BackgroundThis study was undertaken to assess the association between insulin need in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and clinical features and laboratory parameters. Factors that can predict insulin need are also identified.MethodsCases with GDM were included retrospectively from records. Cases which failed to achieve target blood glucose levels with medical nutrition therapy (MNT) and need insulin treatment were recorded. Risk factors which can predict antenatal insulin treatment (AIT) were identified as follows; the presence of diabetes in a first degree relative, body mass index prior to pregnancy, number of parity, history of GDM, macrosomic baby delivery (> 4,000 g), age, gestational week at time of diagnosis, body mass index during diagnosis, weight gain untill diagnosis, mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure, HbA1C level during diagnosis, and fasting plasma glucose on diagnostic oral glucose tolerance test. Presence of a statistical significance between those patient features and AIT was assessed. Independent predictors for AIT were evaluated.ResultsA total of 300 cases were recruited from records, 190 cases (63.3%) were followed only with MNT until delivery and 110 cases (36.7%) were initiated AIT. The association between AIT and patient factors like presence of diabetes in the pedigree, week of gestation at which GDM was diagnosed, BMI during diagnosis, HbA1C levels, and fasting plasma glucose during diagnosis was found (P = 0.03; 0.008; 0.049; 0.001 and 0.001respectively). Multivariant analysis showed that fasting plasma glucose levels during diagnosis and HbA1C levels were independent risk factors for AIT. Fasting plasma glucose values that can predict AIT were identified > 89.5 mg/dL with 72.7% sensitivity and 62.6% spesifity (P < 0.001). Positive predictive value was 73% (P < 0.001). Also, HbA1C levels that can predict AIT was found to be > 5.485% with 65.3% sensitivity and 66.7% spesifitiy(P < 0.001) with a positive predictive value 68% (P < 0.001).ConclusionsIndependent predictors for AIT were found as fasting plasma glucose on OGTT and HbA1c levels during diagnosis in GDM. Cases with fasting plasma glucose ≥ 89.5 mg/dL or HbA1C ≥ 5.485% should be closely followed for AIT in specified centers.

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Objective: Increased QT interval dispersion (QTd) is an electrocardiographic parameter shown to be associated with malignant ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death, and QT dispersion corrected for heart rate (QTc) has emerged as a potentially important predictor of cardiac death. Increased QTd has been detected to be directly related to thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in overt hypothyroidism, however not much is known about subclinical hypothyroidism (SH). This study was conducted to investigate the QTc in SH and determine the changes following normalization of TSH levels with L-thyroxine. Subjects and Methods: Fifty-eight women with naive SH due to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, mean age 39.37 ± 10.43 years, and 54 age-, sex- and weight-matched controls with normal TSH were included after exclusion of any factor that might interfere with cardiac conductibility. Electrocardiographic measurements were performed with a magnifier and Bazett’s formula was used to calculate QTc. The patients were separated into two groups regarding basal TSH levels (subgroup A: 5 > TSH > 10 mIU/l, n = 36; subgroup B: TSH > 10 mIU/l, n = 22). L-Thyroxine 1–2 µg/kg/day was administered to subgroup B. Results: Mean QTc interval of the study group was significantly longer than that of the control group (100 ± 30 vs. 76 ± 30 ms, p = 0.000). It was also longer in subgroup A (5 > TSH > 10 mIU/l, n = 36) and subgroup B (p = 0.001, p = 0.000, respectively). In subgroup B, following normalization of serum TSH, mean post-treatment QTc measurement was similar to that of the control group (75 ± 40 vs. 76 ± 30 ms, p > 0.05). Conclusion: We detected prolonged QTc among SH cases. Prolongation remained significant for the whole group as well as the two subgroups. The differences in QTc were corrected when TSH levels of >10 mIU/l returned to normal.

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Aim of this prospective study is to evaluate the effect of repaglinide t.i.d. (three times a day) plus single-dose insulin glargine regimen in low-risk type 2 diabetic patients during Ramadan fasting. Participants had been taking the regimen for at least 3 months. Patients with a history of diabetic coma, severe hypoglycemic crisis or repeating attacks of hypoglycemia were excluded. Hypoglycemic unawareness, kidney or liver disease or HbA1c over 8% were also accepted as exclusion criteria. Eleven patients who insisted on this worship and eight non-fasting cases were involved. All were told to make home-glucose-monitorisation weekly and report any hypoglycemic event throughout Ramadan. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), post-prandial blood glucose (PBG) and fructosamine levels, body weights and blood pressures were recorded just before and after Ramadan. Seven patients in each group concluded the follow-up. Any significant change was detected in the parameters in either groups (P>0.05). Glucose control remained unchanged; fructosamine 318.14+/-65.38 versus 317.28+/-52.80 mmol/L in fasting group, 290.71+/-38.48 versus 290+/-38.56 mmol/L in non-fasting group. None of them exhibited either a major or a minor hypoglycemic event. The results of this pilot study indicated that repaglinide t.i.d. plus single-dose insulin glargine regimen was safe for low-risk type 2 diabetic patients who insisted on fasting during Ramadan.