypovolemia renal function was investigated by maximum osmotic urine concentration (on dry food for 36 h) which was assessed on the basis of maximum osmolarity of urine and renal capacity for osmotic dilution of urine (on the 2nd hour after water load per os, 20 ml per 1 kg of body mass) assessed on the basis of the clearance of osmotically free water from 100 ml of the glomerular filtrate. Disorder of function of osmotic urine concentration revealed in 1/4 th of the patients, was moderate; it was most frequent in complication of disease with diabetic glomerulosclerosis, less frequent in diabetic angiopathies and was absent in patients without vascular lesion. Disorder of the capacity of the kidneys for osmotic urine dilution was revealed in 50% of the patients, it was probably of functional nature and was mainly associated with raised permeability of nephron distal segments for water.

[Results of transplantation of pancreatic islet cell cultures to patients with diabetes mellitus].

Altogether 110 intramuscular pancreatic islet cell (PIC) culture transplantations were performed in diabetes mellitus patients from April 1981 to May 1984 at the Research Institute of Transplantology and Artificial Organs, USSR Ministry of Health: 65 allotransplantations of human fetal PIC and 45 xenotransplantations fo swine fetal PIC. Immunosuppressive therapy was not employed. The paper is concerned with an analysis of a therapeutic effect of the IC cell cull culture transplantation on 30 patients who were followed-up for not less than 1 year after operation.