[Maternal age at the moment of birth and occurrence of insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) in the child]

The aim of the study was to determine whether advanced maternal age (over 35 years) on birth of a child had any influence on the incidence of IDDM in her offspring. The analysis has also taken into account the presence of other factors which may have some bearing on the incidence of the disease. They are the following: viral infections prior to the onset of IDDM, sequence of the affected child's birth in relation to other siblings, and family history of diabetes. The study included 243 persons who fell ill with IDDM at the age of 0-29 years in the period of January 1st 1980 to December 31st 1992 and the pair matched control group. They were all residents of the Rzeszów province at the onset of the disease. We have found that a positive family history of diabetes, viral infection especially epidemic parotitis, and parity are the factors which increase the incidence of IDDM. Advanced maternal age, over 35 years on child's birth, along with the above-mentioned factors, increase the incidence of IDDM.

[Abdominal actinomycosis imitating non-operable stage of cancer]

In a 44-year-old woman on the basis of short hospital medical observation and gynaecological consultations, malignancy of reproductive organs was preliminarily diagnosed. During the operation the gynaecological-surgical team confirmed the presence of generalized neoplastic process in the abdominal cavity. In the obtained surgical specimens actinomycosis was diagnosed by histological examination. Longterm antibiotic therapy caused an improvement of the patient's condition, increase of body weight, improvement of blood morphologic picture, regression of tumour-like changes in the liver. The case reminds the necessity of taking into account actinomycotic infection in the differential diagnosis of conditions suggesting a neoplastic process in the abdominal cavity.

[Disorders of sorbitol and myoinositol metabolism and the activity of sodium, potassium ATPase in the pathogenesis of peripheral neuropathy in patients with diabetes mellitus]

Authors discussed the actual status of information concerning the disturbances in function: 1) of sorbitol biochemical pathway, 2) myoinositol metabolism and 3) activity of Na(+)-K(+)-ATP-ase related to diabetic hyperglycemia. Preliminary data on the possible benefit of aldo-reductase inhibitors therapy are also presented.

[Determination of susceptibility to pharmacologic treatment in Graves'-Basedow disease]

The authors present the results of research on the usefulness of clinical data, thyroid hormones, TSH, antithyroid antibody, HLA estimations and a type of behavior, for prognosing the susceptibility to pharmacological therapy in thyrotoxicosis, specially in Graves disease. The highest chance of predictability was found in patients with small goiter, HLA-DR5 positive with onset of the disease at the age before 40. In general it is difficult to predict the reaction to therapy in individual case with high probability.

Serum somatomedin activity and growth hormone level in obese men: dependence on degree of obesity and hyperlipidemia

The effect of body weight excess and hyperlipidemia on stimulated growth hormone (GH) secretion and serum somatomedin activity (SSA) has been investigated. Among 40 obese men gradually impairment of GH secretory response during the insulin hypoglycemia test was shown. Propranolol-L-DOPA administration elicited satisfactory GH secretory response only in the subgroup of patients with the mild weight excess. SSA was found to be in the normal range among the whole group of obese patients, however, it was significantly depressed in subjects with average weight excess higher than 100%. Obese men with hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia presented low SSA even when their weight excess was relatively moderate, i.e., 52% and 57%, respectively.

ApoA-I related DNA polymorphism in humans with coronary heart disease

A genetic analysis of atherosclerotic patients as well as healthy subjects using an apoA-I gene specific probe confirmed that an EcoRI restriction fragment length polymorphism is related to the development of atherosclerosis. Three subjects with severe coronary heart disease were found to be homozygous for a 6.5 kb fragment hybridizing to the apoA-I probe. In the atherosclerotic patient group 44% were heterozygous for this fragment, compared to 9.5% in the control group. The distribution of genotypes in the atherosclerotic and control groups was significantly different. Among the heterozygous subjects, specific differences were found after digestion of their DNA with Bam HI restriction endonuclease.

Apolipoprotein A-I gene polymorphism and susceptibility of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

A polymorphic DNA sequence of the apolipoprotein (apo) A-I gene region was studied in relation to non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). We have examined 100 patients with NIDDM and 100 control subjects as well. The presence of a unique 2.5-kilobase (kb) EcoRI fragment was found in 13 diabetic patients and two control subjects with family history of diabetes. There were six homozygotes and nine heterozygotes among them. The analysis of clinical data did not confirm any linkage between the presence of a 2.5-kb fragment and atherosclerosis. These findings suggest that the observed defect in the apo A-I gene region may confer susceptibility to NIDDM.