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Biomedical subjects

A J Scheen

Publications and source records attributed to A J Scheen.

At least 379 records · Page 21Linked to original sources

Measurement of apolipoproteins B and A by radial immunodiffusion: methodological assessment and clinical applications.

The clinical evaluation of apolipoproteins is of interest in order to characterize the risk profile for ischemic heart disease both in normolipidemic and hyperlipidemic subjects. In the non-specialized and/or small practice clinical laboratory, the measurement of some apolipoproteins can be undertaken by simple methods of immunological analysis, among which radial immunodiffusion can be of interest due to its simplicity of use and because it does not require specific equipment. In this work several methodological questions concerning the measurement of plasma apolipoproteins B and A by radial immunodiffusion have been addressed; the results show that this method is particularly reliable for the apo B assay. Regression analysis between values obtained with radial immunodiffusion and radioimmunoassay was r = 0.972 for apo B and r = 0.782 for apo A. The recovery rate was above 90% for both apolipoproteins (93.8% for apo B and 99.5% for apo A). The inter and intraassay coefficients of variation were below 5%, and the detection limits were estimated as 9.6 mg/dl for apo A and 6.9 mg/dl for apo B. Neither the ingestion of a standard breakfast (500 Cal, 17 g fat, 120 mg cholesterol) 2 h prior to testing nor freezing the sample significantly affected the measurement of apolipoproteins B and A. Mean plasma concentrations of both apolipoproteins measured by radial immunodiffusion in normo and hyperlipidemic subjects are also presented.

Adult↗

Metabolic clearance rate of insulin in type 2 diabetic patients treated with combined insulin and sulfonylurea therapy.

The metabolic clearance rate of insulin (MCRI) in 10 non-obese type 2 diabetic patients treated with either insulin alone or combined insulin plus sulfonylurea therapy is investigated. A classical 2-hour euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic glucose clamp using the artificial pancreas was performed in a randomized order after two 6-week periods of treatment: either with subcutaneous injections of insulin alone or with insulin plus oral administration of the sulfonylurea compound glipizide at the dose of 3 x 10 mg/day. The MCRI was calculated knowing the constant insulin infusion rate (0.1 U.kg-1.h-1) and measuring basal and steady-state plasma free insulin and C-peptide levels. When the test was performed at the end of the period of treatment with insulin plus glipizide and 30 min after the ingestion of the last dose of 10 mg glipizide, plasma C-peptide levels were significantly increased and steady-state free insulin levels tended to be slightly higher whereas the metabolic clearance rate of glucose was not affected. The MCRI was significantly reduced by glipizide from 23.3 +/- 2.9 to 18.9 +/- 2.0 ml.kg-1.min-1 p < 0.05. These results demonstrate that the sulfonylurea glipizide decreases the MCRI. This effect may play a role in the hypoglycemic action of sulfonylureas.

Cross-Over Studies↗

Insulin secretion, clearance and action before and after gastroplasty in severely obese subjects.

This study investigated the effects of a drastic weight reduction on insulin secretion rate (ISR), insulin metabolic clearance rate (MCRI) and insulin sensitivity (SI) in severely obese subjects. A frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIVGTT, 0.3 g/kg) was performed before and 8 +/- 1 months after a vertical ring gastroplasty in 12 overnight-fasted obese non-diabetic subjects; the results were compared to those obtained in 12 lean controls matched for age and sex. ISR was derived by deconvolution of plasma C-peptide levels; MCRI was obtained by dividing the area under the curve (AUC180 min) of ISR by the corresponding AUC of plasma insulin levels (IRI); the SI and the glucose effectiveness index (SG) were calculated by Bergman's minimal model. Before gastroplasty, obese subjects showed significantly higher ISR (P < 0.02), lower MCRI (P < 0.001), lower SI (P < 0.001) but similar SG when compared to lean controls. After gastroplasty (reduction of body weight from 104.8 +/- 3.8 to 73.4 +/- 3.6 kg and of BMI from 37.9 +/- 0.8 to 26.5 +/- 0.9 kg/m2; P < 0.001), ISR only decreased from 53,125 +/- 7968 to 42,302 +/- 3716 pmol/180 min (not significant) while AUC-IRI dramatically fell from 53,626 +/- 6378 to 21,111 +/- 2584 pmol.min/l; P < 0.001); consequently, MCRI markedly increased from 526 +/- 96 to 1257 +/- 150 ml/min/m2; P < 0.01). SI significantly rose from 3.12 +/- 0.45 to 7.10 +/- 1.20 x 10(-4) l/mU/min (P < 0.005) while SG remained unchanged.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Relationships between metabolic clearance rate of insulin and body mass index in a female population ranging from anorexia nervosa to severe obesity.

