The -1123G>C variant of PTPN22 gene promoter is associated with latent autoimmune diabetes in adult Chinese Hans.

The protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor 22 (PTPN22) gene encodes for lymphoid protein tyrosine phosphatase. Recent studies demonstrated the association between the +1858T, -1123G>C variants of PTPN22 gene and type 1 diabetes mellitus in Caucasian and Japanese populations. This study examined the relationship between the polymorphism of PTPN22 gene and latent autoimmune 1 diabetes in adults (LADA) in Chinese Hans.

Association between an increment of 30-minute postchallenge plasma glucose and urine albumin excretion exists in postmenopausal women but not in premenopausal women.

Objective: Usually, the increment of 30-minute postchallenge plasma glucose (ΔG30-0) represents the highest glucose spike in the population with normal glucose regulation (NGR). The aim of this study was to explore the differences in ΔG30-0 and urinary albumin excretion, a marker for widespread vascular damage, between premenopausal and postmenopausal women, and the relationship between ΔG30-0 and urinary albumin excretion.

Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study, consisting of 5,289 participants aged 20 to 75 years from six different communities, was conducted in Shanghai between 2007 and 2008.

Functional characterization of insulin receptor gene mutations contributing to Rabson-Mendenhall syndrome - phenotypic heterogeneity of insulin receptor gene mutations.

Rabson-Mendenhall syndrome (RMS) is a rare disorder that presents as severe insulin resistance as a result of mutations present in the insulin receptor (INSR). A Chinese girl with RMS presented with profound diabetes, hyperinsulinemia, acanthosis nigricans, hirsutism, and abnormalities of teeth and nails. Direct sequencing of the patient's INSR detected heterozygote mutations at Arg83Gln (R83Q) and Ala1028Val (A1028V), with the former representing a novel mutation.

Missense mutation in APOC3 within the C-terminal lipid binding domain of human ApoC-III results in impaired assembly and secretion of triacylglycerol-rich very low density lipoproteins: evidence that ApoC-III plays a major role in the formation of lipid precursors within the microsomal lumen.

Hepatic assembly of triacylglycerol (TAG)-rich very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) is achieved through recruitment of bulk TAG (presumably in the form of lipid droplets within the microsomal lumen) into VLDL precursor containing apolipoprotein (apo) B-100. We determined protein/lipid components of lumenal lipid droplets (LLD) in cells expressing recombinant human apoC-III (C3wt) or a mutant form (K58E, C3KE) initially identified in humans that displayed hypotriglyceridemia. Although expression of C3wt markedly stimulated secretion of TAG and apoB-100 as VLDL(1), the K58E mutation (located at the C-terminal lipid binding domain) abolished the effect in transfected McA-RH7777 cells and in apoc3-null mice.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease's prevalence and impact on alanine aminotransferase associated with metabolic syndrome in the Chinese.

Background And Aim: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming a major public health hazard in China. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of NAFLD, NAFLD with abnormal serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, and determine the potential associations of ALT levels with the components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in the absence or presence of NAFLD in Chinese adults.

Methods: A population-based cross-sectional survey was conducted with 2226 participants.

A common polymorphism of CYP4A11 is associated with blood pressure in a Chinese population.

Variants of the human CYP4A11, which belongs to the cytochrome P450, family 4, have been reported to be associated with hypertension in general populations. However, data in the Chinese population are limited. This study sought to assess the effect of CYP4A11 on the prevalence of hypertension and blood pressure in a Chinese population.

Circadian rhythm of circulating fibroblast growth factor 21 is related to diurnal changes in fatty acids in humans.

Background: Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 21 is an endocrine factor actively involved in glucose and lipid metabolism in rodents. However, little is known about its physiological function and regulation in humans. This study investigated the diurnal changes in circulating FGF21 concentrations and their association with other metabolic markers in both obese and lean individuals.

A common variant of NOS1AP is associated with QT interval duration in a Chinese population with Type 2 diabetes.

