glucometabolic effects of oral vitamin E in non-insulin dependent diabetes

This study included 20 patients with NIDDM selected from the Diabetes clinic, Cairo University Hospitals, all of them were under diet control and oral hypoglycemic drugs, for which estimation of fasting blood glucose and serum insulin levels, postprandial blood glucose and glycosylated haemoglobin levels were done before and after 6 weeks of oral intake of vitamin E in a dose of 600 mg/day in three divided doses. The results showed statistically significant improvement in the blood glucose, serum insulin and glycosylated haemoglobin levels after the intake of vit. E, thus oral supplements of vit. E to NIDDM patients may be of value in improving glucose metabolism

Splenic volume measured by sonography as a new better index for diagnosis of splenomegaly

Since the introduction of sonography as a mean for diagnosis of splenic abnormalities, the traditional method to diagnose splenomegaly was essentiaIIy dependant upon estimating its log axis. A new [original] method was used in this study to determine the splenic size [volume] as a more accurate assessment of splenic enlargement in borderline cases with a long axis of 10-12 cm. The calculation of splenic volume was possible depending upon a built in function of the sonographic device Sonoline [Siemens] with the B-mode sector and liner transducer [3.5 M.Hz.]. This work was conducted on two groups of cases:1. First group without clinical splenomegaly: A. A spleen with a long axis less than 10 cm. as determined sonographically [101] cases. B. Another sub-group with a long axis more than 10. cm but less than 12 cm [65 cases] .2 Second group of cases included patients with definite splenomegaly as detected clinically and/or long axis of more than 12 cm. as determined sonographically [15 cases]. All cases were subjected to full history, physical examination and necessary laboratory tests to diagnose the etiology of splenomegaly. All cases were studied sonographically for the long axis of the spleen and splenic volume. A value of l53.36 cm +/- 58.29 was found to be a measure of normal splenic volume. In borderline cases with a long axis of 10-12 cm where splenomegaly was not diagnosed sonographically with the traditional method, the splenic volume was found significantly bigger than normal value of splenic volume obtained in this study and it was concluded that this measurement is a more accurate diagnostic tool for diagnosis of splenomegaly in cases where sonographic splenomegaly is doubtful

modifying effect of high fiber diet on the hypoglycemic response to sulfonylurea in NIDDM

Twenty patients with NIDDM on sulfonylurea drugs and 10 control subjects were subjected to study fasting and 2 hours post-prandial blood glucose level before and after 40 gm bran was added to each meal for 3 weeks. Results showed that supplementation of diet with high fibre caused a statistically significant drop in fasting and 2 hours post-prandial blood glucose in diabetics treated with sulfonylurea drugs. In the control group, high fibre supplementation resulted in a statistically significant drop in the 2 hours postprandial blood glucose but the fasting level was not significantly affected