Differences in risk factors for the onset of albuminuria and decrease in glomerular filtration rate in people with Type 2 diabetes mellitus: implications for the pathogenesis of diabetic kidney disease.

AIMS: To determine differences in predictors of albuminuria and decreased estimated GFR in Japanese people with Type 2 diabetes mellitus without chronic kidney disease. METHODS: This single-centre observational cohort study involved 1802 Japanese people with Type 2 diabetes with normoalbuminuria and estimated GFR ≥ 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2) (740 women; mean ± sd age 58 ± 12 years). Two separate outcomes were evaluated: onset of albuminuria ( ≥ 30 mg/g creatinine, albuminuria cohort; n = 1655) and decrease in estimated GFR ( < 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2) ; estimated GFR cohort; n = 1777). A Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify significant predictors for each outcome. RESULTS: During a median follow-up period of 6.9 years for the albuminuria cohort and 8.0 years for the estimated GFR cohort, 181 and 316 individuals reached the respective outcome. The 5-year cumulative incidence of albuminuria was 8.3%, and that of decreased estimated GFR was 10.4%. In the multivariate Cox model, greater urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio, presence of diabetic retinopathy and higher HbA1c levels were associated with both outcomes. Unique risk factors for onset of albuminuria were male gender and higher uric acid levels; those for decreased estimated GFR were older age, greater systolic blood pressure, and lower baseline estimated GFR and HDL cholesterol levels. CONCLUSIONS: Identification of both common and distinct predictive factors for onset of albuminuria and decreased estimated GFR support the hypothesis that both common and distinct pathophysiological mechanisms are involved in the development of these two manifestations of chronic kidney disease in diabetes.

Urinary type IV collagen as a predictor for the incidence of microalbuminuria in young patients with Type 1 diabetes.

AIMS: To clarify whether urinary type IV collagen-to-creatinine ratio is a predictor for the incidence of microalbuminuria in patients with Type 1 diabetes. METHODS: A longitudinal observational cohort study was conducted; the subjects included normoalbuminuric patients diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes before the age of 30 years and who were less than 40 years old at the start of the observation. In total, 225 patients were enrolled (age, mean ± SD: 25 ± 5 years; male: 32.9%). The endpoint was the incidence of microalbuminuria, defined as 30 mg/g Cr ≤ urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio < 300 mg/g Cr. Patients were divided into two groups based on the median of urinary type IV collagen-to-creatinine ratio levels. RESULTS: During the median follow-up period of 8.8 years (range 1.0-12.8 years), 13 patients with high urinary type IV collagen-to-creatinine ratio progressed to microalbuminuria. Meanwhile, only one patient with low urinary type IV collagen-to-creatinine ratio reached the endpoint. Kaplan-Meier estimates for the time to reach the endpoint were significantly faster for patients with a high ratio than for those with a low ratio (log-rank test, P < 0.001). In the multivariate Cox hazard analysis, the hazard ratio for patients with high vs. low urinary type IV collagen-to-creatinine ratio was 13.51 (95% CI 1.59-115.02, P = 0.017). When urinary type IV collagen-to-creatinine ratio was treated as a continuous variable, logarithmically transformed urinary type IV collagen-to-creatinine ratio, but not baseline albumin-to-creatinine ratio, was independently associated with reaching the endpoint (hazard ratio 19.23, 95% CI 1.53-242.30, P = 0.022). CONCLUSIONS: Urinary type IV collagen may be an important predictor for the incidence of microalbuminuria in young patients with Type 1 diabetes.

