[Study of glucagon like peptide-1 [GLP-1] in type II diabetes patients]

Glucagon like peptide-1 [GLP1] is the main incretin hormone which importantly enhances postprandial insulin secretion, and it has an important role in glucose homeostasis and a lot of physiological effects in the body. Our objective was to evaluate plasma GLP-1 levels in type II diabetes patients in order to evaluate the incretin hormones function. In this study we determined plasma active GLP-1 levels after a mixed breakfast meal [270 kcal] of two groups of subjects: type II diabetes patients [n=22] and age matched healthy subjects [n=13], using Enzyme linked Immunosorbant assay [ELISA]. Then we investigated the relationship between plasma active GLP-1 levels and plasma glucose, insulin levels in the two study groups. The patients had fasting hyperglycemia [171 +/- 40 mg/dI] increasing to 260 +/- 52 mg/dl at 60 min after meal ingestion. Fasting levels of insulin were similar to those of the healthy subjects, but the postprandial responses were reduced and delayed. The profile of the active GLP-1 response in the patients was characterized by a small early rise [30 min] 9.82 +/- 0.82 pmol/l, and a significantly reduced late phase [6-120 min] when compared with the healthy group, whereas the late phase of the active GLP-1 response was higher 14 +/- 0.64 pmol/l [90 min] [P<0.05]. Type II diabetic patients had a significantly reduced postprandial active GLP-1 response, supporting the hypothesis that an impaired function of GLP-1 as a transmitter in the enteroinsular axis contributes to the inappropriate insulin secretion in type diabetes

Useful biochemical markers for the identification of bone turnover and the evaluation of ICTP as a new bone resorptive marker in hemodialysis patients

Chronic renal failure is often associated with several bone disorders. In this study, the serum levels of iPTH and a panel of bone formation and resorption markers with a new applied resorptive marker, ICTP, the carboxyterminal telopeptide region of type I collagen, were evaluated in chronic renal failure patients undergoing hemodialysis. A group of 83 patients was divided into 2 subgroups according to serum iPTH levels. The two categories were: iPTH less than 100pg/mL [42 patients, mean age 51.9 +/- 12.3 years, 19males, 23females], and iPTH levels above 200pg/mL [41 patients, mean age 47.34 +/- 16.95 years, 22 males, 19females].In addition, a group of 50 healthy subjects [28 males, 22 females, average age 45.78 +/- 9.9years] was chosen as a control group. Calcium phosphorus, urea, creatinine, and tALP were measured. Intact parathyroid hormone [iPTH], N-Mid Osteocalcin [OC] and BETA-Crosslaps [BETA-CTX], and ICTP were assayed. In both groups of patients, it was found that levels of all bone turnover markers were elevated above normal range compared to the control group. Significant variations were found between the two categories in all biochemical markers [P<0.05], except creatinine, which did not differ significantly between the two subgroups [P=0.17]. The ICTP showed a significant positive correlation with the time on dialysis, iPTH, t-ALP, BETA-CTX and a significant negative correlation with N-Mid OC in both subsets. The results indicate that chronic renal failure patients undergoing hemodialysis may have high-turnover bone disease due to secondary hyperparathyroidism or low-turnover bone disease because of hyperparathyroidism which predisposes to bone loss. The elevated perls of the formation and resorptive markers studied strongly suggest disturbed bone remodeling cycles in addition to malfunction of the osteoblasts and osteoclasts. The ICTP and BETA-CTX markers may be important for studying bone resorption in hemodialysis patients

Serum leptin levels in Syrian patients with beta-thalassemia major

The serum levels of leptin, total cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose were determined in 50 Syrian patients [20 females and 30 males, age 2 to 16 years] with beta-thalassemia major, and compared with 50 age and sex-matched apparently normal subjects. All patients, who are regularly referred to beta-thalassemia center in Damascus, were dependent on blood transfusion and received iron chelation therapy. Body mass index [BMI] of both groups [patients and controls] was calculated by dividing body weight [kg] by square height [m]. Since beta-thalassemia major leads to severe chronic hemolytic anemia and ineffective erythropoiesis, which provides a powerful stimulus to iron-overload, related complications and metabolic abnormalities of body tissues, we aimed to evaluate serum leptin levels in our patients with this hematologic disease. Serum leptin levels were significantly lower [P< 0.0001] in both female and male blood transfusion-dependent patients [3.04 +/- 1.0896 and 2.37 +/- 2.034 respectively] compared to controls [females 8.13 +/- 4.216 and males 6.68 +/- 5.229]. Total cholesterol was significantly lower [P< 0.0001] in patients with beta-thalassemia [104.68 +/- 28.901] than in controls [144.38 +/- 39.051], where triglycerides did not significantly differ [P = 0.436] in the two groups [patients 105.14 +/- 34.930 and controls 112.46 +/- 44.395]. These findings indicate that low levels of leptin and cholesterol could associate the pathophysiology hematopoiesis of beta-thalassemia patients