PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

N E Seymour

Publications and source records attributed to N E Seymour.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Performance and ergonomic characteristics of expert surgeons using a face-mounted display during virtual reality-simulated laparoscopic surgery: an electromyographically based study.

BACKGROUND: Display positions for laparoscopy in current operating rooms may not be optimal for surgeon comfort or task performance, and face-mounted displays (FMDs) have been forwarded as a potential ergonomic solution. Little is known concerning expert use characteristics of these devices that might help define their role in future surgical care. The authors report the performance and ergonomic characterization of an FMD using virtual reality simulation technology to recreate the surgical environment. METHODS: An FMD was studied in short- and long-duration trials of validated virtual reality-simulated surgical tasks. For the short-duration phase 7, expert surgeons were familiarized with a task on a conventional monitor, then returned on two separate occasions to repeat the task with the FMD while digital photos were taken during task performance and at the end in a standardized fashion. For the long-duration phase 5, expert surgeons performed two separate trials with repetitive groups of validated tasks for a minimum of 30 min while electromyelogram and performance data were measured. Photos of their gaze angle during and at the end of the trial were taken. RESULTS: All the participants consistently assumed a gaze angle slightly below horizontal during task performance. Performance scores on the FMD did not differ from those obtained with a conventional display, and remained stable with repetitive task performance. No participant had electromyelogram signals that exceeded the established thresholds for fatigue, but some had values within the threshold range. CONCLUSION: The natural gaze angle during simulated surgery was consistently a bit below horizontal during rigorous virtual reality-simulated tasks. Performance was not compromised during expert surgeons' use of an FMD, nor did muscle fatigue characteristics arise under these conditions. The findings suggest that these devices may represent a viable alternative to conventional displays for minimally invasive surgery, but definition of specific roles requires further investigation.

Biomedical Research↗

Challenges to the development of complex virtual reality surgical simulations.

Virtual reality simulation in surgical training has become more widely used and intensely investigated in an effort to develop safer, more efficient, measurable training processes. The development of virtual reality simulation of surgical procedures has begun, but well-described technical obstacles must be overcome to permit varied training in a clinically realistic computer-generated environment. These challenges include development of realistic surgical interfaces and physical objects within the computer-generated environment, modeling of realistic interactions between objects, rendering of the surgical field, and development of signal processing for complex events associated with surgery. Of these, the realistic modeling of tissue objects that are fully responsive to surgical manipulations is the most challenging. Threats to early success include relatively limited resources for development and procurement, as well as smaller potential for return on investment than in other simulation industries that face similar problems. Despite these difficulties, steady progress continues to be made in these areas. If executed properly, virtual reality offers inherent advantages over other training systems in creating a realistic surgical environment and facilitating measurement of surgeon performance. Once developed, complex new virtual reality training devices must be validated for their usefulness in formative training and assessment of skill to be established.

Computer Simulation↗

Analysis of errors in laparoscopic surgical procedures.

BACKGROUND: The determination of laparoscopic surgeon ability is essential to training error avoidance. The present study describes a practical method of surgical error analysis. METHODS: After review of practice videotapes of the excisional phase of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, consensus on the identification of eight errors was achieved. Interrater agreement at the end of this phase was 84-96%. Fourteen study videotapes of gallbladder excision were then observed independently by expert reviewers blinded to surgical team identity. Procedures were assessed using a scoring matrix of 1-min segments with each error reported each minute. RESULTS: Interrater agreement was 84-100% for all error categories. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrates that excellent interrater agreement of procedural errors can be achieved by carefully defining and training recognition of targeted events. Extension of this simple and reliable analysis tool to other procedures should be feasible to define behaviors leading to adverse clinical outcomes.

