The ADAG study, which results were subsequently recommended by ADA guidelines for a calculation of HbA1c from average glucose values, was performed in only 159 patients with type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to validate those results in a real life settings in a large group of patients with type 2 diabetes.

Objectives: We studied the effect of an oral glucose load on circulating ghrelin, as well as ghrelin and ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1a) mRNA expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and placental tissue from pregnant women with gestational diabetes (GDM) and normal glucose tolerance (NGT).Methods: Plasma total ghrelin levels were measured in 58 patients with GDM and 61 women with NGT by radioimmunoassay. Ghrelin and GHS-R1a mRNA expression was studied in 16 subjects with GDM and 20 healthy pregnant women at term, using RT-PCR.Results: Basal ghrelin concentrations and the maximal decrease in ghrelin levels after glucose load did not differ in the women with GDM and NGT (399.1 [299.6-563.3] pg/ml vs. 400.9 [302.3 475.8] pg/ml and 127.6 [23.1-213.1] pg/ml vs. 101.7 [44.0-217.6] pg/ml, respectively). Ghrelin mRNA expression in placental tissue was significantly higher in the subjects with GDM than in the healthy pregnant women (0.06 [0.03-0.07] AU vs. 0.02 [0.015-0.03 AU], p = 0.02), whereas GHS-R1a mRNA expression in all three tissues studied did not differ between the two groups. Multiple regression analysis revealed that ghrelin mRNA expression in SAT was significantly predicted by serum insulin (beta = 0.62, p = 0.01), explaining 42 % of its variability.Conclusions: Ghrelin mRNA expression in placental tissue was higher in the GDM than in NGT subjects, whereas no association between circulating ghrelin and GDM was observed.

In this study we measured serum concentrations of proinflammatory interleukin-6, interleukin-8, and interleukin-18 as well as anti-inflammatory interleukin-10 in 30 pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance, in 32 women with abnormal results of a 50-g glucose challenge test, and in 57 patients with gestational diabetes mellitus. Patients with gestational diabetes had significantly higher IL-6 (median 1.0 [0.7-1.5] vs. 0.7 [0.4-0.8] pg/ml, p = 0.001), IL-8 (2.1 [1.1-4.2] pg/ml vs. 0.7 [0.4-0.9] pg/ml, p < 0.0001), and IL-18 (249.3 [188.5-318.7] pg/ml vs. 186.7 [139.9-243.9] pg/ml, p = 0.005) as well as lower IL-10 levels than healthy pregnant women 0.6 [0.5-1.5] pg/ml vs. 2.9 [1.8-3.2] pg/ml, p < 0.0001). After adjusting for glucose, insulin, and BMI values, the differences in IL-8 and IL-18 became insignificant, whereas the differences in IL-6 and IL-10 levels remained highly significant (p < 0.0001). The subjects with abnormal glucose challenge test results had higher IL-6 levels (0.9 [0.7-1.3] pg/ml, p = 0.005) and similar levels of other cytokines as compared with the women with normal glucose tolerance. Our results suggest an impaired balance between circulating pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in patients with gestational diabetes; however, a significant contribution of maternal obesity to the increased levels of IL-8 and IL-18 should be underlined.

