No abstract available.
Diabetes Mellitus* ; Drug Therapy*

Good glycaemic control is important in preventing the acute and long-term complications of diabetes mellitus. We assessed long-term glycaemic control using glycosylated haemoglobins in 83 diabetic patients, of mean age 47 years and of mean known duration 4.5 years, attending Port Moresby General Hospital over a one-year period. Significant improvement in glycaemic control was observed in only 11 (13%) of the patients. Glycaemic control worsened in 13 (16%) and no change was observed in the remainder (71%). Mean glycosylated haemoglobin and fasting plasma glucose levels were similar at the beginning and end of the study period. Over a one-year period 53 patients (64%) exhibited poor control with mean glycosylated haemoglobin levels exceeding 10%. Among the 19 newly diagnosed diabetic patients (23% of the total) glycaemic control improved in only 2 (11%). Glycaemic control was not influenced by sex, treatment, obesity or duration of diabetes. The demonstration of poor metabolic control in the majority of patients suggests that urgent measures are needed to reevaluate the management of diabetic patients, particularly with respect to education and diet. This may improve the poor survival rates reported in diabetic patients from Papua New Guinea.
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - blood ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - drug therapy ; Glycated Hemoglobin - analysis ; Human

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are antihypertensive medications often used in the treatment of diabetes-related complications. Synthetic ACE inhibitors are known to cause serious side effects like hypotension, renal insufficiency, and hyperkalaemia. Therefore, there has been an intensifying search for natural ACE inhibitors. Many plants or plant-based extracts are known to possess ACE-inhibitory activity. In this review, articles focusing on the natural ACE inhibitors extracted from plants were retrieved from databases like Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. We have found more than 50 plant species with ACE-inhibitory activity. Among them, Angelica keiskei, Momordica charantia, Muntingia calabura, Prunus domestica, and Peperomia pellucida were the most potent, showing comparatively lower half-maximal inhibitory concentration values. Among the bioactive metabolites, peptides (e.g., Tyr-Glu-Pro, Met-Arg-Trp, and Gln-Phe-Tyr-Ala-Val), phenolics (e.g., cyanidin-3-O-sambubioside and delphinidin-3-O-sambubioside), flavonoids ([-]-epicatechin, astilbin, and eupatorin), terpenoids (ursolic acid and oleanolic acid) and alkaloids (berberine and harmaline) isolated from several plant and fungus species were found to possess significant ACE-inhibitory activity. These were also known to possess promising antioxidant, antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic and anti-inflammatory activities. Considering the minimal side effects and lower toxicity of herbal compounds, development of antihypertensive drugs from these plant extracts or phytocompounds for the treatment of diabetes-associated complications is an important endeavour. This review, therefore, focuses on the ACE inhibitors extracted from different plant sources, their possible mechanisms of action, present status, and any safety concerns.
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors ; Antihypertensive Agents ; Diabetes Complications/drug therapy* ; Diabetes Mellitus/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Peptides

Diabetes Mellitus ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male

Animals ; Curcumin ; pharmacology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; drug therapy ; Rats

OBJECTIVETo summarize and analyze the compatibility laws for acupoint selection of acupuncture in treating diabetic gastroparasis (DGP) in modern literatures of clinical researches.

METHODSRetrieved were literatures related to treating DGP by acupuncture or acupuncture combined other therapies from PubMed, CNKI, and WF from 1982 to 2014. Analyzed were frequency of acupoint use, meridians selected acupoints belonged to, regions selected, association laws of selected compatible acupoints.

RESULTSRetrieved were 35 with compatibility frequencies more than 15 listed as follows: compatibility frequency of Zusanli (ST36) and Zhongwan (CV12) was 33 (94.29%); compatibility frequency of Zusanli (ST36) and Neiguan (PC6) was 23 (65.71%), compatibility frequency of Zhongwan (CV12) and Neiguan (PC6) was 22 (62.86%), compatibility frequency of Zusanli (ST36), Zhongwan (CV12), and Neiguan (PC6) was 22 (62.86%); compatibility frequency of Zusanli (ST36) and Sanyinjiao (SP6) was 16 (45.71%); compatibility frequency of Zhongwan (CV12) and Sanyinjiao (SP6) was 16 (45.71%); compatibility frequency of Zusanli (ST36), Zhongwan (CV12), and Sanyinjiao (SP6) was 15 (42.86%). Meridians selected acupoints belonged to were sequenced as Foot Yangming Stomach channel, Ren channel, Foot Taiyang Bladder channel, and so on. Acupoints selected were mainly in lower limbs, chest and abdomen, waist and back. The compatibility of Zusanli (ST36) and Zhongwan (CV12) was the most often used with the highest frequency.

CONCLUSIONSThe compatibility laws for acupoint selection of acupuncture in treating DGP were mainly dominated as upper-lower selection, three regions selection, local selection, anterior-posterior selection. The compatibility laws for acupoint selection of acupuncture along meridians were mainly dominated as the convergence points and exterior-interior meridian points.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Diabetes Complications ; drug therapy ; Diabetes Mellitus ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Meridians ; Stomach ; physiopathology ; Stomach Diseases ; drug therapy

Circulating immune complexes (ClC) were detected by platelet aggregation test (PAT) in 40.0% of 45 diabetics and by polyethylene glycol precipitation-complement consumption test (PEG-CC test) in 30.6% of 36 diabetics as compared to 5% and 10% of 20 normal control subjects for each test. The prevalence of CIC in diabetics was significantly higher than in the normal controls (P < 0.05%). There were no correlations between the presence of ClC detected by PAT and the duration of the disease, insulin treatment, or diabetic complications. Thus multiple factors must contribute to the increase of ClC in diabetics. The role of these various factors needs to be studied.
Antigen-Antibody Complex/metabolism* ; Diabetes Mellitus/complications ; Diabetes Mellitus/immunology* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Insulin-Dependent/drug therapy ; Diabetes Mellitus, Insulin-Dependent/immunology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Non-Insulin-Dependent/immunology ; Human ; Insulin/therapeutic use ; Platelet Aggregation ; Time Factors

Cardiovascular disease, including stroke, is one of the major causes of death in diabetes. Numerous studies have long suggested reducing macrovascular complication such as ischemic vascular disease through intensive glycemic control, but none was successful proving the effect of glycemic control. Recently, new possibilities in cardiovascular disease reduction have been proposed through cardiovascular safety trials of newly developed anti-hyperglycemic agents. The purpose of this review is to introduce the traditional and newly developed anti-diabetic medications and review their effects regarding cardiovascular outcomes mainly focusing on stroke.
Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cause of Death ; Diabetes Complications ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Drug Therapy ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; Stroke ; Vascular Diseases

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; complications ; drug therapy ; surgery ; Humans ; Obesity ; complications ; drug therapy ; surgery

Humans ; Heart Failure/drug therapy* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/drug therapy* ; Glucose ; Sodium