Comparison of the prevalence of chronic kidney disease in Japanese patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

AIMS: The relationship between type of diabetes and risk of chronic kidney disease has not been studied in detail. We conducted this study to determine the prevalence of chronic kidney disease in Japanese adults with diabetes, with a particular emphasis on the comparison of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. METHODS: We studied 3,575 Japanese patients with diabetes, 504 with Type 1 (mean +/- SD age 38 +/- 13 years; 350 women and 154 men) and 3071 with Type 2 diabetes (60 +/- 13 years; 1187 women and 1884 men). Prevalence rates of albuminuria [urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (> or = 30 mg/g], decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2)) and chronic kidney disease (defined as albuminuria and/or decreased eGFR) were compared between the two diabetic groups. RESULTS: The prevalence of albuminuria was higher in Type 2 than Type 1 diabetic patients by both Fisher's exact test (36.1 vs. 15.9%, P < 0.001) and multivariate logistic regression analysis [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.482, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.050-2.091, P = 0.025]. The prevalence of decreased eGFR was also higher in Type 2 diabetic patients (25.2 vs. 7.9%, P < 0.001); however, the statistical significance disappeared after adjusting for covariates, including age (OR = 0.656, 95% CI = 0.395-1.088, P = 0.102). The prevalence of chronic kidney disease was also higher in Type 2 diabetic patients (46.0 vs. 19.1%, P < 0.001); however, the statistical significance disappeared in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS Type 2 diabetic patients are more than twice as likely as Type 1 diabetic patients to have chronic kidney disease due to an age-independent higher prevalence of albuminuria and age-dependent decreased eGFR.

Severe hypoglycaemia in a person with insulin autoimmune syndrome accompanied by insulin receptor anomaly type B.

AIMS: A rare case of the insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS) accompanied by insulin receptor anomaly is reported. METHODS: Antibodies to insulin and insulin receptor were determined in the patient with severe hypoglycaemia before and after the treatment with prednisolone. RESULTS: Titers of antibody to insulin and insulin receptors were 73.0% and 41.5%, respectively. Drug-induced lymphocyte stimulation tests were all negative for the suspicious drugs. Her HLA-DR was DRB1*0403/04051. Following steroid therapy, the formation of antibodies was suppressed and alleviated her symptoms. Scatchard analysis yielded findings specific to polyclonal antibodies. CONCLUSIONS: The changes in autoantibodies resulted in alleviation of the hypoglycemic symptoms as a result of steroid therapy.

Fulminant type 1 diabetes as a high risk group for diabetic microangiopathy--a nationwide 5-year-study in Japan.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of the present study was to assess the development of microangiopathy in patients with fulminant type 1 diabetes, a novel subtype of type 1B diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a nationwide survey, we followed 41 patients with fulminant type 1 diabetes and 76 age- and sex-matched patients with type 1A diabetes for 5 years. The following data were recorded every 12 months after the onset of diabetes: seven-point blood glucose concentrations, HbA1c level, urinary albumin excretion, serum C-peptide level, blood pressure, daily dosages of insulin, frequency of severe hypoglycaemic episodes, and neurological and fundoscopic examination. RESULTS: The 5-year cumulative incidence of microangiopathy was 24.4% in fulminant type 1 diabetes and 2.6% in type 1A diabetes. In longitudinal studies using the Kaplan-Meier method, the cumulative incidence of each form of microangiopathy was significantly higher in fulminant type 1 diabetes than in type 1A diabetes; retinopathy was 9.8% vs 0% (p=0.014), nephropathy 12.2% vs 2.6% (p=0.015) and neuropathy 12.2% vs 1.3% (p=0.010), respectively. Mean HbA1c levels were similar in the fulminant and type 1A diabetes groups during the follow-up periods. However, the mean M-value, mean insulin dosages and the frequency of severe hypoglycaemic episodes were significantly higher, and the mean postprandial C-peptide level was significantly lower in the fulminant type 1 diabetes group. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: These data suggest that patients with fulminant type 1 diabetes are a high-risk subgroup for diabetic microangiopathy associated with the lack of endogenous insulin secretion from the onset of diabetes.

