Rapid pleural effusion after discontinuation of lenvatinib in a patient with pleural metastasis from thyroid cancer.

We report a case of rapid pleural effusion after discontinuation of lenvatinib. A 73-year-old woman was diagnosed with poorly differentiated thyroid cancer with right pleural metastasis. Weekly paclitaxel treatment was performed for 18 weeks, but it was not effective. Oral administration of lenvatinib, a multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor, reduced the size of cervical and thoracic tumors and lowered serum thyroglobulin levels. Lenvatinib was discontinued on day 28 because of Grade 2 thrombocytopenia and Grade 3 petechiae. Seven days after discontinuation of lenvatinib, the patient was hospitalized because of dyspnea and right pleural effusion. Pleural effusion rapidly improved with drainage and re-initiation of lenvatinib and did not recur. Anorexia caused by lenvatinib led to undernutrition, which resulted in death 13 months after initiation of lenvatinib. Autopsy revealed extensive necrosis with primary and metastatic lesions, suggesting that the patient responded to lenvatinib. Physicians should be aware of the possibility of flare-up in patients with thyroid cancer treated with lenvatinib. Learning points: Autopsy findings revealed that lenvatinib was efficacious in treating poorly differentiated thyroid cancer without primary lesion resection. Flare-up phenomenon may occur in thyroid cancer treated with lenvatinib. Attention should be paid to flare-up phenomenon within a few days of discontinuing lenvatinib.

Effects of Ipragliflozin on Postprandial Glucose Metabolism and Gut Peptides in Type 2 Diabetes: A Pilot Study.

INTRODUCTION: Ipragliflozin is a novel antidiabetic drug that inhibits renal tubular sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of ipragliflozin on glucose, insulin, glucagon, and gastrointestinal peptide responses to a meal tolerance test, as well as to investigate the glucose-lowering mechanisms of ipragliflozin. METHODS: Nine Japanese patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus were treated with ipragliflozin (50 mg/day) for 12 weeks. The postprandial profiles of glucose, insulin, glucagon, active glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), active glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), ghrelin, and des-acyl ghrelin were measured before and 12 weeks after ipragliflozin treatment. RESULTS: Body weight, body fat mass, systolic blood pressure, and HbA1c and serum uric acid levels were significantly decreased after the treatment. Postprandial glucose and insulin levels were also significantly decreased. Postprandial glucagon increased both before and after ipragliflozin treatment; however, the increment tended to be smaller after treatment. Active GLP-1, active GIP, ghrelin, and des-acyl ghrelin did not change after treatment. CONCLUSION: Ipragliflozin improved glycemic control by reducing body weight, postprandial inappropriate glucagon secretion, and the postprandial insulin requirement. Although this was a short-term study with a small sample size, ipragliflozin may offer benefits for patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. TRIAL REGISTRATION: University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN No. 000017195).

Clinical application of ghrelin for diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is the most common complication of diabetes, and its progression significantly worsens the patient's quality of life. Although several drugs are available for DPN, all of these provide only symptomatic relief. We investigated the therapeutic effects of ghrelin for DPN, based on its various physiological functions. Seven patients with type 2 diabetes with typical clinical signs and symptoms of DPN were hospitalized. Synthetic human ghrelin (1.0 µg/kg) was administered intravenously for 14 days. Motor nerve conduction velocity (MCV) of the posterior tibial nerve improved significantly after the treatment, compared to that at baseline (35.1 ± 1.8 to 38.6 ± 1.8 m/s, p < 0.0001), while the MCV in six untreated patients did not change throughout hospitalization. The subjective symptoms assessed based on the total symptom score also significantly improved (15.6 ± 3.1 to 11.1 ± 2.2, p = 0.047). Although sensory nerve conduction velocity (SCV) of the sural nerve could not be detected in three patients at baseline, it was detected in two of the three patients after 14 days of ghrelin administration. Overall, SCV did not change significantly. Plasma glucose, but not serum C peptide, levels during a liquid meal tolerance test significantly improved after treatment. These results suggest that ghrelin may be a novel therapeutic option for DPN; however, a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial is needed in the future.

[Obesity disease with diabetes mellitus].

Obesity has been increasing not only in Japan but also in both developed and developing countries. Mean body mass index of Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes has been increasing, and it reached 25.0 in 2013. If body weight decreases more than 3% of initial body weight in patients with metabolic syndrome, not only glucose metabolism but also dyslipidemia and hypertension improve. To reduce the excess body weight, behavior therapy, calorie restriction, and exercise are necessary. The next strategies are drugs including mazindol, glucose-like peptide-1 receptor agonist and sodium-dependent glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor, and bariatric surgery. Because it is often difficult to reduce body weight using only present non-invasive therapies, clarification of appetite mechanisms and development of novel anti-obesity drugs with few side effects are needed.

Effects of Miglitol, Acarbose, and Sitagliptin on Plasma Insulin and Gut Peptides in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Crossover Study.

INTRODUCTION: Both dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors and α-glucosidase inhibitors (α-GI) have been reported to change the incretin and insulin secretion. To examine the effects of acarbose, miglitol, and sitagliptin on glucose metabolism and secretion of gut peptides, we conducted a crossover study in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: Eleven Japanese patients with T2DM underwent four meal tolerance tests with single administration of acarbose, miglitol, sitagliptin, or nothing. Fasting and postprandial plasma levels of glucose, insulin, glucagon, active glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), ghrelin, and des-acyl ghrelin were measured. RESULTS: Early-phase insulin secretion was reduced following acarbose and miglitol, and the areas under the curve (AUC) of insulin at 180 min following acarbose and miglitol were significantly lower than sitagliptin. AUC of plasma glucose at 180 min after acarbose, miglitol, and sitagliptin tended to be lower than in controls, and plasma glucose levels at 30-60 min following miglitol were significantly lower than in controls. Plasma glucagon, ghrelin, and des-acyl ghrelin levels did not differ among the four conditions. Postprandial plasma active GLP-1 levels and AUC of GLP-1 increased significantly in both the sitagliptin and miglitol groups compared to control. Postprandial plasma total GIP levels increased following sitagliptin but decreased after acarbose and miglitol. Changes in incretin levels tended to be greater with miglitol than acarbose. CONCLUSION: These results showed that sitagliptin and α-GIs, miglitol more so than acarbose, improved hyperglycemia in patients with T2DM after single administration, and had different effects on insulin and incretin secretion. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN-CTR number, UMIN000009981.

[Selective impairment and a unique recovery of bilateral horizontal gaze and facial palsy in a discrete pontine lesion: a case report].

A 77-year-old woman with bilateral horizontal gaze palsy, right hemifacial weakness and incomplete quadriplegia was transferred to our hospital. Brain magnetic resonance imaging on the first day revealed a slit-like signal deficit of the basilar artery and an abnormal signal area at the dorsal midline portion of the lower pons. Quadriplegia fluctuated in several days after admission, then disappeared finally. In spite of the recovery of quadriplegia, bilateral facial weakness appeared on Day 14 after the onset. Concerning the impairment of extraocular movements, bilateral adduction restored gradually followed by improvement of the right abduction. The clinical course suggested the involvement of bilateral medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF) and abducens nuclei (or fibers) as the etiology of gaze palsy. Although bilateral MLF sign recovered within 3 weeks, and the abductor palsy of both eyes was persisted in mild degree. As imaging analysis did not always show the causative lesion, which correlated with the rapidly alternating signs in the patient, and careful neurological observation was therefore useful in the management of patients with brainstem dysfunction.