The effects of maintenance doses of FK506 versus cyclosporin A on glucose and lipid metabolism after orthotopic liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Posttransplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) has gained widespread attention due to the micro and macro-vascular complications that increase the morbidity and mortality of patients receiving solid organs. The higher incidence of PTDM has been mainly attributed to the immunosuppressive therapy. Therefore, this study compares the metabolic side effects of low dose maintenance therapy of FK-506 and Cyclosporin A (CsA) in 14 patients 1 year after orthotopic liver transplant and analyzes possible factors that contribute to the development of PTDM. METHODS: Two groups (n=7) differing in their immunosuppressive regimen (FK506 or CsA) were matched to eight control subjects and compared to each other. The effects of in vivo insulin action were assessed by means of the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp technique. Arginine stimulation tests at normo- (5.5 mM) and hyperglycemic (15 mM) levels were performed and the acute insulin, C-peptide, and glucagon response (2-5 min) to arginine were determined. RESULTS: Insulin sensitivity (total glucose disposal) was statistically lower in patients treated with FK-506 and CsA (5.05+/-0.47 and 5.05+/-0.42 mg/kg/min) as compared to controls (6.62+/-0.38 mg/kg/min) (P<0.02), with a significantly higher nonoxidative glucose disposal for the control group (P<0.01), and lower free fatty acid levels (P<0.05). Absolute values for acute insulin response were higher but not significantly different for the transplanted groups. The lower percentage of increase of insulin release after arginine stimulation observed in the FK-506 and CsA groups as compared with controls (754%+/-100, 644%+/-102 vs. 1191%+/-174) (P<0.03 and 0.02, respectively), suggests a reduced beta cell secretory reserve in both treated groups. Also, the acute glucagon response to arginine during hyperglycemia declined less in the FK-506 (28%) and CsA groups (29%) compared with controls (48%) (P<0.05) indicating a defect in the pancreatic beta cell-alpha cell axis. CONCLUSIONS: There are no major metabolic differences on low maintenance doses between FK-506 and CsA. Both immunosuppressant agents contribute to the development of PTDM at different levels.

Transplantation of islets of Langerhans in patients with insulin-requiring diabetes mellitus undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation--the Miami experience.

Most patients with cirrhosis of the liver have detectable insulin resistance. In 60-80% of patients with cirrhosis, impaired glucose tolerance can be uncovered; approximately 20% of these patients eventually develop overt diabetes. Theoretically, insulin resistance and glucose intolerance could be improved or reversed by orthotopic liver transplantation alone or in association with a simultaneous transplant of pancreatic islet cells from the same donor. To investigate these possibilities we initiated a pilot study of simultaneous liver and pancreatic islet cell transplantation in seven patients with diabetes and liver cirrhosis. Donor bone marrow cells were also infused to enhance the acceptance of the grafts. Seven patients who received only orthotopic liver transplantation and donor bone marrow cells were used as historical controls. The preliminary results of this pilot trial suggest that islet cell transplantation in conjunction with orthotopic liver transplantation improves glucose metabolism in patients with liver cirrhosis in association with reduced insulin requirements and HbA1c levels. These results were evident in spite of pre- and post-transplant basal C-peptide levels that were unchanged. Further evaluation of the effects of orthotopic liver transplantation with or without islet cell transplantation will require a randomized prospective trial including accurate metabolic evaluation with the euglycemic insulin clamp technique.

Long-term function (6 years) of islet allografts in type 1 diabetes.

Eight type 1 diabetic patients, ages 29-41 years, with mean diabetes duration of 23 years (range 18-29 years) received islet transplants from 1 to 5 donors. Seven patients had stable kidney allografts 1-11 years before the islet transplant, and one patient had a simultaneous islet-kidney allograft. Patients' blood glucose control was poor as reflected by the mean +/- SD HbA1c of 9.1 +/- 1.7% before transplant. Of the first three patients, two (1 and 3) achieved insulin independence for 36 and 38 days, respectively. Two recipients rejected their islet grafts within 1 month (2 and 8) and therefore were excluded from analysis. The HbA1c and insulin requirement of the six remaining patients who had persistent islet function for more than 60 days was significantly reduced from 9.3 +/- 1.9 to 6.4 +/- 1.0% (P = 0.002) and from 0.75 +/- 0.15 to 0.35 +/- 0.12 U x kg(-1) x day(-1) (P < 0.001), respectively. The two patients with the longest graft survival (4 and 6) achieved a normalization or near-normalization of their HbA1c levels during 6 years in the absence of severe episodes of hypoglycemia. As demonstrated by a decline in C-peptide response during Sustacal challenge tests over a 6-year period, there was a diminution of islet allograft function over time, despite persistence of normal or near normal HbA1c. We concluded that transplantation of allogeneic islets with an islet mass comparable with whole or segmental pancreas transplants in type 1 diabetic patients can result in long-term islet allograft function; further, we concluded that, in conjunction with small dosages of exogenous insulin, a functioning islet allograft can result in near-normalization of blood glucose levels and significant improvement in HbA1c. The occurrence of severe hypoglycemic episodes observed for patients in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial was not observed in recipients with functioning islet transplants, despite the continuous need for exogenous insulin therapy to sustain normal HbA1c over the 6-year follow-up. The significant improvement in metabolic control observed for the patients described in this study, and the potential to significantly decrease or halt the progression of diabetic complications, support the continued application of islet allotransplantation as a treatment modality for type 1 diabetic patients.