Burns↗

Laparoscopic treatment of fulminant ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND: The complexity and risks of the surgical treatment of ulcerative colitis are greater in patients with fulminant disease. Subtotal colectomy is frequently offered to such patients to control acute disease and restore immunological and nutritional status prior to a restorative procedure. The role of laparoscopy in this setting is poorly defined. METHODS: The records of 18 patients with poorly controlled fulminant colitis on aggressive immunosuppressive therapy who underwent laparoscopic subtotal colectomy were reviewed. RESULTS: Postoperative complications occurred in six patients (33%). Postoperative length of stay was 5.0 +/- 0.3 days vs 8.8 +/- 1.8 days (p<0.05) for a group of six patients who had undergone open subtotal colectomy for the same indications. Systemic steroids were withdrawn in all patients, and 17 patients subsequently underwent proctectomy and pelvic pouch construction. CONCLUSIONS: The relatively high morbidity rate in these patients is likely related to their compromised status at the time of surgery. Laparoscopic subtotal colectomy in patients with fulminant ulcerative colitis allows for earlier hospital discharge, facilitates subsequent pelvic pouch, construction, and provides an excellent alternative to conventional two- and three-stage surgical treatment.

Acute Disease↗

Impaired hepatocyte glucose transport protein (GLUT2) internalization in chronic pancreatitis.

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is associated with impaired glucose tolerance and with reduced hepatic sensitivity to insulin. We have previously shown that in normal and sham-operated rats, insulin suppresses hepatic glucose production, and this suppression is associated with a decrease in the hepatocyte plasma membrane-bound quantity of the facilitative glucose transport protein GLUT2. The insulin-mediated reduction in membrane-bound GLUT2 is impaired in CP, and may play a role in the glucose intolerance associated with CP. To determine whether GLUT2 is actively internalized and whether this mechanism is disordered in CP, livers from fed and fasting rats in whom CP had been induced 2-3 months earlier by pancreatic duct oleic acid infusion, and in sham-operated (sham) rats, were fractionated to yield endosome (E)- and plasma membrane (PM)-enriched fractions. Forty-five minutes after duodenal intubation alone (fasting) or intubation plus duodenal feeding, livers were removed, homogenized and ultracentrifuged, and microsomal pellets were separated by sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation. GLUT2 content of fractions was determined by Western blotting and scanning densitometry. The E:PM ratio of GLUT2 increased from 0.68 +/- 0.11 (mean +/- SEM) in fasting sham livers (n = 8) to 1.04 +/- 0.09 in fed sham livers (n = 8; p < 0.05). However, there was no change in the E:PM ratio of GLUT2 in CP livers after duodenal feeding (0.90 +/- 0.12 vs. 0.86 +/- 0.10; n = 8,8; p = NS). To test our findings using confocal laser scanning microscopy, liver specimens from fed and fasting CP and sham rats were minced, fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde, sectioned, and stained with rabbit antirat GLUT2 antibody followed by rhodamine-labeled secondary antibody. GLUT2 was quantified by mean pixel intensity in an 8 x 16-pixel area of PM and a 16 x 16-pixel area of cytosol (CYT) in each of 30 random cells/field (400x) in each of three rats per group. As in the fractionation study, duodenal feeding increased the CYT:PM ratio of GLUT2 from 0.75 +/- 0.01 in fasting sham liver to 0.86 +/- 0.01 in fed sham liver (p < 0.0001), while the CYT:PM ratio in CP remained unchanged. We conclude that feeding induces a shift in GLUT2 from the plasma membrane to the endosomal pool. The feeding-induced internalization of GLUT2 is absent in livers from rats with CP and may play a role in the glucose intolerance associated with CP.

Animals↗

Human insulin receptor and insulin signaling proteins in hepatic disease.

