The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism
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J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. · Jun 1996
Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialEffectiveness and tolerability of slow release lanreotide treatment in active acromegaly: six-month report on an Italian multicenter study. Italian Multicenter Slow Release Lanreotide Study Group.
The objective of the study was to determine the tolerability and effectiveness of the slow release (SR) somatostatin analog lanreotide in active acromegaly. Fifty-seven patients, unselected in terms of their previous responsiveness to octreotide therapy, were included in a prospective, open label study carried out at 6 Italian endocrinological centers. The effects of 6 months of SR lanreotide, given at first every 14 days at a dosage of 30 mg, im, were recorded. ⋯ When administered to a group of poorly responsive patients, an increase in drug dose (60 mg im) and/or a shortening of the drug interval (10 days) seem to improve the GH/IGF-I response. Tolerability to SR lanreotide therapy is high. The use of a new sustained release formulation of somatostatin analog is clearly advantageous in improving patient compliance with medical treatment for acromegaly.
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J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. · Apr 1996
Comparative StudyIncreased circulating adrenomedullin, a novel vasodilatory peptide, in sepsis.
Human adrenomedullin (hAM), a potent vasodilatory peptide originally identified in pheochromocytoma, has been shown to be present in various human tissues and circulate in human plasma. We measured plasma concentrations of immunoreactive hAM in patients with sepsis who had been admitted to intensive care unit (ICU). Plasma hAM concentrations in 12 septic patients upon entering the ICU were extremely elevated (107 +/- 139 fmol/ml: mean +/- SD) compared to those of 16 age-matched normal subjects (7.9 +/- 3 fmol/mL). ⋯ High performance liquid chromatography of plasma extracts from one patient with acute renal failure revealed a single major component of immunoreactive hAM coeluting with authentic hAM (1-52) during acute and recovery phase. Plasma hAM concentration showed positive correlations with heart rate, right atrial pressure, and serum creatinine concentration, but not with other hemodynamic variables. These data suggest that a marked increase in circulating hAM in sepsis may be caused by its decreased clearance and/or its enhanced synthesis by multiple organ dysfunction, and that increased endogenous hAM may be involved in the mechanism of cardiovascular abnormalities associated with sepsis.
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J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. · Jan 1996
Counterproductive effects of sodium bicarbonate in diabetic ketoacidosis.
Although a growing body of evidence supports that alkali therapy in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) might be counterproductive, our knowledge about the consequences of this treatment on ketone metabolism is limited. Consequently, we performed clinical and animal studies to further examine this topic. The clinical studies assessed seven patients with DKA treated with continuous insulin infusion at a low dosage. ⋯ Hepatic ketogenesis increased even further, to about twice the basal level, after termination of the NaHCO3 loading. This investigation confirms that alkali administration augments ketone production and unravels an effect of bicarbonate infusion that promotes a selective build up of AcAc in body fluids. The data support that alkali therapy in DKA has nonsaltuary effects in the metabolism and plasma levels of ketones.
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J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. · Dec 1995
Nested polymerase chain reaction study of 53 cases with Turner's syndrome: is cytogenetically undetected Y mosaicism common?
Turner's syndrome patients with Y mosaicism face a high risk of developing gonadoblastoma. Cytogenetic analysis can fail to detect rare cells bearing a normal or structurally abnormal Y chromosome (low level Y mosaicism). We screened 53 individuals with Turner's syndrome for presence of sex-determining region Y (SRY), the testis-specific protein, Y encoded, gene, and the Y centromeric DYZ3 repeat using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). ⋯ In 1 SRY-positive subject, the karyotype was 45,X, and in the other, it was 46,Xi(Xq). None of 53 Turner's syndrome individuals, including the 2 SRY-positive subjects, were positive for the testis-specific protein, Y encoded, gene on the proximal short arm of chromosome Y or the centromeric DYZ3 repeat. These data exclude low level Y mosaicism in almost all Turner's syndrome cases tested.