Changes in the metabolic clearance rate of insulin (MCRI) have been described in several pathological conditions. Conflicting data suggest that they may be related to either body mass index (BMI) or body composition. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the MCRI and BMI in an exclusively female population showing a wide range of BMI. For that purpose, hyperinsulinemic normoglycemic glucose clamps were performed in nine anorectic subjects (BMI: 14.5 +/- 0.8 kg/m2), 11 healthy volunteers (BMI: 20.3 +/- 0.5 kg/m2) and 12 obese patients (BMI: 33.0 +/- 0.9 kg/m2). To exclude any influence of the menstrual cycle on the MCRI, five healthy women underwent three tests at different days of the menstrual cycle: menstruation period, late follicular pre-ovulatory phase and luteal phase, in random order. The MCRI, which was quite reproducible in a given subject, was not significantly modified by the menstrual cycle. In the premenopausal female population studied, the mean (+/- s.e.m.) MCRI normalized for body weight (kg) were 35.4 +/- 3.4, 24.7 +/- 1.8 and 14.0 +/- 1.0 ml/kg/min (P < 0.01) for anorectic subjects, healthy volunteers and obese patients, respectively. These differences were maintained when the MCRI was normalized according to corporeal surface (m2) (1018 +/- 75, 859 +/- 67, 638 +/- 40 ml/m2/min, P < 0.01) or lean body mass (kg) (37.1 +/- 3.4, 32.6 +/- 2.7 and 24.1 +/- 0.5 ml/kgLBM/min, P < 0.01), but disappeared when MCRI was expressed per kg of ideal body weight (24.6 +/- 2.2, 24.6 +/- 2.1 and 22.4 +/- 1.4 ml/kgIBW/min, n.s.).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Effects of a 1-year treatment with a low-dose combined oral contraceptive containing ethinyl estradiol and cyproterone acetate on glucose and insulin metabolism.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of the slightly estrogen-dominant monophasic low-dose oral contraceptive (OC) Diane-35 (Schering AG, Berlin, Germany) (35 micrograms ethinyl estradiol [EE2] + 2 mg cyproterone acetate, a 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone derivative [17-OHP]) on glucose and insulin metabolism. DESIGN: Seven healthy young women were investigated by using the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic glucose clamp technique (insulin delivery rate = 100 mU/kg per hour for 120 minutes). This test was performed, after an overnight fast, during the last 7 days of a spontaneous cycle and within the last 5 days of pill intake during the sixth and twelfth cycle of a continuous treatment with Diane-35 in each subject. RESULTS: The three indexes measuring the insulin-induced glucose disposal during the clamp (glucose infusion rate, glucose metabolic clearance rate, and glucose infusion rate divided by plasma insulin plateau levels) were not significantly affected by Diane-35. In contrast, the metabolic clearance rate of the exogenous insulin infused during the clamp tended to be slightly increased with Diane-35 (significant after 6 but not after 12 cycles). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that a 1-year treatment with the OC Diane-35, which contains EE2 + a 17-OHP rather than a 19-nortestosterone derivative as the progestogen compound, does not significantly alter peripheral (presumably muscular) insulin sensitivity but slightly increases insulin (presumably hepatic) clearance.

Adult↗

Combination of oral antidiabetic drugs and insulin in the treatment of non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) appears to be an heterogeneous disorder characterized by both relative insulin deficiency and impaired insulin action. The initial management of NIDDM should include patient education, dietary counselling and individualized programs of physical activity. It is only when such measures fail that drug therapy should be considered. Oral drug therapies include sulphonylurea derivatives, biguanides, among which metformin remains the only one commercialized in our country, and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors such as acarbose. However, insulin therapy may be required to achieve adequate glycaemic control in some patients, the so-called secondary failures to oral treatment. The rationale for combining insulin and oral drug therapy derives from a better understanding of the pathophysiology of NIDDM and of the mechanisms of action of the oral drugs available: 1) type 2 diabetic patients are both insulin-deficient and insulin-resistant, thus requiring quite high doses of exogenous insulin; 2) peripheral insulin delivery leads to hyperinsulinaemia which could play a role in the pathogenesis of late diabetic complications; 3) sulphonylureas stimulate insulin release directly into the portal vein and could also potentiate peripheral insulin action; and 4) metformin (by improving glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity) and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (by slowing down the digestion of complex carbohydrates and sucrose) are able to reduce the amounts of insulin needed to control postprandial hyperglycaemia. Numerous studies have shown that a combination of insulin and sulphonylurea is more effective than insulin alone in the treatment of patients with NIDDM after secondary failure to oral drugs, leading to better glucose profiles and/or decreased insulin needs. The available data suggest that combination therapy is most beneficial in the diabetic patient who still has residual insulin secretory capacity and that the best scheme comprises an evening injection of lente insulin and the administration of sulphonylureas before meals. Preliminary results suggested that insulin-metformin (when obesity is present) or insulin-acarbose (when post-prandial hyperglycaemia occurs) combinations might offer some favourable features for the treatment of NIDDM patients although these therapeutical approaches still require adequate evaluation in further controlled studies. The additional cost of such combined therapy should be weighed against the potential advantages of better metabolic control.

