Plasma concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor and its relation to diabetic vascular complications in [NIDDM] patients

This study was performed on 30 NIDDM patients with complications [diabetic nephropathy and retinopathy], 20 NIDDM patients without complications and 20 age and sex-matched healthy control subjects. NIDDM patients with complications showed a highly significant increase of plasma vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF] than other two groups. NIDDM patients without complications had a higher VEGF than the control subjects. VEGF was correlated with fasting, 2-hour postprandial blood glucose levels, glycosylated, hemoglobin [HbA1c] and albumin excretion rate [AER], but it was not correlated to the duration of DM

Plasma homocysteine and endothelin-I in patients with type-I [IDDM] diabetes

This study was performed on 40 type I diabetes [IDDM] patients with complications [nephropathy and retinopathy], 20 IDDM patients without complications and 20 age and sex matched healthy control subjects. IDDM patients with complications had significantly higher fasting total homocysteine [tHCY] and endothlin-1 [ET-1] plasma levels than the other two groups. In diabetic patients without complications, plasma tHCY had a slight increase than the control subjects, while plasma level of ET-1 was significantly higher than the control subjects. tHCY plasma level was correlated with albumin excretion rate [AER], serum creatinine and ET-1 glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c], but it was not correlated with the duration of diabetes mellitus, serum lipids and age of the patients

Detection of an early marker of atherosclerosis among non-insulin dependent-diabetic patients

An early marker of subclinical arteriosclerosis, the increased intimal-medial thickness [IMT] of the common carotid artery was measured by B-mode ultrasound in twenty non-diabetic and thirty non- insulin- dependent diabetic patients [ten newly diagnosed and twenty well established diabetics]. This marker was compared in non- diabetic and diabetic subjects to evaluate its correlation with some cardiovascular risk factors, and duration of diabetes. In addition, body mass index [BMI], waist to hip ratio [WHR], blood pressure, glycosylated hemoglobin [HbAic] and fasting concentrations of plasma glucose, serum lipids and serum insulin were measured in all subjects. In conclusion, diabetes is characterized by a greater thickness of the carotid artery, which lead to increased risk of arteriosclerosis. Also, central adiposity is considered as a predictor of IMT in non- diabetic individuals