Subject(s)
Feeding Behavior , Health Education/statistics & numerical data , Nutritional Sciences/education , Students/psychology , Anthropometry , Child , Diet Records , Female , Fruit , Health Education/methods , Humans , Italy , Male , Parents , Program Evaluation , Schools , VegetablesABSTRACT
In this study we investigated whether the presence of diabetic autonomic neuropathy (DAN) leads to an altered composition of saliva. DAN was evaluated in 33 normal subjects and 31 diabetic patients by means of the Valsalva manoeuvre, R-R variation during deep breathing, heart rate response to standing and lying down and blood pressure response to standing. Salivary flow (ml/h), salivary glucose levels (mumol/l) and salivary glucose secretory rate (mumol/h) were measured in each subject. Twelve diabetic patients were positive for DAN. Salivary flow (13 +/- 2 ml/h) and glucose concentration (330 +/- 50 mumol/l) were not significantly lower in patients with DAN than in normal subjects (18 +/- 2 ml/h, 500 +/- 50 mumol/l) and diabetic patients without DAN (16 +/- 1.9 ml/h, 500 +/- 40 mumol/l). The salivary glucose secretion rate was significantly lower (P less than 0.02) in diabetic patients with DAN (4.2 +/- 1.0 mumol/h) than in normal subjects and diabetic patients without DAN (9.0 +/- 1.0 mumol/h and 8.0 +/- 0.9 mumol/h respectively). The test had a good sensitivity and specificity, and appeared to be particularly indicated in discriminating patients without DAN. It is suggested that the measurement of salivary glucose may represent a simple, quick and inexpensive method for the screening of diabetic autonomic neuropathy.
Subject(s)
Autonomic Nervous System Diseases/diagnosis , Diabetic Neuropathies/diagnosis , Glucose/metabolism , Salivary Glands/metabolism , Adult , Autonomic Nervous System Diseases/etiology , Blood Pressure , Female , Glucose/analysis , Heart Rate , Humans , Male , Respiration , Saliva/analysis , SalivationABSTRACT
Alternative medications for hyperlipidemia management have been continuously searched for above all because currently employed drugs appear not to be effective or are poorly tolerated. Fibers, such as guar-gum, seem to be able to reduce cholesterol levels, but their extensive and long-term use is beset by the high incidence of gastrointestinal side-effects. In this study the administration of guar-enriched pasta has proved to reduce fasting and post-prandial cholesterol levels significantly in 15 obese normocholesterolemic women (5 diabetics and 10 non-diabetics). The women reported good palatableness of guar-pasta without any side-effects.
Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/blood , Diabetes Mellitus/blood , Dietary Fiber , Galactans , Lipids/blood , Mannans , Obesity/blood , Adult , Apolipoproteins/blood , Cholesterol/blood , Fasting , Female , Humans , Lipoproteins/blood , Plant GumsABSTRACT
The diagnosis of sexual dysfunctions (SD) in diabetic male patients is usually based on interviews about the sexual behavior of the patients themselves. The absence of a standardized procedure may explain the discrepancies in the prevalence reported in previous papers. In this work, we show a rational procedure to assess the presence and the type of SD in a group of 128 diabetic men. By means of an appropriate questionnaire, SD were pointed out in 40% of insulin-dependent diabetics (IDD) and 52% of non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients (NIDD). Among the patients with SD, 28% had organic impotence, 11% psychogenic impotence and 8% reduction of libido. IDD with SD were older (p less than 0.01) and with a longer duration of diabetes (p less than 0.02) than IDD without SD. NIDD with and without SD had similar ages and known duration of diabetes. Both in IDD and in NIDD, the prevalence of SD was not affected by the quality of short-term metabolic control. In the patients in whom it was studied by a different technique, the predominant cause of organic impotence (76%) was a damage of parasympathetic nervous system, as evaluated by non-invasive tests. In 12% of the cases with organic impotence, a reduced penile flow alone was observed, while hormonal parameters were similar in patients with and without organic impotence.
Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/physiopathology , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/physiopathology , Erectile Dysfunction/etiology , Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological/etiology , Adult , Diabetic Angiopathies/physiopathology , Diabetic Neuropathies/physiopathology , Erectile Dysfunction/epidemiology , Glycated Hemoglobin/analysis , Humans , Libido , Male , Middle Aged , Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological/epidemiology , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
The utilization of a computer-assisted information system may be both useful and efficacious in the care and follow-up of diabetic patients. The model developed by us operates under GCOS-6 on a Microsystem 6/10 Honeywell computer (20 MB hard-disk storage, 512 kb central memory) and allows the creation of clinical data files for individual patients, statistical analysis of the data, and a print-out of clinical records. The package, which may be employed on a multi-user system, is supplied with an easy to understand user's manual. It represents an effective tool for the precise management of the care of diabetic patients and also provides several opportunities for research.
Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus , Information Systems , Humans , Microcomputers , SoftwareABSTRACT
A pasta containing 10% guar-flour was successfully prepared and administered to ten obese women in a seven-day experimental design which included: a control meal (day 1) containing alimentary wheat-pasta, a first guar-pasta meal (day 2), to assess the acute effects of guar-pasta, a second guar-pasta meal (day 7), performed after four days of a weight-maintenance diet containing one guar-pasta meal per day. Compared to wheat-pasta, guar-pasta significantly lowered glucose and insulin response, as well as fasting total cholesterol. Moreover, it had excellent palatability and no gastrointestinal side-effects.
Subject(s)
Galactans/therapeutic use , Mannans/therapeutic use , Obesity/diet therapy , Adult , Blood Glucose/analysis , Female , Humans , Insulin/blood , Lipids/blood , Middle Aged , Obesity/blood , Plant GumsABSTRACT
Since previous papers about the frequency of sexual dysfunctions (SD) in diabetic males did not consider the genetical and clinical heterogeneity of diabetes mellitus, we studied the prevalence and the pathogenesis of SD in 77 non insulin dependent diabetics (NIDD). The diagnostic procedures consisted of physical and psychological examinations, compilation of a questionnaire, evaluation of autonomic and peripheral nervous systems, measurement of penile arterious flow, dosage of hormonal and metabolic parameters. SD were present in 52% of patients: 24% of them had organic impotence, 28% psychological sexual impairment. Age, duration of diabetes and metabolic control were superimposable in the patients with and without SD. Most patients with organic impotence had an alteration of parasympathetic nervous system; less frequently a reduced penile arterious flow was observed. The relief of such a high prevalence of SD in NIDD males suggests that future studies should consider the various groups of diabetics separately.