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Journal Article 2010; 31(4): 559-567 PubMed PMID: 20802451 Citation  Keywords:  Adipose Tissue:metabolism, Adolescent, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1:metabolism, Female, Glucose:metabolism, Glycerol:metabolism, Humans, Lactic Acid:metabolism, Male, Microdialysis, Statistics, Nonparametric, Young Adult,.   

OBJECTIVE: The study was undertaken to assess the interstitial, adipose tissue concentrations of glucose, lactate and glycerol in teenagers with diabetes type 1 who suffered from the disease for a minimum of 5 years, in whom it was impossible to reach a satisfactory level of metabolic control of the disease.

METHODS: Using microdialysis technique interstitial concentrations of glucose lactate and glycerol was measured in adipose tissue during 24-48 hours. Nineteen teenagers with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes (HbA1c 8.9±2.85%) were compared with six adolescent control subjects.

RESULTS: A statistically significant differences in concentration values of interstitial glucose between the investigated and control groups were found (10.4 vs. 4.26 mmol/l p=0.001). The values of interstitial concentrations of lactates did not significantly differ in the two groups (2.96 vs. 2.54 mmol/l NS). The average daily glycerol concentrations in the investigated group were statistically significantly lower than those in the control group (258.26 vs. 397.88 µmol/l, p=0.019). No such difference was detected in average night concentrations of glycerol (157.78 vs. 361.4 µmol/l, NS).

CONCLUSIONS: Authors conclude that microdialysis is the only one minimal invasive method for investigating adipose tissue metabolism in vivo and provides a novel opportunity for glucose and lipids metabolism monitoring in adolescents with diabetes type 1. In our observations interstitial glycerol concentrations, measured in abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue as an index of lipolysis, were not significantly influenced by hyperglycemia in diabetic adolescents....

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Journal Article 2010; 31(4): 577-581 PubMed PMID: 20802442 Citation  Keywords:  Educational Measurement, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone:blood, Male, Radioimmunoassay, Statistics, Nonparametric, Students, Testosterone:blood, Universities,.   

OBJECTIVES: After dominance-related encounters, testosterone levels increase in winners and decrease in losers. In humans, many exceptions have been described. It is possible that the complicated patterns in humans result from the methods limitations--measurement of hormone concentrations in simulated competitive events or sport instead in real-life situations.

METHODS: Here we studied changes in hormonal levels and self-estimated attractivity in real situations, namely in students after written exams.

RESULTS: We observed that the testosterone and cortisol increased or decreased in relation to the number of wrong answers on the exam. The number of wrong answers was a better predictor of the hormonal changes (increase of both testosterone and cortisol in successful, decrease in unsuccessful students) than the self-estimated number of wrong answers or a subjectively opinionated impression from the exam. On the contrary, the concentration of hormones before the exam and self-estimated attractivity were better predictors of the subjective impression from the exam than the number of wrong answers.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the students' subconsciousness, which directly influences the concentration of hormones, is able to objectively estimate results of an exam better than their consciousness....

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Journal Article 2009; 30(3): 377-381 PubMed PMID: 19855363 Citation  Keywords:  Anthropometry, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Child, Humans, Male, Statistics, Nonparametric, Surveys and Questionnaires,.   

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study is to compare complex anthropometric characteristics in non medicated boys with ADHD and normal population.

METHODS: Complex anthropometric examination of non-medicated ADHD boys (n=46, average age 11.03 years), statistical and clinical comparison to the actual population growth norm. In contrast to the most of the previous studies, which analyzed mostly only BMI or basic signs of growth as height and weight, the presented study operates with a complex anthropometrical measurement and comparison with actual population norm.

RESULTS: The results of the study show significant differences in the signs of nutrition (percentage of fat) and growth indicators (lower values of height) between ADHD and non ADHD children. Further anthropometrical parameters show other possible but in the studied sample statistically non-significant differences.

CONCLUSION: Many studies analyzed growth relation to medication of ADHD children, but did not consider that the changes could appear also in non-medicated children and thus they might not be only a side effect of the treatment but a manifestation of the disorder itself. Growth changes in non-medicated children are not described well enough, so the presented study was performed to compare anthropometrics characteristics in ADHD boys with norm of nonclinical population and specify the differences. The results points to hypothesis that the growth changes are primarily caused by the disorder itself....

