THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SERUM 25-HYDROXYVITAMIN D AND GLUCOSE HOMEOSTASIS IN OBESE CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN ZHEJIANG, CHINA.

OBJECTIVE: Evidence of the association between vitamin D, insulin resistance, and oral disposition index (oDI) in obese children and adolescents is limited. To fill this research gap, we measured serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels in obese children and analyzed the relationship between serum 25(OH)D levels and glucose homeostasis. METHODS: Altogether, 348 obese and 445 nonobese children and adolescents (age, 6 to 16 years) were enrolled in this study. Obese children were divided into 4 subgroups: normal glucose tolerance (NGT), impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and combined IFG and IGT (IFG+IGT) according to oral glucose tolerance test results. We measured serum 25(OH)D levels and calculated the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) of insulin resistance (IR), the whole-body insulin sensitivity index (WBISI), and the disposition index. RESULTS: The levels of 25(OH)D in the obese group were significantly lower than in the nonobese group; serum 25(OH)D level in the NGT subgroup was higher than those of the other 3 subgroups, and it was significantly inversely correlated with logHOMA-IR (r = -0.090; P = .045) and positively correlated with logWBISI and logHOMA-oDI (r = 0.091, P = .049; and r = 0.108, P = .046, respectively). Obese patients with vitamin D deficiency thus have a significantly higher risk of disturbances in glucose metabolism. CONCLUSION: 25(OH)D deficiency or insufficiency is quite common in obese children and adolescents in Zhejiang, China. Obese patients with 25(OH)D deficiency (<30 nmol/L) are shown to be at higher risk for abnormal glucose metabolism.

Permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus in China.

BACKGROUND: Permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus (PNDM) is a rare disease, which is defined as the onset of diabetes before the age of 6 months with persistence through life. Infants with KCNJ11 or ABCC8 genetic mutations may respond to oral sulfonylurea therapy. Currently, there are limited studies about the genetic analysis and long-term follow-up of PNDM. CASE PRESENTATION: We report four cases of PNDM. None of the infants or their parents had INS, KCNJ11, or ABCC8 genetic mutations. One infant underwent continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) and the other infants underwent multiple injections of insulin (MII). In these infants, PNDM persisted from 35 months to 60 months of follow-up. Three infants maintained fairly stable blood sugar levels, and one infant had poor sugar control. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that all of the infants with PNDM should undergo genetic evaluation. For infants without KCNJ11 and ABCC8 genetic mutations, oral sulfonylurea should not be considered as treatment. CSII is a useful method for overcoming the difficulties of diabetes, and it may also improve the quality of life of both infants and their parents.