Aims: Electrocardiographic ventricular repolarization QT parameters are independent risk factors for cardiovascular events and sudden cardiac death in diabetic patients. The aim of the study was to investigate the association of polymorphisms of the nitric oxide synthase 1 adaptor protein (NOS1AP) gene with QT interval in Chinese subjects with or without Type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs10494366, rs12143842 and rs12029454) were genotyped in 1240 Type 2 diabetic patients (631 men and 609 women) and 1196 normal controls (433 men and 763 women).

Screening and prevalence of peripheral neuropathy in type 2 diabetic outpatients: a randomized multicentre survey in 12 city hospitals of China.

Background: The 10-g Semmes-Weinstein monofilament and 128-Hz tuning fork examinations are considered simple and effective screening instruments for diabetic peripheral neuropathy. This study investigated the prevalence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy of combining both methods in type 2 diabetic outpatients in Chinese urban hospitals.

Methods: Pressure sensation and vibration perception were randomly screened using 10-g Semmes-Weinstein monofilament and 128-Hz tuning fork in type 2 diabetic outpatients from 12 centres in 8 Chinese cities in a randomized, multicentre epidemiological study.

Characteristics of obesity and its related disorders in China.

Obesity is a medical condition with excess body fat accumulation to the extent which leads to serious health consequences. Abdominal obesity, also known as central obesity, refers to the presence of excess fat in the abdominal area. Obesity, especially abdominal obesity, contributes to many metabolic disorders including metabolic syndrome (MetS), type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Glycated haemoglobin A1c for diagnosing diabetes in Chinese population: cross sectional epidemiological survey.

Objectives: To evaluate haemoglobin A1c (HbA(1c)) in diagnosing diabetes and identify the optimal HbA(1c) threshold to be used in Chinese adults.

Design: Multistage stratified cross sectional epidemiological survey.

Setting: Shanghai, China, 2007-8.

Metabonomic variations in the drug-treated type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and healthy volunteers.

The pathological development and the drug intervention of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) involve altered expression of downstream low molecular weight metabolites including lipids and amino acids, and carbohydrates such as glucose. Currently, a small number of markers used for clinical assessment of T2DM treatment may be insufficient to reflect global variations in pathophysiology. In this study, a metabonomic study was performed to determine metabolic variations associated with T2DM and the drug treatments on 74 patients who were newly diagnosed with T2DM and received a 48 week treatment of a single drug, repaglinide, metformin or rosiglitazone.

Prevalence and risk factors of albuminuria and chronic kidney disease in Chinese population with type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose regulation: Shanghai diabetic complications study (SHDCS).

Background: Diabetes is a major risk factor for the development of kidney disease. We aimed to determine the prevalence of albuminuria and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Chinese subjects with diabetes and pre-diabetes and the risk factors for kidney disease.

Methods: An urban community-based sample of 3714 adults in Shanghai was classified into normal glucose tolerance (NGT), impaired glucose regulation (IGR) and diabetes.

Serum C-reactive protein and risk of cardiovascular events in middle-aged and older chinese population.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) on the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a Chinese population. A total of 2,656 participants (aged 30 to 95 years) with baseline hs-CRP levels available were monitored for the incidence of a composite of CVD events (stroke and coronary heart disease) during a 5.5-year period.

Serum fibroblast growth factor 21 is associated with adverse lipid profiles and gamma-glutamyltransferase but not insulin sensitivity in Chinese subjects.

Objective: Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 21, a hormone primarily secreted by liver, has recently been shown to have beneficial effects on glucose and lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity in animal models. This study investigated the association of serum FGF21 levels with insulin secretion and sensitivity, as well as circulating parameters of lipid metabolism and hepatic enzymes in Chinese subjects.

Design: Serum FGF21 levels were determined by ELISA in 134 normal glucose tolerance (NGT), 101 isolated-impaired fasting glucose, and 118 isolated-impaired glucose tolerance (I-IGT) Chinese subjects, and their association with parameters of adiposity, glucose, and lipid profiles, and levels of liver injury markers was studied.

Early insulin treatment to prevent cardiovascular disease in prediabetes and overt diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and CVD represents the leading cause of death in people with type 2 DM. The cardiovascular risk is increased long before diabetes is diagnosed, in the prediabetes stage, when impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and/or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) develop. These stages are characterized by dysglycemia, defined as any elevated fasting or postprandial glycemia, extending from the normal range into diabetic range, associated with an increased risk of CVD.