Insulin regulates hepatocellular metabolism and growth following insulin receptor (IR) autophosphorylation and activation of the intracellular adapter protein, insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1). IRS-1 activates SH2 domain proteins such as Grb2, which may be vital to hepatocyte growth. To determine if these substances are abnormally expressed under pathophysiologic conditions, IR, IRS-1, Grb2 protein, and IR mRNA were studied in normal human liver (n = 10), cirrhotic liver (n = 10), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (n = 10) that had been procured during operative procedures. IR mRNA was quantified by S1-nuclease assay using a 195-bp digoxigenin-labeled IR DNA probe and normalized to the level of expression of the glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) gene. Protein concentrations were determined by immunoblot analysis following SDS-PAGE of liver homogenate samples. Labeled DNA and antibody-complexed protein were detected by chemiluminescent means and quantified by densitometric analysis (mean densitometric units +/- standard error). Similar levels of IR mRNA were observed in normal tissue, cirrhosis, and HCC. IR protein concentration was significantly greater in HCC than in normal liver (1.82 +/- 0.2 vs 1. 25 +/- 0.17; P < 0.05). IRS-1 was significantly increased in cirrhosis compared to normal liver (1.61 +/- 0.31 vs 0.86 +/- 0.21; P < 0.05). No differences were observed in Grb2 in the three tissue types. Insulin receptor overexpression, previously seen in other tumor types, may confer an insulin-mediated growth advantage in HCC if added receptors reflect functional high affinity binding sites. Although an altered mass of IRS-1 protein was not observed in HCC, an IRS-1 increase in cirrhosis may favor hepatic regeneration.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Overexpression of hepatic pancreatic polypeptide receptors in chronic pancreatitis.

Pancreatic polypeptide (PP) receptors have recently been demonstrated on liver microsomal membranes although the mechanisms of PP action on hepatocytes remain uncertain. The binding characteristics of these high affinity receptors under pathophysiologic conditions were studied in rats with oleic acid-induced chronic pancreatitis (CP), a state associated with diminished pancreatic PP content. Sixteen pancreatitic and 11 sham-operated control animals either were 16-h fasted or were given free access to food prior to organ removal. Competitive binding studies were performed by incubating hepatocyte microsomal preparation with 125I-labeled PP (20-40 pM) and increasing concentrations of nonlabeled PP (1 x 10(-10) to 1 x 10(-6) M). After total and nonspecific binding was quantified by gamma counting, coefficients of dissociation (Kd) and maximal binding sites (Bmax) were determined by Scatchard analysis of specifically bound radioactivity. Binding data were normalized to membrane protein content and expressed as means +/- standard error. Bmax was significantly greater in tissue from fed control animals than from fasted controls (4.46 +/- 0.36 versus 2.83 +/- 0.25, P < 0.05). Bmax was significantly greater under fasted conditions in tissue from CP animals than from controls (5.25 +/- 0.94 versus 2.83 +/- 0.25, P < 0.01). Under fed conditions, this differences was abolished by the increase in maximal binding in the control group. The fasting-associated decrease in maximal binding sites observed in controls did not occur in CP specimens. Increased Bmax in fed versus fasted control, as well as fasted CP versus fasted control, were associated with slight reciprocal decreases in receptor affinity. These data indicate that hepatic PP receptor concentration is upregulated in this model of chronic pancreatitis, most likely due to diminished exposure to ligand. Furthermore, normal PP receptor responses to the fed/fasted state are blunted in this condition. Regulatable PP receptor changes may play a role in altered hepatic metabolism previously observed in chronic pancreatitis.

Animals↗

Laparoscopic treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Laparoscopic fundoplication is technically feasible in treating gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Although medication is the primary treatment for GERD, not all patients respond completely or are able to adhere to a medical regimen. In the present series, 59 patients were laparoscopically treated for GERD at three centers using a standardized technique. All patients had been medically treated prior to referral, although 84 per cent had heartburn and 2 per cent had laryngitis despite 20 to 40 mg/day of omeprazole. Fifteen per cent of patients were intolerant of or would no longer take omeprazole. Patients were evaluated by esophageal manometry (in 100%) and 24-hour pH studies (in 66%). Seventy-six per cent of patients had lower-esophageal sphincter pressure <15 mm Hg. Five patients had low esophageal body peristaltic pressures (<35 mm Hg). These patients underwent Toupet partial fundoplication, whereas 54 patients underwent Nissen fundoplication. Mean operative time was 158 +/- 7 minutes, and three patients (5%) were converted to an open procedure. Operative complications were minor and occurred in 13 per cent. In 45 patients evaluated 1 year after surgery, heartburn had resolved in 98 per cent. Thirty-nine of 56 patients (70%) had mild early (<1 month postoperatively) dysphagia, and 9 (19%) had severe early dysphagia, which improved in 7 after nonoperative dilatation. Two of these had continued mild dysphagia. Two patients had severe dysphagia and were laparoscopically converted from Nissen to Toupet fundoplications, which resulted in marked improvement. Early gas bloat symptoms occurred in 45 per cent and dropped to 5 per cent at 1 year. Laparoscopic treatment of GERD is safe and effective in preventing reflux symptoms. Although mild dysphagia occurs after the procedure, this is transient in most patients. Patients with severe dysphagia can be treated with nonoperative dilatation or laparoscopic partial fundoplication and maintain the antireflux characteristics of the wrap.

