Abstract:

Introduction: Recent studies have reported the role of catalytic antibodies in the pathogenesis pattern of some diseases. Autoimmune reactions playing a role in some type 2 diabetic patients and the β- cell autoimmune markers were found to be present in some of these patients. The presence of such antibodies was assessed in the plasma of patients suffering from type 2diabetes. Material and Methods: Antibodies in 3 diabetic patients and 7 non-diabetic control subjects were purified using protein-G sepharose affinity column chromatography and S-300 gel filtration methods purity of the IgG antibodies was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and in western blot analysis and proteolytic activity of electrophoretically homogenous IgG antibodies was confirmed with zymogram analysis. The purified antibodies were incubated with insulin at 37°C for 6 days and the effect of antibodies on insulin degradation was assessed by Acetic Acid-Urea polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Results: Insulin degradation effect was observed only in purified antibodies in the 2 diabetic patients and it was not seen in the 7 control subjects and the remaining diabetic patients. Conclusion: Our data revealed, for the first time, insulin degradation by isolated IgG from 2 diabetic patients. This finding may not only explain the insulin resistance observed in some diabetic patients, but may most likely propose also a new mechanism for occurrence of the disease.

Introduction: Decrement in balance control ability in individuals with diabetic neuropathy may affect their daily living activities and lead to hazardous consequences such as falls and foot ulcer. Thus, it is important to predict balance impairment in this population as early as possible. The aim of this study was to determine the association between the duration of diabetes and balance impairment in people with diabetic neuropathy. Materials and Methods: Thirty diabetic patients, diagnosed with neuropathy participated in this study. We used a personal information questionnaire, Mini Mental State Examination questionnaire and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) to evaluate basic medical status, cognitive function and functional balance, respectively. Univariate regression tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: Our findings showed a significant association between the duration of diabetes and balance control (p<0.01 and standardized beta=-0.509). When adjusting for height, weight, body mass index and cognitive score, the association between the duration of diabetes and BBS score enhanced significantly (p<0.01 and standardized beta= -0.565, -0.527, -0.550 and -0.548, respectively). Moreover, duration of diabetes could explained 25 to 45 percent of balance control impairments in people with diabetic neuropathy. Conclusion: Diabetes duration is a significant predictor of balance impairment in people with diabetic neuropathy. It could be used as a very simple factor to predict possible future balance impairments in these patients.