Involvement of low adiponectin levels in impaired glucose tolerance.

To investigate the association between serum adiponectin levels and 2-hour post-75-g oral glucose load glycemia, we conducted 75-g oral glucose tolerance tests in 50 subjects who had been diagnosed as having impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) within the prior 3 years. When adjusted for age, body mass index, and sex, serum adiponectin levels in the IGT and diabetes mellitus groups were significantly lower than those in the normal glucose tolerance and impaired fasting glucose groups (P < .0001).

Identification of a novel WFS1 mutation (AFF344-345ins) in Japanese patients with Wolfram syndrome.

Wolfram syndrome (WFS) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by early onset diabetes mellitus, progressive optic atrophy, sensorineural deafness and diabetes insipidus. Affected individuals may also have renal tract abnormalities as well as neurogical and psychiatric syndromes. WFS1 encoding a transmembrane protein was identified as the gene responsible for WFS.

Functional VEGF C-634G polymorphism is associated with development of diabetic macular edema and correlated with macular retinal thickness in type 2 diabetes.

Since vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has a strong effect on induction of vascular permeability, VEGF is an attractive candidate gene for development of diabetic macular edema (ME). Among the 378 patients with type 2 diabetes studied, 203 patients had no retinopathy, 93 had non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), and 82 had proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). ME was present in 16 patients with NPDR and 47 patients with PDR.

Efficacy of glimepiride in Japanese type 2 diabetic subjects.

We investigated the efficacy of glimepiride, a third-generation sulfonylurea (SU), in Japanese type 2 diabetic patients in whom glycemic control had been inadequate with a conventional SU, gliclazide or glibenclamide. A total of 172 Japanese type 2 diabetic patients (HbA1C > or = 7.0%), maintained on a conventional SU, were randomly assigned to the 3rd SU group (SU treatments switched to glimepiride) or the 2nd SU group (treatments not changed).

Glimepiride enhances intrinsic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma activity in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Glimepiride, a third-generation sulfonylurea (SU), exerts its effects mainly by stimulating insulin secretion but has also been shown to have pleiotropic effects. Recent clinical studies showed glimepiride to enhance insulin sensitivity. In the present study, to clarify the mechanism by which insulin resistance is improved, we investigated the effects of glimepiride on AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR gamma) activity, using cultured adipocytes and muscle cells.

Regulation of adiponectin receptor gene expression in diabetic mice.

Adiponectin is an adipocyte-derived factor that plays pivotal roles in lipid and glucose metabolism in muscle and liver. The following two adiponectin receptor types were recently identified: AdipoR1 is abundantly expressed in muscle, whereas AdipoR2 is predominantly expressed in the liver. To clarify the regulation of adiponectin receptor gene expression in diabetic states, we examined mRNA levels of AdipoR1 in the muscles of diabetic animals by Northern blotting.

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene is associated with diabetic macular edema in type 2 diabetes.

Objective: We examined the endothelial nitric oxide (eNOS) gene polymorphisms to assess its possible association with diabetic retinopathy and macular edema.

Research Design And Methods: A total of 226 patients with type 2 diabetes and 186 healthy subjects were studied. Type 2 diabetic patients consisted of 110 patients without retinopathy, 46 patients with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, and 71 patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

ANGPTL3 is increased in both insulin-deficient and -resistant diabetic states.

Angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3) is secreted by the liver and was recently postulated to be an important hormone regulating serum triglyceride levels. In the present study, in order to clarify the regulation of ANGPTL3 gene expression in diabetic states, we examined mRNA and protein levels of ANGPTL3 in the livers of diabetic animals. The level of ANGPTL3 mRNA was increased approximately 2.