title: A clinical and neuropathological study of Chinese patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether the neuropathological and metabolic changes of peripheral nerves are correlated to clinical features in diabetes mellitus type 2 patients with peripheral neuropathy.
  
  
  METHODS
  147 type 2 diabetic patients with signs/symptoms of diabetic peripheralneuropathy (DPN) aged 53.4 ± 12.3 years and 134 healthy volunteers aged 55.5 ± 11.7 years were investigated for fasting plasma glucose (FPG), hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c), and red blood cell sorbitol (RBC sorbitol) in addition to nerve conduction velocity (NCV). Among the 147 diabetic patients, 10 patients underwent superficial peroneal nerve biopsy for light and electron microscopy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the experimental group, the levels of HbA1c and RBC sorbitol showed significant increase compared with the controlled group, whereas motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV) and sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV) both showed decline and SNCV decreased at a greater extent. Morphologically, there were various degrees of nerve fiber loss, associated with axon degeneration and capillary luminal narrowing in 10 patients undergone nerve biopsy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The metabolic change of sorbitol, the consequently observed changes in NCV and histopathology of peripheral nerves are positively correlated with the duration of diabetes and overall level of blood glucose.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
authors.forename: Guangren
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Hospital of University, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
authors.forename: Chenglin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Second Hospital of University, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
authors.forename: Yanjun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Hospital of University, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
authors.forename: Yujia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Hospital of University, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
authors.forename: Xiaokun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gang
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Hospital of University, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Hospital of University, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Hospital of University, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
authors.forename: Xianchao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Hospital of University, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
authors.forename: Guixia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D001786:Blood Glucose; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction; D010543:Peroneal Nerve / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013012:Sorbitol / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D013012:Sorbitol