Deglutition Disorders↗

Regulation of hepatic insulin receptors by pancreatic polypeptide in fasting and feeding.

Pancreatic polypeptide (PP) increases hepatic insulin receptor (IR) binding activity in fasted PP-deficient rats, but not fasted normal animals. PP-induced alteration of hepatic IR levels in normal animals may be detectable in the fed state when IR concentrations are lower than during fasting. In the current study, the effect of exogenous PP on IR concentrations in the fed and fasted states was determined in healthy 300- to 350-g male Sprague-Dawley rats. Ten animals were administered PP 100 microgram/kg/day for 3 days by intraperitoneal injection and 10 weight-matched control animals received saline vehicle. Five PP- and five saline-administered rats were fasted for 12 hr prior to organ procurement, while 5 PP- and 5 saline-treated rats were given free access to food for this period. Livers were removed and snap-frozen. IRs were isolated from solubilized hepatocyte membranes by affinity chromatography with agarose-bound wheat germ agglutinin. Western blots were performed using a specific antibody to the beta subunit of the IR, which was detected by a chemiluminescence technique after 45-min exposure to X-ray film. Exposed films were examined by scanning densitometry and IR concentration was expressed as absorbance units per milligram of hepatic protein (mean +/- SE). Statistical comparisons were by Student's t test with significance taken at P < 0.05. Feeding was associated with a significantly lower IR concentration in saline-administered animals compared with the fasted state (24.2 +/- 4.0 vs 53.3 +/- 11.1). PP administration in fed rats resulted in significantly increased IR concentration as compared with that seen in saline-administered fed animals (43.8 +/- 8.9 vs 24.2 +/- 4.0). This difference may be due to increased IR synthesis with long-term PP administration, and supports the role of PP as a regulatory factor in hepatic carbohydrate metabolism.

Animals↗

Pancreatic polypeptide administration improves abnormal glucose metabolism in patients with chronic pancreatitis.

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is associated with lowered plasma levels and a blunted nutrient-induced release of pancreatic polypeptide (PP). To investigate the possible role of PP on glucose metabolism, we studied male patients with documented CP (n = 5) and obesity-matched control subjects (NL) (n = 6). Hepatic glucose production (HGP) and overall glucose disposal rates were determined by [3-3H]glucose infusion during a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp during three separate admissions. Basal rates of HGP were higher in CP patients. In response to an infusion of insulin (60 pmol.m-2.min-1), HGP fell 91 +/- 5% in NL subjects but only 68 +/- 8% in CP subjects (P < 0.05). One month later, the clamp was repeated during the final 2 h of an 8-h infusion of bovine PP (2 pmol.kg-1.min-1). HGP before the insulin infusion and its subsequent suppression (NL: 83 +/- 5%; CP: 86 +/- 15%) were nearly identical between groups. In follow-up studies 1 month after the PP infusion, HGP both basally and in response to insulin alone were similar to the first study. During oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) performed 18 h after the PP infusion, subjects with normal (n = 7) baseline OGTT responses showed no effect. All patients with diabetic (n = 3) or nondiagnostic (n = 1) OGTT responses, however, demonstrated lowered mean plasma glucose levels (approximately -2.3 mmol/L; range: -0.6 to -7.2 mmol/L). OGTTs repeated 1 month after the PP treatment showed a return to pretreatment responses. We conclude that chronic pancreatitis accompanied by PP deficiency is associated with partial hepatic resistance both in the basal state and in response to hyperinsulinemia. This impairment is reversed after iv PP administration. PP deficiency may therefore play a role in the development of pancreatogenic diabetes caused by pancreatic injury.

