The effects of consumption of diets high in sucrose and cornstarch on glucose and lipid metabolism in Zucker fatty and lean rats and Sprague-Dawley rats were investigated in the present study. Rats of each strain or genotype, 8 to 10 months of age, were fed diets containing 56% cornstarch or 57% sucrose for 4 weeks, when an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test was administered. After 2 additional weeks of dietary treatment, the rats were sacrificed and plasma was collected. The plasma was assayed for triglyceride and cholesterol concentration. Plasma VLDL were isolated by ultracentrifugation and were assayed for triglyceride. Pooled VLDL samples from each group were separated by size using a 2% agarose column. Sprague-Dawley rats fed sucrose had higher final body weights than rats of the same strain fed cornstarch. For lean or obese Zucker rats, however, there was no difference in final body weights due to dietary treatment. No rats fed cornstarch gained weight throughout the study. Lean Zucker rats and Sprague-Dawley rats fed sucrose gained weight when fed the sucrose diet, although Zucker fatty rats did not. Zucker lean and Sprague-Dawley rats fed sucrose consumed more food throughout the study than animals of the same strain or genotype fed cornstarch. Zucker fatty rats, however, consumed the same amount of food regardless of dietary treatment. Fasting blood glucose concentrations were not affected by the dietary treatment within any strain or genotype investigated. However, Zucker fatty rats fed cornstarch did have significantly higher fasting blood glucose levels than Zucker lean or Sprague-Dawley rats fed cornstarch. This strain difference was not noted for groups fed the sucrose diet. Sucrose consumption resulted in an increased glucose tolerance curve peak with a similar decline of the curve for Zucker lean and Sprague-Dawley rats. This pattern was not observed for Zucker fatty rats fed sucrose. These rats had elevated blood glucose levels at 180 minutes after glucose injection, possibly indicating delayed glucose clearance in these rats; Zucker fatty rats generally had an elevated glucose tolerance curve compared to Zucker lean and Sprague-Dawley rats, regardless of dietary treatment. Plasma lipid concentrations of Zucker fatty rats responded differently to the dietary treatment than those of Zucker lean and Sprague-Dawley rats. Sucrose feeding caused increased plasma and VLDL triglyceride concentrations in Zucker lean and Sprague-Dawley rats, whereas no elevation of triglyceride levels occurred in Zucker fatty rats. Increased cholesterol levels due to sucrose feeding were observed only in Sprague-Dawley rats. There were no VLDL size differences observed for any strain or genotype and diet combination investigated. This may be due to the similarity of relative concentrations of VLDL triglyceride observed for all groups. This study demonstrated a difference in response of glucose tolerance and plasma and VLDL triglyceride concentrations of Zucker fatty rats fed sucrose compared to Zucker lean and Sprague-Dawley rats fed the same diet. / Ph. D.

M.Tech. / Impaired glucose tolerance, as determined by an oral glucose tolerance test, is the inability of the blood glucose regulatory mechanisms in the body to return the blood glucose levels to normal physiological levels after the ingestion of a meal (Guyton and Hall, 2006). Mollentze and Levitt (2006) report on various studies that were conducted in South Africa on the prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes mellitus and they illustrate that there is an incidence of impaired glucose tolerance as high as 10.2% in certain communities and that impaired glucose tolerance may result in diabetes mellitus. A study has shown that cinnamon controls blood sugar levels by increasing insulin sensitivity resulting in better blood sugar level control (Jarvill-Taylor et al, 2001). The above research was done on cinnamon in the crude form but there is no research on Cinnamomum verum in a homoeopathic potency. The aim of the research was to evaluate the effect of Cinnamomum verum 1X on glucose tolerance in non-diabetic males after an oral glucose tolerance test. A double-blind pre-test post-test placebo controlled study on thirty healthy adult males between the ages of eighteen and forty years was conducted. The participants were recruited by means of an advertisement at the University of Johannesburg Health Clinic. Inclusion criteria comprised: no medication for one month prior to the study with a normal fasting blood sugar level of more than 3.0 but less than 6.0 mmol/l (Oussama, 2006); systolic blood pressure between 100 and 140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure between 70 and 90 mmHg. At the first consultation the participant data was obtained and an oral glucose tolerance test was performed. The participants were issued with 100 ml of either Cinnamomum verum 1X or a placebo and a weekly checklist to complete. After two weeks the participant data was recorded again and the oral glucose tolerance test was repeated. The Mann-Whitney U-test was used to analyse between the group data statistically and the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test was used to perform the within-group analysis. The mean fasting blood glucose level of the experiment group changed from 4.71 mmol/l to 4.49 mmol/l. This was a statistically significant reduction, p = 0.025 (< 0.05). The reduction in the blood glucose level after the oral glucose tolerance test of the experiment group was also found to be statistically significant, p = 0.001 (< 0.05) with the mean value changing from 5.86 mmol/l to 5.40 mmol/l. It was concluded that the homoeopathic remedy, Cinnamomum verum 1X taken orally twice daily, was more effective than the placebo in reducing the fasting blood glucose level and the blood glucose level after an oral glucose tolerance test in non-diabetic males between the ages of eighteen and forty years with normal initial fasting blood glucose levels within a time period of two weeks.

