Insulin concentration is the main predictor of leptin level: a homogenous type 2 diabetes cohort study in Taiwan

We hypothesized that there would be strong association between insulin level and leptin level, and attempted to examine factors affecting plasma leptin level among the homogeneous Type 2 diabetes subjects. The study was conducted from July 2005 through September 2005 in the Taipei Hospital, Taiwan. From 1356 registered diabetes patients, 120 subjects who met the criteria of [1] aged between 20 and 75 years, [2] being Chinese, [3] having Type 2 diabetes for more than one year, [4] having been taking gliclazide and metformin for more than 6 months, were enrolled for this study. Factors affecting plasma leptin level are determined using multiple linear regression analysis. The coefficients obtained by multiple regression analysis with stepwise method showed that gender [beta=-0.49, p < 0.001], insulin level [beta=0.46, p < 0.001] and body mass index [BMI][beta=0.21, p=0.003] were the main predictors of leptin concentrations for all type 2 diabetic subjects; insulin level [beta=0.50, p < 0.001], BMI [beta=0.42, p < 0.001] and triglyceride [beta=0.17, p=0.03] were the main predictors for type 2 diabetic men; and insulin level [beta=0.68, p < 0.001] was the only predictor for type 2 diabetic women. These initial findings seem to indicate that insulin concentration is the main predictor of leptin level in both male and female type 2 diabetes subjects

Long-term efficacy and safety of very-low-dose amiodarone treatment for the maintenance of sinus rhythm in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation after successful direct-current cardioversion / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Long-term maintenance of sinus rhythm after successful conversion of chronic atrial fibrillation (CAF), often ameliorates patients' symptoms, reduces the risk of ischemic stroke and improves cardiovascular hemodynamics. This prospective study aims to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of very low-dose amiodarone (100 mg daily) for the maintenance of sinus rhythm after successful direct-current (DC) cardioversion in patients with CAF and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) post intervention.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This study was a randomized prospective trial. One day after successful DC cardioversion (remained normal sinus rhythm) in patients with CAF and RHD post intervention for more than six months and adequate anticoagulation, all were randomly administered either amiodarone 200 mg daily in group A or amiodarone 100 mg daily in group B.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 76 patients (40 men and 36 women) were examined from February 1998 to December 1999. The mean age of the patients was (66 +/- 10) years, and the mean follow-up was (67 +/- 8) months (range 61 to 84 months). Actuarial rates of the maintenance of sinus rhythm were similar in the two groups after 5 years of follow-up. Four patients (11%) in group A but none in group B experienced significant adverse effects that necessitated withdrawal of amiodarone. No death occurred during the study period.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>A very low dose of amiodarone results in adequate long-term efficacy and is safe for maintaining sinus rhythm in patients with CAF and RHD post intervention after successful DC cardioversion.</p>