Association of endothelial lipase Thr111Ile polymorphism with proliferative retinopathy in type 2 diabetes patients.

AIM: Our previous study demonstrated that the endothelial lipase (EL) C.584C>T polymorphism (rs2000813, p.Thr111Ile) was significantly associated with diabetic retinopathy (DR). The present work was conducted to see if this specific variant of the EL gene was more specifically linked to the severity of DR. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was based on a review of the institutional charts of 287 type 2 diabetes patients (mean age = 59.7 years; mean BMI = 29.0 kg/m(2); mean HbA1c=8.4%) genotyped for the EL C.584C>T polymorphism (rs2000813, p.Thr111Ile). The stage of DR was also determined for each genotype (CC, CT, TT). RESULTS: On univariate analysis, the minor allele homozygote TT variant was significantly associated with severe DR (OR: 4.3; 95% CI: 1.4, 13.1) compared with the major CC homozygote. No significant result was found for the CT heterozygote. Multivariate analysis revealed an increased risk for TT homozygotes to present with severe non-proliferative DR (OR: 8.09; 95% CI: 1.23, 53.1) or proliferative DR. Other associations were not significant. CONCLUSION: Minor allele homozygosity for this EL variant (c.584C>T) could be a significant risk factor for developing severe, sight-threatening disease due to proliferative DR. Further prospective studies of this EL polymorphism in a larger population sample are needed to confirm these results.

Association of endothelial lipase Thr111Ile polymorphism with lipid metabolism and microvascular complications in type 2 diabetic patients.

AIM: Endothelial lipase (EL) is a key enzyme in lipid metabolism, and a polymorphism in the EL gene may be a candidate for modulating lipid parameters in type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients. METHODS: In 396 T2D patients (age: 59.5 ± 10.7 years; BMI: 28.9 ± 5.3 kg/m(2); HbA(1c): 8.2 ± 1.9%), the c.584C>T polymorphism (rs2000813, p.Thr111Ile) was studied in 225 men (frequency of c.584T: 0.351) and 171 women (frequency of c.584T: 0.304). Patients' metabolic parameters, and macrovascular and microvascular complications, were assessed at baseline and at follow-up (mean: 4.2 years). RESULTS: Patients who were homozygous for the minor allele displayed modestly decreased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and raised apolipoprotein B at baseline, and raised systolic blood pressure and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol on follow-up. Homozygosity for the minor allele was significantly associated with frequency of retinopathy (P=0.025), with TT homozygous patients more likely to have diabetic retinopathy (OR: 3.505; 95% CI: 1.491-8.239) both initially and at follow-up. CONCLUSION: The c.584C>T EL polymorphism is associated with a higher risk of diabetic retinopathy that could be linked to modifications in HDL-cholesterol metabolism and blood pressure levels.

[Evaluation of prescription and interpretation of microalbuminuria by general practitioners]. / Evaluation de la prescription et de l'interprétation des dosages de microalbuminurie en médecine générale.

Microalbuminuria is well recognized as an independent marker of early renal failure in patients with diabetes mellitus and hypertension. We describe here the french results of an international study on the use and interpretation of microalbuminuria by general practitioners. A case history based questionnaire upon a type 2 diabetic patient was sent to 600 general practitioners in the Champagne-Ardenne Region to identify their habits in terms of prescription and of results interpretation. The analysis of the results shows a great variability of practices, regarding the procedures of urine collection, the units used, or the decision limits. These discrepancies can lead to inappropriate care of the patient. Even though national recommendations on the use of MA have been made, this study highlights the necessity for general practitioners to refer to concerted and consensual practices.

[Chronic use of proton-pump inhibitors associated with giardiasis: A rare cause of hypomagnesemic hypoparathyroidism?]. / Prise chronique d'inhibiteurs de la pompe à protons associée à une giardiase : une cause rare d'hypoparathyroïdisme hypomagnésémique ?

