Clinical Study of Metabolic Parameters, Leptin and the SGLT2 Inhibitor Empagliflozin among Patients with Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes.

Obesity is a major public health problem worldwide, and it is associated with many diseases and abnormalities, most importantly, type 2 diabetes. The visceral adipose tissue produces an immense variety of adipokines. Leptin is the first identified adipokine which plays a crucial role in the regulation of food intake and metabolism. Sodium glucose co-transport 2 inhibitors are potent antihyperglycemic drugs with various beneficial systemic effects. We aimed to investigate the metabolic state and leptin level among patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus, and the effect of empagliflozin upon these parameters. We recruited 102 patients into our clinical study, then we performed anthropometric, laboratory, and immunoassay tests. Body mass index, body fat, visceral fat, urea nitrogen, creatinine, and leptin levels were significantly lower in the empagliflozin treated group when compared to obese and diabetic patients receiving conventional antidiabetic treatments. Interestingly, leptin was increased not only among obese patients but in type 2 diabetic patients as well. Body mass index, body fat, and visceral fat percentages were lower, and renal function was preserved in patients receiving empagliflozin treatment. In addition to the known beneficial effects of empagliflozin regarding the cardio-metabolic and renal systems, it may also influence leptin resistance.

Diagnostic difficulties and therapeutic options of a giant chest paraganglioma / Óriás mellkasi paraganglioma diagnosztikai nehézségei és terápiás lehetoségei

Paragangliomas are mostly benign tumors originating from the sympathetic or parasympathetic ganglions, but malignant forms are also known. They are in the region of the head and neck, in the glomus caroticum, intra-abdominally as well as in the thorax. The investigation of the 39-year-old male patient began due to extremely high blood pressure, night sweats and a 10 kg weight loss. Chest CT scan described a huge mass in the right hilum, bronchoscopic sampling was inconclusive. Tumor biopsy was performed through right thoracotomy, but complete resection was not possible due to tissue adhesions and cardiac involvement. Histological examination verified paraganglioma, which was also confirmed by laboratory tests. Accordingly, somatostatin analog therapy was initiated, followed by I-131-MIBG treatment with good clinical effect. Coronary angiography confirmed that the right coronary artery contributed with two marginal branches to the blood supply of the thoracic mass. The tumor was successfully removed and after the cardio-thoracic surgery, the patient's antihypertensive therapy was stopped. There was no sign of relapse during follow-ups. During the medical investigation of severe blood pressure elevations, the possibility of paraganglioma should be considered. In these cases, invasive procedures, if not preceded by proper medication, can be fatal. By taking advantage of the ever-expanding therapeutic options and the cooperation between institutions, even patients with a giant paraganglioma can become tumor-free.

Screening for the presence of scleroedema adultorum of Buschke in patients with diabetes mellitus: newly diagnosed patients had a high prevalence of dyslipidaemia.

BACKGROUND: Scleroedema adultorum of Buschke is a rare disorder characterized by fibromucinous thickening of the dermis that manifests mainly at the nape of the neck and on the upper back and shoulders. This study screened patients with diabetes mellitus for skin hardening caused by scleroedema adultorum of Buschke and characterized the clinical and laboratory findings in patients with newly identified cases, with a focus on lipid metabolism abnormalities and vascular complications. METHODS: Out of 113 consecutive patients with diabetes, 11 (9.7%) new scleroedema patients, all with type 2 diabetes, were found. Their clinical and laboratory data were compared to those of the rest of the screened patients and to those of a cohort of 15 patients with scleroedema and diabetes who were already being treated in a tertiary clinical centre at the University of Pécs. RESULTS: Higher proportions of patients with dyslipidaemia, hypertriglyceridemia (P < 0.05) and increased mean levels of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) were found (P < 0.01) in both scleroedema groups than in the group without scleroedema. Stroke and venous thromboembolism (VTE) were more frequently found in the histories of both the newly identified scleroedema group (each 3/11; 27.3%) and the treated cohort (each 6/15; 40.0%) than in the group without scleroedema (6/102; 5.9% in cases of stroke P = 0.021, P < 0.001; and 14/102; 13.7%; P < 0.05 in cases of VTE, respectively). Based on binary logistic regression, a high non-HDL-C level (odds ratio (OD): 3.338, confidence interval (CI): 1.77-6.28; P < 0.001) and insulin treatment (OR 7.64, CI 1.9-29.3; P = 0.003) were independent predictors of scleroedema in patients with diabetes mellitus. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes patients with scleroedema had more severe dyslipidaemia and higher occurrence of vascular complications compared to those without scleroedema. In addition to poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus requiring insulin treatment, high non-HDL-C levels may be another contributing factor to the development of scleroedema. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04335396 .