The glucose toxicity has been recognized over the last several years as a factor contributing to both impaired insulin secretion and insulin resistance in patients with diabetes. However, the molecular mechanisms that underlie the changes in glucose transport activity induced by hyperglycemia have not been fully understood. The purpose of the present investigation is to determine if acute hyperglycemia affects an activation of glucose transport and also if hyperglycemic-induced change in insulinstimulated glucose transport is mediated via a PKC-dependent signaling system. Animals were anesthetized, and the soleus (SOL) muscles were isolated and clamped at their resting length. After a 10 minute recovery period the muscles were transferred to preincubation vials containing KHB supplemented with 4 or 16 mmol of glucose and 16 mmol/1 mannitol with or without insulin and/or inhibitors for 30 minutes. Following an incubation series to prepare the muscle, the muscle was incubated in radioactive 3-0- [3H] methylglucose and [14C] mannitol for 10 min. in the presence/absence of insulin and inhibitors, and the amount of glucose transport was measured. A total of 100µU/ml insulin with 4 mM glucose led to increase glucose transport by 155%, whereas the same amount of insulin with 16 MM glucose led to 80% increment in glucose transport. Also, 16 mM glucose in the absence of insulin induced an increase of glucose uptake by apporoximately 50% compared with 4 MM glucose. However, the addition of insulin reduced that difference to 5.3%. The conventional PKC inhibitor GF 109203X in the muscle incubated with 16 MM glucose led to a decrease in insulin-stimulated glucose transport (1l%), whereas the inhibitor with 4 mM glucose induced a decrease in insulin-stimulated glucose transport (24%). These findings suggest that glucose can directly regulate glucose transport activity by a mechanism that possibly involves a facilitated GLUT1 transporter activity. In addition to the mass action of glucose, the hyperglycemic-induced increase in insulin stimulated glucose transport may be partially mediated via a PKC-dependent signaling system. / School of Physical Education

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Bibliography: p. B1-B4. / by Kevin Paul Koch. / M.S.

The purpose of this study was to measure the impact of diabetes education classes in increasing knowledge and promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors. Thirty-three subjects participated in the classes between October 2004 and October 2005. Only six subjects agreed to participate in this study. Changes in knowledge after the classes were measured by a survey test one year following the completion of classes. Survey responses were analyzed using percentages. Subject's Hgb A1C and weights were also collected to measure the direct impact of education on participants' blood glucose management. Overall, participants were very knowledgeable of diabetes symptoms, complications, carbohydrate counting, and serving sizes after the nutrition intervention.

Thesis (M.E.)--University of Canterbury, 2009. / Typescript (photocopy). "January 2009." Includes bibliographical references (p. [77]-89). Also available via the World Wide Web.

The objective of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was to determine whether glucose enhanced memory for a repeated auditory stimulus in human newborns. Infants consumed water or glucose (2-g/kg) solution. Memory test phases were: Orientation (turning towards the stimulus); Habituation (not turning towards), indicating familiarity; Delay (100 seconds); Spontaneous Recovery (stimulus representation: not turning towards indicates remembering, while turning towards indicates forgetting), and Novelty (turning towards a different word confirms wakefulness). Decreased head-turning towards during Spontaneous Recovery indicates enhanced memory. Blood glucose levels were measured after testing. / "Glucose" infants had higher blood glucose levels than "water" infants (p < 0.001). "Glucose" infants had significantly decreased turns towards during Spontaneous Recovery compared to "water" infants (p = 0.008), indicating memory enhancement. / Therefore, glucose specifically enhances memory for a repeated auditory stimulus in newborn humans. Elevating blood glucose levels by approximately 2 mmol/L appears to be sufficient for memory enhancement in healthy newborns.

