Basal insulin resistance and secretion in Nigerians with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

AIM: The objective of this study was to estimate basal insulin resistance (IR) and insulin secretion (IS) in Nigerians with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: The homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) method was used to estimate basal IR and IS in 146 Nigerians with T2DM and in 33 controls at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu, Nigeria. Correlations and multiple regression analysis between Box-Cox-transformed IR and log-transformed IS and anthropometric indices were carried out. RESULTS: IR and reduced IS were present, respectively, in 139 (95.5%) and 109 (74.7%) of the diabetic subjects and in 25 (75.8%) and 4 (12.1%) of the controls. In the diabetic subjects, age at diagnosis, duration of diabetes, waist circumference (WC), and body mass index (BMI) correlated significantly with IR (r = -0.2399, P = 0.0035; r = 0.1993, P = 0.0166; r = 0.2267, P = 0.0059; r = 0.2082, P = 0.0120; respectively), whereas duration of diabetes, WC, and BMI correlated significantly with IS (r = -0.2166, P = 0.0091; r = 0.3062, P = 0.0002; r = 0.2746, P = 0.0008; respectively). Age at diagnosis, WC, and duration of diabetes were significant predictors of IR (beta = -0.0161, P < 0.001; beta = 0.0121, P = 0.002; beta = 0.0138, P = 0.042; respectively), whereas duration of diabetes and WC significantly predicted IS (beta = -0.0159, P = 0.025; beta = 0.0155, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that both IR and reduced IS are major features of T2DM in Nigerians and that WC consistently correlated and predicted IR. WC measurement is simple and ideal in resource-poor settings for the detection of IR and abdominal obesity. The apparent rarity of coronary heart disease (CHD) in black Africans with T2DM despite a high prevalence of IR warrants further investigation.

The effect of potassium bromate on some haematological parameters of Wistar rats.

Potassium bromate used widely in foods has been associated with various complications in humans. However there is paucity of literature on adverse effects on haematological parameters. Thus we decided to carry out an experimental study to determine the effects of potassium bromate on some blood indices using Wistar rats. Twenty (20) male Wistar rats aged 2-3 months obtained from the department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria Nsukka were acclimatized for two weeks. They were divided into five groups and fed with graded doses of potassium bromate solution for six weeks. One of the groups served as the control. Pre and post administration blood samples were collected and analyzed the same day using standard methods. The results revealed significant [P<0.05] decrease in the platelet count when compared with the controls. There were no statistically significant differences in the mean cell haemoglobin concentration, haematocrit, and total leukocyte counts between the test and control rats. Potassium bromate is injurious to health if consumed continuously and in high quantity. It has been shown to reduce platelet count in rats, and thus may cause thrombocytopenia in humans. It is therefore imperative to take adequate measures to eliminate the use of potassium bromate in the preparation of food products.