Adult↗

Alterations in hepatocyte insulin binding in chronic pancreatitis: effects of pancreatic polypeptide.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic insulin resistance has previously been demonstrated in chronic pancreatitis, and has been shown to be ameliorated by pancreatic polypeptide administration. Insulin binding was investigated in chronic pancreatitis induced by infusion of oleic acid into the pancreatic duct of rats. METHODS: Acute pancreatitis was induced in 12 200 to 225 g 8-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats by intubation of the main bile duct at its junction with the duodenum through a small midline abdominal incision, and infusion of 99% oleic acid 0.015 mL/min for 4 minutes, with an additional 4 minutes dwell-time after infusion. Sham-operated animals served as controls. After 6 weeks, chronic pancreatitic and sham-operated animals received either intraperitoneal bovine pancreatic polypeptide or saline vehicle for 5 days. Intraduodenal glucose tolerance tests (GTT) were performed in fasted animals, after which tissues were procured. Insulin receptors were isolated from solubilized hepatocyte and rectus abdominus membranes and competitive-binding studies were performed by incubation with 125I-insulin. Dissociation coefficients (Kd) and maximum binding capacities (Bmax) for high-affinity receptors were derived from Scatchard analyses. RESULTS: Bmax and Kd in muscle were not altered in animals with chronic pancreatitis. In liver, Bmax was significantly less in rats with chronic pancreatitis given saline than in sham-operated rats given saline (17.0 +/- 6.3 versus 47.6 +/- 13.1 fmol/mg protein; data are mean +/- SEM). Pancreatic polypeptide administration increased hepatic Bmax in rats with chronic pancreatitis (to 47.2 +/- 9.8 fmol/mg protein), but had no significant effect in sham-operated rats. Receptor affinity was not significantly different in rats with chronic pancreatitis or rats who underwent sham operations and was unaltered by the administration of pancreatic polypeptide. The integrated plasma glucose response during the GTT was reduced by pancreatic polypeptide administration in rats with chronic pancreatitis (29.5 +/- 15.0 mg/dL per minute versus 69.0 +/- 21.8 in chronic pancreatitis without pancreatic polypeptide), but was not significantly altered in sham-operated animals. CONCLUSION: Diminished expression of high-affinity receptors on the hepatocyte membrane may contribute to hepatic insulin resistance in chronic pancreatitis. In this model, pancreatic polypeptide improved glucose tolerance and increased receptor capacity to the level observed in livers from nonpancreatitic animals.

Animals↗

Focal nodular hyperplasia of the liver.

The management of focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) of the liver requires a systematic approach. After a histologic diagnosis of FNH is obtained, asymptomatic lesions can be observed safely with regular follow-up and treated if they become symptomatic or enlargement occurs. In the case presented here, we have elected follow-up with serial CT scans because our patient is asymptomatic and the lesion has not significantly enlarged. Patients who have symptomatic lesions while taking an oral contraceptive can have conservative follow-up when they stop taking the oral contraceptive, because regression of FNH has been reported to occur after cessation of oral contraceptive use. If the patient remains symptomatic or if the lesion enlarges after discontinuance of oral contraceptive use, surgical resection is warranted. Other symptomatic patients, including those with a previous history of taking oral contraceptives, should be treated by surgical resection or, when resection is not possible, by embolization or ligation of the hepatic artery, because symptomatic patients are at risk for having malignant lesions misdiagnosed as FNH.

Female↗

Selective neurohormonal interactions in islet cell secretion in the isolated perfused human pancreas.