Hypomagnesemia is a rare cause of hypoparathyroidism that can have a very serious clinical presentation. We report the case of a 62-year-old woman hospitalized for exploration of acute tetraparesis with vomiting and swallowing disorders associated with a severe hypocalcemia. Biological explorations revealed hypoparathyroidism (PTH=16ng/L) related to low plasma and erythrocyte magnesium (0.32 and 1.32mmol/L, respectively) as well as hypocalciuria and hypomagnesuria linked to gastrointestinal malabsorption. Etiologic investigations led to the discovery of Giardiasis lamblia on duodenal biopsies and a long-term treatment with proton pump inhibitors (PPI) (omeprazole followed by esomeprazole), both being recently described as causal factors of hypomagnesemic hypoparathyroidism. After treatment of the parasite (by metronidazole) and discontinuation of the PPI, both calcium and magnesium levels returned to normal. Selective malabsorption has been previously reported in patients with giardiasis. The specific mechanism of PPI participation in the genesis of hypomagnesemia remains a subject of debate.

. Association of HindIII and PvuII genetic polymorphisms of lipoprotein lipase with lipid metabolism and macrovascular events in type 2 diabetic patients.

AIM: Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is a key enzyme of lipid metabolism, and its genetic polymorphism may be a candidate for modulating lipid parameters in type 2 diabetic subjects (D2). METHODS: In a group of 404 type 2 diabetic patients, aged 59.5+/-10.8y, BMI=28.9+/-5.3 kg/m2, HbA1c=8.2+/-1.9%, we studied the H and P polymorphisms at the LPL locus detectable with the restriction enzymes HindIII and PvuII. Patients were separated into 229 males (17H1H1, 84H1H2, 128H2H2 and 51P1P1, 110P1P2, 68P2P2) and 175 females (16H1H1, 69H1H2, 90H2H2 and 51P1P1, 85P1P2, 39P2P2), and compared on the basis of their lipid parameters and their macrovascular complications. RESULTS: Triglyceride (TG) and HDL-cholesterol(c) concentrations differed between patients with and without coronary heart disease (CHD) (3.44+/-2.09 and 1.96+/-1.40 mmol/l for TGs and 1.05+/-0.24 and 1.34+/-0.40 mmol/l for HDL-c, P<0.001). HDL-c concentrations were lower in male H2H2 and P2P2 subjects (P<0.001), and TG levels were higher in male H2H2 and P2P2 subjects (P<0.0001 for Hind III and P<0.05 for PvuII). Allele frequency of the HindIII and PvuII restriction site was similar to those reported in other Caucasian populations and the presence of the H2/P2 variants was significantly higher in CHD patients. The prevalence of CHD in this population was 18% but was 29% in H2H2 and 38% in P2P2 subjects (P<0.02). CONCLUSION: Thus, HindIII and PvuII polymorphisms seem to exert a modulating role on lipid profile particularly in male D2, contributing to increase the risk of macrovascular events.

[Non infectious skin conditions associated with diabetes mellitus: a prospective study of 308 cases]. / Dermatoses non infectieuses au cours du diabète sucré: étude prospective de 308 malades.

INTRODUCTION: Non-infectious dermatoses during diabetes appear frequent if one refers to some of the studies in the literature that have attempted to assess its prevalence. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From November 2000 to November 2001, 308 randomly selected, hospitalized, diabetic patients were examined. The data were collected prospectively and systematically in a pre-established questionnaire. Statistical analysis included a descriptive and univariate analysis. RESULTS: 206/308 diabetics (67 p. 100) exhibited at least one non-infectious dermatitis, the most frequent of which was cutaneous xerosis (39 p. 100), diabetic dermopathy (24 p. 100), facial erythrosis (24 p. 100), purpural and pigmented capillaritis of the legs (20 p. 100), xanthochromia (12 p. 100) pseudo-scleroderma (8 p. 100) and acanthosis nigricans (7 p. 100). The non-infectious dermatoses were globally more frequent in type II diabetic patients exhibiting at least one microvascular complication. DISCUSSION: This study is the first French prospective work on the subject. We found a prevalence of non-infectious dermatoses during diabetes close to that of the major studies in the literature. Some of these dermatoses are markers of macrovascular (acanthosis nigricans, purpural and pigmented capillarity) or microvascular (xerosis, acanthosis nigricans, purpural and pigmented capillarity, Dupuytren's disease) complications for type II diabetes or are markers of auto-immunity (alopecia areata, vitiligo) for type I.

Increased plasma apoA-IV level is a marker of abnormal postprandial lipemia: a study in normoponderal and obese subjects.

