The role of insulin - like growth factor - 1 on steatohepatitis.

PURPOSE: Recent studies have revealed that growth hormone and STAT5 were related to hepatosteatosis in mice. Loss of signal transducer and activator of transcription factor-5 leads to hepatosteatosis and impaired liver regeneration. We aimed to investigate the role of IGF-1 in steatosis with normal (SNLFT) and disturbed liver function tests (SDLFT) in humans. METHODS: We included 272 NAFLD patients and 110 age, sex and body mass index (BMI)-matched healty controls. We measured routine blood biochemistry and complete blood count, IGF-1, insulin, c-peptide, ferritin, hsCRP, ESR and HOMA-IR. We subdivided NAFLD patients into SNLFT and SDLFT subgroups. RESULTS: ge, sex and BMI were similar between NAFLD and controls. IGF-1 levels were significantly lower in NAFLD patients (120,6±48,2) than controls (148,9±53,8), (<0,0001). IGF-1 levels were also lower in SDLFT subgroup (93,4±27,8) than SNLFT subgroup (123,1±49,0), (p:0,032). Waist circumference, fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, uric acid, hsCRP, AST, ALT, GGT, WBC, hemoglobin, hematocrit, ferritin, insulin, c-peptid and HOMA-IR measurements were significantly higher in NAFLD patients than controls (for all values: p<0,0001).Cholesterol (p:0,026), triglycerides (p<0,0001), ESR (p:0,006) were significantly higher in NAFLD patients than controls. HDL-chelesterol levels were significantly lower (p:0,002) in NAFLD patients than controls. CONCLUSION: This study supported previous findings of experi-mental studies in that, IGF-1 levels were lower in SNLFT and SDLFT. Growth hormone-IGF-1 system may be involved in the pathogenesis of NAFLD.

Helicobacter pylori and cardiovascular disease.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is one of the most common infections in human. The association between H. pylori and gastrointestinal diseases including peptic ulcer, chronic gastritis, mucosa associated tissue lymphoma (MALT) and gastric cancer is well known. However it was also suggested that H. pylori was linked to various extra-gastrointestinal disorders such as diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease. In this review we summarized the association between H. pylori and cardiovascular disease.

An obesity drug sibutramine reduces brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels in severely obese patients.

OBJECTIVES: Sibutramine is a selective inhibitor of the reuptake of monoamines. Plasma levels of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) appear to be inversely associated with body mass index (BMI) in subjects with and without heart failure for reasons that remain unexplained. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible influence of sibutramine treatment on BNP levels in severely obese patients. METHODS: Fifty-two severely obese female patients with BMI > 40 kg/m(2) were included to this study. The women were recommended to follow a weight-reducing daily diet of 25 kcal/kg of ideal body weight. During the treatment period, all patients were to receive 15 mg of sibutramine once a day. Blood chemistry tests were performed before the onset of the medication and after 12 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: None of the subjects was withdrawn from the study because of the adverse effects of sibutramine. Body weight (108.8 +/- 13.3 kg vs. 101.7 +/- 15.6 kg, p < 0.001), BMI (44.6 +/- 4.6 kg/m(2) vs. 41.8 +/- 5.7 kg/m(2), p < 0.001) and BNP [8.6 (0.5-49.5) ng/l vs. 3.1 (0.2-28.6) ng/l, p = 0.018] levels were significantly decreased after 12 weeks of sibutramine treatment. Total cholesterol (5.19 +/- 0.90 mmol/l vs. 4.82 +/- 1.05 mmol/l respectively; p < 0.001), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (3.26 +/- 0.86 mmol/l vs. 2.99 +/- 0.40 mmol/l respectively; p = 0.008), levels were significantly decreased; however, there was no significant alteration in high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and triglyceride levels. CONCLUSION: This study has shown a decrease in BNP levels which may lead to improvement in cardiac outcome after sibutramine treatment. Further randomised studies are needed to be conducted to clarify the relationship between sibutramine and BNP.