Safety evaluation of excessive ingestion of mozuku fucoidan in human.

Fucoidan is a sulfated polysaccharide in the brown sea algae. This study was conducted in 20 subjects taking excessive fucoidan up to 4.05 g daily for 2 wk.

Human organic cation transporter (OCT1 and OCT2) gene polymorphisms and therapeutic effects of metformin.

Organic cation transporters (OCTs) are responsible for the hepatic and renal transport of metformin. In this study we analyzed variants of OCT1 and OCT2 genes in 33 patients (24 responders and nine non-responders) based on the hypothesis that polymorphisms in both genes contribute to large inter-patient variability in the clinical efficacy of metformin. The sequences of the 5'-flanking and coding regions of the two genes of interest were screened by single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis.

Excessive purine degradation during semi-ischemic forearm test in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether or not the purine degradation in the skeletal muscle during forearm exercise is augmented in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM).

Methods: We used the semi-ischemic forearm test to examine the release of lactate (deltaLAC), ammonia (deltaAmm) and hypoxanthine (deltaHX) before exercise, 0, 4, 10, and 60 minutes after exercise in eleven diabetic patients and seven normal controls.

Results: The sum of the increased HX (DM vs Controls: 26.

Enhanced adrenergic mechanisms in glucose output from the kidney of diabetic rats.

To elucidate the possible role of the kidney in glucose regulation in diabetes, the renal effect of glycerol plus glutamine, hydrocortisone, glucagon, or epinephrine was investigated in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. This in vivo study bolus infused glutamine (100 microg/kg) plus glycerol (100 microg/kg), hydrocortisone (100 microg/kg), glucagon (250 microg/kg), or epinephrine (40 microg/kg) into nephrectomized rats, and measured plasma glucose level. In perfused rat kidney, the effect of glutamine (2 mmol) plus glycerol (2 mmol), hydrocortisone (1 mmol), glucagon (215 pmol), or epinephrine (2 nmol) infusion on glucose output was evaluated.

Portal glucose infusion exerts an incretin effect associated with changes in pancreatic neural activity in conscious dogs.

We sought to determine whether an incretin effect could be observed when glucose was infused via the hepatic portal (Po) vein versus a peripheral (Pe) vein. Identical hyperglycemia (155 +/- 7 and 154 +/- 8 mg/dL, respectively) was produced in 2 groups (n = 9 each) of conscious dogs by Po or Pe glucose infusion. During glucose infusion, arterial plasma insulin levels increased by 28 +/- 5 and 16 +/- 3 microU/mL in Po and Pe, respectively (P <.

Inhibitory effect of ibudilast on urinary albumin excretion in type 2 diabetes mellitus with microalbuminuria.

To evaluate the clinical effect of ibudilast, a prostacyclin-mediated vasodilator and antiplatelet agent, on diabetic nephropathy, 8 nonhypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM; 4 men and 4 women, mean age: 58.9 +/- 11.4 years, duration of diabetes: 16.