Plasma apolipoprotein A-IV (apoA-IV) levels are found elevated in hypertriglyceridemic patients. However, the relationship between plasma apoA-IV level and postprandial lipemia is not well known and remains to be elucidated. Thus, our objective was to study the relationship between plasma apoA-IV and postprandial TG after an oral fat load test (OFLT). Plasma apoA-IV was measured at fast and during an OFLT in 16 normotriglyceridemic, normoglucose-tolerant android obese subjects (BMI = 34.6 +/- 2.9 kg/m(2)) and 30 normal weight controls (BMI = 22.2 +/- 2.3 kg/m(2)). In spite of not statistically different fasting plasma TG levels in controls and obese patients, the former group showed an altered TG response after OFLT, featuring increased nonchylomicron TG area under the curve (AUC) compared with controls (516 +/- 138 vs. 426 +/- 119 mmol/l x min, P < 0.05). As compared to controls, obese patients showed increased apoA-IV levels both at fast (138.5 +/- 22.4 vs. 124.0 +/- 22.8 mg/l, P < 0.05) and during the OFLT (apoA-IV AUC: 79,833 +/- 14,281 vs. 68,176 +/- 17,463 mg/l x min, P < 0.05). Among the whole population studied, as among the control and obese subgroups, fasting plasma apoA-IV correlated significantly with AUC of plasma TG (r = 0.60, P < 0.001), AUC of chymomicron TG (r = 0.45, P < 0.01), and AUC of nonchylomicron TG (r = 0.62, P < 0.001). In the multivariate analysis, fasting apoA-IV level constituted an independent and highly significant determinant of AUC of plasma TG, AUC of chymomicron TG, AUC of nonchylomicron TG, and incremental AUC of plasma TG. In conclusion, we show a strong link between fasting apoA-IV and postprandial TG metabolism. Plasma fasting apoA-IV is shown to be a good marker of TG response after an OFLT, providing additional information on post-load TG response in conjunction with other known factors such as fasting TGs.

Basal and postprandial serum-promoted cholesterol efflux in normolipidemic subjects: Importance of fat mass distribution.

Excess of adipose tissue may affect the reverse cholesterol transport mediated by high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Impairments in this system may be one possible factor favoring atherosclerosis development in obesity. To investigate if gender and regional fat mass distribution independently influence reverse cholesterol transport (RCT), we studied in vitro the capacity of serum to promote the cell cholesterol efflux. Measurements were performed both in the fasting state and in the postprandial state, a setting known to stimulate cholesterol transport and altered in obesity. Thirteen obese women with an android phenotype, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR): 0.98 to 0.85 and 51 normal-weight subjects: 25 women and 26 men, with a similar WHR range: 0.96 to 0.67, were recruited. All the participants were normolipoproteinemic in the fasting state and were given an oral fat load. Blood samples were taken before giving the oral fat load and after every 2 hours. The measurements of the ability of serum to promote cholesterol efflux from cells were performed using 3H-cholesterol labeled Fu5AH hepatoma cells in the fasting state 6 and 8 hours after the lipid rich meal. Incremental serum triglyceride (TG), area under the curve (iAUC) and AUC of retinyl palmitate (RP) for the obese women and nonobese subjects were similar. Basal cholesterol efflux was reduced in obese women compared with normal-weight women (26.75% +/- 3.1% v 30.81% +/- 4.2%, P =.004). However, the magnitude of cholesterol efflux promoted by whole serum increased similarly in all the groups. In the subjects with similar WHR, no gender difference was observed in the postprandial TG response and in the first step of RCT. Multivariate regression analyses indicated that plasma HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) concentration is the best predictor of cholesterol efflux in the fasting state with an independent mild additive effect of WHR. Conversely, postprandial efflux appeared to be mostly related to the WHR with a mild additive effect of HDL-C. Our results indicate that alterations in the first step of RCT can occur in normolipidemic obese subjects and are tightly associated with the abdominal distribution of fat mass. Android obesity in women brings them to the level of men with respect to RCT.

Analysis of the postprandial lipid metabolism: use of a 3-point test.

