Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Diabetic gastroparesis is a disabling condition with no consistently effective treatment. Ghrelin infusion, in animal studies, increases gastric emptying and reverses post-operative ileus. We present the results of the first double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over study of ghrelin in gastric emptying in patients with diabetic gastroparesis....

Serum ALT concentrations give some insight into liver fat accumulation and relate to metabolic syndrome: values >29 IU/L double risk of type 2 diabetes independent of other risk predictors. Women with PCOS are at increased risk of diabetes and CVD whereas metformin treatment modulates the progress of metabolic syndrome. Consequently, we investigated the effects of protracted metformin treatment on circulating ALT in obese women with PCOS.Metformin tr...

The National Service Framework (NSF) for Diabetes requires that type II diabetes patients are actively involved in their diabetes management. The use of patient-held, integrated care plans is envisaged to encourage patients to actively participate in their diabetes management and to facilitate the flow of information between primary and secondary care. However, the utility of such schemes may be limited by the current level of patient education regarding the data recorded in t...

Background and objectiveHyponatraemia is a common metabolic disorder with a significant morbidity and mortality, especially in the elderly. However, its significance is often ignored, and when found, inadequately investigated and inappropriately managed. The objectives of this audit were to investigate the investigations and management of hyponatraemia in a large District General Hospital.MethodsFrom the bioc...

In 1981 a 33yr old woman was diagnosed with Graves thyrotoxicosis and type 2 diabetes mellitus. At diagnosis her BMI was 19 kg/m2 and she was initially treated with carbimazole and glibenclamide. She had a past medical history of idiopathic lymphoedema, asthma and bronchopulmonary aspergillosis and was regularly reviewed by an ophthalmologist for hyperpigmented maculae.In 1991 she required insulin to control her diabetes and developed progress...

Diabetic muscle infarction is an unusual complication of poorly controlled diabetes. It presents as an acute painful muscular swelling with difficulty in walking.A 49-year-old man with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes was admitted with a history of sudden painful swelling of the thigh. He was afebrile, with marked tender swelling and inability to extend his knee. His HbA1c 15.6%, FBC, CRP and CK were normal; autoantibodies, anticardio...

Previous studies in our laboratories suggest that Hypoxis hemerocallidea corm (African Potato) extract has a potential in the management of diabetes mellitus. Accordingly, we investigated the short-term effect of Hypoxis hemerocallidea corm ethanolic crude extract (APE) on blood glucose levels of Wistar rats (250–300 g b.wt). Oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) were conducted in five separate groups (n=6 in each group) of male Wistar rats (250–300 g b...

BackgroundInsulin resistance is associated with obesity, metabolic syndrome and hypertension. These risk factors for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular may be programmed by the early diet. Here we assessed insulin sensitivity in pre- and postnatally nutritionally challenged offspring at 1 yr of age in sheep.Methods37 twin-bearing ewes were randomly allocated to receive either a control (C, n=24) or nutrient r...

BackgroundPreliminary in vivo studies have shown that fatty acid composition of membranes, where insulin receptors are embedded, can provide significant correlations for insulin resistance. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is a member of the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid family present in the membrane that may modulate insulin action. The aim of the study was to investigate if variation in insulin sensitivity is related to variation in DHA in red blood...

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is associated with insulin resistance. Since pregnancy is also known to induce insulin resistance, it is expected that pregnant women with PCOS might be at increased risk for impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) which might affect the pregnancy outcome. The incidence of IGT/GDM in PCOS women has not been adequately assessed. The aim of the study was to evaluate glucose tolerance and pregnancy outcome in a g...