Biguanides↗

Endogenous substrate oxidation during exercise and variations in breath 13CO2/12CO2.

This study attempted to induce a major shift in the utilization of endogenous substrates during exercise in men by the use of a potent inhibitor of adipose tissue lipolysis, Acipimox, and to see to what extent this affects the 13C/12C ratio in expired air CO2. Six healthy volunteers exercised for 3 h on a treadmill at approximately 45% of their maximum O2 uptake, 75 min after having ingested either a placebo or 250 mg Acipimox. The rise in plasma free fatty acids and glycerol was almost totally prevented by Acipimox, and no significant rise in the utilization of lipids, evaluated by indirect calorimetry, was observed. Total carbohydrate oxidation averaged 128 +/- 17 (placebo) and 182 +/- 21 g/3 h (Acipimox). Conversely, total lipid oxidation was 84 +/- 5 (placebo) and 57 +/- 6 g/3 h (Acipimox; P < 0.01). Under placebo, changes in expired air CO2 delta 13C were minimal, with only a 0.49/1000 significant rise at 30 min. In contrast, under Acipimox, the rise in expired air CO2 delta 13C averaged 1/1000 and was significant throughout the 3-h exercise bout; in these conditions calculation of a "pseudooxidation" of an exogenous sugar naturally or artificially enriched in 13C, but not ingested, would have given an erroneous value of 19.8 +/- 2.6 g/3 h. Thus under conditions of extreme changes in endogenous substrate utilization, an appropriate control experiment is mandatory when studying exogenous substrate oxidation by 13C-labeled substrates and isotope-ratio mass spectrometry measurements on expired air CO2.

Adult↗

Fructose utilization during exercise in men: rapid conversion of ingested fructose to circulating glucose.

The aim of the present study was to compare the metabolic fate of repeated doses of fructose or glucose ingested every 30 min during long-duration moderate-intensity exercise in men. Healthy volunteers exercised for 3 h on a treadmill at 45% of their maximal oxygen consumption rate. "Naturally labeled" [13C]glucose or [13C]fructose was given orally at 25-g doses every 30 min (total feeding: 150 g; n = 6 in each group). Substrate utilization was evaluated by indirect calorimetry, and exogenous sugar oxidation was measured by isotope ratio mass spectrometry on expired CO2. Results were corrected for baseline drift in 13C/12C ratio in expired air due to exercise alone. Fructose conversion to plasma glucose was measured combining gas chromatography and isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Most of the ingested glucose was oxidized: 81 +/- 4 vs. 57 +/- 2 g/3 h for fructose (2P < 0.005). Exogenous glucose covered 20.8 +/- 1.4% of the total energy need (+/- 6.7 MJ) compared with 14.0 +/- 0.6% for fructose (2P < 0.005). The contribution of total carbohydrates was significantly higher and that of lipids significantly lower with glucose than with fructose. The blood glucose response was similar in both protocols. From 90 to 180 min, 55-60% of circulating glucose was derived from ingested fructose. In conclusion, when ingested repeatedly during moderate-intensity prolonged exercise, fructose is metabolically less available than glucose, despite a high rate of conversion to circulating glucose.

Adult↗

Insulin secretion, clearance, and action on glucose metabolism in cirrhotic patients.

