The effect of short-term glycemic regulation with gliclazide and metformin on postprandial lipemia.

AIM: Exaggerated postprandial lipemia is now accepted as an independent risk factor in atherogenesis in type 2 diabetes mellitus. We investigated if better glycemic control improves fasting and postprandial lipid profile in type 2 diabetic patients in the short-term. METHODS: Thirty-two type 2 diabetic patients were studied before and after desired glycemic regulation with gliclazide and metformin. Basal levels of glucose, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein, triglyceride, insulin, and C-peptide were evaluated at fasting state. Afterwards, patients were given a standard 400-kcal mixed meal as a breakfast, contaning 35 % fat. At the 2nd and the 4th hours after the breakfast, postprandial glucose, triglyceride, insulin, and C-peptide levels were determined again. RESULTS: Significant decrease was observed in total cholesterol levels after better glycemic regulation (p<0.05). Besides, triglyceride levels decreased significantly from 175.36+/-17.85 mg/dl to 138.73+/-14.93 mg/dl at fasting state (p<0.05), from 197.26+/-20.85 mg/dl to 154.15+/-14.61 mg/dl at the 2nd hour after mixed meal (p<0.05), and from 209.63+/-28.54 mg/dl to 155.63+/-15.68 mg/dl (p<0.05) at the 4th hour after the mixed meal, when better glycemic profile was provided. Area under curve for triglyceride levels decreased significantly with the better glycemic regulation (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Improved glycemic regulation can lower the raised fasting and postprandial triglyceride levels which are important atherosclerotic risk factors in diabetic patients even in short-term. Since this improvement in triglyceride levels comes early, diabetic patients can be evaluated for fasting and postprandial triglyceride levels in the first month of therapy.

Role of ovary and adrenal glands in hyperandrogenemia in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Ovary is the main source of the hyperandrogenism in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Adrenal glands may also be involved in the pathogenesis of the development of PCOS. To investigate this possibility and to find out if buserelin test is able to distinguish PCOS patients from the patients with idiopathic hirsutism (IH), ACTH and buserelin tests were performed in 29 women with PCOS, 21 women with IH, and 20 control subjects (CS). We also aimed to determine the role of dysregulation of 17 hydroxylase in the development of PCOS. Basal and stimulated dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) and stimulated cortisol (F) levels after ACTH administration were significantly higher in PCOS group than in IH and CS groups (p<0.0001 and p<0.05, respectively). PCOS patients also possessed significantly higher basal and stimulated 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OH P) levels, including the peak levels (p<0.02), during buserelin testing when compared with IH patients and CS. There was no significant correlation between the ACTH-stimulated and the buserelin-stimulated peak 17-OH P values. In conclusion, significantly higher basal and ACTH-stimulated levels of F and DHEA-S in PCOS compared with controls and patients with IH, reflect that adrenal hyperactivity also plays a role in hyperandrogenemia seen in PCOS. Because of the lack of the correlation between ACTH-stimulated and buserelin-stimulated 17-OH P levels, it is hard to say that adrenal hyperactivity seen in PCOS is the result of the dysregulation of cytochrome P450c17-alpha enzyme. Our results suggest that buserelin test which is an GnRH analogue could distinguish at least some of the patients with PCOS from the other patients presenting with the common symptoms of hyperandrogenemia.

Diagnostic value of prostatic specific antigen in hirsute women.

Determination of prostatic specific antigen (PSA) in female tissues has become available recently. The expression of PSA gene is under androgenic regulation. Therefore, hyperandrogenemic states, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), are expected to be presented with the higher levels of PSA. The current study aimed at evaluating PSA levels in hirsute women presumed to have PCOS or idiopatic hirsutism (IH). Thirty-three patients with PCOS, 40 patients with IH, and 20 healthy control subjects were enrolled in the study. Beside basal hormonal evaluation, total PSA (tPSA), and free PSA (fPSA) were determined in all subjects. Average level of tPSA was the highest in PCOS patients (0.099+/-0.267 ng/ml) when compared with IH and control subjects (p<0.05 and p<0.001, respectively). Besides, mean fPSA levels were found to be significantly higher in patients with PCOS than healthy controls (0.033+/-0.070 vs 0.010+/-0.001 ng/ml; p<0.05). Both total and free PSA levels were found to be higher in 73 hirsute women than in control subjects (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively). Women with hyperandrogenemia tended to have higher tPSA than women without hyperandrogenemia (p<0.01). PSA is likely to be used to discriminate hyperandrogenemic hirsutism. If more sensitive assays become available, PSA might be used as a diagnostic criteria for hirsutism and even for some diseases which have hirsutism as a component.

Magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography images in a case of pituitary abscess.

A 29-year-old male patient with clinical manifestations of panhypopituitarism and diabetes insipidus is presented. The clinical and laboratory evaluation of the pituitary reserve confirmed a total pituitary insufficiency. Computed tomography (CT) scan demonstrated a low-density lesion suggesting a pituitary tumor with suprasellar extension, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a pituitary mass with decreased signal intensity on T1-weighted images and capsular contrast enhancement after gadolinium injection. The surgical procedure was the treatment of choice. During surgery a large amount of purulent material was removed. With light microscopy, chronic non-specific inflammation and a pituitary abscess capsule were demonstrated in the tissue. The results of the cultures revealed coagulase negative staphylococcus. The post-operative course was uneventful and, as the patient was pituitary-deficient, he was on replacement therapy and was being followed-up. Pituitary abscess is an exceptional lesion in the literature and despite the advent of CT and MRI, its preoperative diagnosis still remains difficult. However, the presence of an intrasellar expansive process with liquid center and contrast enhanced outline should suggest the possibility of an abscess. Sellar round cystic mass isointense or hypointense to grey matter on T1, high intensity signal on T2, or opposite pattern with a peripheral rim enhancement following gadolinium injection, and diabetes insipidus may all be suggestive of a pituitary abscess.

Lymphocytic hypophysitis and infundibuloneurohypophysitis; clinical and pathological evaluations.

This report describes the clinical and pathological characteristics of two patients with lymphocytic hypophysitis (LHy) and two with infundibuloneurohypophysitis (INHy). Two of the patients were women and two were men, and their ages were between 27 and 38 years old. This disease was not associated with either pregnancy or the postpartum period in the female patients. Two of the patients presented with diabetes insipidus, one with panhypopituitarism and right abducens paralysis and one with headache and galactorrhea. At presentation three of the patients had mild to moderate hyperprolactinemia and one had low prolactin levels. All four had abnormal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): focal nodular enlarging of the infundibulum and normal hypophysis in one, expanding sellar masses in two, and diffusely thickened stalk with slightly enlarged pituitary gland in one. Three cases showed no sign of adenohypophysial deficiency with stimulation tests. One patient had associated chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. Of the first three patients, one patient underwent transcranial and two underwent transnasal transsphenoidal (TNTS) surgery for mass excisions since they were thought to have pituitary tumors. Endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal biopsy was performed in the last one with a suspicion of LHy. The pathological and immunohistochemical examinations revealed lymphocytic infiltration. Hyperprolactinemia resolved with surgery in two patients and one developed diabetes insipidus as a complication. We conclude that LHy and infundibuloneurohypophysitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of the mass lesions of the sellar region and also should be kept in the mind for the etiopathogenesis of cases of hyperprolactinemia, galactorrhea and diabetes insipidus. In suspected cases endoscopic endonasal biopsy for the histopathological diagnosis can be a safe approach.

Effect of octreotide treatment on Graves' ophthalmopathy.

In this study, nine patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy with positive clinical activity score (CAS), who were either unresponsive or not suitable for glucocorticoid treatment, were given 100 microg of octreotide three times daily, subcutaneously, for three months. The mean age was 49+/-13 years. All patients were under either propylthiouracil or methimazole therapy and were euthyroid for at least one month prior to the start of the octreotide treatment. The mean degree of proptosis as measured with the Hertel exophthalmometer decreased slightly after the treatment (22.0+/-3.0 vs 19.6+/-2.4 for the right eye and 22.2+/-1.9 vs 20.2+/-2.2 for the left eye; p<0.05). The mean activity score decreased from 3.2+/-0.8 to 1.7+/-1.1 (p<0.005) and the mean score of eye signs according to the NOSPECS classification showed improvement with octreotide therapy (3.2+/-0.7 vs. 2.2+/-1.4; p<0.05). Seven patients responded favorably to octreotide treatment. In the remaining two no improvement was observed. Four of the responders could be followed up for 20 months after the treatment and all maintained the favorable state of eye findings obtained with octreotide. We conclude that octreotide seems to be a safe and effective drug in Graves' ophthalmopathy, especially in improving soft tissue involvement, and can be used in patients who are unresponsive to glucocorticoid treatment or who cannot use these drugs for some reason.