Metformin with Versus without Concomitant Probiotic Therapy in Newly Diagnosed Patients with Type 2 Diabetes or Prediabetes: A Comparative Analysis in Relation to Glycemic Control, Gastrointestinal Side Effects, and Treatment Compliance.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the impact of concomitant use of probiotic BB-12 in metformin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes on glycemic control, metformin-related gastrointestinal side effects, and treatment compliance. METHODS: A total of 156 patients (mean [standard deviation] age: 50.9 [9.9 years], 74.4% females) with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes or prediabetes were randomly assigned to receive either metformin alone (n = 84, MET group) or metformin plus Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (BB-12) probiotic (n = 72, MET-PRO group). Data on body mass index (kg/m2), fasting blood glucose (mg/dL), blood lipids, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels were recorded at baseline and at the third month of therapy. Data on gastrointestinal intolerance symptoms and treatment noncompliance were also recorded during post-treatment week 1 to week 4. RESULTS: MET-PRO versus MET therapy was associated with a significantly higher rate of treatment compliance (91.7% vs 71.4%, P = .001), greater reduction from baseline HbA1c values (0.9 [0.4-1.6] vs 0.4 [0-1.6] %, P < .001) and lower likelihood of gastrointestinal intolerance symptoms, including abdominal pain (P = .031 to <.001), diarrhea (P = .005 to <.001) and bloating (P = .010 to <.001). Noncompliance developed later (at least 15 days after the therapy) in a significantly higher percentage of patients in the MET group (P = .001 for 15-21 days and P = .002 for 22-28 days). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the present study proposes the benefit of combining probiotics with metformin in the treatment of patients with T2D or prediabetes in terms of improved glycemic control and treatment adherence rather than correction of dyslipidemia or weight reduction.

Non- pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour presenting with hypoglycemia in an elderly patient.

BACKGROUND: Hypoglycemia is a common, symptom seen in individuals. Hypoglycemia in the elderly is both under-recognized and misdiagnosed due to nonspesific hypoglycemic symptoms and accompanying comorbidities in this population. In diabetic individuals, hypoglycemia is most commonly caused by administering insulin or sulphonylureas and insulin secretagogues. Other drugs, such as antibiotics or beta-blockers, have been reported to reduce blood glucose to abnormally low levels. Hypoglycemia in non-diabetic patients is considered a rare event, and the possible reasons may be reactive hypoglycemia, insulin-secreting tumours and other malignancies, hypopituitarism, hypocortisolism, alcohol abuse, inappropriate insulin self-administration, malnutrition, renal failure and sepsis. CASE: An 86- year- old male was admitted to the emergency department with hypoglycemia diagnosed with non-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour (NET) on lung secreting insulin. No surgical intervention or chemotherapy was planned due to patients age and comorbidities so best supportive care was planned. We used prednisone for symptomatic treatment of hypoglycemia and the patient has been followed up periodically. In this period he had no hypoglycemic attack. CONCLUSION: For patients with hypoglycemia who are unable/decline to receive any further treatment, low dose glucocorticoid is a good choice to achieve normoglycemia. It seems to be more cost effective compared to other treatment options. Furthermore hospitalisation rates may decrease due to decreased hypogylcemic attacks.

Demodex Species Frequency and Risk Factors in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the presence of Demodex species in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, to identify the risk factors for developing Demodex infestation, and to determine the effect of immunosuppressant drugs on Demodex mite infestations. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 93 RA patients (16 males, 77 females; mean age 53.3±11.3 years; range, 27 to 83 years) and 76 healthy controls (19 males, 57 females; mean age 50.3±13.9 years; range, 19 to 86 years). Specimens were collected from face skin by using standardized sur- face skin biopsy. Demodex infestation was considered for ≥5 living parasites/cm2 of skin while Demodex mite presence was defined as any Demodex larvae, adults, or eggs found in the specimen. RESULTS: The frequencies of Demodex mite presence were 44% for the RA patients and 15.7% for the healthy controls (p<0.001). The rates of Demodex infestation were similar between the two groups (18.3% versus 7.9%, p=0.054). There were no statistically significant differences between the groups regarding skin type, skin care, epilation, body washing, use of a moisturizer, personal towel use, the number of residents at home, or whether there were pets at home or in proximity. Itching in eyes was higher in RA patients, but the frequency of other skin symptoms was not differ- ent from healthy controls. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the diagnosis of RA was an independent risk factor for Demodex mite presence in this study population. Disease activity and duration, use of corticosteroids, conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and biological DMARDs were not effective factors on Demodex mite presence in RA patients. CONCLUSION: Although Demodex mite presence was 3.5-fold higher in RA patients, the rate of Demodex infestation was similar to that of healthy controls.

Kaposi sarcoma development following microscopic polyangiitis treatment.

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a rare condition mostly seen in immunosuppressed patients due to a syndrome or organ transplantation. However, few cases have been reported in patients with rheumatologic diseases treated with long-term corticosteroid and cyclophosphamide. We present a case in which the subject developed KS following a course of immunosuppressive therapy for their systemic vasculitides.

Could Insulin and Hemoglobin A1c Levels be Predictors of Hunger- Related Malnutrition/Undernutrition Without Disease?

