Insulin-like growth factor-I, insulin-link growth factor binding protein-3 and insulin in normal and high risk neonates

This study included ten preterm infants, ten infants with respiratory distress [RD], eight infants of deliveries with premature rupture of membrane [PROM] and septicemia, eight infants with intrauterine growth retardation [IUGR] and sixteen infants of diabetic mothers together with ten normal full term infants representing the control group. Blood sample was obtained within 12 hours after delivery, sera were used for determination of IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and insulin. The study revealed significantly decreased levels of IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and insulin in preterm infants, infants with RD, PROM and septicemia compared with control group. However, in infants with IUGR IFF-I showed slight increase, while IGFBP-3 exhibited slight decrease and insulin was significantly decreased compared with controls. In infants of diabetic mothers, both IGF-I and insulin levels were significantly increased compared with control infants

Clinical and biochemical evaluation of growth hormone/insulin like growth factor I axis in chronic renal failure

This study was conducted to determine the plasma levels of GH, IGF- I tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-alpha], NO, hyaluronan and fibronectin in plasma of 40 patients with chronic renal failure [CRF] of various clinical causes at presentation and after dialysis. Their levels were correlated with degree of renal impairment and the type of underlying pathology. The study also included 15 healthy controls with comparable age. The study revealed insignificant change in GH levels, significant decrease of IGF-I and fibronectin associated with significant increase in TNF-alpha, NO and hyaluronan in patients with CRF compared with healthy controls

Sex hormone profile in male diabetics, its relationship with sexual dysfunction

To investigate endocrinological changes associated with diabetes mellitus, serum total and free testosterone [T], estradiol [E [2]], lutenizing hormone [LH], follicle stimulating hormone [FSH] and prolactin [Prl] were determined in 39 male diabetic subjects [7 with type I and 32 with type II diabetes]. In addition to 14 healthy males of comparable age. Serum total and free T were significantly reduced but serum E [2], LH and Prl were significantly increased while FSH exhibited non-significant increase in diabetic subjects compared with healthy males. Neither did the type of diabetes nor its duration affect the hormonal levels. Similarly, no significant differences could be observed in the hormonal profiles between complicated and non-complicated diabetics. However, serum total and free T were significantly decreased in impotent compared to non-impotent diabetics. Serum total T levels exhibited a significant inverse correlation with blood glucose levels, but were not correlated with the age of the patients or with the duration of disease. The results of the present work demonstrated the presence of changes in sex hormone levels in male diabetics that could contribute to sexual dysfunction. Hyperglycaemia seems to be one of the causative factors for such changes and the use. of oral antidiabetic agents may be an added factor

prognostic value of phosphohexose isomerase in childhood leukemia and lymphomas

Serum phosphohexose isomerase [P.H.I.] activity was measured in 12 children suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia [A.L.L.], 8 children having acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia [A.N.L.L.], 17 children suffering from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma [N.H.L.] and 20 aparently healthy children of comparable age and sex as controls. Significantly increased activity of P.H.I. was observed in children with leukemias and lymphomas compared to controls. Children with A.N.L.L. had significantly higher P.H.I. activity than those with A.L.L. Follow up of the children during various stages of therapy showed significant decrease of P.H.I. after induction of remission. The levels were evidently elevated again several months before clinical and/or hematological relapses. It could be concluded that P.H.I. can be helpful adjuvant marker in childhood leukemias and lymphomas. Also, it can of therapy and to detect the early relapse

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in erythrocytes of cancer patients

The specific activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, the key enzyme of hexose monophosphate shunt was determined in erythrocytes of 35 patients suffering from primary malignant neoplasia at different sites. Similarly, the enzyme activity was also evaluated in 7 patients having nonmalignant neoplasia as well as 13 control subjects. The enzyme activity in patients with benign diseases was similar to controls while in patients with malignant neoplasia the enzyme activity levels were significantly lower [P < 0.01] than control levels. Such decreased activity was not correlated with tumur locality. In 7 patients treated by radical tumur resection, the enzyme activity was increased insignificantly than preoperative levels. Such decreased activity in patients with malignant neoplasia seems to be an acquired erythroenzymophathy with an acquired qualitative disorder

Serum levels of some trace elements and calcium in normal individual and cancer patients

