Hyperglycemia and incidence of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke-comparison between fasting and 2-hour glucose criteria.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We examined the impact of hyperglycemia on ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke incidence comparing criteria based on fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and 2-hour plasma glucose (2-hour PG). METHODS: Data from 9 European cohorts comprising 18 360 individuals between 25 to 90 years of age were collaboratively analyzed. The maximum length of follow-up varied between 4.9 to 36.8 years. Hazards ratios (95% confidence intervals) for stroke incidence were estimated using Cox-proportional hazards model adjusting for known risk factors. RESULTS: In individuals without a prior history of diabetes, the multivariate-adjusted hazards ratio for ischemic stroke corresponding to 1 SD increase in FPG was 1.12 (1.02 to 1.22) and in 2-hour PG 1.14 (1.05 to 1.24). Adding 2-hour PG to the model with FPG significantly improved the prediction of the model for the incidence of ischemic stroke (chi(2)=4.72, P=0.03), whereas FPG did not improve the 2-hour PG model prediction (chi(2)=0.25, P=0.62). A significantly increased hazard ratio was also observed for previously diagnosed diabetes (2.26 [1.51 to 3.38]) and for screen-detected diabetes defined by FPG (1.48 [1.08 to 2.02]) and 2-hour PG (1.60 [1.18 to 2.16]). None of the criteria predicted hemorrhagic stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes defined by either of the criteria predicted the future risk of ischemic stroke but not the hemorrhagic stroke. The prediction is stronger for elevated 2-hour PG than for FPG levels.

The impact of diabetes on coronary heart disease differs from that on ischaemic stroke with regard to the gender.

BACKGROUND: To study the diabetes related CVD risk between men and women of different ages. METHODS: Hazards ratios (HRs) (95%CI) for acute CHD and ischaemic stroke events were estimated based on data of Finnish and Swedish cohorts of 5111 women and 4167 men. RESULTS: 182 (3.6%) women and 348 (8.4%) men had CHD and 129 (2.5%) women and 137 (3.3%) men ischaemic stroke events. The multivariate adjusted HRs for acute CHD at age groups of 40-49, 50-59 and 60-69 years were 1.00 (1.94), 1.78 (4.23), 3.75 (8.40) in women (men) without diabetes and 4.35 (5.40), 5.49 (9.54) and 8.84 (13.76) in women (men) with diabetes. The corresponding HRs for ischaemic stroke were 1.00 (1.26), 2.48 (2.83) and 5.17 (5.11) in women (men) without diabetes and 4.14 (4.91), 3.32 (6.75) and 13.91 (18.06) in women (men) with diabetes, respectively. CONCLUSION: CHD risk was higher in men than in women but difference reduced in diabetic population. Diabetes, however, increased stroke risk more in men than in women.

The difference between acute coronary heart disease and ischaemic stroke risk with regard to gender and age in Finnish and Swedish populations.

BACKGROUND: We studied the age and gender difference between acute coronary heart disease and ischaemic stroke risk and examined the extent to which such a difference may be explained by known risk factors. METHODS: Data from Finnish and Swedish population-based cohorts including 9278 individuals were collaboratively analysed. Hazards ratios (95% confidence intervals) for coronary heart disease and stroke incidence were estimated using the Cox-proportional hazards model. RESULTS: The incidence of coronary heart disease and stroke was higher in all age groups in men than in women, and the gender difference was more marked for coronary heart disease than for ischaemic stroke. There was a 10-year lag in the development of coronary heart disease and stroke in women compared with men. The multivariable adjusted hazard ratios for the incidence of coronary heart disease in men and women were 3.87 (2.49-6.02) and 1.71 (1.07-2.74) at age 50-59 years, and 7.22 (4.59-11.36) and 3.49 (2.18-5.57) at age 60-69 years compared with women aged 40-49 years. For ischaemic stroke, they were 2.64 (1.45-4.82) and 2.17 (1.18-3.97) at age 50-59 years, and 5.19 (2.81-9.58) and 4.89 (2.67-8.97) at age 60-69 years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Acute coronary heart disease and ischaemic stroke events appeared approximately 10 years earlier in men than in women, and these rates remained higher in men than in women in all age groups. The gender difference was more marked for coronary heart disease than for ischaemic stroke. This may be taken into account when developing interventions and treatment strategies.

Hyperglycemia and stroke mortality: comparison between fasting and 2-h glucose criteria.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated stroke mortality in individuals in different categories of glycemia and compared hazard ratios (HRs) corresponding to a 1-SD increase in 2-h plasma glucose and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) criteria. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We examined data from 2-h 75-g oral glucose tolerance tests taken from 13 European cohorts comprising 11,844 (55%) men and 9,862 (45%) women who were followed up for a median of 10.5 years. A multivariate adjusted Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate HRs for stroke mortality. RESULTS: In men and women without a prior history of diabetes, multivariate adjusted HRs for stroke mortality corresponding to a 1-SD increase in FPG were 1.02 (95% CI 0.83-1.25) and 1.52 (1.22-1.88) and those in 2-h plasma glucose 1.21 (1.06-1.38) and 1.31 (1.06-1.61), respectively. Addition of 2-h plasma glucose to the model with FPG significantly improved prediction of stroke mortality in men (chi2 = 10.12; P = 0.001) but not in women (chi2 = 0.01; P = 0.94), whereas addition of FPG to 2-h plasma glucose improved stroke mortality in women (chi2 = 4.08; P = 0.04) but not in men (chi2 = 3.29; P = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes defined by either FPG or 2-h plasma glucose increases the risk of stroke mortality. In individuals without a history of diabetes, elevated 2-h postchallenge glucose is a better predictor than elevated fasting glucose in men, whereas the latter is better than the former in women.

Cultures of human embryonic stem cells: serum replacement medium or serum-containing media and the effect of basic fibroblast growth factor.

Human embryonic stem (hES) cells have traditionally been cultured in medium containing fetal calf serum (FCS) and mouse fibroblasts as feeder cells. The use of animal derived materials carries a risk of transmitting animal pathogens, and they are not optimal in cultures aimed at cell transplantation in humans. This technical study aiming at facilitating IVF units to establish new hES cell lines, has systematically compared the non-differentiated growth of the hES cell line HS237, originally derived and thereafter cultured using human foreskin fibroblasts as feeder cells, by culturing it in media containing serum replacement (SR; 10, 15, 20%), FCS, and human serum. In addition, optimal concentrations of insulin-transferrin-selenium (ITS) mixture and the effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) have also been studied. Cellular growth was monitored daily and maintenance of their non-differentiated character was studied using antibodies against TRA-1-60, TRA-1-81 and SSEA-4 and expression of Oct-4. The hES cells proliferated fastest when 20% of SR was used. In human serum-containing medium, the cells underwent extensive spontaneous differentiation within a few passages. The FCS supported the non-differentiated growth poorly. Basic fibroblast growth factor supported non-differentiated growth, the highest concentration (8 ng/ml) giving the best result, while ITS was not beneficial.