Study on glucose tolerance in pregnancy as a screening test and diagnostic tool for gestational diabetes mellitus

GDM is a common medical problem that results from an increased severity of insulin resistance as well as an impairment of compensatory increase in insulin secretion. GDM is associated with a variety of maternal and fetal complications. Controversy surrounds the ideal approach for detecting GDM, and the approaches recommended for screening and diagnosis are largely based on expert opinion. This study enrolled 51 pregnant women aged between 20 and 39 years old. All women were invited to do fasting and two hours postprandial blood glucose every two weeks, 2 hr. 75g OGTT every trimester. Plasma glucose measurements were performed with glucose oxidase method using semi-automated spectrophotometer [Biosystems 310]. Both normal and GDM cases have normal glucose tolerance in early weeks of pregnancy. However, after 24 weeks of gestation progressive increment of hyperglycemia was obviously observed in GDM cases. Suitable cutoffs in diagnosis of GDM in third trimester are 97 mg/dl for fasting; 174 mg/dl for 1 hour; and 141 mg/dl for 2 hour

Apoptosis of lymphocytes in SLE: the level correlation with prednisolone dosage and lymphocyte phenotypes

SLE is a systemic autoimmune disorder. One of the mechanisms by which elimination of autoreactive lymphocytes takes place is apoptosis. Adefect in apoptosis may thus contribute to the development of autoimmune disease. The study included 34 Russian children patients with SLE in age between 6-17 years old. Lymphocytes were isolated from venous blood by method of gradient centrifugation of all the blood through a Ficoll-pak solution. The quantity apoptotic cells was determined in leukocytes by flow cytometry Epics XL-2 [Beckman Coulter, USA]. Analysis of tymphocyte snbpopulations was carried by using two fluorescent labels: FITC conjugated monoclonal antibodies [CD-25 and CD-20] and phycoerythrin conjugated monoclonal antibody [CD-3, CD-4 and CD-8]. After in vitro incubation in CQ[2] incubator for 36hr, the percentage of apoptotic lymphocytes from patients with SLE was significantly higher than from healthy donors [7.2 +/- 4.7% vs. 5.5 +/- 3.2% respectively]. This was found to be depending upon the SLE disease activity. Moreover, observed correlations between level apoptosis lymphocyte in SLE and the titer of antibodies to dsDNA [r = 0.5] and dosage prednisolone [r = 0.6]. By analyzing lymphocyte phenotypes; there was no significant difference in percentage of CD3+T-cells from SLE compared to normal donors [62.4 +/- 7.2 vs. 68.7 +/- 9.9.]; the same had been observed in CD8+ T-cells [20.9 +/- 5.5 vs. 25.3 +/- 5.6]; and in CD20+ B-cells [9.7 +/- 8.9 vs. 13.7 +/- 8.0]. However, the percentage of CD4+T cell was significantly decreased [P = 0,001] in patients with SLE compared to normal donors [25.5 +/- 7.3 vs. 40.6 +/- 8.7]. The immunoregulatory index was decreased in SLE compared to normal donors [1.2 vs 1.6 respectively]. This phenotypes disbalance was associated with significant increased in the level of activated CD25+ lymphocytes in SLE compared to normal healthy donors