Clinical and immunogenetic characteristics of fulminant type 1 diabetes associated with pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to characterize the clinical and immunogenetic features of Japanese pregnancy-associated fulminant type 1 diabetes (PF). A group of patients with PF was compared with a group of patients of child-bearing age with fulminant type 1 diabetes that was not associated with pregnancy (NPF) in a nationwide survey conducted from 2000-2004. PATIENTS: The clinical characteristics of the 22 patients in the PF group were compared with those of the 48 patients in the NPF group. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II DR and DQ genotyping of 17 PF and 20 NPF patients was performed. RESULTS: Arterial pH was significantly lower (P = 0.0366), and amylase values tended to increase in PF patients compared with NPF patients (P = 0.0515). In 22 PF patients, 18 developed disease during pregnancy (26.3 wk; range, 7-38), whereas four cases occurred immediately after delivery (10.5 d; range, 7-14 d). Twelve cases that developed during pregnancy resulted in stillbirth (67%), and five of the six fetal cases that survived were delivered by cesarean section. The haplotype frequency of HLA DRB1*0901-DQB1*0303 in PF was significantly higher than those in NPF (P = 0.0244) and controls (P = 0.0001), whereas that of DRB1*0405-DQB1*0401 in NPF was significantly higher than those in PF (P = 0.0162) and controls (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical symptoms of PF patients were more severe than those of NPF patients, and the prognosis of their fetuses was extremely poor. The type 1 diabetes-susceptible HLA class II haplotype is distinct in PF and NPF patients, suggesting that different HLA haplotypes underlie the presentation of PF or NPF.

Different contribution of class II HLA in fulminant and typical autoimmune type 1 diabetes mellitus.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Fulminant type 1 diabetes, which is characterised by a markedly acute onset of diabetes and an absence of islet-related autoantibodies, accounts for 20% of type 1 diabetes in Japan. We aimed to clarify the contribution of the HLA subtype to fulminant type 1 diabetes in Japanese. METHODS: We determined the serological subtypes of HLA-A, -DR and -DQ in 115 patients with fulminant type 1 diabetes, 98 patients with typical type 1A diabetes and 190 normal control subjects. RESULTS: The frequency of HLA-DR4, but not DR9, was significantly higher in fulminant type 1 diabetes, while those of HLA-DR1, DR2, DR5 and DR8 were significantly lower than those in controls. In contrast, DR9 but not DR4 was more frequent and DR2 was extremely rare in typical type 1A diabetes. Haplotype analysis revealed that DR4-DQ4 was significantly more frequent, and both DR2-DQ1 and DR8-DQ1 were less frequent in fulminant diabetes. In type 1A diabetes, DR2-DQ1 was extremely rare while DR9-DQ3 was significantly more frequent. In the combination analysis, the homozygotes of DR4-DQ4 in fulminant type 1 diabetes and DR9-DQ3 in typical type 1A diabetes indicated high odds ratios (13.3 and 13.3, respectively). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Our results suggest that class II HLA contributes to the development of fulminant type 1 diabetes. Susceptibility and resistance of the HLA subtype to type 1 diabetes are distinct between fulminant and typical autoimmune type 1 diabetes.

Autoantibodies to REG, a beta-cell regeneration factor, in diabetic patients.

BACKGROUND: Regenerating gene (Reg) product, Reg, acts as an autocrine/paracrine growth factor for beta-cell regeneration. The presence of autoimmunity against REG may affect the operative of the regenerative mechanisms in beta cells of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes patients. We screened sera from Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes subjects for anti-REG autoantibodies, searched for correlations in the general characteristics of the subjects with the presence of anti-REG autoimmunity, and tested the attenuation of REG-induced beta-cell proliferation by the autoanitibodies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We examined the occurrence of anti-REG autoantibodies in patients' sera (265 Type 1, 368 Type 2 diabetes patients, and 75 unrelated control subjects) by Western blot analysis, and evaluated inhibitory effects of the sera on REG-stimulated beta-cell proliferation by a 5'-Bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation assay in vitro. RESULTS: Anti-REG autoantibodies were found in 24.9% of Type 1, 14.9% of Type 2 and 2.7% of control subjects (P = 0.0004). There were significant differences between the autoantibody positive and negative groups in the duration of disease in the Type 1 subjects (P = 0.0035), and the age of onset in the Type 2 subjects (P = 0.0274). The patient sera containing anti-REG autoantibodies significantly attenuated the BrdU incorporation by REG (35.6 +/- 4.06% of the control), whereas the nondiabetic sera without anti-REG autoantibodies scarcely reduced the incorporation (88.8 +/- 5.10%). CONCLUSION: Anti-REG autoantibodies, which retard beta-cell proliferation in vitro, are found in some diabetic patients. Thus, autoimmunity to REG may be associated with the development/acceleration of diabetes in at least some patients.