Human islet allografts in patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Most patients with cirrhosis have insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance, and 20% eventually develop diabetes. Although diabetes in this setting may be reversible after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLTx), immunosuppressive agents administered after transplantation could exacerbate this disease. We report the results of the first pilot trial of islet cell transplantation (ICTx) in patients with diabetes undergoing OLTx. METHODS: Five patients with diabetes and liver cirrhosis underwent OLTx and ICTx. Donor bone marrow cells were also infused to enhance the acceptance of the graft. We identified seven patients who received only OLTx and donor bone marrow cells as historical controls. RESULTS: Preliminary results suggest that ICTx in conjunction with OLTx may improve glucose metabolism (insulin requirement, hemoglobin A1c) in patients with liver cirrhosis. However, there was virtually no change in pre- and posttransplant basal C-peptide levels in the recipients of OLTx + ICTx. CONCLUSIONS: We are planning to further evaluate the effect of OLTx with or without ICTx in a randomized prospective trial, using euglycemic insulin clamp studies.

Familial factors determine the development of diabetic nephropathy in patients with IDDM.

To evaluate familial factors in the development of diabetic nephropathy in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) we examined concordance for diabetic nephropathy in families with multiple IDDM siblings. Families (n = 110) were identified through Joslin Clinic patients (probands) with a sibling having IDDM. To be eligible, the probands' and siblings' ages at IDDM diagnosis were less than 21 years, and IDDM duration was more than 15 years for probands and more than 10 years for siblings. Mean post-pubertal diabetes duration was 23 years for probands (n = 110) and 21 years for siblings (n = 125). Nephropathy history was determined by medical record review for deceased patients and those with persistent proteinuria or end-stage renal disease to ascertain the date of onset of persistent proteinuria. For patients without documented nephropathy, the albumin/creatinin ratio was measured in multiple urine samples. The cumulative incidence of persistent proteinuria according to post-pubertal duration of IDDM was determined by life-table analysis. For probands and siblings combined, the cumulative incidence of advanced diabetic nephropathy after 30 years of IDDM was 35%, but the risk in siblings varied according to the proband's renal status. The cumulative risk in siblings after 25 years of IDDM (post-puberty) was 71.5% if the proband had persistent proteinuria but only 25.4% if the proband did not (p < 0.001). A difference of nearly 50% in the risk to IDDM siblings, depending upon the IDDM proband's renal status, is consistent with a major gene effect that predisposes an individual with IDDM to develop advanced diabetic nephropathy.

Apolipoprotein E genotypes and risk of diabetic nephropathy.

Genetic susceptibility contributes to the development of diabetic nephropathy. In considering potentially important genetic factors, this study examined the association between genetic polymorphisms in apolipoprotein (apo) E and diabetic nephropathy in 146 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) of 15 to 21 years' duration. Using a case-control study design, patients with proteinuria (N = 41) (albumin excretion rate (AER) > or = 250 micrograms/min) and patients with microalbuminuria (N = 31) (AER 20 to 250 micrograms/min) were compared with patients who had normoalbuminuria (N = 74) (AER < 20 micrograms/min). Genetic polymorphisms at the apo E locus were identified by the method of denaturing gradient-gel electrophoresis. There was no significant difference in allele frequencies in the proteinuric, microalbuminuric, or normoalbuminuric groups (e2 7.3%, 9.7%, 9.5%; e3 78.1%, 72.6%, 68.2%; e4 14.6%, 17.7%, 22.3%; respectively). The distribution of the apo E genotypes among the three groups of patients was also similar. These results suggest that apo E genotypes are not associated with the development of early or advanced diabetic nephropathy in patients with IDDM.

