Short versus long term effect of lithium on pituitary thyroid axis

Although the antithyroid effect of lithium is well known in thyrotoxicosis, there is no general agreement about its effect in euthyroid subjects. Furthermore, the duration of therapy may modify its antithyroid effect. In the thyrotoxic patients, short term use of lithium is effective and safe method to achieve euthyroidism. However, long term use needs close supervision and manipulation of the dose. In euthyroid patients even short term use of lithium is associated with subclinical hypothyroidism which is much more frequent than previously suggested and replacement thyroid therapy should be used from the start so as to avoid subclinical hypothyroidism and prevent fluctuations in the thyroid function that could induce affective disorders

Comparative study of combined therapy in simple obesity

Drug combinations used in small doses are as effective as full doses of individual drugs and produce less side effects. In term of potency, combination of fenfluramine and metformin in the most potent, but in term of absence of tolerance combination of diethyl propion and metformin is the least one to produce tolerance and is the best one to maintain the reduction in body weight. Fenfluramine and metformin combination is the best to be used in android obesity as it produces a significant reduction in W/H ratio which is also well correlated with the reduction in body mass index. Furthermore, it produces a significant reduction in subcutaneous fat [as measured by triceps skin fold and mid arm thickness]. So, a homogenous body fat redistribution can be achieved. The improvement in health indices [blood sugar, serum cholesterol, triglycerides and exercise tolerance] is well correlated with the reduction in body weight. Fenfluramine and metformin combination produces a highly significant improvement in blood sugar so this combination is good for diabetic obese, while fenfluramine and thyroid hormone combination produces significant improvement in serum cholesterol and triglycerides

Evaluation of the role of lipase activity on cholecystokinin release, gastric emptying and pancreatic secretion

These studies shown that lipase plays an important nutrient specific regulatory role on upper gastrointestinal functions which is dependent on the hydrolysis of fat into free fatty acids, thus stimulating the release of CCK. The studies showed also the high potency and specificity of THL as a lipase blocker. Since pancreatic lipase is the first enzyme to show a decrease in activity in patients with pancreatic insufficiency, the results of our study are important for evaluating some pathophysiological aspects of this disease. In the current study can be used in the pharmacotherapy of diseases related to dietary fat intake such as obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and their sequelae

Atrial natriuretic factor in bilharzial hepatic fibrosis and posthepatitic cirrhosis

Elevated levels of plasma atrial natriuretic factor [ANF] were found in cirrhotic patients. Some investigators reported basal levels, while other reported low levels of ANF. This lead us to investigate the effect of bilaharzial periportal fibrosis [BPD] and bilharzial liver cirrhosis and posthepatic cirrhosis on plasma ANF. 27 patients were selected and divided into three groups. The first group comprized nine patients of bilharzial periportal fibrosis. The second group comprized 9 patients of mixed ANF was measured by radioimmunoassay. Abdominal and cardiac ultrasonography was used for measurement of liver size and echogenicity together with diameter of portal vein, splenic view and cardiac chambers. The results showed that ANF was induced in all group of patient except those developing ascites, they showed levels slightly more than the control group

Pancreatic B-cell function in obesity

The study comprised 41 obese patients as a test group with age varying from 20 to 30 years and 10 healthy non obese subjects with matched age and sex as a control group. All the patients had morbid obesity [BMI] > 29.9]. In addition to the clinical examination the following investigations were done for all patients and control; plasma cholesterol and triglycerides, serum uric acid and pancreatic B-cell function was assessed by blood glucose [lasting and 2 hours post-prandial] plasma insulin and C-peptide, and anti-insulin antibodies. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly higher in obese group especially in central and upper body obesity, and there were significant positive correlation of both of them with plasma insulin. Two hours post prandial blood glucose, plasma cholesterol and triglycerides, serum uric acid and plasma insulin were significantly higher in obese subjects and with more marked increase in patients with either central or upper body obesity. However, thought plasma C-peptide was significantly elevated in obese subjects, there was no significant relation to body fat distribution. Anti-insulin antibodies were not found in any of the studied cases. So there was B-cell hyperfunction with a higher degree of insulin resistance in central and upper body obesity

Comparative study between wasserman, Kahn, venereal disease research laboratory and Treponema pallidum haemagglutination as screening procedures for serological diagnosis of syphilis

183 sera from persons presumed free of syphilitic infection [80 sera from clinically free persons and 103 sera from patients with either physiological or pathological disorders] and 67 sera from syphilitic patients at various stages of infection [41 sera from untreated patients and 26 sera from treated cases] were screened by WR, Kahn, VDRL and TPHA tests- The investigations showed that in primary stage of untreated syphilitics before the appearance of chancre, the VDRL sensitivity [55.6%] is higher than TPHA sensitivity [33.3%], while after the appearence of chancre the sensitivity of TPHA [90.9%] is higher than VDRL [84.6%]. In primary and teriary stages of untreated syphiliticsd the sensitivities of TPHA and VDRL tests were much higher than WR, Kahn tests, while in secondary stage of untreated syphilis, the sensitivities of the former tests are about equal to the latter ones. TPHA test revealed a higher incidence of positive results in the three stages of the treated syphilitics, when compared with the VDRL, Kahn and WR tests, In cases of treated syphilitics [primary, secondary and teriary stages], seroverasal of TPHA test happened far less frequently than Kahn, WR and VDRL tests