Development and progression of diabetic retinopathy in patients with Type 1 diabetes who are positive for GAD autoantibody.

AIMS: To investigate the relationship between autoantibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) to assess the role of autoimmunity in retinopathy. METHODS: Patients with Type 1 diabetes for more than 10 years who had been diagnosed under age 30 (13-28 years) were studied. They were classified into three groups. The PDR group consisted of 22 patients, the pre-PDR group was 26 patients, while the non-DR group was 32 patients who had Type 1 diabetes without retinopathy. Blood was collected to measure autoantibodies to GAD, and the relationship between PDR and GAD positivity was investigated in a cross-sectional study. RESULTS: The highest positivity rate of GAD autoantibodies was 50.0% in the non-DR group, followed by the pre-PDR group (30.8%) and the PDR group (18.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Production or existence of GAD autoantibodies may contribute to the prevention of retinopathy.

[Inhaled insulin (pulmonary administered insulin)].

The first report according to Inhaled insulin came out in 1924. Recent clinical trials of inhaled insulin made a real story to insulin-treated diabetic patients. Among some companies, insulin preparation of Pfizer company group consists of dry insulin dispersed by aerosol into particles sufficiently fine to drift into the distal twigs of the respiratory tree. Skylar et al in 2001 reported a randomized proof-of-concept study of inhaled insulin in type 1 diabetes mellitus. The result showed the same efficacy to the same time injections of regular insulin. Other reports showed the efficacy of inhaled insulin comparable to that of lispro insulin and the same action to not only type 1 but also type 2 diabetic patients.

Hypoglycaemia due to insulin autoimmune syndrome: report of two cases with characterisation of HLA alleles and insulin autoantibodies.

OBJECTIVE: Insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS) has been reported mainly in Japan and so far only 27 IAS cases have been described from outside Asia. We describe two unrelated Portuguese patients with IAS and characterise their insulin autoantibodies and HLA alleles. PATIENTS: Patient 1, a 24-year-old white female suffered an episode of unconsciousness in the late postprandial state and blood glucose was found to be 33 mg/dl with serum insulin levels of >3980 microIU/ml (normal range 0-30 microIU/ml). She was receiving monthly injections of penicillin G for the prophylaxis of recurrent tonsillitis. Patient 2, was a 19-year-old white female, with episodes of sweating, hand tremor, weakness and hunger occurring in the postprandial state and blood glucose levels during the attacks of 28-56 mg/dl. Very high insulin levels (602-708 microIU/ml) were present. METHODS AND RESULTS: Anti-insulin antibodies, determined by a semi-quantitative method, were strongly positive in both patients (91.7% in patient 1 and 88.6% in patient 2; normal range < or =7%). Sephadex G-100 chromatography of the sera showed most of insulin immunoreactivity present in the void volume which was retained by an affinity column with anti-human-immunoglobulin G antibodies (87% and 95% from patients 1 and 2 respectively). Scatchard plot analysis and molecular typing of the DRB1 gene revealed a polyclonal antibody and DRB1*0406 in patient 1, and a monoclonal antibody and DRB1*0403 in patient 2. CONCLUSIONS: These two Portuguese patients with IAS had different HLA-DR4 subtypes and insulin autoantibodies: DRB1*0406 and a polyclonal antibody in a patient treated with penicillin, and DRB1*0403 and a monoclonal antibody in a patient with "idiopathic" IAS.

