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The area measured at the second to third lumbar level best represents the total visceral adipose tissue (AT) volume in Italians. Computed tomography is used to obtain AT volume from the AT area of five scans and the distances between the scans. The waist circumference along with age efficiently predicts AT volume in men and pre-menopausal women, and in post-menopausal women when height is included. Participants in the study included 72 women and 18 men aged between 18 and 69 years. The results are largely consistent with those of other researchers.

Arcobacters are potential pathogens related to diarrheic infections and, rarely, septicaemia. This study evaluated the prevalence of arcobacters in stool samples of subjects with (n = 38) and without (n = 61) type 2 diabetes by using cultural and molecular techniques. Three Arcobacter positive cultures were found, all among diabetic subjects, whereas molecular analysis showed a carriage rate of 79% and 26.2% in subjects with and without type 2 diabetes (P < .001), respectively. The multivariate analysis showed that type 2 diabetes (beta = 1.913; 95%CI: 2.378-19.285; P < .0001) and age (beta = 1.744; 95%CI: 2.077-15.766; P = .001) were the only factors independently associated with arcobacters colonization in this population. Our study demonstrated a high prevalence of arcobacters colonization in type 2 diabetic and older subjects. The clinical significance and the potential health risk associated with these emerging species remain to be determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work was to ascertain if diabetes and obesity can affect gastric colonization by Helicobacter pylori. 59 hospitalized subjects with dyspepsia and endoscopic antral gastritis were selected. They were divided into three groups: I) 13 patients with normal body weight and without disease other than gastritis (control group); II) 15 patients with essential obesity of whom 10 had impaired glucose tolerance (IGT); III) 31 patients with type II diabetes mellitus, of whom 14 were obese. Three gastric biopsies were obtained from each patient for histologic examination and H. pylori detection by means of rapid urea test, culture and histological evidence of Helicobacter-Like Organisms (HLO). Age, sex, blood glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, basal gastrine, duration of illness, body weight were statistically analysed. Differences between the three groups were not statistically significant. There was a higher prevalence of H. pylori infection both in obese and in diabetic patients with respect to control subjects. Prevalence became still higher in obese patients with impaired glucose tolerance. Among the three tests used for the detection of H. pylori, culture and rapid urea were reliable and specific, while the histologic test was highly sensitive but barely specific. Our data suggest that both obesity and type II diabetes may be associated with an increased incidence of H. pylori-colonization. This could be related to the reduced gastric motility observed in both pathologies and chemical changes in gastric mucosa following non-enzymatic glycosylation processes.

Serum and urinary activities of two acid glycohydrolases, beta-n-acetyl-glucosaminidase and beta-glucuronidase, were significantly higher in a group of diabetic patients when compared to a control group. No significant differences were found between patients without vascular complications and those with retinopathy and/or large vessel disease, while the highest enzyme levels were present in diabetics in poor metabolic control. In diabetics with nephropathy, urinary excretion of both enzymes was further increased, so that the serum/urine activity ratio (greater than 1 in normal subjects and in diabetics without nephropathy) was inverted (less than 1). These data seem to show that the high activity of these enzymes, commonly observed in diabetes mellitus, is related to the illness rather than to its vascular complications, being higher in patients in poor metabolic control. Furthermore serum/urine activity ratio may be a useful indicator in the monitoring of diabetic nephropathy.

We have measured serum activity of beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG, fluorimetric method) in some groups of obese subjects with similar degrees of overweight but with different insulin secretion and glucose tolerance (GT) during OGTT. In the control group (35 normal subjects, mean body weight 102% of ideal body weight, normal GT) NAG was 282 +/- 77 nmol S/h/ml; in group I (11 subjects, body weight 149%, normal GT and insulin levels) NAG was 304 +/- 55; in group II (19 subjects, body weight 142%, normal GT and high insulin levels) NAG was 453 +/- 90 (p less than 0.001 vs group I and controls); in group III (14 subjects, body weight 154%, impaired GT and high insulin levels) NAG was 481 +/- 108 (p less than 0.005 vs group I and controls); in group IV (16 subjects, body weight 153%, diabetic GT and high insulin levels) NAG was 657 +/- 109 (p less than 0.001 vs other groups). Moreover in the whole series NAG levels and insulin areas, but not NAG levels and degree of overweight, were significantly correlated (r=0.46, p less than 0.001). These data show that hyperinsulinism (especially when there is also pathological glucose tolerance) can positively affect NAG levels, probably through altered glycoprotein turnover, of which NAG serum levels are a sensitive indicator.

The authors have investigated the behaviour of IRI, IRG and blood glucose levels during a calcium infusion (15 mg/Kg body weight per 90') and during an equivalent saline infusion, in normal subjects. No evident differences were observed between the two infusions; only a slight but not significant decrease of glucagon levels appeared during calcium administration. Further experiences are clearly required, especially during alpha and beta cells stimulation, to better elucidate relationships between calcium and pancreatic endocrine secretion "in vivo".

Different kidney diseases are often associated with high urinary excretion of N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), a lysosomal enzyme involved in the breakdown of glycoproteins, whose activity is also increased in diabetic patients with poor metabolic control or vascular complications. In order to evaluate the relationship between renal function and urinary NAG levels in diabetes mellitus, 30 type II diabetic patients without evidence of kidney disease and 18 control subjects were studied. In each subject 24-h urinary excretion rates of NAG (fluorimetric method), albumin and beta 2-microglobulin (radioimmunoassay), together with 51Cr-EDTA clearance were performed. In diabetic patients urinary levels of NAG (356 +/- 25 vs 162 +/- 9.2 nmol/h/mg creatinine, p less than 0.0001) and albumin (21 +/- 2.5 vs 4.3 +/- 0.5 mg/24h, p less than 0.0001) were significantly higher than in the controls, while beta 2-microglobulin levels and 51Cr-EDTA clearance did not differ in the two groups. Moreover in diabetic patients NAG and albumin levels were positively and significantly correlated (r = 0.63, p less than 0.001). These results suggest that urinary NAG excretion rate may be altered early in diabetic patients with apparently normal renal function; its diagnostic value seems to be similar to that of the albumin excretion rate.