Leptin signaling may promote atherothrombosis and lead to cardiovascular disease. However, whether leptin is associated with human atherosclerosis, distinct from thrombosis, is unknown. We determined the association of plasma leptin levels with coronary artery calcification (CAC), a measure of coronary atherosclerosis, in a cross-sectional study of type 2 diabetes. Leptin levels were associated with CAC after adjusting for established risk factors [odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for 5 ng/ml leptin increase: 1.31 (1.10-1.55); P = 0.002]. Leptin remained associated with CAC after further controlling for body mass index (BMI) [1.29 (1.07-1.55); P = 0.008], waist circumference [1.30 (1.09-1.57); P = 0.003], C-reactive protein (CRP) levels [1.28 (1.07-1.55); P = 0.008], and subclinical vascular disease [1.30 (1.08-1.57); P = 0.006]. Addition of BMI (P = 0.97), waist (P = 0.55), or CRP (P = 0.39) to a model with leptin failed to improve the model's explanatory power, whereas addition of leptin to a model with BMI (P = 0.029), waist (P = 0.006), or CRP (P = 0.005) improved the model significantly. Plasma leptin levels were associated with CAC in type 2 diabetes after controlling adiposity and CRP. Whether leptin signaling promotes atherosclerosis directly or represents a therapeutic target for the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease remains to be explored.

Islet transplantation can provide metabolic stability for patients with type 1 diabetes; however, more than one donor pancreas is usually required to achieve insulin independence. To evaluate possible mechanistic defects underlying impaired graft function, we studied five subjects at 3 months and four subjects at 12 months following intraportal islet transplantation who had received comparable islet equivalents per kilogram (12,601 ؎ 1,732 vs. 14,384 ؎ 2,379, respectively). Cpeptide responses, as measures of ␤-cell function, were significantly impaired in both transplant groups when compared with healthy control subjects (P < 0.05) after intravenous glucose (0.3 g/kg), an orally consumed meal (600 kcal), and intravenous arginine (5 g), with the greatest impairment to intravenous glucose and a greater impairment seen in the 12-month compared with the 3-month transplant group. A glucose-potentiated arginine test, performed only in insulin-independent transplant subjects (n ‫؍‬ 5), demonstrated significant impairments in the glucose-potentiation slope (P < 0.05) and the maximal response to arginine (AR max ; P < 0.05), a measure of ␤-cell secretory capacity. Because AR max provides an estimate of the functional ␤-cell mass, these results suggest that a low engrafted ␤-cell mass may account for the functional defects observed after islet transplantation. Diabetes 54:100 -106, 2005

Risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) are well-established in type 2 but not type 1 diabetes (T1DM). We assessed risk factors in the long-term (mean 27 years) follow-up of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) cohort with T1DM. Cox proportional hazards multivariate models assessed the association of traditional and novel risk factors, including HbA1c, with major atherosclerotic cardiovascular events (MACE) (fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction [MI] or stroke) and any-CVD (MACE plus confirmed angina, silent MI, revascularization, or congestive heart failure). Age and mean HbA1c were strongly associated with any-CVD and with MACE. For each percentage point increase in mean HbA1c, the risk for any-CVD and for MACE increased by 31 and 42%, respectively. CVD and MACE were associated with seven other conventional factors, such as blood pressure, lipids, and lack of ACE inhibitor use, but not with sex. The areas under the receiver operating characteristics curves for the association of age and HbA1c, taken together with any-CVD and for MACE, were 0.70 and 0.77, respectively, and for the final models, including all significant risk factors, were 0.75 and 0.82. Although many conventional CVD risk factors apply in T1DM, hyperglycemia is an important risk factor second only to age.

OBJECTIVEEvidence favors apolipoprotein B (apoB) over LDL cholesterol as a predictor of cardiovascular events, but data are lacking on coronary artery calcification (CAC), especially in type 2 diabetes, where LDL cholesterol may underestimate atherosclerotic burden. We investigated the hypothesis that apoB is a superior marker of CAC relative to LDL cholesterol.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSWe performed cross-sectional analyses of white subjects in two community-based studies: the Penn Diabetes Heart Study (N = 611 type 2 diabetic subjects, 71.4% men) and the Study of Inherited Risk of Coronary Atherosclerosis (N = 803 nondiabetic subjects, 52.8% men) using multivariate analysis of apoB and LDL cholesterol stratified by diabetes status.RESULTSIn type 2 diabetes, apoB was associated with CAC after adjusting for age, sex, and medications [Tobit regression ratio of increased CAC for 1-SD increase in apoB; 1.36 (95% CI 1.06–1.75), P = 0.016] whereas LDL cholesterol was not [1.09 (0.85–1.41)]. In nondiabetic subjects, both were associated with CAC [apoB 1.65 (1.38–1.96), P < 0.001; LDL cholesterol 1.56 (1.30–1.86), P < 0.001]. In combined analysis of diabetic and nondiabetic subjects, apoB provided value in predicting CAC scores beyond LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, the total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol and triglyceride/HDL cholesterol ratios, and marginally beyond non-HDL cholesterol.CONCLUSIONSPlasma apoB, but not LDL cholesterol, levels were associated with CAC scores in type 2 diabetic whites. ApoB levels may be particularly useful in assessing atherosclerotic burden and cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetes.

Fatty acid–binding proteins (FABPs) 4 and 5 play coordinated roles in rodent models of inflammation, insulin resistance, and atherosclerosis, but little is known of their role in human disease. The aim of this study was to examine the hypothesis that plasma adipocyte and macrophage FABP4 and FABP5 levels would provide additive value in the association with metabolic and inflammatory risk factors for cardiovascular disease as well as subclinical atherosclerosis. Using the Penn Diabetes Heart Study (PDHS; n = 806), cross-sectional analysis of FABP4 and FABP5 levels with metabolic and inflammatory parameters and with coronary artery calcium, a measure of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis, was performed. FABP4 and FABP5 levels had strong independent associations with the metabolic syndrome (for a 1-SD change in FABP levels, odds ratio [OR] 1.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.43 to 2.23, and OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.41 to 1.95, respectively) but had differential associations with metabolic syndrome components. FABP4 and FABP5 were also independently associated with C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 levels. FABP4 (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.52) but not FABP5 (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.32) was associated with the presence of coronary artery calcium. An integrated score combining FABP4 and FABP5 quartile data had even stronger associations with the metabolic syndrome, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and coronary artery calcium compared to either FABP alone. In conclusion, this study provides evidence for an additive relation of FABP4 and FABP5 with the metabolic syndrome, inflammatory cardiovascular disease risk factors, and coronary atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus. These findings suggest that FABP4 and FABP5 may represent mediators of and biomarkers for metabolic and cardiovascular disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus.