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Biomedical subjects

L M Chuang

Publications and source records attributed to L M Chuang.

82 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

A comparison of diabetic control status between urban and rural diabetic patients in Taiwan.

Between 1985 and 1987, in two urban and five rural areas in Taiwan, a total of 16,636 subjects aged 40 or over were screened for diabetes mellitus according to the WHO criteria. Four hundred and fifty-two previously diagnosed patients and 274 newly diagnosed patients were found. All were non-insulin-dependent diabetics. The blood glucose control status was compared between the urban and rural previously diagnosed diabetics. Those living in the rural areas were found to have better control with a higher percentage under regular treatment. Stepwise multiple regression failed to discover a significant correlation between control status and any of the following factors: sex, age, body mass index (BMI), diabetic duration, treatment regularity, exercise, occupation, education, family income and the presence of hypertension or large vessel diseases. About 30% of the patients in rural areas and 40% in urban areas were poorly controlled. This indicates that our diabetic control program should be strengthened.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Polymorphic locus in the 5'-flanking region of human insulin gene and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

The etiology of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is still unclear, but appears to involve some genetic factors. There have been disputes over the association between DNA sequences flanking the insulin gene and NIDDM. In order to characterize insulin gene polymorphism in the Chinese population and elucidate its association with NIDDM, 100 unrelated Chinese subjects living in Taiwan were observed for polymorphism of this hypervariable region. Most of them were descendants of immigrants from the southern part of mainland China. Among them, 52 were nondiabetic controls, and 48 were subjects with NIDDM. Insulin gene polymorphism was classified into classes 1, 2 and 3 alleles according to Bell et al. Neither the class 2 allele nor the genotype for the homozygous class 3 allele was not observed in this study. The allelic frequencies of class 1 and 3 genes were 97% and 3% in the nondiabetic subjects, and 99% and 1% in the NIDDM group, respectively. The frequencies of genotypes 1/1 and 1/3 were 94% and 6% in nondiabetics and 98% and 2% in the NIDDM group, respectively. No significant association was found between insulin gene polymorphism and NIDDM. It is concluded that DNA marker flanking the insulin gene may not be associated with the development of NIDDM in Chinese subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Erythrocyte deformability in diabetes mellitus.

Erythrocyte filterability was measured on 34 diabetic patients and 43 normal subjects. Filterability index (FI) was expressed as FI = 10 x ratio of flow rate of suspension to buffer. Mean FI (mean +/- SE) of diabetics was significantly lower than that of the control group (3.47 +/- 0.09 vs 4.03 +/- 0.07, p less than 0.0001). Values of blood urea nitrogen, triglycerides, fasting and postprandial plasma glucose, HbAlc, white blood cell counts (WBC), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were higher in diabetics. However, mean corpuscular volume (MCV) of diabetics was lower than that of the control group (90.1 +/- 0.6 vs 93.4 +/- 0.6 fl, p less than 0.001), and MCV was positively correlated with FI in both groups. Blood urea nitrogen, triglycerides, fasting and postprandial plasma glucose, HbAlc, MCHC, WBC were correlated inversely with FI. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed FI = -0.00266 (fasting plasma glucose) -0.00164 (triglyceride) -0.00041 (blood urea nitrogen) +5.07 (n = 77, R = 0.61, p less than 0.05). Diabetic patients with cardiovascular complications had lower FI and MCV values; however they had higher triglyceride values than those without cardiovascular complications. In summary, RBC filterability of diabetic patients was lower than that of normal subjects. The defect could be due to myriads of metabolic derangement.

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PubMed1988

Induction of an Alu-sequence containing transcript by insulin in human hepatoma cells.

A cDNA clone, designated AF19-1, was isolated from a cDNA library derived from insulin-stimulated hepatoma cells. The nucleotide sequences of AF19-1 showed 83% homology to Alu consensus sequence. It contained a full-length 300-bp Alu family sequence followed in direct tandem by a partial sequence of Alu left monomer. Primer extension analysis confirmed that this Alu transcript was induced even in short-term insulin stimulation. The increase in Alu-transcripts in the early phase of insulin stimulation in hepatoma cells suggests that the Alu sequences may play some important regulatory roles in gene expression.

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PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of health education for diabetics in the community.

Diabetic care in the community has become a public health issue. To assess the effect of a community diabetes care program (CDCP) on knowledge acquisition and its impact on metabolic control, a 2-year study including 260 non-insulin-dependent diabetics from two different districts in Taipei city was conducted. The experimental group consisted of 140 cases. The remaining 120 cases served as controls. Preintervention knowledge scores were significantly correlated with the formal education level and the duration of diabetes [Diabetic knowledge score = 50.06 + 0.82 (duration of education in years) + 0.23 (duration of diabetes in years), p less than 0.001]. A large increase in the knowledge scores for experimental patients was noted 1 year after intervention. A significant difference in diabetic knowledge still existed between the control and experimental groups 2 years after intervention. HbAlc levels (mean +/- SD) for the experimental patients decreased from a baseline of 7.47 +/- 1.87% to 7.23 +/- 1.68% and 6.88 +/- 1.30% 1 year and 2 years after intervention, respectively. However, no significant decrease was found in the control group (7.20 +/- 2.00% at baseline and 6.98 +/- 1.96%, and 7.14 +/- 2.25% at 1 year and 2 years after intervention, respectively). Reduction in body weight was found in the experimental group. In order of baseline, 1 year and 2 years after intervention, the results were 63.6 +/- 9.6, 62.6 +/- 9.3 and 62.5 +/- 9.2 kg, respectively. There was no remarkable change in body weight in the control group during the 2-year observation period. In conclusion, an integrated approach to CDCP provides a cost-effective method for management of diabetes in the community.

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PubMedDate not supplied

Correlation of HbA1c concentration and single-fiber EMG findings in diabetic neuropathy.

Plasma-glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), i.e., an indicator of metabolic control in diabetic patients, was measured and correlated with neuromuscular jitter and fiber density, which were obtained by single-fiber (SF) EMG assessment. Of the 112 diabetic patients who participated in this study, 34 clinically non-neuropathic patients were categorized in group III, and 78 patients with diagnosed clinical neuropathy were divided into groups I and II, with electrophysiological neuropathy and non-neuropathy, respectively, according to the measurements of nerve conduction. All patients received SFEMG tests and second verifications of levels of HbA1c. In group I (46 patients) and group II (32 patients), the levels of HbA1c were positively correlated with neuromuscular jitters and fiber densities; whereas, no correlation occurred in group III patients. SFEMG findings in diabetic patients provide a higher sensitivity in detecting diabetic neuropathy as compared to nerve conduction studies. The regression for correlation of HbA1c levels and SFEMG findings indicated that axonal degeneration and reinnervation processes with instability of neuromuscular junction in diabetic neuropathy are consistent with the metabolic control of this disease.

Adult↗