OBJECTIVES: The oral fat load tests used to study postprandial lipemia are complex and costly and time consuming. A simplified fat load test could be more convenient and more appropriate in routine clinical practice because of the number of lipid determinations required. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We evaluated the capacity of a postprandial test model that reduced the number of blood samples taken in thirty three normal weight controls and 17 normotriglyceridemic obese patients (study 1), 10 normolipidemic type 2 diabetic patients and 7 healthy controls (study 2), and 10 hyperlipidemic type 2 diabetic patients studied before and after hypolipidemic therapy (study 3). Blood samples were taken before and up to 8 hours after giving the oral fat load containing retinol. Triglyceride (TG) and retinyl palmitate (RP) concentrations in the plasma, chylomicrons (CM) and non-chylomicron (nCM) fractions were measured. Postprandial lipid responses using conventional area under the curves (AUCc using 5 to 7 lipid determinations) were compared to a 3-point test that uses only three sample points to predict the area under the curve (AUCp: triglycerides at T0, triglycerides at average peak-time (T4), and triglycerides at T8). RESULTS: The AUCc and AUCp for triglycerides and retinyl palmitate were highly correlated in each of the groups and whatever the lipid subfraction (r=0.664 - 0.995, p<0.0001). When incremental AUC (iAUC) were used, the coefficients of correlation for triglycerides remained highly significant between iAUCc and iAUCp (r=0.718 - 0.979, p<0.01 - 0.0001). The same trend of differences was found between cases and controls when AUCp was used instead of AUCc. The means of differences between AUCc and AUCp for triglyceride values were small (0.34 - 0.74 mmol/L.h), and the confidence intervals were acceptable considering the range of the AUCs values (5.60 to 79.8 mmol/L.h for plasma triglycerides). CONCLUSIONS: We found that data obtained with a simplified model of AUC using only 3 points to analyse postprandial lipemia are well correlated with those obtained by conventional AUC, and that the AUCp allows to the same conclusions as AUCc when healthy subjects were compared to patients with altered postprandial metabolism. Thus AUCp may be a good evaluation of the AUCc, and the simplified 3-point protocol may well be used and suitable for studies on large groups of subjects who are eligible for an oral fat load test.

[Statins: intervention studies, facts and perspectives]. / Statines: études d'intervention, faits et perspectives.

HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors or statins are potent hypocholesterolemic drugs. They associate a dose-dependent diminution of LDL-cholesterol (- 25 to 60%) to a raise of HDL-cholestérol (+ 5 to 12%) and a diminution of triglycerides (- 15 à 30%). Important controlled clinical trials have shown the ability of these drugs to reduce - coronary morbidity and mortality in secondary prevention (4S study with simvastatin, CARE and LIPID studies with pravastatin). - total mortality in secondary prévention (4S and LIPID studies). - coronary morbidity and mortality (AFCAPS/Tex-CAPS with lovastatin) and total mortality in primary prevention (WOSCOPS study with pravastatin). Questions still remain unanswered. To what extent do we have to lower LDL-cholestérol? What are the risks of an aggressive treatment with statins? Can we extrapolate the results of the large clinical trials to women, elderly, dyslipidemic subjects with other manifestations of atherosclerosis (i.e. cerebro-vascular, peripheral vascular diseases)? What are the benefits of an early treatment by statins in acute coronary syndromes? Can "pleïotropic" effects influence the future indications of statins? These questions will be addressed by ongoing studies which will be published within five years.

Plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) are essentially dependent on visceral fat amount in type 2 diabetic patients.

TNF-alpha is considered as one of the potential determinants of insulin resistance. However several data suggest that TNF-alpha expression itself, could be modulated by the degree of adiposity and/or plasma insulin levels. To clarify the determinants of plasma TNF-alpha levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus, we studied the impact of intensive insulin treatment on plasma TNF-alpha levels in 16 type 2 diabetic subjects with failure to oral antidiabetic medication (HbA1c: 10.8 +/- 1.2 %). Furthermore, we analyzed the relationship between plasma TNF-alpha levels and total or regional body fat measurements using anthropometry, bienergetic absorptiometry and computed tomography in a cohort of 33 caucasian obese type 2 diabetic subjects (BMI: 32.2 +/- 4.4 kg/m(2) ). The plasma TNF-alpha level was neither affected by plasma glucose level variations nor intensive insulin treatment despite a 37 % decrease in daily insulin needs at the end of insulin therapy (total duration: 11.5 +/- 2.0 days). The plasma TNF-alpha level was similar in men and women and unrelated to age, fasting glycemia or HbA1c. A relationship was highlighted with BMI (r =0.39, p <0.02), but not with total fat mass. This relationship was only dependent on the intra-abdominal fat mass amount as assessed by the waist-to-hip circumference ratio (r =0.52, p <0.01) and the visceral adipose tissue area (r =0.56, p <0. 01). These results show that plasma TNF-alpha levels are essentially dependent on visceral fat amount, thus suggesting that TNF-alpha could be one of the factors mediating insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk in obese type 2 diabetic patients.

