Risk factors for glucose intolerance in active acromegaly

In the present retrospective study we determined the frequency of glucose intolerance in active untreated acromegaly, and searched for risk factors possibly supporting the emergence of the diabetic condition. Among 43 patients, 8 (19%; 95% CI: 8-33%) had diabetes mellitus and 2 (5%; 1-16%) impaired glucose tolerance. No impaired fasting glycemia was demonstrable. The frequency of diabetes was on average 4.5 times higher than in the general Slovak population. Ten factors suspected to support progression to glucose intolerance were studied by comparing the frequency of glucose intolerance between patients with present and absent risk factors. A family history of diabetes and arterial hypertension proved to have a significant promoting effect (P<0.05, chi-square test). A significant association with female gender was demonstrated only after pooling our data with literature data. Concomitant prolactin hypersecretion had a nonsignificant promoting effect. In conclusion, the association of active untreated acromegaly with each of the three categories of glucose intolerance (including impaired fasting glycemia, not yet studied in this connection) was defined as a confidence interval, thus permitting a sound comparison with the findings of future studies. Besides a family history of diabetes, female gender and arterial hypertension were defined as additional, not yet described risk factors

Daily blood pressure profile in Cushing's syndrome before and after surgery

No significant difference has been demonstrated in the altered circadian blood pressure pattern between the pituitary-dependent and adrenal forms of Cushing's syndrome before surgery. The effect of therapy, however, proved to be different. The mesor was normalized in the pituitary-dependent Cushing's syndrome more conspicuously for systolic than for diastolic blood pressure. In Cushing's syndrome due to adrenal adenoma, systolic and diastolic blood pressure mesors have been even significantly "overnormalized" after treatment, being 11 to 27 and 2 to 13 mmHg (95% confidence) lower than corresponding mesors in controls. There was no difference between forms in the effect of treatment on blood pressure amplitudes, which remained significantly lower than in controls. Finally, acrophase patterns were partly normalized after treatment of the pituitary-dependent form only for diastolic blood pressure, while both systolic and diastolic blood pressure acrophases were normalized in the treated adrenal form. In conclusion, complete normalization of the pattern of daily blood pressure profile has not been achieved in either form of the syndrome. This may be one of the reasons for the reduced long-term survival after surgical cure of hypercortisolism, than expected

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Abstract No significant difference has been demonstrated in the altered circadian blood pressure pattern between the pituitary-dependent and adrenal forms of Cushings syndrome before surgery. The effect of therapy, however, proved to be different. The mesor was normalized in the pituitary-dependent Cushings syndrome more conspicuously for systolic than for diastolic blood pressure. In Cushings syndrome due to adrenal adenoma, systolic and diastolic blood pressure mesors have been even significantly overnormalized after treatment, being 11 to 27 and 2 to 13 mmHg (95% confidence) lower than corresponding mesors in controls. There was no difference between forms in the effect of treatment on blood pressure amplitudes, which remained significantly lower than in controls. Finally, acrophase patterns were partly normalized after treatment of the pituitary-dependent form only for diastolic blood pressure, while both systolic and diastolic blood pressure acrophases were normalized in the treated adrenal form. In conclusion, complete normalization of the pattern of daily blood pressure profile has not been achieved in either form of the syndrome. This may be one of the reasons for the reduced long-term survival after surgical cure of hypercortisolism, than expected

Relationship between Intelligence and Relative Prevalence of Obesity

The relationship between intelligence as measured by a standard intelligence test and prevalence of obesity was investigated in a sample of 554 adults. Among the women there was a strong inverse relation with a prevalence of 41.4% obese in the low I.Q. category, 21.9% in the average I.Q. category and 10.7 % in above the average I.Q. category. A similar but less pronounced trend was observed among men

Radioimmunoassay of 11 ß-Hydroxyandrostenedione in Laboratory Diagnostics of Selected Endocrine Disorders

Peer Reviewe

Chronobiology: time structures, chronomes, gauge aging, disease risk syndromes and the cosmos

For dealing with everyday physiology, that is, with respect to physiological variation in the normal range, the prevailing position corresponds to that in preatomic physics. The "a-tom" was then the smallest known particle that could not be further split. Breaking the atom opened the door to a new universe of particles governed by new forces and physical laws. Nuclear physics evolved and brought new knowledge, a new energy source and a wealth of practical applications. The analogy applies to the splitting of the normal range into the time structures of everyday physiology. From picking different times of day and seasons for study, a trans-disciplinary science, chronobiology, emerged. Chronobiology objectively maps chronomes (portmanteau'd from chronos = time and nomos = rule), time structures quantifying the relations among cycles and other events. The chronomes of variables in and around us intermodulate with each other; thus, we start exploring organisms as dynamic systems open to their environments near and far, and dependent upon them, beyond air and food. Entering the realm of everyday physiology allowed us to quantify, with refined indices, associations of life with remote drummers. The intermodulating feedsideward mechanisms involved in cosmophysical associations of life on earth may be in part endocrine responses to factors far beyond visible light and temperature. Pertinent knowledge may serve to optimize the quality and duration of life