Heterogenous insulin response to an oral glucose load by patients with the indeterminate clinical form of Chagas' disease

This study was designed to investigate the behavior of serum glucose and insulin in response to an oral glucose load in chagasic patients with the indeterminate clinical form of the disease. Sixteen chagasic patients and 28 healthy control subjects were studied after an overnight fast and during 2 h after ingestion of 100 g glucose. There were no significant differences in serum glucose levels before and 2 h after the glucose load between chagasic and control subjects. However, in 8 chagasic patients, the total area under the insulin curve was significantly lower (2976 +/- 448 microU ml-1 120 min-1) than in the control (10123 +/- 995 microU ml-1 120 min-1) and in the remaining chagasic patients (9220 +/- 826 microU ml-1 120 min-1). These results suggest that the hypoinsulinemia of this subgroup of chagasic patients may be secondary to reduced insulin secretion and/or to increased peripheral insulin sensitivity probably related to autonomic dysfunction

Tratamento da hipertensão arterial leve e moderada com baixas doses de captopril / Treatment of mild and moderate arterial hypertension with low doses of captopril

Quinze pacientes portadores da hipertensao arterial sem complicacoes, apos um periodo de 2 semanas de placebo, foram tratados com captopril (25-75 mg), isolado ou associado a diuretico tiazidico, por 8 semanas A pressao arterial media do periodo placebo era de 125,1 mmHg, caindo para 109,9 mmHg, apos as 8 semanas de captropril e diuretico. Esta diferenca foi estatisticamente significante p < 0,01. Doze destes pacientes usaram diuretico isoladamente durante 4 semanas, notando-se elevacao da pressao arterial media para 116,8 mmHg.Esta diferenca foi estatisticamente significante (p < 0,05). O estudo permitiu concluir que o captopril, isolado ou associado a diuretico, mostrou-se eficaz no tratamento da hipertensao arterial, pois normalizou a pressao arterial em 10 dos 15 pacientes estudados. Como uso isolado de diuretico, notou-se elevacao da pressao arterial em 9 dos 12 pacientes estudados