HLA y diabetes mellitus insulino-dependiente / HLA and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

The propensity of an individual to develop type I (insulin dependent) diabetes mellitus is directly related to specipic HLA clase II proteins, specially those from DR and DQ regions. Genetic susceptibility to insulin dependent diabetes arises from a preestablished conformation of alpha and ß chains of DQ and ß chain of DR. Since the classic demonstration by McDevitt and colleagues that DQ ß chain aspartate at position 57 was protective against the development of the disease, many populations have been surveyed to study the association between the incidence Type I diabetes and determined frequencies of DR and DQ haplotypes. The assocation between these markers and susceptibility to Type I diabetes is well established in caucasians at the present time. However, little information is available for Latin American populations, that share a mixture of european, african and native genes. Our group is studying genetic markers of three Latin American populations (Argentina, Perú and Chile) and their possible association to the different incidence of Type I diabetes mellitus in each country

Lipoproteína (a) y otros factores de riesgo en niños chilenos con diabetes mellitus tipo I / Lipoprotein (a) and other risk factors in chilean children with diabetes mellitus type I

Aims- To study serum Lp(a) levels and other metabolic cardiovascular risk factors in children with type I diabetes mellitus (DM) in comparison with sex and age matched nondiabetic children. To determine the influence of diabetes control on serum lipoprotein (a) concentrations. Design- Transversal observational study. Target population: diabetic group: 70 type I DM children with microalbuminuria and no macro-microvascular nor neurological complications, aged from 8 to 15 years; 30 boys, 40 girls. Mean duration of type I DM was 8 ñ 4 years. Non diabetic group: composed by 123 healthy children with no family history of DM, aged from 8 to 15 years, 53 boys, 70 girls. Methods- The lipids profile include: total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG), cholesterol high-density lipoproteins (C-HDL) cholesterol very-low-density lipoproteins (C-LDL) and cholesterol low-density lipoproteins (C-LDL). ApoAI, APOAII and ApoB, Lp(a) and fructosamine. Results- Fructosamine concentration in diabetic children was 340 ñ 108 uM/1 in 240 ñ 25 uM/I nondiabetic children. Lp(a) serum levels did not significantly differ among both groups 17 ñ 16 mg/dl in diabetics 19 ñ 18 mg/dl in controls. Multivariate analysis showed that in the diabetic children the worsening of metabolic control as reflected by fructosamine, was positively correlated with the increase in total Lp(a) serum concentration. Conclusions- In children aged 8-15 years with uncomplicated IDDM lasting less than 15 years duration (Lp(a) serum levels are positively correlated with the poorest metabolic control

Proteínas de la leche y su asociación con diabetes mellitus insulino-dependiente / Milk proteins and it association with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus

Cow`s milk has been implicated as a possible trigger of the autoinmune respose that destroys pancreatic beta cells in genetically susceptible host, thus causing diabetes mellitus. Studies in animals have suggested that bovine serum albumin, BSA, is the milk protein responsible, and an albumin peptide containing 17 amino acids, ABBOS, may be the reactive epitope. Antibodies to this peptide react with p69 a beta cell surface protein that may represent the target antigen for milk-induced beta-cell specific inmunity. The consumption of cow`s milk in Europe may support the hypothesis that cow`s milk may be a triggering factor for the development of type I diabetes. However, several epidemiological studies has not found significance correlation between the observed the importance of several enviromental factors in the devepment of type I diabetes with the objetive to establish a good prevention in susceptible subjects