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We evaluated a telemedicine system in patients with type 1 diabetes who had optimized treatment with an insulin pump and a real-time continuous glucose monitoring system. We conducted a prospective, one-year study of 15 subjects. Three medical visits took place: pre-baseline, baseline and at 6 months. Each month the subjects transmitted information from the glucose meter, glucose sensor and insulin pump. We adjusted the treatment and returned the information by email. We evaluated psychological and metabolic variables, including HbA(1c), hypoglycaemia, hyperglycaemia and glucose variability. At baseline the mean age of the subjects was 40 years and the mean duration of diabetes was 22 years. There was a significant reduction in HbA(1c) (7.50 to 6.97%) at 6 months, a significant increase in the number of self-monitoring blood glucose checks per day (5.2 to 6.2), and significant improvements in variability: MODD, mean of daily difference (67 to 53) and MAGE, mean amplitude of glycaemic excursions (136 to 102). There were significant improvements in quality of life (92 to 87), satisfaction with the treatment (34 to 32) and less fear of hypoglycaemia (36 to 32). Adult subjects with type 1 diabetes on treatment with a continuous insulin infusion system and a real time glucose sensor and who have acceptable metabolic control and optimized treatment can benefit from the addition of a telemetry system to their usual outpatient follow-up.

Background: Insulin has several biological functions besides glycaemic control. We investigated and compared the effects of six different commercial insulins on adipocyte cell differentiation, the lipolytic activity of differentiated cells, and the expression levels of genes involved in adipogenesis and associated with insulin activity., Materials and Methods: 3T3-L1 cells were induced to differentiate with six commercial insulins: glargine, lispro, aspart, detemir, NPH and regular recombinant human insulin (used as control). Cell differentiation, lipolysis and gene expression were measured at day 7 (D7) and day 10 (D10) after induction of differentiation in these cells., Results: The highest values of cell differentiation and lipolysis were found at D10 for all the insulins used. Preadipocyte differentiation differed at both times depending on the insulin used, with detemir insulin being the least adipogenic. The PPARγ mRNA level varied according to the insulin and was a good genetic marker of adipogenesis at D7. Cells treated with glargine insulin showed the highest lipolysis and HSL expression on both days. Gene expression levels of InsR, SREBP-1c and SCD-1 differed depending on the insulin studied., Conclusions: Detemir insulin was the least adipogenic of the insulins tested, whereas treatment with glargine insulin tended to produce the highest lipolysis levels. Under these experimental conditions, the modifications made in commercial insulins to improve glycaemic control also affect adipocyte differentiation, the lipolysis level of differentiated cells, and the expression of different genes that can modify metabolic pathways independently of glucose metabolism., (© 2011 The Authors. European Journal of Clinical Investigation © 2011 Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation.)

Background: Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) may be an alternative to multiple daily injections (MDI) in pre-gestational diabetes during pregnancy. However, no clear improvement in obstetric and perinatal outcome has so far been established for CSII treatment., Methods: In a case-control study, 35 pregnancies treated with CSII and 64 pregnancies treated with MDI treatment were evaluated. Metabolic control and obstetric and perinatal outcome were compared., Results: Women in the CSII group improved their metabolic control (hemoglobin A1c before CSII, 7.83 +/- 0.97%; 3-6 months after, 6.77 +/- 0.61%; P < 0.05). Hemoglobin A1c before pregnancy was lower in the CSII group (6.62 +/- 0.60%) than in the MDI group (7.59 +/- 1.61%) (P < 0.05). No other significant differences, either in metabolic control of diabetes or in obstetric and perinatal outcome, were found., Conclusions: CSII treatment is safe in pregnancy, but it has not yet been associated with any improved pregnancy outcome.

Background: The physiological role of apelin in obesity and diabetes remains unclear. Although apelin has been studied in persons with different conditions, no studies have yet examined the joint influence of obesity and diabetes on apelin levels. We measured the changes in apelin levels in morbidly obese subjects, with and without diabetes, and in the inverse situation of improvement in carbohydrate metabolism as a result of bariatric surgery., Methods: The study was undertaken in 54 morbidly obese persons, 16 of whom had type 2 diabetes mellitus, before and 7 months after undergoing bariatric surgery, and in 12 healthy, nonobese persons. Measurements were made of apelin levels and insulin sensitivity by an intravenous glucose tolerance test., Results: The apelin levels in the morbidly obese patients prior to surgery were significantly higher than those of the controls only when the morbidly obese subjects were diabetic (P < 0.005). Apelin levels correlated significantly in the morbidly obese patients with serum triglycerides (r = 0.292, P = 0.032) and glucose (r = 0.337, P = 0.039). Bariatric surgery resulted in a significant decrease in apelin levels only in the morbidly obese subjects with impaired fasting glucose or diabetes. The change in apelin levels correlated significantly in the morbidly obese patients with the changes in serum glucose (r = 0.338, P = 0.038) and insulin sensitivity (r = -0.417, P = 0.043)., Conclusions: This study demonstrates that obesity is not the main determinant of the rise in apelin levels. The association between apelin levels and glucose concentrations and insulin sensitivity provides evidence that apelin may play a role in the pathogenesis of diabetes.