To study the mechanisms of glucose intolerance and hyperinsulinism in liver cirrhosis, we compared the plasma glucose, insulin, and C-peptide levels during a frequently sampled i.v. glucose tolerance test (0.3 g glucose/kg BW) in nine compensated cirrhotic patients and nine healthy volunteers well matched for age, sex, and body weight. The insulin secretion rate was derived by the deconvolution of plasma C-peptide levels, insulin sensitivity was calculated using Bergman's minimal model method, and insulin clearance was estimated by dividing the 0-180 min area under the curve of insulin secretion rate by that of peripheral plasma insulin levels. The cirrhotic patients were characterized during the frequently sampled i.v. glucose tolerance test by a 60% greater insulin secretion rate (P < 0.05), a markedly reduced insulin sensitivity index (SI; 2.82 +/- 0.75 vs. 5.86 +/- 0.68 x 10(-4) min/mU.L; P < 0.01) and a 40% reduced insulin clearance (725 +/- 169 vs. 1165 +/- 99 mL/min.m-2; P < 0.05). The reduction of insulin clearance was significantly correlated with the amplitude of the portosystemic shunt, measured using an isotopic method (r = 0.75; P < 0.02). In conclusion, cirrhosis is characterized by an important peripheral hyperinsulinism, resulting from both a higher insulin secretion rate and a reduced insulin hepatic clearance; the severe insulin resistance explains the glucose metabolism alterations.

Adolescent↗

From obesity to type 2 diabetes.

Obesity is a well-known risk factor for the development of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Both insulin resistance and concomitant B-cell dysfunction are necessary for the development of NIDDM. Insulin resistance, probably genetically determined but worsened by obesity, appears to be the primary defect that leads to impaired glucose tolerance. However, B-cell dysfunction plays a critical role during progressive deterioration from mild impaired glucose tolerance to severe NIDDM.

Diabetes Mellitus↗

Devices for the treatment of diabetes: today.

Although single or multiple daily subcutaneous injections of insulin with syringes are the mainstay of insulin delivery techniques for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, several other methods are now available. The present paper will review the main problems occurring with the classical subcutaneous insulin therapy and the possible solutions given by the use of new devices, including more particularly insulin jet injectors, pens, and portable pumps. This review has to be considered as an introduction to the presentations of this symposium devoted to implantable pumps, glucose sensors, and artificial pancreas, respectively.

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1↗

Assessment of insulin resistance in vivo: application to the study of type 2 diabetes.

Besides insulin secretion, insulin sensitivity plays a key role in the feedback glucose-insulin closed loop. It can be altered in numerous physiological, pathological and pharmacological conditions. It can be estimated in vivo using methods that open the feedback loop (insulin suppression test, glucose clamp) or that analyze the closed loop by employing mathematical models of glucose kinetics. The most popular method is the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic glucose clamp. This test should be ideally coupled with a priming-constant infusion of a glucose tracer together with indirect calorimetry. This combination allows to study the glucose kinetics (Ra and Rd, and thus endogenous-mainly hepatic-glucose production) and its metabolism (oxidation or storage as glycogen), respectively. One alternative approach is the frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test where the dynamic changes in plasma insulin and glucose levels are analyzed using the so-called 'minimal model' method. Noninsulin-dependent or type 2 diabetes is characterized by a significant defect in both insulin secretion and action. The insulin resistance is located at the liver site (increased glucose production) and at the peripheral tissues (decreased oxidation and, even more, defective storage of glucose in the muscles). This insulin resistance, which predominates at the postreceptor level, seems to be genetically determined but is worsened by weight excess and by hyperglycemia itself. This contributes to a vicious circle which aggravates progressively the severity of the disease.

Blood Glucose↗

Management of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

The initial management of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) should include patient education, dietary counselling and, when feasible, individualised physical activity. It is only when such measures fail that drug therapy should be considered. Dietary management of NIDDM includes a restriction in calories, and these should be appropriately distributed as carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. Supplementation of the diet with soluble fibre and supplementation with magnesium salts if hypomagnesaemia is demonstrated, is recommended. However, supplementation with fish oils or with fish oil-derived omega-3 fatty acids is not currently recommended. Oral drug therapies used in NIDDM include sulphonylurea derivatives, which are a first-line treatment in patients who are not grossly obese, metformin, which is the treatment of choice for obese patients, and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors such as acarbose, which are used mainly to reduce postprandial blood glucose peaks. These types of drugs can be used alone or in combination. Insulin therapy may be required to achieve adequate control of blood glucose levels in some patients. In several instances, it is suggested that insulin therapy be combined with sulphonylureas (essentially when residual insulin secretion is present), with metformin, or with alpha-glucosidase inhibitors. The treatment of disorders associated with NIDDM, such as obesity, hypertension or hyperlipidaemia, requires particular attention in diabetic patients, since some drugs can adversely affect glycaemic control. Oral drugs for the treatment of NIDDM include sulphonylurea derivatives used in first-line treatment in patients who are not grossly obese, metformin, which is often the treatment of choice for obese patients and, more recently, the alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, such as acarbose, which are effective in reducing the postprandial rise in blood glucose.

Acarbose↗