The Prognostic Role of Postablative Non-Stimulated Thyroglobulin in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer.

Thyroglobulin (Tg) is the most important tumor marker in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic and prognostic roles of postoperative stimulated and postablative lowest, highest, and one-year non-stimulated Tg values obtained during the follow-up of patients with DTC. In this retrospective study, 222 radioiodine-treated, anti-thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb)-negative DTC patients having at least 9 months' follow-up time were included (172 papillary and 50 follicular cancers; median age: 48 (from 15 to 91) years; female-male ratio: 158/64; median (quartiles) follow-up time: 54 (22-97) months). The 2015 American Thyroid Association guidelines were applied as criteria of the therapeutic response. Postoperative stimulated Tg values had significantly lower diagnostic accuracy than any of the non-stimulated postablative Tg values. One-year non-stimulated Tg had excellent prognostic value for structural disease: a cut-off value of 0.85 ng/mL had an 88.1% diagnostic accuracy. If the Tg value did not decrease below 0.75 ng/mL at any time during follow-up, the risk of residual disease was 25 times higher. The highest non-stimulated Tg during follow-up was the best predictor of residual disease (e.g., a Tg value exceeding 7.7 ng/mL indicated a 30-fold increase in risk). Non-stimulated Tg values measured during follow-up have excellent diagnostic accuracy to predict structural disease in DTC patients. The risk classification of a patient can safely be modified based on even a single Tg measurement.

Observational longitudinal multicentre investigation of acute pancreatitis (GOULASH PLUS): follow-up of the GOULASH study, protocol.

BACKGROUND: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammatory condition that can lead to late consequences. Recurrent AP (RAP) develops in 20% of patients and chronic pancreatitis (CP) occurs in 7%-12.8%. However, we do not have sufficient information to establish an evidence-based statement to define early CP, or how to prevent its development. AIM: The aim of this study was to understand the influencing factors and to determine which parameters should be measured or used as a biomarker to detect the early phase of CP. METHODS/DESIGN: This is an observational prospective follow-up study of the GOULASH-trial (ISRTCN 63827758) in which (1) all severity of pancreatitis are included; (2) patients receive only therapeutic modalities which are accepted by the evidence based medicine (EBM) guideline; (3) whole blood, serum and plasma samples are stored in our biobank; and (4) large amount of variables are collected and kept in our electronic database including anamnestic data, physical examination, laboratory parameters, imaging, therapy and complications. Therefore, this fully characterised patient cohort are well suitable for this longitudinal follow-up study. Patients' selection: patients enrolled in the GOULASH study will be offered to join to the longitudinal study. The follow-up will be at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 years after the episode of AP. Anamnestic data will be collected by questionnaires: (1) diet history questionnaire, (2) 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, (3) physical activity questionnaire and (4) stress questionnaire. Genetic tests will be performed for the genes associated with CP. The exocrine and endocrine pancreatic, liver and kidney functions will be determined by laboratory tests, stool sample analyses and imaging. Cost-effectiveness will be analysed to examine the relationship between events of interest and health-related quality of life or to explore subgroup differences. CONCLUSION: This study will provide information about the risk and influencing factors leading to CP and identify the most useful measurable parameters. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN63396106.

