Association Between 25-hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Testosterone in Healthy, Non-Obese, Young Adult, Filipino Men.

Objective: This study seeks to determine the association between vitamin D and testosterone in healthy, adult Filipino males. Methodology: This cross-sectional study included 110 healthy, non-obese, male volunteers aged 21-40. History and physical exam were taken, and blood was drawn for vitamin D, total testosterone (TT), sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), albumin, insulin, fasting plasma glucose, and total cholesterol. Free testosterone (FT) was calculated. Vitamin D data were classified by status and TT, FT, and SHBG levels compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test. The associations of vitamin D levels with TT, FT, and SHBG were explored using multiple regression analysis. Results: Vitamin D levels were sufficient in 3 (2.7%), insufficient in 17 (15.45%), and deficient in 90 (81.8%) of the sample. There were no significant differences in the mean TT (p = 0.7981), FT (p = 0.8768), nor SHBG (p = 0.1838) across vitamin D status. Vitamin D was not associated with TT nor FT before or after adjustment for age and age plus body mass index (BMI). Vitamin D was associated with SHBG before and after the aforementioned adjustments, but this became insignificant on sensitivity analysis. Conclusion: There is no association between vitamin D and TT, FT nor SHBG in our cohort with deficient vitamin D levels.

Reference Intervals of Total Testosterone in Adult Filipino Men.

BACKGROUND: The reference range of total testosterone needs to be established locally as ethnic differences in adiposity, insulin sensitivity, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels may affect total testosterone levels. The aim of this study is to establish the reference intervals of total testosterone from healthy, young adult Filipino males. METHODS: The study included 110 healthy, Filipino male volunteers aged 21-40, studying or working at the University of the Philippines Manila. Clinical history, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure (BP) were obtained, and blood for total testosterone, SHBG, albumin, insulin, fasting blood sugar (FBS), and total cholesterol was collected. Free testosterone was calculated using Vermeulen's formula. The 2.5th to 97.5th percentiles of subjects for total testosterone were used as the normative range for Filipino men. RESULTS: The reference range of total testosterone is 7.33-53.01 nmol/L. CONCLUSION: The present study derived reference ranges of total testosterone using data from apparently healthy, young adult men to support clinical services.

UP Philippine General Hospital Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Consensus Recommendations for In-Patient Management of Diabetes Mellitus among Persons with COVID-19.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a known risk factor for morbidity and mortality among patients with COVID-19 based on recent studies. While there are many local and international guidelines on inpatient management of diabetes, the complicated pathology of the virus, the use of glucose-elevating drugs such as glucocorticoids, antivirals and even inotropes, and various other unique problems has made the management of in-hospital hyperglycemia among patients with COVID-19 much more difficult than in other infections. The objective of this guidance is to collate and integrate the best available evidence that has been published regarding in-patient management of diabetes among patients with COVID-19. A comprehensive review of literature was done and recommendations have been made through a consensus of expert endocrinologists from the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism. These recommendations are evolving as we continue to understand the pathology of the disease and how persons with diabetes are affected by this virus.

Hypermucoviscous capsular 1 (K1) serotype Klebsiella pneumoniae necrotising fasciitis and metastatic endophthalmitis.

A 48-year-old man presented with a non-healing wound on his left foot after stepping on a nail. He self-medicated with amoxicillin, but the wound progressed prompting consult. On examination, his left foot was diffusely swollen with surrounding erythema, areas of gangrene, foul-smelling purulent discharge and subcutaneous emphysema. He was managed as a case of necrotising fasciitis and underwent emergent amputation. Three days after amputation, he developed a sudden and progressive blurring of vision, swelling and conjunctival erythema, with purulent discharge and the presence of hypopyon on the left eye. He was then managed as a case of endophthalmitis of the left eye and underwent pars plana vitrectomy. All cultures (blood, tissue and vitreous fluid) grew pan-susceptible hypermucoviscous Klebsiella pneumoniae, with positive string tests and confirmed by multilocus gene sequencing and sequence type analysis. He gradually improved with intravenous antibiotics, but only regained light perception in the left eye.