The purpose of this project was to determine the effects of 6 g of ground cinnamon added to farina (Cream of Wheat) cereal on blood glucose levels between obese and normal weight individuals. Thirty students, aged 19-30 years, were recruited to participate in this study. During study visits, participants were given one of two test meals (74 g of farina with and without 6 g of cinnamon) followed by seven blood glucose measurements over a two-hour period. A significant difference was seen in glycemic response between the two dietary conditions, but not between the two BMI groups (normal and obese). The two BMI groups were combined for analysis of dietary conditions. Ingestion of the cinnamon cereal resulted in significantly lower blood glucose responses at minutes 15, 30, 45 and 60 compared to the plain cereal. The results of this study confirm the positive glucose-lowering effects of cinnamon. / Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

Abstract Background The prognosis after an ischaemic stroke is determined largely by how much damage is done to the brain. Currently physicians possess only a few therapies that can improve outcome. Early changes in common physiological variables, such as blood pressure, temperature and blood glucose levels, represent a potential therapeutic target, and manipulation of these variables may eventually yield an effective and potentially widely applicable range of therapies for optimising stroke recovery. However, the natural history and determinants of physiological change require clarification before the effects of manipulating physiology can be assessed. Previous research suggests that blood pressure and glucose falls over the first few days and temperature rises over this time. Some of the determinants of this change have been identified, for example stroke severity, but their influence has not been accurately quantified. The lack of detail in previous attempts to characterise these relationships is partly due to a reliance on traditional cross-sectional statistical techniques. My aims were to use the most apposite statistical technique, namely mixed-effects modelling, to accurately characterise the temporal patterns of post-stroke blood pressure, temperature and glucose, and to identify baseline factors that represent determinants of change in these three physiological variables. Methods A cohort of ischaemic stroke patients was recruited within 48 hours of stroke onset, and their blood pressure, temperature and glucose was recorded at least every 4 hours until 48 hours post-stroke. Factors representing potential determinants of change in these physiological variables were also recorded, including stroke severity and the presence of infection. There were no protocols dictating the treatment of these physiological variables, but if this occurred, those treatments were also recorded. In each analysis, mixed-effects models were generated with serial measures of physiology as the outcome factors and the potential determinants of physiological change as the explanatory factors. These determinants included time, representing the temporal patterns of change. Patients with diabetes were excluded from the analysis of glucose, for several reasons including the excessive impact on glycaemia made by dietary intake in patients with diabetes. Results There were 157 eligible patients overall. The analysis of blood pressure (n=157) revealed a linear systolic blood pressure fall of 14.9 mmHg (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 6.2, 22.6 mmHg) and a diastolic blood pressure fall of 6.1 mmHg (95%CI 1.6, 10.5 mmHg) over the first 48 hours after stroke. Patients with post-stroke infection exhibited a slight rise in systolic blood pressure of about 4 mmHg. Higher systolic blood pressures were seen in older patients and in those with pre-existing or previously treated hypertension, previous strokes or transient ischaemic attacks, in regular alcohol users and in those with mild to moderately severe stroke. Systolic blood pressures were 4.6 mmHg (95%CI 2.35,6.85 mmHg) lower in current smokers than in non-smokers. Of the 156 patients eligible for the temperature analysis, temperature rose by 0.17 deg C in patients with mild stroke (National Institutes of Health Stroke Score (NIHSS)≤6) and 0.35 deg C in patients with moderate to severe stroke (NIHSS≥6) over the first 48 hours after stroke. Temperatures were higher in those who required paracetamol. Temperatures were 0.33 deg C (95%CI 0.07, 0.58) higher in patients with infection and the effect was fixed during the 48 hour observation period. Blood glucose remained static in the 124 patients without diabetes during the first 48 hours after stroke. Glucose levels where higher in those requiring glucose lowering therapy, and in those with more severe stroke. Conclusions I have quantified the amount by which blood pressure falls and temperature rises over the first 48 hours after stroke. In addition, I have shown that mean glucose levels remain static during this time, suggesting that previous reports of acutely resolving post-stroke hyperglycaemia may have represented misinterpretation of regression to the mean. Several determinants of change in post-stroke physiological variables were identified, with unexpected findings in several cases. Higher systolic blood pressures were seen with stroke of moderate severity but not mild or severe stroke. This relationship was fixed during the first 48 hours after stroke, but while more severe stroke was also associated with higher temperatures, the latter effect became more marked as time passed. Conversely, infection was associated with a fixed elevation in temperature, but was associated with systolic blood pressures that rose slightly during the observation period. These apparent inconsistencies require clarification in future work, for example studies of whether markers of the inflammatory or neuroendocrine stress responses evolve in parallel with the changes in physiological variables. This work provides fundamental information regarding the natural history and determinants of changes in physiological variables post-stroke, and will improve the design of future studies investigating the prognostic significance of untreated and treated physiological variables after stroke. This will ultimately lead to the refinement of clinical guidelines for the management of physiological variables post-stroke and to better outcomes for stroke patients.

Thesis (doctoral)--Lund University, 1995. / Added t.p. with thesis statement inserted.