Background. Ghrelin is a 28-amino acid peptide stimulating growth hormone secretion and regulating feeding behavior. Reduced plasma ghrelin levels were found in patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes. In this study we compared plasma ghrelin concentrations in pregnant women with gestational diabetes (GDM) and normal glucose tolerance (NGT). Material and methods. The group studied consisted of 58 patients with GDM and 61 women with NGT. Plasma total ghrelin levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. Results. Ghrelin concentrations did not differ between women with GDM [median 399.1 (299.6–563.3) pg/mL] and NGT [400.9 (302.3–475.8) pg/mL]. In the whole group studied plasma ghrelin levels correlated negatively with fasting insulin (R = –0.2214, P = 0.015) and HOMA-IR (R = –0.2165, P = 0.018). In GDM patients basal ghrelin concentrations correlated negatively with parity (R = –0.3069, P = 0.019), fasting insulin (R = –0.3248, P = 0.013) and HOMA-IR (R = –0.3215, P = 0.014). Multiple regression analysis revealed that ghrelin concentrations were most strongly predicted by fasting glucose (β = 0.3085, P = 0.0029), insulin (β = –0.4448, P = 0.0003), HbA1c (β = –0.2234, P = 0.0037), pregestational BMI (β = 0.2216, P = 0.049) and gestational age (β = 0.2319, P = 0.018), together explaining about 14% of the variance in ghrelin concentration. Conclusions. Our results suggest that insulin may have some influence on plasma ghrelin concentrations. No association between ghrelin levels and GDM was found.

Najwieksza katastrofa ekologiczna w historii ludzkości -wybuch w elektrowni jądrowej w Czarnobylu - nastąpila26 kwietnia 1986 roku. W niniejszej pracy omowiono dostepnedane na temat tego zdarzenia, na tle innych naturalnychi sztucznych źrodel promieniowania. Wedlug najnowszychdanych do atmosfery przedostalo sie okolo 5300 PBqcalkowitej aktywności radionuklidow, wylączając gazy szlachetne,w tym okolo 1760 PBq 131 I i 85 PBq 137 Cs. Najwiekszedawki promieniowania otrzymali „likwidatorzy” (0,8-16 Gy),troche mniejsze - ludnośc ewakuowana i zamieszkującaskazone tereny. Wśrod krajow europejskich oddalonych odmiejsca zdarzenia średnia roczna dawka promieniowania nacale cialo w pierwszym roku po awarii najwieksza bylaw Bulgarii (760 µSv), Austrii (670 µSv) i Grecji (590 µSv),natomiast najnizsza w Portugalii (1,8 µSv) i Hiszpanii (4,2 µSv).W Polsce efektywny rownowaznik dawki obciązającejw wyniku awarii w Czarnobylu szacowano średnio na 932 µSvi byl on zblizony do dawki granicznej obowiązującej na tereniekraju, ktora wynosi 1 mSv/rok. Duze dawki napromieniowaniatarczycy otrzymali mieszkancy bylego wojewodztwabialskopodlaskiego, nowosądeckiego oraz z regionupolnocno-wschodniej Polski. Najmniejsze zaś mieszkancybylego wojewodztwa slupskiego i rzeszowskiego.

Introduction . Patients with a family history of type 2 diabetes and ischemic heart disease have an increased risk of developing these diseases in the future. It is currently believed that inflammatory mediators such as interleukin 6 (IL 6) and the C-reactive protein (CRP) play an important role in the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders. The aim of this study was to assess the parameters of chronic inflammation and insulin resistance in patients with newly diagnosed diabetes and a family history of ischemic heart disease. Materials and methods . 231 residents of Bia³ystok, aged 19–65, in whom diabetes had been diagnosed in the year 2003 according to 1999 World Health Organization (WHO) criteria were considered for the study. Eventually, 41 patients, out of whom 16 had a family history of ischemic heart disease, were included. In all patients, we determined the concentration of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, haemoglobin A1c, fasting glucose and insulin, interleukin 6 and its soluble receptor (IL 6R) (ELISA, R&D Systems), CRP as well as parameters of insulin resistance: HOMA2 and QUICKI. Results . In the group of patients with a family history of ischemic heart disease we found significantly higher concentrations of IL 6 and CRP, as well as decreased concentration of HDL-cholesterol, compared to the patients whose family history was negative for IHD. Patients whose family history was positive for IHD also had higher values of the HOMA2 index. Conclusions . The results of our study show that patients with newly diagnosed diabetes and a family history of ischemic heart disease have increased risk of macroangiopathic complications related to the elevated concentrations of inflammatory markers and to the presence of insulin resistance.