To investigate the effects of stimulant interactions on alpha- and beta-cell secretions, the differential effects of gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) and cholinergic stimulation (CS) on insulin (IRI) and glucagon (IRG) release were examined during euglycemic, single-pass perfusion in the isolated human pancreas. Pancreata obtained from 12 cadaver organ donors were perfused for 15-min test periods with (a) 1 nM GIP (b) intrinsic CS via bipolar electrical stimulation (10 V, 5 msec, 10 Hz) of the splanchnic neural fibers during simultaneous perfusion with 4 microM phentolamine and 6 microM propranolol, or (c) GIP and CS. The integrated response of IRI and IRG demonstrated that IRI release was stimulated 308 +/- 52 microU/g-min by GIP, 366 +/- 73 microU/g-min by CS, and 560 +/- 50 microU/g-min by GIP and CS (P less than 0.05). IRG release was stimulated 111 +/- 33 pg/g-min by GIP, 34 +/- 12 pg/g-min by CS, and 90 +/- 36 pg/g-min by GIP and CS. Combined hormonal and cholinergic stimulation was additive for IRI release, but not for IRG release. We conclude that the interaction of neural and hormonal islet cell stimuli is cell-type specific. This may result in selective impairment of hormone release after pancreatic denervation.

Adolescent↗

Splanchnic neural regulation of pancreatic polypeptide release in the isolated perfused human pancreas.

The isolated perfused human pancreas was employed as a model in which electrical stimulation of the celiac mixed neural bundle was performed in the presence and absence of selective neural antagonists. Stimulation of the celiac neural bundle in the presence of hyperglycemia resulted in augmentation of pancreatic polypeptide release. Cholinergic stimulation appears to predominate, whereas beta-adrenergic fibers stimulate pancreatic polypeptide-cell secretion, and alpha-adrenergic fibers inhibit pancreatic polypeptide release. During euglycemia, both cholinergic stimulation and gastric inhibitory polypeptide infusion resulted in a marked release of pancreatic polypeptide. These stimulatory effects were additive, which suggests a linked hormonal and neural mechanism of pancreatic polypeptide release after a meal. In this in vitro human model, our data confirm that the splanchnic innervation of the pancreas has a potent regulatory role in pancreatic hormone release in man.

Adolescent↗

In vitro hepatic insulin resistance in chronic pancreatitis in the rat.

To investigate the effect of chronic pancreatitis (CP) on in vitro hepatic sensitivity to insulin, the suppression of glucagon-stimulated hepatic glucose production (HGP) by insulin was examined during isolated liver perfusion (ILP) in CP and sham-operated rats. CP was induced at laparotomy by infusion of 50 microliters 99% oleic acid into the common bile duct during temporary occlusion of the proximal hepatic duct in 250- to 350-g Sprague-Dawley rats. Eight to sixteen weeks later, single-pass ILP was performed on fed animals. Glucagon (100 pg/ml) was infused for 30 min; the final 20 min of perfusion was performed with (a) no insulin, (b) 25 microU/ml insulin, or (c) 100 microU/ml insulin. CP and sham rats demonstrated comparable HGP responses to glucagon during the 0- to 10-min period (5.2 +/- 0.5 vs 5.9 +/- 0.5 mg/g/min, P = NS). CP rats demonstrated an HGP response to glucagon alone more evanescent than that in sham rats (20-30 min of HGP, 6.6 +/- 0.6 vs 9.5 +/- 0.4 mg/g/min, P less than 0.05). Sham rats showed a dose-dependent inhibition of HGP by insulin, however (percentage 20-30 min of HGP/0-10 min of HGP for 0, 25, and 100 microU/ml insulin: 166 +/- 12, 125 +/- 7, and 101 +/- 5%, P less than 0.01), whereas CP rats showed no effect of insulin (130 +/- 6, 123 +/- 7, 134 +/- 7%, P = NS). Pre- and postperfusion liver glycogen contents revealed comparable decreases in liver glycogen in both groups: insulin inhibition of HGP in sham rats was accompanied by higher postperfusion glycogen content. These data demonstrate a loss of insulin-mediated suppression of hepatic glucose production in livers obtained from pancreatitic rats. We conclude that CP is accompanied by a primary hepatic resistance to insulin; this defect may play a role in the etiology of pancreatogenic diabetes.

Animals↗

Reversal of in vitro hepatic insulin resistance in chronic pancreatitis by pancreatic polypeptide in the rat.