Background: The intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (FABP2) is involved in the intracellular transport and metabolism of fatty acids and may affect insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism., Objective: The objective was to study the effect of interaction between the Ala54Thr polymorphism of the FABP2 gene (FABP2) and the type of dietary cooking oil used on peripheral insulin sensitivity in a population from southern Spain., Design: The study was cross-sectional. Anthropometric measurements were obtained for 1226 persons aged 18-65 y selected randomly from the municipal census of Pizarra, Spain. An oral-glucose-tolerance test was given to 1020 of these persons. Insulin resistance was measured by homeostasis model assessment. Samples of the cooking oil being used were taken from the kitchens of a random subset of 538 persons., Results: Persons who consumed sunflower oil and who also had the Thr54 variant had higher insulin resistance than did those who consumed olive oil (P = 0.01). We detected an interaction between the Ala54Thr polymorphism and the type of oil consumed that accounted for the variance in insulin resistance (P = 0.02)., Conclusions: The effect of dietary fatty acids on the populational pattern of insulin resistance is not independent of the Ala54Thr polymorphism of FABP2. An interaction existed between this polymorphism and the intake of dietary fats in a population with a high intake of monounsaturated fatty acids.

Objective: Few epidemiological studies have examined the relationship of dietary fatty acids, especially MUFA, with the interrelation between insulin secretion and insulin resistance. We assessed the relation of dietary fatty acids with insulin secretion in a free-living population., Design and Setting: This cross-sectional, population-based study was undertaken in Pizarra, a small town in Spain., Subjects and Methods: Anthropometrical data were collected for 1226 persons selected randomly from the municipal census, 538 of whom (randomly chosen) were given a prospective, quantitative, 7-day nutritional questionnaire. The fatty acid composition of the serum phospholipids was used as a biological marker of the type of fat consumed. Beta-cell function (betaCFI) and insulin-resistance index (IRI) were estimated by the Homeostasis Model Assessment., Results: To determine which factors influence the variability of the betaCFI, we analyzed the variance of the betaCFI according to sex, the presence of carbohydrate metabolism disorders and the different components of the diet, adjusting the models for age, body mass index (BMI) and IRI. The dietary MUFA and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) contributed to the variability of the betaCFI, whereas only the proportion of serum phospholipid MUFA, but neither the saturated fatty acids nor the PUFA accounted for part of the variability of the betaCFI in a multiple regression analysis., Conclusion: The results of this population-based study corroborate the results of other clinical and experimental studies suggesting a favorable relationship of MUFA with beta-cell insulin secretion., Sponsorship: Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria, Junta de Andalucía and the Asociación Maimónides.

Background: Obesity is often associated with hyper-secrection of insulin. Impaired fasting glucose (IFG) has recently been redefined as a fasting plasma glucose of 5.6-6.9 mmol/L. The aim of this study was to determine whether changes in insulin secretion in morbidly obese persons also commence with normal serum glucose levels., Methods: 32 morbidly obese subjects were studied before and after bariatric surgery. Measurements were made of glucose tolerance (K(G)), insulin sensitivity (SI), first-phase insulin release and the disposition index (DI) from a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test., Result: In morbidly obese subjects, the SI (P<0.01), DI (P<0.01) and first-phase insulin release (P<0.02) started changing with serum glucose levels considered to be normal (5.00-5.28 mmol/L). K(G) showed a clear slope according to the baseline glycemia status (P<0.05), and it was significantly related with the DI, both before (r=0.76, P<0.001) and after (r=0.57, P=0.002) surgery. Following surgery, all the variables significantly associated with insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity recovered significantly. The most significant changes occurred in morbidly obese individuals with IFG., Conclusions: Morbidly obese subjects show slopes of insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion in accordance with their baseline serum glucose levels. The fall in first-phase insulin release begins when serum glucose values are considered normal. Morbidly obese persons with the IFG phenotype have a specific pattern of insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion. K(G) clearly discriminates the clinical phenotypes, depending on baseline serum glucose levels.