Relationship between altered postprandial lipemia and insulin resistance in normolipidemic and normoglucose tolerant obese patients.

OBJECTIVE: Although there are changes in the postprandial lipid responses of obese patients, these are closely associated with high fasting triglycerides (TG). This study of 17 normotriglyceridemic, normoglucose-tolerant android obese subjects (body mass index, BMI = 34.3 +/- 3.1 kg/m2) and 33 normal-weight controls (BMI = 21.8 +/- 1.6 kg/m2) was done to examine their postprandial responses to an oral fat loading test containing retinol (890 calories, 85% fat) and to evaluate the possible association between clinical and biological features of obesity and/or insulin resistance and postprandial lipemia. SUBJECTS AND MEASUREMENTS: Blood samples were taken before giving the fat load and at 2,3,4,5,6 and 8 h after it. Insulin sensitivity was assessed using HOMA, and TG and retinyl palmitate (RP) in the plasma, chylomicrons and non-chylomicron fractions were measured each time. RESULTS: The areas under the curves (AUC) of chylomicron TG for the obese and controls were not different, indicating adequate lipolytic activity. By contrast, the AUC for non-chylomicron TG was significantly greater in the obese than in the controls (512 +/- 135 vs 429 +/- 141 mmol/lmin, P < 0.01). In addition, the AUC for RP in this same fraction was significantly lower in the obese than in the controls (103 +/- 55 vs 157 +/- 88 mg/l min, P < 0.05), suggesting that the TG from endogenous lipoproteins accounted for most of the increase in TG in the non chylomicron fraction. Parameters related to obesity showed no relationship with these postprandial abnormalities, whereas HOMA, which discriminated between the groups, partly explained (r2= 23%, P < 0.01) the significant increase in non-chylomicron TG. CONCLUSIONS: Android obese patients with a fasting TG in the normal range and not different from the fasting TG of lean controls had an abnormal postprandial lipemia response, indicated by a significantly greater TG in the non-chylomicron subfraction than in controls. These alterations may be partly due to postprandial changes in endogenous lipoproteins as a consequence of insulin resistance.

Postprandial concentrations and distribution of apo C-III in type 2 diabetic patients. Effect Of bezafibrate treatment.

Apo C-III plays a key role in the metabolism of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins. It has recently been implicated as a potential determinant of the triglyceride (TG) lowering effect of fibrates, which down-regulate its expression. This hypothesis has been explored in ten moderately hypertriglyceridemic (TG 4.50+/-2.40 mmol/l) male type 2 diabetic patients tested with a lipid load before and after 4 weeks of treatment with 400 mg bezafibrate daily. Treatment lowered apo C-III concentrations by 20%, mainly in VLDL. Postprandially, apo C-III was transferred to chylomicrons in proportion to their TG content exclusively from HDL. VLDL retained their apo C-III and the apo C-III:TG ratio decreased as TG contents increased. At the end of the absorptive period (8 h) HDL did not recover the totality of their apo C-III (net loss 19 and 28% respectively before and after treatment, P<0.0001 for time effect). Bezafibrate lowered apo E by 33% (P<0.03). The apo C-III:apo E ratio did not vary significantly under treatment but underwent a postprandial decrease: 13% before and 18% (P=0.01) after treatment. These results indicate that repression of apo C-III expression and lowering of the apo C-III:E ratio are not likely mechanisms for the lipid-lowering effects of fibrates in type 2 diabetic patients. The potent effects on postprandial lipemia are suggestive of an apo C-III-independent stimulation of lipolysis.

Postprandial reverse cholesterol transport in type 2 diabetic patients: effect of a lipid lowering treatment.

