[The effect of low-dose hydrocortisone on requirement of norepinephrine and lactate clearance in patients with refractory septic shock].

BACKGROUND: There is a renewed interest in adrenal function during severe sepsis. Most studies have used total serum cortisol levels; however, only free serum cortisol is biologically active. The aim of this study was to determine the validity of salivary cortisol levels as a surrogate for free serum cortisol levels during septic shock. METHODS: Fifty-seven patients with septic shock were studied to determine the correlation between total serum cortisol and salivary cortisol to free serum cortisol levels. Thirty-eight patients were included in the salivary to free serum cortisol correlation. Salivary cortisol level was tested by enzyme immunoassay. Serum total cortisol, free cortisol, and cortisol-binding globulin (CBG) levels were determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, equilibrium analysis, and radioimmunoassay, respectively. RESULTS: The mean +/- SD age was 56.6 +/- 18.5 years. Fifty-seven percent were women. APACHE (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation) II score median was 26, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II median was 61, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment median was 13. The correlation between salivary and free serum cortisol levels was 0.79 (95% CI, 0.63-0.89; P <.0001). The correlation between free serum cortisol and total serum cortisol levels was 0.86 (95% CI, 0.78-0.92; P <.0001). The mean +/- SD free serum cortisol level was 2.27 +/- 1.64 mug/dL. The mean +/- SD salivary cortisol level was 2.60 +/- 2.69 mug/dL. The mean +/- SD total serum cortisol level was 21.56 +/- 8.71 mug/dL. The mean +/- SD CBG level was 23.54 +/- 8.33 mg/dL. CONCLUSIONS: Salivary cortisol level can be used as a surrogate of free serum cortisol level in patients with septic shock with very good correlation. Salivary cortisol testing is noninvasive, easy to perform, and can be conducted daily

The Effect of Ethnicity in the Rate of Beta-Cell Functional Loss in the First 3 Years After Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis

Abstract Objective We set forth to compare ethnicities for metabolic and immunological characteristics at the clinical diagnosis of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and assess the effect of ethnicity on beta-cell functional loss within 3 years after clinical diagnosis. Research Methods and Design We studied participants in TrialNet New Onset Intervention Trials (n = 624, median age = 14.4 years, 58% male, 8.7% Hispanic) and followed them prospectively for 3 years. Mixed meal tolerance tests (MMTT) were performed within 6 months following clinical diagnosis and repeated semiannually. Unless otherwise indicated, analyses were adjusted for age, sex, BMI Z-score, and diabetes duration. Results At T1D clinical diagnosis, Hispanics, compared with non-Hispanic whites (NHW), had a higher frequency of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) (44.7% vs 25.3%, OR = 2.36, P = 0.01), lower fasting glucose (97 vs 109 mg/dL, P = 0.02) and higher fasting C-peptide (1.23 vs 0.94 ng/mL, P = 0.02) on the first MMTT, and higher frequency of ZnT8 autoantibody positivity (n = 201, 94.1% vs 64%, OR = 7.98, P = 0.05). After exclusion of participants in experimental arms of positive clinical trials, C-peptide area under the curve (AUC) trajectories during the first 3 years after clinical diagnosis were not significantly different between Hispanics and NHW after adjusting for age, sex, BMI-z score, and DKA (n = 413, P = 0.14). Conclusion Despite differences in the metabolic and immunological characteristics at clinical diagnosis of T1D between Hispanics and NHW, C-peptide trajectories did not differ significantly in the first 3 years following clinical diagnosis after adjustment for body mass index and other confounders. These findings may inform the design of observational studies and intervention trials in T1D. </jats:sec