Objective: To investigate the relationship between dietary intakes and in vivo oxidative stress (OS) status in diabetic patients. Design: Case-control study. Setting: Outpatient-Clinic and Laboratory Endocrinology, University Antwerp. Subjects and methods: A total of 30 patients (24 type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM)/6 type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were asked to complete a 2 weekdays+1weekend day food consumption questionnaire during the week preceding their yearly diabetes control consultation, when samples were collected for the assay of oxidative stress (OS) (blood levels of antioxidants, peroxides, malondialdehyde (MDA) and minerals). Blood samples were also collected from 25 age-and sex-matched healthy controls. Results: Diabetic patients had lower glutathione (5.8071.15 vs 6.7571.03 mmol/g Hb in the controls, P ¼ 0.002) and higher MDA (0.68770.212 vs 0.54570.101 mmol/l, P ¼ 0.002). Although the group average intakes were within the Belgian RDA, intakes of fat 435% energy, fibre o15 g/1000 kcal, fruit o2 portions and vitamin E o10 mg/day were seen in more than 20 patients. Blood antioxidants did not correlate with intakes of energy, fat, protein or fibres or of their respective antioxidant. Vitamins A and E correlated with serum lipids (r ¼ 0.58, P o0.0005 between serum a-tocopherol and cholesterol). Blood peroxide levels were only related to intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol (Po0.05). In diabetic subjects but not in controls (Po0.05) MDA was related to glutathione and uric acid. Conclusions: In diabetic patients, blood levels of antioxidants are not related to their dietary intakes but to serum lipids. Levels of oxidative damage products are only related to intakes of saturated fats and cholesterol and to levels of endogenous antioxidants.

No abstract

Limbic encephalitis is characterized by subacute onset of short-term memory loss, seizures, sleep disturbances, as well as psychiatric and behavioral symptoms. A subgroup is associated with voltage-gated potassium channel antibodies (VGKC-Abs). In many cases, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrates hyperintense areas in the medial part of the temporal lobe. Also, pleiocytosis is frequently found. In this study, we describe a 69-year-old man with VGKC-Abs limbic encephalitis with generalized tonic-clonic seizures, increasing memory deficits, visual hallucinations, depression, and severe insomnia. Brain MRI and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were normal, while the electroencephalogram (EEG) showed bilateral frontal and temporal intermittent rhythmic delta activity with disorganization and slowing of background activity, ultimately leading to the diagnosis of limbic encephalitis. The patient improved markedly after starting immunosuppressive therapy, both clinically and electrophysiologically. In addition to temporal lobe involvement on the brain MRI and CSF inflammation, we propose EEG abnormalities as an additional diagnostic criterion for limbic encephalitis.

No abstract

No abstract