Fenofibrate reduces serum retinol-binding protein-4 by suppressing its expression in adipose tissue.

Fenofibrate is a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPARalpha) activator that has been clinically used to treat dyslipidemia and insulin resistance. To better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying fenofibrate action, we investigated whether fenofibrate affects serum levels of retinol-binding protein-4 (RBP4), an adipocytokine that has recently been shown to link obesity and insulin resistance. Fenofibrate treatment significantly decreased serum RBP4 levels of dyslipidemic patients, which correlated with reduced body weight and increased insulin sensitivity.

Hypertensive waist: first step of the screening for metabolic syndrome.

Background: In previous studies, we have suggested that hypertensive waist is a frequent combination in persons with metabolic syndrome. The objective of the current study was to analyze the ability of hypertensive waist to predict the presence of the metabolic syndrome.

Methods: A total of 1294 women and men, randomly selected from general population, aged > or =18 years were included in this study.

Risk factors for overweight and obesity, and changes in body mass index of Chinese adults in Shanghai.

Background: Over the past two decades, the prevalence of overweight or obesity has increased in China. The aims of this study were to firstly assess the baseline prevelences and the risk factors for overweight and obesity, and secondly to detect the changes of body mass index (BMI) over a follow-up period in Chinese adults in Shanghai.

Methods: The data set of a population-based longitudinal study was analyzed.

Practical aspects of the control of cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetes mellitus and the metabolic syndrome.

Cardiovascular disease is unanimously recognized as the major burden in type 2 diabetes, in terms of both mortality and morbidity. There is an extensive evidence coming from epidemiological studies that supports this statement. The presence of the metabolic syndrome confers a higher risk of long-term death, and dysglycemia appears to be responsible for the most of the excess risk.

[Association of variants in APPL1 gene with body fat and its distribution in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetic mellitus].

Objective: To investigate the impact of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in APPL1 gene on body fat and its distribution.

Methods: 590 unrelated Shanghai residents of Han nationality, including 358 subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and 232 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), underwent measurement of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (W), hip circumference (H), and femoral circumference (F). Peripheral blood samples were collected to detect the blood sugar, blood lipids, fasting C - peptide (FCP), fasting insulin (FINS), fasting plasma glucose (FGLU), total cholesterol (TC), and triglyceride (TG) 0 and 120 minutes after glucose challenge.

Optimal waist circumference cutoffs for abdominal obesity in Chinese.

Objective: To determine the appropriate cutoffs for visceral fat area (VFA) measured by magnetic resonance imaging linking to risk of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and the corresponding waist circumference in Chinese.

Methods And Results: Totally 1,140 individuals (men 525, women 615) aged from 35 to 75 years were included. The components of the MetS were defined by International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and Chinese Diabetes Society (CDS) definition, respectively.

[Curative effect of alpha-lipoic acid on peripheral neuropathy in type 2 diabetes: a clinical study].

Objective: To evaluate the effect of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) on diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).

Methods: 95 type 2 diabetic patients complicated with DPN were randomly divided into 2 groups: treatment group (n = 52), receiving ALA 600 mg/d in normal saline 250 ml given by intravenous drip infusion once a day for 14 days; and control group (n = 43), administered with radix salviae 20 ml by intravenous drip infusion once a day for 14 days. Before and 7 and 14 days after the management fasting glucose (FPG), fasting insulin (FINS), supersensitive C reactive protein (sCRP), and HbA1c were measured, and total symptom score (TSS) and Michigan neuropathy screening instrument (MNSI) were used to evaluate the nervous symptoms.

Reverse cholesterol transport and atherosclerosis. A mini review.

Reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) is a complex process ensuring the efflux of cholesterol from peripheral cells and its transport back in the liver for its metabolism and biliary excretion. Cholesterol efflux results by the interaction of a cellular free cholesterol and phospholipid transporter, the ABC-AI, with lipid poor apoAI, endowed HDL particles. The free cholesterol taken up by HDL is then esterified by lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) and the hydrophobic cholesteryl esters are retained into the core of HDL, so that new cholesterol molecules can be translocated on the HDL surface.