In vitro isolated liver perfusion in a rat model of chronic pancreatitis (CP) has been shown to demonstrate hepatic resistance to insulin. The ability of pancreatic polypeptide (PP) to reverse the resistance to insulin on glucagon-stimulated hepatic glucose production was therefore investigated in this model. CP was induced in 250 to 300 gm Sprague-Dawley rats by infusion of 50 microliters of 99% oleic acid into the pancreas via the common bile duct. After 6 to 8 weeks, isolated liver perfusion was performed on livers from both CP rats and sham-operated control animals (n = 12, 14), both with and without PP administration. Glucagon infusion (100 pg/ml for 30 minutes) produced a five- to sixfold increase in hepatic glucose production. The integrated hepatic glucose output (IHGO) response to glucagon alone was comparable in pancreatic and sham-operated animals; during period 1 (0 to 10 minutes) IHGO was 7.1 +/- 0.5 mg/gm-min for sham-operated controls (n = 8) and 7.1 +/- 0.4 mg/gm-min for pancreatitic animals (n = 6) without PP treatment. Animals that received PP (100 ng intraperitoneally 5 hours before liver harvest and perfusion with 4.2 ng/ml from 10 to 30 minutes) demonstrated an IHGO for period 1 for the sham (n = 6) and pancreatitic animals (n = 6) of 5.6 +/- 0.6 and 4.8 +/- 0.8 mg/gm-min, respectively. Insulin infusion (100 microU/ml added to perfusate from 10 to 30 minutes) in CP livers without PP revealed impaired responsiveness to insulin; the ratio of period 3 (20 to 30 minutes)/period 1 IHGO was 110% +/- 5% in CP livers compared with 77% +/- 5% in sham controls (p less than 0.01). In contrast, PP treatment restored hepatic responsiveness to insulin to control levels; the period 3/period 1 IHGO was 75% +/- 13% in CP livers treated with PP, which was indistinguishable from the 67% +/- 9% response seen in sham-operated control animals. These data provide the first in vitro evidence of a primary hepatic glucoregulatory role of PP. Therefore PP deficiency may contribute to altered glucose metabolism through the induction of a reversible hepatic resistance to insulin.

Animals↗

Reversal of abnormal glucose production after pancreatic resection by pancreatic polypeptide administration in man.

Pancreatic polypeptide (PP) deficiency has been associated with impaired hepatic sensitivity to insulin and pancreatogenic diabetes in chronic pancreatitis. Since pancreatic resection might also result in PP deficiency, hepatic responses to insulin infusion (0.25 mU/kg/min) were determined by the euglycemic glucose clamp technique in 10 patients who had previously undergone pancreatic resection for trauma and in eight healthy control subjects. Six resection patients (RES-PP) demonstrated deficient PP levels, with a mean increase of plasma immunoreactive PP of 20 +/- 7 pg/ml above basal rate after a test meal compared with 232 +/- 82 pg/ml in control subjects (p less than 0.01) and 353 +/- 133 pg/ml in four other patients undergoing resection with normal levels of immunoreactive PP (RES + PP) (p less than 0.03). Three identical insulin infusion studies were performed in each subject, the second of which was performed during the final 2 hours of an 8-hour infusion of bovine PP (2.0 pmol/kg/min). Whereas hepatic glucose production (HGP) in control subjects fell 74% +/- 4% from a basal rate of 2.0 +/- 0.1 mg/kg/min to a 60- to 120-minute value of 0.5 +/- 0.1 mg/kg/min during insulin infusion, HGP was suppressed only 58% +/- 5% in RES-PP subjects, from 1.9 +/- 0.1 to 0.8 +/- 0.1 mg/kg/min (p less than 0.05 vs controls). Intravenous infusion of PP corrected the hepatic resistance to insulin seen in the PP-deficient group. During PP infusion, HGP was suppressed 74% +/- 5% in RES-PP subjects, from 2.1 +/- 0.2 to 0.5 +/- 0.1 mg/kg/min (p less than 0.04 compared with initial study). PP infusion produced no significant change in glucose metabolism in control and RES + PP subjects. Overall glucose disposal rates were not altered by PP infusion in any group. These findings support a role of PP as a glucoregulatory hormone and suggest that PP deficiency may serve as a reversible pathophysiologic factor in the abnormal glucose metabolism seen after pancreatic resection.

Adult↗