Aggravation of Hypertriglyceridemia and Acute Pancreatitis in a Bipolar Patient Treated with Quetiapine

Pancreatitis is a very rare adverse effect of quetiapine treatment, with only 5 cases of quetiapine-associated pancreatitis reported in the English literature to date. Herein, we report one patient who developed severe hypertriglyceridemia (>1000 mg/dL) after quetiapine administration, resulting in acute pancreatitis. An analysis of the underlying pathogenic mechanisms and a review of relevant literature are also presented. Clinicians should be aware of the potentially life-threatening metabolic disturbances and/or pancreatitis associated with quetiapine therapy.

Identifying Subjects with Insulin Resistance by Using the Modified Criteria of Metabolic Syndrome

The objectives of this cohort analysis were to explore the relationship between insulin resistance (IR) and the criteria for metabolic syndrome (MetS) and to evaluate the ability to detect IR in subjects fulfilling those criteria. We enrolled 511 healthy subjects (218 men and 283 women) and measured their blood pressure (BP), body mass index, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglyceride (TG), and fasting plasma glucose levels. Insulin suppression testing was done to measure insulin sensitivity as the steady-state plasma glucose (SSPG) value. Subjects with an SSPG value within the top 25% were considered to have IR. The commonest abnormality was a low HDL-C level, followed by high BP. The sensitivity to detect IR in subjects with MetS was about 47%, with a positive predictive value of about 64.8%, which has higher in men than in women. In general, the addition of components to the criteria for MetS increased the predictive value for IR. The most common combination of components in subjects with MetS and IR were obesity, high BP, and low HDL-C levels. All of the components were positive except for HDL-C, which was negatively correlated with SSPG. The correlation was strongest for obesity, followed by high TG values. In subjects with MetS, sensitivity for IR was low. However, body mass index and TG values were associated with IR and may be important markers for IR in subjects with MetS.

Predicting glucose intolerance with normal fasting plasma glucose by the components of the metabolic syndrome

Surprisingly, it is estimated that about half of type 2 diabetics remain undetected. The possible causes may be partly attributable to people with normal fasting plasma glucose [FPG] but abnormal postprandial hyperglycemia. We attempted to develop an effective predictive model by using the metabolic syndrome [MeS] components as parameters to identify such persons. All participants received a standard 75-g oral glucose tolerance test, which showed that 106 had normal glucose tolerance, 61 had impaired glucose tolerance, and 6 had diabetes-an-isolated postchallenge hyperglycemia. We tested five models, which included various MeS components. Model 0: FPC; Model 1 [clinical history model]: family history [FH], FPC, age and sex; Model 2 [MeS model]: Model 1 plus triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, body mass index, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure; Model 3: Model 2 plus fasting plasma insulin [FPI]; Model 4: Model 3 plus homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. A receiver-operating characteristic [ROC] curve was used to determine the predictive discrimination of these models. The area under the ROC curve of the Model 0 was significantly larger than the area under the diagonal reference line. All the other 4 models had a larger area under the ROC curve than Model O. Considering the simplicity and lower cost of Model 2, it would be the best model to use. Nevertheless, Model 3 had the largest area under the ROC curve. We demonstrated that Model 2 and 3 have a significantly better predictive discrimination to identify persons with normal FPC at high risk for glucose intolerance

Impact of Clinical Characteristics of Individual Metabolic Syndrome on the Severity of Insulin Resistance in Chinese Adults

The impact the metabolic syndrome (MetS) components on the severity of insulin resistance (IR) has not been reported. We enrolled 564 subjects with MetS and they were divided into quartiles according to the level of each component; and an insulin suppression test was performed to measure IR. In males, steady state plasma glucose (SSPG) levels in the highest quartiles, corresponding to body mass index (BMI) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG), were higher than the other three quartiles and the highest quartiles, corresponding to the diastolic blood pressure and triglycerides, were higher than in the lowest two quartiles. In females, SSPG levels in the highest quartiles, corresponding to the BMI and triglycerides, were higher than in all other quartiles. No significant differences existed between genders, other than the mean SSPG levels in males were greater in the highest quartile corresponding to BMI than that in the highest quartile corresponding to HDL-cholesterol levels. The factor analysis identified two underlying factors (IR and blood pressure factors) among the MetS variables. The clustering of the SSPG, BMI, triglyceride and HDLcholesterol was noted. Our data suggest that adiposity, higher FPG and triglyceride levels have stronger correlation with IR and subjects with the highest BMI have the highest IR.

Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis: an overview

Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis [TPP] is a fairly common manifestation of hyperthyroidism in Asian populations, with an incidence of about 1.9% in thyrotoxic patients, but it is rarely diagnosed among Caucasians and blacks in the Western world. The diagnosis often can be made on the basis of the clinical manifestations alone. Sometimes, periodic paralysis precedes hyperthyroidism or occurs in silent hyperthyroidism. As a result, physicians may easily overlook it even when life-threatening hypokalemia is present. The pathophysiology of this disorder is still not well understood. Correction of the thyrotoxic state is the definitive treatment. Potassium supplementation, propranolol, and spironolactone may be helpful both in the acute state and in preventing attacks