Aims/hypothesis. This study was conducted to evaluate the long-term outcome of a structured outpatient diabetes teaching and treatment programme (DTTP) for intensified insulin therapy in patients with Type 1 diabetes, which aims to improve metabolic control without increasing the risk of severe hypoglycaemia. Methods. All 123 diabetic outpatients (age 41±14 years; 64 women; BMI 23.5±3.1; diabetes duration 17± 11 years; HbA 1 c 7.9±1.6%; 32 patients with a history of severe hypoglycaemia; 18 with overt nephropathy; 22 with proliferative retinopathy) who participated in the DTTP between June 1989 and June 1990 were invited for follow-up visits after 3, 6 and 12 years. Results. Out of the 123 patients, 11 died during the follow-up period, two were lost for follow-up, and one was not willing to participate in re-evaluation after 12 years. Mean HbA 1 c levels decreased from 7.9± 1.6% to 7.1±1.2% (p<0.01) after 3 years, and were 7.8±1.5% (NS) and 7.8±1.2% (NS) after 6 and 12 years respectively. Frequency of hypoglycaemia decreased from 0.49 episodes per patient per year to 0.14 after 3 years (p<0.01), 0.19 after 6 years (p<0.01) and 0.16 after 12 years (p<0.01). Of the participants, 41% were able to lower HbA 1 c levels without episodes of severe hypoglycaemia and to maintain this improvement at all follow-up visits over the 12-year period. At follow-up, intensified insulin therapy was carried out by 94% of the patients. Conclusions/interpretation. A sustained reduction of the incidence of severe hypoglycaemia was observed in patients with Type 1 diabetes after participation in a structured outpatient DTTP over a 12-year period.

Gastrointestinal vasculitis in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is quite rare and almost always accompanied by evidence of active disease in other organs, although occasionally it may be the presenting feature of the disease. Gastrointestinal involvement in SLE may present as lupus peritonitis, non-necrotizing pancreatitis, gastrointestinal vasculitis or surgical abdomen. Here we report a severe case of SLE which presented initially with fever of unknown origin. Severe distress, abdominal pain, the presence of occult blood in the stool and high acute-phase proteins were explained by a lupus peritonitis and intestinal vasculitis resembling inflammatory bowel disease. Whereas high-dose prednisone treatment did not prevent a severe relapse, we observed a sustained remission following i.v. cyclophosphamide pulse therapy. In the literature, only two similar cases are reported: one died despite a change in the therapy of a bowel perforation; our case was the second that improved under pulse cyclophosphamide. We suggest the use of cyclophosphamide after failure of steroids early in the course of SLE gastrointestinal vasculitis to prevent devastating complications.

Patients with previous diabetic foot ulcer are prone to re-ulceration and (re)amputation, to various comorbidities, have significantly impaired quality of life and increased mortality. We aimed to evaluate the risk of foot related complications and mortality in a high-risk population of patients with healed diabetic foot syndrome over a decade. 91 patients with recently healed diabetic foot ulcer were invited for follow-up at 1, 6 and 11 years after inclusion. Patient characteristics at inclusion were: 40 women, 65 ± 11 years, diabetes type 1 (n = 6) or 2 (n = 85), BMI 28.5 ± 4.4 kg/m 2 , and HbA1c 68 ± 17 mmol/mol. Comorbidities included neuropathy (n = 91), peripheral artery disease (PAD), history of minor (n = 25) or major (n = 5, 5.5%) amputation, nephropathy (n = 40) and retinopathy (n = 53). Ulceration recurred in 71 (65%) patients, time to first recurrence was 1.8 ± 2.4 years (mean ± SD). 21 patients had to undergo (re)amputation (minor n = 19, major n = 2), time to amputation was 3.6 ± 1.9 years. Over time, 3 further major amputations were required in patients with an initial minor amputation. Thirty-three (36%) of the initially included patients completed the follow-up period of 11.0 ± 0.6 years. 58 patients (64%) died during the observational period, time to death was 5 ± 3 years in this group. We found overall high mortality of 64% throughout the follow-up period of 11 years in high-risk patients with healed diabetic foot syndrome. Presence of PAD, prior amputation and nephropathy as well as poor glycemic control were significantly predictive for death.

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OBJECTIVETo examine insulin's effect on the tissue glucose concentration at the site of subcutaneous insulin administration.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSA CMA-60 microdialysis (MD) catheter and a 24-gauge microperfusion (MP) catheter were inserted into the subcutaneous adipose tissue of fasting, healthy subjects (n = 5). Both catheters were perfused with regular human insulin (100 units/ml) over a 6-h period and used for glucose sampling and simultaneous administration of insulin at sequential rates of 0.33, 0.66, and 1.00 units/h (each rate was used for 2 h). Before and after the insulin delivery period, both catheters were perfused with an insulin-free solution (5% mannitol) for 2 h and used for glucose sampling only. Blood plasma glucose was clamped at euglycemic levels during insulin delivery.RESULTSStart of insulin delivery with MD and MP catheters resulted in a decline of the tissue glucose concentration and the tissue-to-plasma glucose ratio (TPR) for ∼60 min (P < 0.05). However, during the rest of the 6-h period of variable insulin delivery, tissue glucose concentration paralleled the plasma glucose concentration, and the TPR for MD and MP catheters remained unchanged at 83.2 ± 3.1 and 77.1 ± 4.8%, respectively. After subsequent switch to insulin-free perfusate, tissue glucose concentration and TPR increased slowly and reattained preinsulin delivery levels by the end of the experiments.CONCLUSIONSThe results show the attainment of a stable TPR value at the site of insulin administration, thus indicating that insulin delivery and glucose sensing may be performed simultaneously at the same adipose tissue site.