The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism
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J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. · Aug 2005
Defining the proinflammatory phenotype using high sensitive C-reactive protein levels as the biomarker.
Inflammation is pivotal in atherosclerosis. The prototypic marker of inflammation is C-reactive protein (CRP). Numerous studies have confirmed that high CRP levels in normal volunteers predict cardiovascular events. ⋯ A phenotype characterized by increased plasma inflammatory mediators as well as increased LPS-stimulated whole blood TNF-alpha and IL-1beta levels is associated with high plasma CRP levels. This systemic inflammatory phenotype may contribute to vascular inflammation or may reflect inflammation in vessels or at other sites.
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J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. · May 2005
Polycystic ovaries are common in women with hyperandrogenic chronic anovulation but do not predict metabolic or reproductive phenotype.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous disorder of unexplained hyperandrogenic chronic anovulation. Experts have recommended including the morphology and volume of the ovary in the diagnostic criteria for PCOS. We performed this study to determine whether there was an association between the morphology and size of the ovaries and markers of insulin sensitivity as determined by dynamic testing within women with PCOS or compared with a group of control women. ⋯ Women with PCOS and PCOV had a higher LH to FSH ratio than women without PCOV and PCOS. These data support the hypothesis that polycystic ovaries are an abnormal finding. However, neither the morphology nor the volume of the ovaries is associated with distinctive metabolic or reproductive phenotypes in women with PCOS.
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J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. · Apr 2005
Barusiban, a new highly potent and long-acting oxytocin antagonist: pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic comparison with atosiban in a cynomolgus monkey model of preterm labor.
Preterm labor (PTL) represents a significant unmet clinical need that affects up to 20% of all pregnancies and is a leading cause of preterm delivery and associated neonatal morbidity and mortality. Therapeutic options are limited, with existing drug therapy (tocolytics) compromised by side effects and limited efficacy. Because oxytocin (OT) is likely to be involved causally in PTL, this study compared two OT receptor antagonists, barusiban and atosiban, for their tocolytic effects. ⋯ Barusiban also had a much longer duration of action (>13-15 h, compared with 1-3 h for atosiban). The inhibitory effects of barusiban were reversible within 1.5-2.5 h by high-dose OT infusion. Overall, barusiban's improved potency, long duration of action, and reversibility may provide an improved tocolytic for treatment of PTL.
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J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. · Apr 2005
Prospects of remission in medullary thyroid carcinoma according to basal calcitonin level.
Prediction of remission in medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) depends on histopathological information often unavailable before surgery. Simply requiring a venous blood sample, preoperative basal calcitonin levels may be a better indicator of remission. In this institutional series of 224 consecutive patients with MTC and elevated preoperative basal calcitonin levels, postoperative calcitonin levels normalized in 28 (62%) of 45 patients with node-negative MTC and in 18 (10%) of 177 patients with node-positive MTC. ⋯ Distant metastasis and extrathyroidal growth began appearing in patients with node-positive MTC at basal calcitonin levels of 150-400 pg/ml. There were no differences between patients with sporadic and hereditary MTC after adjusting for multiple testing. Preoperative basal calcitonin levels may thus help individualize the extent of surgery and postoperative follow-up intervals for MTC.
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J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. · Mar 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialThe role of energy expenditure in the differential weight loss in obese women on low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets.
We have recently reported that obese women randomized to a low-carbohydrate diet lost more than twice as much weight as those following a low-fat diet over 6 months. The difference in weight loss was not explained by differences in energy intake because women on the two diets reported similar daily energy consumption. We hypothesized that chronic ingestion of a low-carbohydrate diet increases energy expenditure relative to a low-fat diet and that this accounts for the differential weight loss. ⋯ Estimates of physical activity were stable in the dieters during the study and did not differ between groups. These results confirm that short-term weight loss is greater in obese women on a low-carbohydrate diet than in those on a low-fat diet even when reported food intake is similar. The differential weight loss is not explained by differences in REE, TEF, or physical activity and likely reflects underreporting of food consumption by the low-fat dieters.