Predictive factors of posttransplant glucose intolerance in Japanese patients with type 1 diabetes after pancreas transplantation.

Pancreas transplantation (PTx) has been performed worldwide for patients with type 1 diabetes accompanied with end-stage renal disease or uncontrollable glycemic fluctuation. Nevertheless, risk factors of posttransplant glucose intolerance, which is responsible for progress of diabetic complications, remains unclear, especially in cases without pancreatic graft function loss. Therefore, this study was conducted to search for predictive factors of future glucose tolerance in PTx recipients without pancreatic graft function loss. Subjects were selected from among 41 Japanese patients with type 1 diabetes who received PTx between 2000 and 2016 in Osaka University Hospital, and 24 subjects free from rejections and thromboses were analyzed. Several examinations to evaluate insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity within 6 months after transplantation (initial examination) were performed. Glucose tolerance was evaluated by 120-minute post-load plasma glucose level during 75-g oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT), referred to as PGOGTT120, at the initial examination and between 1 year and 2 years posttransplantation (maintenance period). The initial examination factors that were correlated with PGOGTT120 in the maintenance period were PGOGTT120 [r = 0.52 (p = 0.01)], insulinogenic index [r = -0.65 (p < 0.01)], and the ratio of incremental area under the curve of insulin to that of plasma glucose (iAUCR) calculated from data of OGTT [r = -0.65 (p < 0.01)]. Insulinogenic index [ß = -0.28 (p = 0.02)] and iAUCR [ß = -0.29 (p = 0.02)] were still significantly correlated with PGOGTT120 in the maintenance period after adjustment for PGOGTT120 at the initial examination. In conclusion, insulinogenic index and iAUCR from OGTT performed in the early posttransplantation period were predictive factors of future glucose intolerance.

Resolution of gelatinous bone marrow transformation following hormone replacement therapy in a patient with primary insufficiency of the adrenal and thyroid glands.

A 59-year-old man with recurrent oral cancer presented with severe pancytopenia, hyponatremia and hypoglycemia. Endocrine testing showed a partial primary adrenal insufficiency and primary hypothyroidism. The bone marrow biopsy showed a gelatinous transformation with hypocellularity and fat atrophy. His pancytopenia, hyponatremia and hypoglycemia resolved following treatment with corticosteroids and thyroid hormone replacement therapy. The follow-up bone marrow biopsy demonstrated a resolution of the gelatinous transformation. This case is a rare example of a patient with a primary insufficiency of the adrenal and thyroid glands that is associated with gelatinous bone marrow transformation (GMT). The GMT was resolved through the administration of corticosteroids and thyroid hormone replacement therapy.

Serum adiponectin levels predict the risk of coronary heart disease in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes.

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: An inverse association between adiponectin and coronary heart disease (CHD) has been found in Caucasians, but it is uncertain whether this association can be extrapolated to the East Asian population. The present study aimed to investigate whether serum adiponectin levels can predict CHD in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes as observed in Caucasians. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This longitudinal study included 504 patients with type 2 diabetes (342 men and 162 women) who were admitted to Sumitomo Hospital between July 2005 and December 2006. We used Cox proportional hazard analysis to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of CHD associated with serum adiponectin levels at baseline. RESULTS: During a median follow up of 5.7 years (2177 person-years), 40 participants had new CHD and 10 had recurrent CHD. After multivariate adjustment, the highest compared with the lowest quartile of serum adiponectin levels had a significantly reduced risk of CHD (hazard ratio [HR] 0.35; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.13-0.94; P = 0.017). The multivariate adjusted HR for the risk of CHD according to a doubling of adiponectin at baseline was 0.61 (95% CI 0.39-0.97; P = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS: High serum adiponectin levels are significantly associated with a lower risk of CHD in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes. This association is independent of other well-known CHD risk factors.

Relationship between serum adiponectin levels and age in healthy subjects and patients with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: Serum adiponectin levels are affected by gender, body fat mass, several pathological factors or therapeutic interventions and it might be also affected by age. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum adiponectin levels and age in several physiological states. DESIGN, PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENTS: The study was carried out in 21 100 healthy subjects (12 363 men and 8737 women) and 1833 patients with type 2 diabetes (1233 men and 600 women). Physical and demographic characteristics were recorded, and blood samples were collected to measure serum adiponectin levels. Using these data, we determined the relationships between serum adiponectin levels and various parameters, including age. RESULTS: Serum adiponectin levels increased with increasing age of healthy subjects and in patients with diabetes, in both men and women. Serum adiponectin levels were positively correlated with age in healthy subjects and patients with diabetes, in both men and women. In stepwise multiple regression analysis with serum adiponectin levels as the dependent variable and physiological characteristics as explanatory variables, age was significantly and independently associated with serum adiponectin levels in each of these groups of subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Serum adiponectin levels are significantly and positively associated with age in healthy subjects and in patients with diabetes. This association is independent of renal function, body fat status, glucose metabolism and lipid profiles.

Association of adiponectin with blood pressure in healthy people.

OBJECTIVE: With the increasing prevalence of diseases related to obesity, metabolic syndrome and its key player adiponectin are now attracting considerable attention. Hypoadiponectinaemia is reported to be a risk factor for hypertension and associated with endothelial dysfunction, which is closely related to complications of obesity such as hypertension. As there is limited information regarding serum adiponectin levels in normotensive people, we undertook the large-scale study to determine the association of adiponectin with blood pressure (BP) in mainly normotensive people. DESIGN, PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENTS: In 21 100 Japanese adults (12 363 men and 8737 women) who had no apparent diseases, we examined the relationship between the serum adiponectin concentration and BP by performing a questionnaire survey, physical measurements and measurement of laboratory parameters including the serum adiponectin level. RESULTS: Subjects with hypoadiponectinaemia had higher systolic and diastolic BPs as already reported. And interestingly, subjects with higher adiponectin had lower systolic and diastolic BP. According to linear regression analysis, adiponectin showed a significant negative correlation with systolic and diastolic BP independently of the other variables. Analysis of covariance according to adiponectin quintiles showed that systolic and diastolic BP in highest adiponectin quintile was significantly lower than in other quintiles. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that there were significant trends toward lower systolic and diastolic BP with higher adiponectin not only in hypertensive people but also in normotensive people.