Factors modifying the risk of IDDM in offspring of an IDDM parent.

Offspring of mothers with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) have a much lower risk of IDDM than do offspring of diabetic fathers, and this risk is particularly low for offspring born to diabetic mothers over the age of 25 years. To determine whether increasing maternal age also protects the offspring of IDDM fathers from IDDM, we surveyed 367 IDDM fathers (IDDM onset before age 35) who first came to the Joslin Clinic (Boston, MA) between 1945 and 1969. Of the 840 offspring of these men, IDDM developed in 28 before the age of 20, giving a cumulative risk of 5.1 +/- 1.0% (means +/- SE). Because this is similar to the result of our earlier study of IDDM fathers, the two groups were combined to give 1,084 offspring, 39 having IDDM (cumulative risk of IDDM 5.4 +/- 0.9% by age 20), for comparison with our cohort of 1,391 offspring of 739 IDDM mothers. In that cohort, IDDM developed in 20 offspring before the age of 20 years, giving a cumulative risk of 2.1 +/- 0.5%. The risk of diabetes in offspring was higher if the parent's IDDM was diagnosed before age 11 than if it was diagnosed later: 9.3 compared with 4.0% (P = 0.006) for the offspring of IDDM fathers and 2.7 compared with 1.8% for the offspring of IDDM mothers (P = 0.06). In the families in which the father's IDDM was diagnosed after age 11, a protective effect of maternal age > or = 25, similar to that in families of IDDM mothers, seems to be present.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Application of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis to detect DNA sequence differences encoding apolipoprotein E isoforms.

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) plays an important role in plasma lipid metabolism. Three common isoforms of this protein have been identified by the isoelectric focusing method. In this report we describe a new method for distinguishing these isoforms. Our method employs PCR amplification of the DNA sequence of exon 4 in the apoE gene followed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) to distinguish its different melting characteristics. Identification of the ApoE isoforms through DNA melting behavior rather than protein charge differences eliminates the problems associated with isoelectric focusing and facilitates screening for additional mutations at the apoE locus.

Evaluation of B-cell secretion and peripheral insulin resistance during pregnancy and after delivery in gestational diabetes mellitus with obesity.

Nine pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) were studied. Six normal pregnant women and six normal nonpregnant women were evaluated as control groups. All the women underwent oral glucose tolerance test and glucose clamp during the third trimester of pregnancy and two months after delivery. During OGTT, glucose, C-peptide and insulin plasma levels were determined. C-peptide and insulin values in the late phase of OGTT were higher during pregnancy than after delivery in both groups. In gestational diabetic women, the M-value in the second steady-state during glucose clamp was lower than in controls, both during pregnancy and after delivery. Nevertheless, in both groups the M-value during pregnancy was lower than after delivery. Moreover, in gestational diabetic women there was an inverse correlation between M-value in the second steady-state and ponderal excess index after delivery. In conclusion, the impaired peripheral glucose utilization and the pancreatic pattern of gestational diabetic women compared to normal suggested altered B-cell secretion response, increased peripheral resistance and overweight to be the main changes in GDM.

[Comparison of intensified traditional insulin therapy and micropump therapy in pregnant women with type 1 diabetes mellitus]. / Confronto fra terapia insulinica tradizionale ottimizzata e con microinfusore in gravide affette da diabete mellito di tipo I.

Ten pregnant women, affected by type I diabetes mellitus, observed for the first time during the II-III month of pregnancy, were examined. These patients were divided in two groups at random: group A underwent continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion with micropump CPI 9100 Lilly; group B underwent intensified insulin therapy with three daily doses of MC rapid insulin, two of which associated with MC intermediate insulin. All the patients were able to monitor their own blood glucose levels at home by means of reactive strips and reflectometer. In both the groups the mean glycemic values during fast and two hours after meals, and the eventual presence of urinary keton bodies and hypoglycemic crisis were evaluated during the course of pregnancy: these parameters turned out to be identical in the two groups. The increased need of insulin, the maternal body weight gain, the week and mode of delivery, the neonatal weight and the maternal and fetal complications also turned out to be identical in the two groups. To conclude, a good maternal metabolic control can be obtained either with the intensified conventional insulin therapy of with micropumps, if the patients, being properly instructed, are responsible for the monitoring of their own blood glucose levels at home.