The Japanese Study Group of Insulin Therapy for Childhood and Adolescent Diabetes (JSGIT): initial aims and impact of the family history of type 1 diabetes mellitus in Japanese children.

The Japanese Study Group of Insulin Therapy for Childhood and Adolescent Diabetes (JSGIT) was established in July 1994 with the chief aim to improve the quality of therapy for type 1 diabetes in children, an entity far less common in Japan than in Europe. We proposed four initial research topics: (i) to determine the current status of medical care and glycemic control in Japanese children with type 1 diabetes mellitus; (ii) to standardize the measurement of hemoglobin A1c; (iii) to establish a registry of a large cohort of patients in order to enable prospective studies to improve the quality of therapy for children with type 1 diabetes in Japan; and (iv) to enable participants of the JSGIT to hold a workshop twice annually. We registered a total of 736 patients from 45 hospitals throughout Japan. Intervention via insulin treatment was instituted after 2 yr for those patients whose hemoglobin A1c level was more than 8.1%. The proportion of patients receiving multiple insulin injections increased after intervention; however, average hemoglobin A1c in females remained significantly higher than in males. We identified two forms of diabetes in Japanese children: a rapidly progressive form and a more slowly progressive form. There was a significantly higher prevalence of a family history of diabetes in first-degree relatives in the slowly progressive form. These preliminary findings are the result of the first collaborative study of childhood diabetes in Japan.

Association between IA-2 autoantibody epitope specificities and age of onset in Japanese patients with autoimmune diabetes.

The IA-2 is a major autoantigen of type 1 diabetes belonging to the protein tyrosine phosphatase family. We report on the humoral autoimmunity to an alternatively-spliced variant of IA-2 (IA-2 variant) and autoimmune-mediated diabetes age of onset association with IA-2 autoantibody epitope specificities, in 144 recent-onset patients with type 1 diabetes and 54 GAD autoantibody-positive patients with type 2 diabetes. The cytoplasmic domain of IA-2 (IA-2ic) detected a somewhat greater proportion of patients expressing autoantibodies than IA-2 variant (56%vs. 52% of patients with type 1 diabetes and 17%vs. 9% of GAD autoantibody-positive patients with type 2 diabetes). Conversely, only 1% of IA-2 variant autoantibody-positive patients failed to react to IA-2ic construct. Among 80 patients with type 1 diabetes who were positive for autoantibodies to IA-2ic, 8% recognized the juxtamembrane region (JM, representing amino acids 601-629) only, 64% bound the protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP)-like domain of IA-2 only, and 29% bound both JM and PTP epitopes. Autoantibodies to the PTP-like domain were prevalent in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. The age of disease onset in patients with IA-2JM autoantibodies only, was significantly higher than those in patients reacted with the PTP-like domain of IA-2 (P< 0.02). Among GAD autoantibody-positive patients with type 2 diabetes reacted with IA-2ic, 44% bound the JM region only, and 33% bound epitopes in the PTP-like domain only; 22% had autoantibodies to both regions. The frequency of GAD autoantibody-positive patients with type 2 diabetes positive for autoantibodies to the JM region only, was significantly higher than that in patients with type 1 diabetes (P< 0.01). IA-2PTP autoantibodies were significantly associated with HLA-DR4, while the additional reactivity to IA-2JM was associated with HLA-DR9 allele. These results suggest that autoantibody recognition of IA-2 epitopes in autoimmune diabetes is associated with age of disease onset, which may reflect the intensity of the beta-cell destruction process.

Slightly elevated blood pressure as well as poor metabolic control are risk factors for the progression of retinopathy in early-onset Japanese Type 2 diabetes.