The type of dietary fat affects the action of insulin by changes induced in the fatty acid composition of cell membranes. Little is known, however, about the effects of dietary fatty acids on insulin secretion or the possible relation between the fatty acid composition of the membrane phospholipids and insulin secretion. We therefore studied the effects of dietary fatty acids on insulin secretion stimulated by glucose, forskolin and arginine, and on the insulin content of isolated pancreatic islets, as well as on the fatty acid composition of muscle phospholipids, which were used as markers of the diet-induced modifications in the cell membranes. Five groups of rats were fed for one month with diets varying only in their fat composition: olive oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, fish oil and palmitic acid (16:0) + soybean oil (SAT). The SAT group had higher insulin secretion, independently of the secretagogue used. No significant differences were found in insulin content between the groups. The dietary fatty acids modified the fatty acid composition of the muscle phospholipids, both in endogenously synthesized fatty acids and in those which were unable to be synthesized by the organism. No statistically significant relation was found between insulin secretion and the content of certain fatty acids in the muscle phospholipids.

Objectives: To analyse the prescription of insulin and oral diabetic medication (ODM) in primary health care, and to evaluate which variables, depending on the prescribing doctor, work-place or population attended, explain quality and/or quantity variations in prescription., Design: Crossover, observational study., Setting: Málaga-Este Health District, Málaga., Participants: 21,166 prescriptions issued by 144 doctors in the Málaga-Este Health District during the first quarter of 1997 were analysed., Measurements and Main Results: Insulin consumption of 10.63 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants and day (DID) and ODM of 18.51 DID were calculated. No significant differences were observed in insulin or ODM prescription for sex, and few for age, job or doctors' specialty via MIR (intern) training. Working in a centre with MIR teaching and in a reformed centre were significantly associated with a greater use of insulin (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.02, respectively). Having a higher allocation of patients drawing pensions meant a greater consumption of insulin (p < 0.01) and even more of ODM (p < 0.0001). The population allocated being older was associated with greater consumption of ODM without any changes in insulin prescription., Conclusions: The personal features of doctors working in primary care affect very little the quantity and quality of insulin and ODM prescription. The characteristics of the work-place (reformed centre and centre entitled to teach) and the population attended (older and drawing a pension) are the main factors conditioning the amount of prescription of insulin and ODM, respectively. Nevertheless, in all cases ODM prescription quality is low.

The aim of the present study is to examine the influence which different concentrations of free fatty acids (FFAs) have on the insulin secretion response of the islets of Langerhans when the culture is prolonged over a week. Animals were killed by decapitation and pancreatic islets of Langerhans isolated. The islets were incubated in enriched RPMI and oleic or linoleic acid was added at concentrations of 0.04, 0.1, 0.375, and 1 mmol/l. The medium without FFAs was used as a control. The culture time was 7 days. For insulin secretion studies, islets were selected after preincubation in batches of six islets in 1 ml of KRB (Krebs-Ringer buffer) containing one of the following: 5.5, 11.1, 16 or 26.7 mmol/l glucose, 10 mumol/l forskolin or 20 mmol/l arginine. The results showed a significant increase in insulin secretion observed after culture with 1 mmol/l oleic and linoleic acid compared to the other concentrations and the control culture for all the secretagogues used. However, at this same concentrations no increase was observed in insulin secretion as the glucose concentration rose, and this was noticeable with linoleic acid at concentrations of 0.375 mmol/l. In conclusion, culture of islets of Langerhans for a week with high concentrations of unsaturated fatty acids produces a hypersecretion of insulin which is not influenced by secretagogues such as glucose, arginine, or forskolin. The loss of gluco-sensitivity may become greater as the degree of unsaturation of the fatty acid used increases.

Decreased sensing of the innate immune system may lead to chronic activation of the inflammatory cascade. We hypothesised that mannan-binding lectin (MBL) deficiency may confer risk of obesity and insulin resistance. We performed a cross-sectional study of MBL protein concentration ( n=434) and MBL2 gene mutations (exon 1) ( n=759) in association with obesity, markers of inflammation and insulin action (euglycaemic clamp, n=113), and a longitudinal study of MBL protein before and after weight loss in obese patients ( n=10). We also studied the effects of MBL in vitro in muscle cells and circulating MBL-A (mouse equivalent of human MBL) in a mouse model. Among 434 consecutive non-diabetic men, the age-adjusted serum MBL concentration was lower in obese subjects than in lean subjects (median: 959 μg/ml [interquartile range: 116.8–2,044 μg/ml] vs 1,365 [467–2,513] μg/ml; p=0.01) and was accompanied by increased serum inflammatory markers. Insulin action correlated significantly with serum MBL ( r=0.49, p<0.0001). Serum MBL concentration increased by a median of 110.2% after weight loss. The change in serum concentration of MBL was positively associated with the increase in insulin sensitivity ( r=0.713, p=0.021). At least one MBL2 gene mutation was present in 48.2% of obese vs 39.3% of non-obese subjects ( p=0.037). The plasma concentration of MBL-A was lower in insulin-resistant obese ob/ ob mice, as was the glucose/insulin ratio. Incubation of rat soleus muscle with human MBL markedly increased fatty acid oxidation. These findings suggest that MBL, previously thought only to be involved in inflammation and immune system function, affects metabolic pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]