Deterioration of reverse cholesterol transport (RCT), an important anti-atherogenic process, may contribute to the largely unexplained severity of cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetic patients. Among other relevant metabolic perturbations is the impairment in type 2 patients of the postprandial increase in RCT which, in normal subjects, is associated with the transfer to HDL of PL from lipolyzed chylomicrons. We have explored the possibility that improvement of postprandial lipolysis by bezafibrate might also restore the stimulated level of postprandial RCT. Twelve male patients (HbA1c 7.6 +/- 1.6% triglycerides (TG) 4.5 +/- 2.4 mmol/l) were treated for 4 weeks with 400 mg bezafibrate and compared with seven age-matched controls. Lipoproteins were analyzed over 8 h after a 1000 Kcal fat load (80% lipid), serum mediated cholesterol efflux was evaluated using 3H-cholesterol labelled Fu5AH cells. Fasting efflux was lower in patients (17.9 +/- 3.3 vs 19.9 +/- 3.0 a. units, P < 0.05) and decreased postprandially in most instead of increasing, so that area under the time-curve (AUC) was 23% lower than in controls (140 +/- 23 vs 170 +/- 25 units x h, P < 0.001) The patients' HDL failed to acquire PL and gained TG in proportion to lipemia (r = 0.660, P < 0.001). Bezafibrate restored fasting efflux (19.6 +/- 3.6 units, P < 0.005 vs pretreatment) but not postprandial increase of efflux or HDL-PL. AUC of efflux was however improved to 155 +/- 23 units h (P < 0.02). Postprandial efflux related mainly to HDL-PL in controls and patients before treatment. HDL-TG emerged as a significant negative correlate common to all groups (r = -0.674, P < 0.001 8 h after the meal). Impairment of reverse cholesterol transport in diabetic patients might therefore be due to combined postprandial deficit of PL transfer and excess accumulation of TG in HDL. The significant improvement due to fibrate treatment might thus be related to the reduction of HDL-TG contents associated with the improvement of postprandial hyperlipemia.

Sex-dependent association of a genetic polymorphism of cholesteryl ester transfer protein with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and macrovascular pathology in type II diabetic patients.

Cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) is a key regulating factor of lipid metabolism, and the polymorphism of its gene may be a candidate for modulating the lipid parameters in type 2 diabetic subjects. In a group of 406 type 2 diabetic patients aged 59.5 +/- 10.8 y, with a body mass index of 28.9 +/- 5.3 kg/m2 and HbA1c = 8.2 +/- 1.9%, we studied the B polymorphism at the CETP locus detectable with the restriction enzyme TaqI. Patients were separated into groups, 231 males (78 B1B1, 108 B1B2, 45 B2B2) and 175 females (48 B1B1, 94 B1B2, 33 B2B2), and compared on the basis of their lipid parameters (total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), ApoA1 ApoB, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol), their micro and macrovascular complications. HDL-C was significantly higher in man with the B2B2 genotype (respectively, 1.31 +/- 0.44 mmol/L vs. 1.13 +/- 0.32 mmol/L, P < 0.05), together with a lower incidence of coronary heart disease (9 vs. 25% for B1B1 and B1B2 together). Women displayed a higher HDL-C than men and a equally high incidence of coronary heart disease in B2 homozygotes as in other genotypes (26 vs. 27%). Thus, in type 2 diabetic patients, Taq1b polymorphism seems to exert a modulating role in males only. This may contribute to the loss of macrovascular protection in type 2 diabetic females.

Increased ability of LDL from normolipidemic type 2 diabetic women to generate peroxides.

BACKGROUND: We assessed the ability of LDL from 30 type 1 diabetic patients (18 men, 12 women), 65 type 2 diabetic patients (35 men, 30 women), and 35 controls (19 men, 16 women) to generate peroxides. The men and women in the diabetic groups were studied separately and matched for age, body mass index, duration of diabetes, glycohemoglobin, and conventional lipid characteristics according to the presence or absence of hyperlipidemia. METHODS: The ability of LDL to form peroxides was assessed by measuring the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances corrected for LDL-cholesterol [ratio of malondialdehyde (MDA) to LDL-cholesterol]. LDL particle size was expressed as the ratio of LDL-cholesterol to apolipoprotein B (LDL-cholesterol/apoB). RESULTS: The MDA/LDL-cholesterol ratio was higher in type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients with hyperlipidemia than in controls. The MDA/LDL-cholesterol ratio was also higher in type 2 normolipidemic women than in controls (P <0.01). The LDL-cholesterol/apoB ratio was lower in type 2 diabetic women than in type 2 diabetic men (P <0.05). The MDA/LDL-cholesterol ratio was negatively correlated with the LDL-cholesterol/apoB ratio (r = -0.78, P <0.001) in hyperlipidemic type 1 (not type 2) diabetic patients. In normolipidemic type 2 diabetic patients, the MDA/LDL-cholesterol ratio was also negatively correlated with the LDL-cholesterol/apoB ratio (r = -0.75, P <0.001) because of the highly significant negative correlation in type 2 diabetic women (r = -0.89, P <0.01). CONCLUSIONS: LDL from well-controlled type 2 diabetic women is smaller and more prone to form peroxides. This could explain why diabetic women are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease.