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition results in functional changes in the liver and pancreas that negatively affect carbohydrate metabolism. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether insulin hormone and glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) could serve as predictors of hunger-related malnutrition/undernutrition without disease in adults. METHODS: The Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) was used to assess malnutrition in this single-center, cross-sectional study. The malnourished group (n = 67) comprised patients with a MUST score of ≥ 2, and the control group (n = 31) included subjects with a MUST score of 0 - 1. Serum albumin, prealbumin, C-reactive protein (CRP), fasting glucose, fasting insulin, hemoglobin and HbA1c levels, body mass index (BMI), and homoeostatic model for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) scores were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: No significant difference was determined between the control and malnourished groups in respect of age or gender. HbA1c [5.5% (5 - 6.2) vs. 5.2% (3.9 - 6.7), p = 0.001], insulin levels [7.37 (2.36 - 52.16) vs. 3.91(1.17 - 30.08) µIU/mL, p < 0.001], and BMI [21.7 (14.1 - 34.0) vs. 17.8 (12.0 - 26.6) kg/m2, p < 0.001] were significantly lower in the malnourished group. Logistic regression analysis revealed that BMI was the only significant parameter (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 0.680 [0.543 - 0.852]). CONCLUSIONS: Plasma insulin and HbA1c levels were significantly decreased in young adult malnourished patients without disease who had normal fasting glucose levels. These two parameters are known to be unaffected by inflammatory states, and therefore warrant further research on larger and different age sub-populations to assess if they might be early predictors of hunger-related malnutrition without disease.

Short-Term Effect of High-Dose Pantoprazol on Serum and Urinary Magnesium Levels.

BACKGROUND: Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) induced hypomagnesemia is a completely unexplained issue and cases are still being reported. Long-term use is the main factor, but there are a few articles stating that it may also emerge with short-term use. We aimed to evaluate the changes of serum and urine magnesium levels during shortterm high dose pantoprazol treatment. METHODS: The serum and 24-hour urine magnesium levels of 58 patients were evaluated during the course of 2 days. Of 58 patients, 25 were allowed oral intake on the 3rd day of hospitalization and thus, 24-hour urine for 3 days was collected from 33 patients. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the mean levels of serum magnesium and the median levels of urine magnesium. When the magnesium levels were evaluated by age over and under 60 years, the baseline serum magnesium level was significantly higher than the 1st level in patients aged ≥ 60 years (p = 0.029). The 3rd day serum magnesium level was significantly higher than the baseline and 1st day levels in those aged < 60 years (p = 0.049). CONCLUSIONS: We showed that plasma levels and urinary excretion of magnesium did not change significantly during high-dose pantoprazol treatment. It can be hypothesized that magnesium levels are not affected by PPIs in short-term usage. Age and other contributing factors may have more impact on PPI induced hypomagnesemia. Patients aged over 60 years might be handled carefully under proton pump inhibitors treatment.

A Case of Brucellosis with a Rare Complication: Pericarditis.

OBJECTIVES: To describe brucellosis and its possible complications according to clinical, laboratory and radiological findings. METHODS: We describe a case of Brucella pericarditis visualized at transthoracic echocardiography with clinical manifestations. RESULTS: Clinical manifestations, imaging and laboratory findings provided the correct diagnosis of Brucella pericarditis. The patient recovered fully following doxycycline and rifampin therapy. CONCLUSION: Brucellosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of disorders that affect the pericardium in endemic areas. LEARNING POINTS: Brucella pericarditis should be considered in case of disorders that affect the pericardium in endemic areas such as the Mediterranean region.When a patient has been diagnosed with brucellosis, oral doxycycline 100 mg twice daily plus oral rifampin 600 mg once daily must be given immediately.

The relationship between levels of von Willebrand factor and mean platelet volume in subjects with isolated impaired fasting glucose.

BACKGROUND: To understand the heterogeneity of platelets, we investigated the correlation between von Willebrand factor (vWf) and mean platelet volume (MPV) in subjects with isolated impaired fasting glucose (IFG). MATERIAL/METHODS: We selected 48 subjects with isolated IFG and 48 normoglycemic control subjects matched for age, sex, and body mass index. We measured levels of vWf and MPV in all subjects. RESULTS: The levels of vWf and MPV were significantly higher in the isolated IFG group than the control group (p<0.05) Also, vWf level was positively correlated with MPV level in subjects in the isolated IFG group (r=0.452, p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that vWf seems to be profoundly related to platelet volume in subjects with isolated IFG.

Plasma levels of von Willebrand factor in subjects with isolated impaired fasting glucose.

BACKGROUND: It has been shown that an increased von Willebrand factor level reflects endothelial dysfunction and may also have prognostic value in patients with atherosclerotic disease. Impaired fasting glucose is likely a frequent glycemic disorder in the general population and is considered a prediabetic state. Impaired fasting glucose is associated with cardiovascular disease, but it is unclear whether it is an independent risk factor because it commonly coexists with other cardiovascular risk factors present in metabolic syndrome. The present study was designed to evaluate the von Willebrand factor level in subjects with isolated impaired fasting glucose compared to healthy normoglycemic subjects. MATERIAL/METHODS: We selected 48 subjects with isolated impaired fasting glucose and 48 normoglycemic control subjects matched for age, sex, and body mass index. We measured the von Willebrand factor level in all subjects. RESULTS: The von Willebrand factor level was significantly higher in the isolated impaired fasting glucose group than in the control group (111.08%+/-52.78% vs 74.08%+/-48.47%) (P=0.001). The von Willebrand factor level was also positively correlated with fasting plasma glucose in the isolated impaired fasting glucose group (P=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that subjects with isolated impaired fasting glucose have higher von Willebrand factor levels, which suggests endothelial dysfunction.