The relationship between cancer and the essential trace [micro] elements copper, zinc, manganese and the nonessential trace elements cadmium and lithium as well as the macro element calcium was investigated by analyzing the levels of these metals in sera of 37 cancer patients, 10 healthy subjects and 7 pathologic controls. Significant elevations of serum copper, zinc, lithium and corrected calcium levels were detected in cancer patients compared to controls. Copper/zinc ratio, cadmium, manganese and calcium were insignificantly higher in cancer patients compared to controls. In pathologic controls, the levels were similar to control levels. Serum Zinc, cadmium and manganese levels were significantly higher in cancer patients compared to pathologic controls. However, these changes did not exhibit specific trends according to locality of cancer. After radical resection of the tumor, the levels of these elements did not exhibit significant variations from preoperative levels. These data can demonstrate that changes in trace elements concentrations in serum are more or less a consequence of altered protein binding and metabolic processes related to the tumor. Some of these minerals, at least copper, zinc and cadmium might play a possible role in promotion of malignant tumor growth, but in themselves have no use in malignant tumor management

value of serum glycolytic enzymes in diagnosis, prognosis and therapy monitoring of acute childhood leukemia and lymphoma

Serum aldolase [ALD], phosphoglucomutase [PGM], lactate dehydrogenase [LDH] and enolase [ENL] were studied in 34 cases with acute leukemia including 22 cases with acute lymphocytic leukemia [ALL] and 12 cases with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia [ANLL]; 35 cases with lymphomas formed of 29 cases with non-Hodgkins lymphomna [NHL] and 6 cases with Hodgkins lymphoma [HL]; and 25 controls. Significantly higher glycolytic enzyme activities were observed in all disease groups studied before treatment than the controls. Cases with abdominal NHL showed significantly higher serum glyeolytic enzyme activities than either head and neck NHL or mediastinal NHL. There was significant positive correlation between both serum LDH and aldolase activities and the rate of relapse in eases with NHL. Serum LDH showed the highest sensitivity in diagnosing cases with ALL and cases with NHL while serum aldolase showed the highest sensitivity in diagnosing cases with ANLL. Significantly higher serum glycolytic enzyme activities were observed in all disease groups studied before clinical and/or hematological relapse than controls by a period ranged from 2.5 to 6 months [Biochemical relapse]. Serum enolase activity showed significantly higher values in cases of ALL with than without CNS relapse. These glycolytic enzymes appeared to be useful markers in diagnoses, prognosis and early relapse detection of ALL cases, ANLL cases and NHL cases. Serum enolase estimation also may be of value in detecting CNS relapse in cases with ALL

Role of fetal hemoglobin and placentral alkaline phosphatases in cancer patients

Fetal hemoglobin and the 3 placental alkaline phosphatases; kasahara, Nagao and Regan isoenyzymes were determined in 37 patients having primary carcinomas of various tissue origins and 7 cases having benign neoplasms together with 13 healthy individuals who served as controls. It was evident that patients with benign neoplasms had significantly increased levels of fetal hemoglobin [P < 0.05] and 2 of these patients expressed Regan isoenzyme. Concomitant elevation of both fetal proteins was not found in any of these patients. In patients with malignant diseases significantly increased levels [P < 0.001] of fetal hemoglobin were present. The highest levels and incidences were present in patients with GIT tumors. After radical resection of the tumor in 8 operable cases, fetal hemoglobin returned to normal levels in 5 cases and remained elevated in 3 cases. In cancer patients, positive expression of Kasahara isoenzyme was present in 16%, while positive expression of Regan isoenzyme was present in 20% and positive expressing of Nagao isoenzyme was present in 14%. Again patients with GIT tumors had the highest frequency [60%] of expression placental alkaline phosphatases. After complete resection of the tumor, complete disappearance of placental alkalikne phosphatases occurred. Patients with GIT tumors has the highest incidence of concomitant elevations of fetal hemoglobin and placental alkaline phosphatases. The reappearance of HbF in cancer patients could be attributed to triggering of erythropoiesis in the bone marrow or even the liver by the tumor derived nuclear proteins. The appearance of placental isoenzymes could be attributed t o the re-expression of the placental phosphatase gene. The overall concordance between the 2 proteins was found in 21 [57%] while the overall discordance was found in 16 [43%] of patients. These data indicate that the regulation of synthesis of these proteins is not under coordinate control