[Recovery rate in differentiated thyroid cancer. Experiences of one of the Hungarian clinical centers]. / A differenciált pajzsmirigyrákban szenvedo betegek gyógyulási esélyei. Egy hazai centrum tapasztalatai.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: The worldwide incidence of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) has markedly increased during the last few decades. According to the international guidelines, principles of DTC management are in transformation. The aim of our work was to evaluate patients' current likelihood of recovery. METHOD: Data of 380 patients treated between 1/Jan/2005 and 1/May/2016 at the PTE KK Ist Department of Internal Medicine were retrospectively analyzed. Female/male ratio was 306/74. Median age at diagnosis was 46 years (13-86 years), while median follow-up time was 55 months (0-144 months). Response to therapy was evaluable in 337 patients. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS (version 22.0). RESULTS: Based on the prevalence of papillary (PTC) and follicular (FTC) carcinomas (79/21%), moderate iodine deficiency has to be considered in this region. PTC patients were significantly younger and were diagnosed in earlier tumor stage. The ratio of lymph node and distant metastases was 35%/4% in PTC and 15%/14% in FTC. Radioiodine treatment was performed in a total of 542 times. 264 patients with PTC were followed up. 59% of patients were tumor-free, in 20% uncertain response, in 7% incomplete biochemical response, in 14% incomplete structural response were diagnosed and 6 patients died. Patients with FTC (n = 73) were tumor-free in 59%, uncertain response was found in 10%, incomplete structural response was diagnosed in 31%, while 10% of the patients died. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, although DTC has a favorable prognosis, in 31% of FTC patients and in 14% of PTC patients, tumor-free status was not achieved. During the median 55-month follow-up period, the disease-specific mortality was 10% in FTC and 2% in PTC. Orv Hetil. 2018; 159(22): 878-887.

The impact of post-radioiodine therapy SPECT/CT on early risk stratification in differentiated thyroid cancer; a bi-institutional study.

OBJECTIVE: SPECT/CT has numerous advantages over planar and traditional SPECT images. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of post-radioiodine therapy SPECT/CT of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) in early risk classification and in prediction of late prognosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 323 consecutive patients were investigated after their first radioiodine treatment (1100-3700 MBq). Both whole body scan and SPECT/CT images of the head, neck, chest and abdomen regions were taken 4-6 days after radioiodine therapy. Patients were re-evaluated 9-12 months later as well as at the end of follow up (median 37 months). RESULTS: Post-radioiodine therapy SPECT/CT showed metastases in 22% of patients. Lymph node, lung and bone metastases were detected in 61, 13 and 5 patients, respectively, resulting in early reclassification of 115 cases (36%). No evidence of disease was found in 251 cases at 9-12 months after radioiodine treatment and 269 patients at the end of follow-up. To predict residual disease at the end of follow-up, the sensitivities, specificities and diagnostic accuracies of the current risk classification systems and SPECT/CT were: ATA: 77%, 47% and 53%; ETA: 70%, 62% and 64%; SPECT/CT: 61%, 88% and 83%, respectively. There was no difference between cohorts of the two institutions when data were analyzed separately. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our bi-institutional experience, the accuracy of post-radioiodine SPECT/CT outweighs that of the currently used ATA and ETA risk classification systems in the prediction of long-term outcome of DTC.

[Renin and aldosterone determinations in hypertensive patients]. / Renin- és aldoszteronvizsgálat hypertoniás betegekben.

INTRODUCTION: The diagnostic algorithm of primary aldosteronism is burdened with uncertainties and, recently, it has been suggested that the sensitivity of the aldosterone/renin ratio used as a screening test - based on the suppression aldosterone - is low. AIM: The primary aim was to test the accuracy of aldosterone/renin ratio. METHOD: In a retrospective analysis of 309 hypertensive patients supine and ambulatory aldosterone levels were independently examined. RESULTS: Aldosterone/renin ratio was elevated in 99 patients of whom 31 exhibited elevated supine aldosterone, as well. In 34 cases supine aldosterone was increased without elevation of the aldosterone/renin ratio. However, only 3 of them had concomitant low renin levels indicating that primary aldosteronism could not be ruled out. Abnormally increased renin was found in 69 patients, but only 59% of them had increased aldosterone level. CONCLUSION: Sensitivity of aldosterone/renin ratio is high (91%) if used only in justified cases.