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            <italic>Aims</italic> To asses whether clinically severe insulin
resistance and poor metabolic control in patients with
type II diabetes are associated with aberrant
expression or function of the p21ras pathway.</p> <p>
            <italic>Methods</italic> We examined the expression and function
of the p21ras pathway in resting and activated PBMC
from 10 insulin treated patients with type II diabetes
characterized by high insulin requirements and poor
metabolic control (IR group) and 10 age and sex
matched well controlled patients treated by diet
alone or oral hypoglycemic medications (WC group).</p> <p>
            <italic>Results</italic> Levels of p21ras and its regulatory
elements: p21rasGAP and hSOS1, were comparable
in the two groups. The induced activities of p21ras
and its associated down-stream regulatory enzyme
MAP-kinase following TPA stimulation were also
comparable in the IR and WC patients.</p> <p>
            <italic>Conclusions</italic> Taken together, these data indicate that
clinically significant severe insulin resistance does
not modify the expression, regulation and activation
of p21ras pathway in PBMC of patients with type II
diabetes.</p>
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Int J Exp Diabetes Res. 2001; 2(1):47-54