Hyper-homocysteinemia is not a main feature of juvenile uncomplicated type 1 diabetes.

Total plasma homocysteine (tHcy) was measured by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) method in 28 patients (12 females and 16 males) at the onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), 4 females during diabetes ketoacidosis (DKA) and 154 (68 females and 86 males) during follow-up. Serum folate, pyridoxal 5' phosphate (PLP) and Vitamin B12 (Vit B12) were also measured. Plasma tHcy levels were not found significantly different in T1DM patients known to have diabetes (males 9.2 +/- 7.7 and females 7.0 +/- 2.8 micromol/l) and in those who were newly diagnosed (males 9.7 +/- 4.8 and females 7.16 +/- 2.8 micromol/l) than in healthy controls (males 8.7 +/- 3.5 and females 7.8 +/- 2.55 micromol/l). Only a significant difference for sex was observed in known diabetes (p = 0.0281). Serum folate, PLP and Vit B12 were normal (12.6 +/- 3.6 ng/ml, 20.11 +/- 0.8 ng/ml and 416.7 +/- 41.9 pg/ml) in all T1DM patients. Age significantly correlated with plasma tHcy. Only in 4 patients, studied during DKA, plasma tHcy was significantly lower (2.76 +/- 1.33 micromol/l, p < 0.001) than the healthy controls.

Duodenal switch without gastric resection: results and observations after 6 years.

BACKGROUND: The results on metabolic effects of the classical biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) have led us to investigate the operation without gastric resection, thus preserving stomach and pylorus, in patients who are not seriously obese but suffer from hypercholesterolemia, often associated with type 2 diabetes and hypertriglyceridemia. METHODS: Between 1996 and 1999, we performed the duodenal switch (DS) without gastric resection on 24 mildly obese patients. Mean preoperative BMI was 36.2 kg/m(2). 17 patients (70.8%) suffered from type 1 diabetes, 4 (16.6%) had impaired glucose tolerance, while the remainder had fasting hyperglycemia. In 20 patients (83.3%), hypercholesterolemia and alterations in lipid profile were present. Another 20 patients were taking drugs for arterial hypertension. The pluri-metabolic syndrome was present in 41.6% of patients. RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 4 years. BMI reduction and weight loss were not large. 2 patients who had severe longstanding diabetes type 2 needed a second operation of the classical BPD because of failure in improving diabetes. Another 2 patients were changed to classical BPD because of a relapsing chronic duodeno-ileal ulcer. The incidence of ileal ulcer was 29.1%. Regarding hypercholesterolemia, hypertrigliceridemia, and type 2 diabetes when there is a good pancreatic "reservoir", the operation seems effective in the long-term. Protein absorption is better than that obtained with the classical BPD. CONCLUSIONS: Our long-term results suggest that in carefully selected patients suffering from serious hypercholesterolemia or type 2 diabetes with insulin reserves still at an acceptable level, and with BMI 30-40, DS without gastric resection can be proposed as a surgical treatment for metabolic diseases but not for obesity.