Not a few patients in Japan with early-onset type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes become blind due to proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). However, the risk factors are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors for background diabetic retinopathy (BDR) and PDR by following 394 Japanese patients with early-onset type 2 diabetes diagnosed before 30 years of age (mean age 27, mean blood pressure at entry 116/73 mm Hg). Of the 322 patients who were free of diabetic retinopathy at entry, 88 developed BDR, giving an incidence of 57.7 (95% CI 55.5-60. 0)/1000 person-years. Cox proportional hazard analysis revealed mean HbA(1c) and duration of diabetes to be significant predictors of development of BDR. Of the 160 patients with BDR, i.e., the 72 patients who had BDR at entry and the 88 who developed BDR during the follow-up, 50 developed PDR, giving an incidence of 17.9 (95% CI 13.6-23.6)/1000 person-years. Cox proportional hazard analysis indicated mean HbA(1c) and diastolic blood pressure to be significant predictors of the progression from BDR to PDR. In conclusion, in early-onset Japanese type 2 diabetic patients, the rates of both development of BDR and of progression from BDR to PDR appear to be potentially high. Not only lifetime exposure to glycemia but also a slightly elevated blood pressure level is an important risk factor for progression to PDR.

Marriage rate and number of children among young adults with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in Japan.

The main purpose of our study was to identify the social circumstances and lifestyle of IDDM patients in Japan. The present study focused on the marriage status of both men and women with IDDM as well as the number of children of women with IDDM. A questionnaire was sent to hospitals across the country. Doctors handed it or mailed it to IDDM patients aged 18 years or older. Unsigned answer sheets were returned directly by the patients. Data on the marriage rate and number of children were obtained, and possible factors affecting these indices were assessed. One thousand and thirteen patients (354 men and 659 women) answered the questionnaire. Both men and women with IDDM were less likely to be married in comparison with age-matched Japanese. The number of children of married IDDM women in various age groups was also lower in comparison with the general Japanese female population. Several factors other than diabetes complications including job discrimination, high medical costs, and psychological pressures, were thought to be responsible for these results.

Higher incidence of diabetic nephropathy in type 2 than in type 1 diabetes in early-onset diabetes in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Whether the type of diabetes, race, and year and age of diagnosis affect the incidence of diabetic vascular complications is unknown. That both type 1 and type 2 diabetes occur in the young Japanese population prompted us to investigate whether the type of diabetes and the year of diagnosis are related to the incidence of nephropathy. METHODS: Of the 17,256 diabetic patients who visited the outpatient clinic at our diabetes center between 1965 and 1990, 1578 (9.1%) had early-onset diabetes (diagnosed before the age of 30); of these, 620 (39%) had type 1, and 958 (61%) had type 2 diabetes. The incidence of nephropathy was analyzed in the patients according to postpubertal duration and year of diagnosis. RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of nephropathy after 30 years of postpubertal diabetes was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) in type 2 diabetic patients (44.4%, 95% CI, 37.0 to 51.8%) than in type 1 diabetic patients (20.2%, 95% CI, 14.9 to 25.8%). The incidence of nephropathy among type 1 diabetic patients has declined during the past two decades, whereas it has not among type 2 diabetic patients. The rate ratio for type 2 diabetic patients diagnosed between 1980 and 1984 relative to type 1 diabetic patients diagnosed in the same period was 2.74 (95% CI, 1. 17 to 6.41). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of nephropathy has declined in Japanese patients with type 1 but not in those with type 2 diabetes. In young Japanese patients, because of the higher incidence of nephropathy in type 2 diabetes and the higher prevalence of type 2 than type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes is likely the major cause of diabetic nephropathy.

Antibody-mediated insulin resistance treated by cessation of insulin administration.

A 45-year-old Japanese man was referred to our hospital because of hyperglycemia despite the administration of as much as 120 U/day of human insulin. He had no history of injecting animal insulin. Free insulin was below 5 microU/ml, but a high titer of total insulin (about 3,000 microU/ml) was observed, suggesting the presence of antibodies against human insulin. Scatchard analysis showed an increased insulin binding capacity in the plasma characterized by a higher affinity for insulin. He was successfully treated by cessation of insulin administration. A Scatchard analysis series showed that a reduction in the insulin binding capacity of antibodies paralleled the improvement in glycemic control.

Worldwide differences in the incidence of insulin autoimmune syndrome (Hirata disease) with respect to the evolution of HLA-DR4 alleles.

