Current Diabetes Reviews - Volume 2, Issue 4, 2006

In contrast to the accumulation of fat in the gluteo-femoral region, the accumulation of fat around abdominal viscera and inside intraabdominal solid organs is strongly associated with obesity-related complications like Type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease. The association between visceral adiposity and accelerated atherosclerosis was shown to be independent of age, overall obesity or the amount of subcutaneous f Read More

Insulin resistance in skeletal muscle is a major hallmark of type 2 diabetes and an early detectable abnormality in the development of this disease. The cellular mechanisms of insulin resistance include impaired insulin-mediated muscle glycogen synthesis and increased intramyocellular lipid content, whereas impaired insulin activation of muscle glycogen synthase represents a consistent, molecular defect found in both type 2 Read More

Metabolic syndrome, also known as the insulin resistance syndrome (IRS), dysmetabolic syndrome or syndrome X, is a burgeoning global epidemic. This constellation of risk factors, namely glucose intolerance, hypertension, dyslipidemia (high triglyceride and low HDL cholesterol), central obesity, pro-inflammatory and prothrombotic state, culminating to the development of premature cardiovascular and renal disease, has signific Read More

Insulin resistance is a relevant risk factor for the major cardiovascular events, caused by severe atherosclerotic involvement of coronary, cerebral and lower limb blood vessels. One of the alterations accounting for this increased cardiovascular risk is the impairment of platelet function, explained, at least in part, by the reduced sensitivity to the physiological and pharmacological anti-aggregating agents. In the first part o Read More

Diabetic foot disease is a major health problem, which concerns 15% of the 200 million patients with diabetes worldwide. Major amputation, above or below the knee, is a feared complication of diabetes. More than 60% of nontraumatic amputations in the western world are performed in the diabetic population. Many patients who undergo an amputation, have a history of ulceration. Major amputations increase morbility and Read More

Resistin was initially identified as a protein, secreted by adipocytes, which inhibits insulin action and adipose differentiation. The three proteins homologous to resistin were termed resistin-like molecules (RELM)α, β and γ . Resistin and RELMα are abundantly expressed in adipose, but RELMβ and RELMγ are secreted mainly from the gut. Recently, resistin and RELMs were reported to be associated with inflammation. For exam Read More

Rheumatological manifestations of Diabetes Mellitus may be classified in: non articular, articular and bone conditions. Among non articular conditions, diabetic cheiroarthropathy, frequent in type I diabetes, the most important disorder related to limited joint mobility, results in stiff skin and joint contractures. Adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder, flexor tenosynovitis, and Duputryen's and Peyronie's diseases are also linked t Read More

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of catastrophic loss of vision. Each year, DR darkens the lives of 12,000 to 24,000 diabetic patients in the United States, and more than 4,000 patients in Japan. Clinically, hyperglycemia induces proliferative changes in DR synergistically with other risk factors for vascular diseases. Methyl- enetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is an enzyme involved in remethylation of homocystei Read More