Evidence that modifications of Lp(a) in vivo inhibit plasmin formation on fibrin--a study with individual plasmas presenting natural variations of Lp(a).

In the present study we have investigated the effect of individual variations in the concentration of Lp(a) on plasmin formation at the surface of fibrin. The plasma Lp(a) concentrations from 20 nephrotic children were high at flare-up of the disease (0.43+/-0.45 g/l) and decreased progressively with remission at both 6 weeks (0.28+/-0.24 g/l) and 6 months (0.24+/-0.288 g/l). In contrast, the concentration of plasminogen showed an inverse variation, with low values at flare-up (1.27+/-0.34 microM) and normal values at remission (1.66+/-0.17 microM at 6 weeks and 1.99+/-0.21 microM at 6 months). An increase in plasmin formation (from 0.62+/-0.49 to 0.73+/-0.61, and 0.84+/-0.75 pmol/well) and a decrease in apo(a) binding (from 5.45+/-2.42 to 4.54+/-2.12, and 3.93+/-1.51 fmol/well) on the surface of fibrin, were concomitantly observed from flare-up to remission at 6 weeks and at 6 months, respectively. Values for plasmin formation parallel the amount of plasminogen bound. The low concentration of plasminogen found at flare-up may also have contributed to the increased binding of Lp(a) as indicated by a decrease in the maximal amount of Lp(a) bound (Bmax) to fibrin as a function of plasma plasminogen concentrations. Bmax was 1.51 fmol in the absence of plasminogen and decreased to 1.1 fmol and 0.93 fmol at respectively 1 and 2 microM of plasminogen. Altogether, these data constitute the first quantitative evidence indicating that plasmin formed at the surface of fibrin may vary with modifications of the concentration of Lp(a) in vivo.

Delayed changes in postprandial lipid in young normolipidemic men after a nocturnal vitamin A oral fat load test.

The oral fat load tests (OFLT) used to study postprandial lipemia are generally conducted during the day. A nocturnal fat load test could be convenient and physiologically more appropriate. We have therefore compared the lipemic responses of 9 normolipidemic young men to OFLT given at 2200 h (nocturnal) and at 0700 h (diurnal). Triglyceride and retinyl palmitate concentrations were measured for 10 h. Peak plasma concentrations or areas under curves (AUC) for triglyceride after the diurnal and nocturnal tests were not significantly different [2.17 +/- 0.78 (diurnal) vs. 2.04 +/- 0.87 mmol/L (nocturnal) and 13.12 +/- 4.45 (diurnal) vs. 13.74 +/- 5.79 mmol/(L. h) (nocturnal)]. Peak plasma concentrations and AUC retinyl palmitate for the two tests were not different [1.71 +/- 0.69 (diurnal) vs. 1.42 +/- 0.66 mg/L (nocturnal) and 7.17 +/- 3.98 (diurnal) vs. 6.63 +/- 4.23 mg/(L. h) (nocturnal)]. The diurnal triglyceride peak occurred significantly earlier (4.3 +/- 1.2 h) than the nocturnal peak (5.8 +/- 1.7 h, P < 0.05). We have developed a model using only three sample time points to predict AUC [triglyceride at 0 h, triglyceride at average peak-time (4 h for diurnal and 6 h for nocturnal tests), and triglyceride at 10 h], thus reducing the number of blood samples. The predicted AUC was well correlated with the total AUC after nocturnal OFLT (r = 0.98, P < 0.0001). The nocturnal test appeared to be well tolerated by the subjects. The three-point simplified protocol may well be suitable for studies on large groups of subjects.