The relationship between the geographic distribution of susceptibility genes to insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS) and the incidence of insulin autoimmune syndrome was investigated in order to examine the distribution of the genetic background to susceptibility to certain diseases. The HLA-DR4 allele, DRB1*0406, is associated with increased susceptibility to IAS among Japanese, while the DRB1*0403 and DRB1*0407 alleles are not (the odds ratio of which are 1.6 and 1.1, respectively). The worldwide geographic distribution of the three DR*04 alleles showed that the distribution of DRB1*0403 encompassed that of DRB1*0406 and DRB1*0407. Taken together with the findings that Glu at position 74 in the DRB1 molecule is shared by the three DRB1*04 alleles, there are only a few differences between the DRB1 molecule-nucleotide sequences of DRB1*0403, DRB1*0406 and DRB1*0407, and that all the three DRB1*04 alleles are carried by the same class II haplotype, DQA1*0301/DQB1*0302, it may be considered that DRB1*0403 is the ancestral allele of DRB1*0406 and DRB1*0407. Therefore, populations with a higher prevalence of DRB1*0406 have a higher risk of developing IAS. The extremely low prevalence of IAS among Caucasians can be explained by the low prevalence of DRB1*0406 in this population. This is a good example of the association between the predisposition to risk of development of certain diseases and the evolution of susceptibility genes.

Differences between bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder in females with type 1 diabetes: the important role of insulin omission.

This study explored the differences between bulimia nervosa ("BN," n=22) and binge-eating disorder ("BED," n=11) in type 1 diabetic females and the factors most predictive of poor glycemic control in patients suffering from these disorders. These two groups and a control group without eating disorders (n=32) were compared across a number of demographic, psychological, and medical variables. BN manifested significantly more severe disturbances related to eating disorders, depression, anxiety, a higher rate of co-occurring mental disorders, and poorer psychosocial functioning compared with BED. BN also showed poorer glycemic control. Multivariate analysis indicated that higher serum glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels were most associated with the presence of severe insulin omission in type 1 diabetic females with binge eating. Clinicians may be able to determine the psychological/medical severity of illness in these patients by identifying the presence of compensatory behaviors to prevent weight gain such as severe insulin omission, as described in the DSM-IV.

Genetic polymorphism of renin-angiotensin system is not associated with diabetic vascular complications in Japanese subjects with long-term insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.

In a hospital cohort study, we examined whether or not ACE (Angiotensin-I converting enzyme) and AGT (Angiotensinogen) gene polymorphisms were associated with the development of nephropathy in long-term Japanese insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) patients with or without proliferative retinopathy, and whether or not the polymorphisms were associated with an arteriosclerotic family history in first degree relatives of the patients. A total of 201 patients with IDDM for more than 10 years and 159 patients with IDDM for more than 15 years were randomly selected in our hospital. All patients received uniform diabetes management and were divided into three groups, no nephropathy, incipient nephropathy and clinical nephropathy groups. There were no differences in clinical characteristics excluding urinary albumin to creatinine ratio and systolic blood pressure between the three groups. ACE I/D polymorphism was related to plasma ACE activity, but there were no associations between ACE I/D polymorphism and the development of diabetic nephropathy, nor was renal deterioration observed in patients with proliferative retinopathy even in those with a history of diabetes for more than 15 years. The AGT polymorphism did not have an additive effect on the association between ACE polymorphism and the development of diabetic nephropathy in patients with or without retinopathy. Development of diabetic nephropathy in the patients with or without proliferative retinopathy did not result in ACE or AGT polymorphisms. On the other hand, the ACE DD genotype was associated with a family history of ischemic heart disease in first degree relatives (X2 score = 9.04, P < 0.05). ACE and AGT gene polymorphisms may not play a role in the protective or accelerative effect against the development of diabetic nephropathy in the patients with or without proliferative retinopathy, but ACE gene polymorphism might be related to an arteriosclerotic family history in Japanese IDDM patients.