Elevated insulin resistance, oxidative stress and plasma homocysteine levels and changes in serum lipid profile (risk factors for cardiovascular disease) were observed in lean PCOS patients. Rosiglitazone seemed to decrease elevated oxidative stress when compared with metformin treatment in lean PCOS patients.

Our data show that both metformin and rosiglitazone improve ovarian function and hirsutism in patients with PCOS. Rosiglitazone appears better than metformin in the treatment of hirsutism and has better patient tolerance.

Adiponectin and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) have been implicated in insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus (DM). In the present study we investigated levels of adiponectin and TNF-alpha and their relationships with each other and metabolic factors in women with gestational DM (GDM). Thirty-four pregnant women with GDM and 31 pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) were included in the study. Plasma adiponectin levels were lower in GDM than in NGT (36.9 +/- 6.7 vs. 61.3 +/- 13.0 ng/ml, p = 0.028). Serum TNF-alpha levels were increased in GDM compared with NGT (20.5 +/- 2.4 vs. 14.0 +/- 1.5 pg/ml, p = 0.042). After adjustment for pre-pregnancy and current body mass index (BMI), adiponectin levels correlated negatively with insulin resistance by homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and 0-h and 1-h glucose both at glucose challenge test and oral glucose tolerance test in GDM. Adiponectin levels were correlated only with very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels in NGT. TNF-alpha levels were correlated with glycated hemoglobin in GDM. There was a significant positive correlation between TNF-alpha levels and pre-pregnancy and current BMI in GDM as well as NGT. HOMA-IR for adiponectin and pre-pregnancy BMI for TNF-alpha remained as significant determinants in multiple regression analyses. In conclusion, these data suggest that reduced adiponectin and increased TNF-alpha may be involved in the pathogenesis of GDM.

No abstract

Increased levels of small, dense LDL are common in Mediterranean women with gestational diabetes. Whether these findings affect the atherogenic process and clinical end-points in these women remains to be determined by future prospective studies.

We demonstrated that ADMA increases and L-arginine to ADMA ratio decreases, even before the development of vascular complications in type 1 DM.

Our data showed that both metformin and rosiglitazone increased insulin sensitivity in obese patients with PCOS as expected, and in lean patients as well. Rosiglitazone seemed to be more effective in decreasing the androgen levels and in achieving slightly greater improvement in menstrual disturbance than metformin.

Our results suggest that SCH is associated with some lipid and lipoprotein abnormalities. Our results also suggest that this association does not depend on the subject's TSH level.