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Comparative Study 2008; 29(6): 999-1006 PubMed PMID: 19112389 Citation  Keywords:  Analysis of Variance, Animals, Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus:drug effects, Female, Follicle Stimulating Hormone:blood, Injections, Intraventricular, Leptin:administration & dosage, Luteinizing Hormone:blood, Rats, Rats, Wistar, Statistics, Nonparametric.   

OBJECTIVES: This study is an attempt to determine, the in vivo action of leptin on this hypophysiotropic hypothalamic area, by evaluating the concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) in the serum.

METHODS: The experiments were done by stereotaxic injection of recombinant rat leptin (rrleptin) into the third cerebral ventricle (V3) of adult female Wistar rats. Subjects were divided into five groups. Group A included normal intact animals. In Group B, the rats were stereotaxically administered with rrleptin in the V3. The rats, in Groups C, D and E, were subjected to electrolytic lesion of the arcuate nucleus (ARC), of the ventromedial nucleus (VMH) and of both of these hypothalamic nuclei, respectively. Immediately after the electric lesion, they were intracranially injected with rrleptin. Blood samplings for serum LH and FSH levels estimation were performed three times: 1) just before any stereotaxic procedure, 2) six hours, and 3) twenty-four hours after leptin administration.

RESULTS: The results showed that serum LH levels increased dramatically in group B, six hours after leptin administration. The LH levels in Groups C, D and E presented the same pattern with a lower peak. The FSH levels were doubled six hours after leptin administration in all groups without any exception. Both LH and FSH serum levels reverted to the initial basic levels after 24 hours.

DISCUSSION: The significant conclusion derived from this study is that ARC and VMH, which are responsible for controlling the tonic secretion of gonadotropins, respond in a different way for the FSH and LH secretion. This also suggests that some other mechanism(s) or factor(s) may additionally participate in the control of the tonic component of FSH secretion....

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Journal Article 2007; 28(6): 854-860 PubMed PMID: 18063937 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Antipsychotic Agents:pharmacology, Clozapine:pharmacology, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Glucose:pharmacology, In Vitro Techniques, Insulin:secretion, Islets of Langerhans:drug effects, Male, Rats, Rats, Wistar, Statistics, Nonparametric,.   

OBJECTIVES: Treatment with the atypical antipsychotic clozapine is frequently associated with metabolic side-effects such as weight gain, lipid abnormalities and diabetes mellitus. Since insulin is a hormone that is involved in both the regulation of body weight, as well as in lipid metabolism and glucose regulation, an effect of clozapine on insulin secretion and/or on insulin action - at least in part - might explain its capability to induce these side-effects. The aim of this study was therefore to examine the influence of clozapine on insulin release in vitro.

METHODS: The effect of clozapine in three different concentrations, 10(-6), 10(-5) and 10(-4) M, was investigated on both basal (i.e. 3.3 mM glucose) and glucose-stimulated (i.e. 16.7 mM glucose) insulin release, using isolated rat islets of Langerhans.

RESULTS: The presence of clozapine in the concentrations of 10(-6), 10(-5) and 10(4 )M significantly increased basal insulin release compared to the control after 4 h (but not after 1 h) of incubation. As regards the glucose-stimulated insulin release, the presence of clozapine in the concentrations of 10(-5) and 10(-4) M, but not in that of 10(-6) M, significantly inhibited the glucose-stimulated insulin release compared to the control after both 1 and 4 h of incubation.

CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that the atypical antipsychotic clozapine exerts dual effects on insulin release in vitro, through stimulating basal insulin release and inhibiting glucose-stimulated insulin release. Both these effects of clozapine on insulin release may contribute to its disadvantage inducing metabolic side-effects....

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Comparative Study 2007; 28(6): 901-907 PubMed PMID: 18063927 Citation  Keywords:  Adiponectin:blood, Adult, Cholesterol:blood, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2:blood, Energy Metabolism:physiology, European Continental Ancestry Group, Female, Humans, Male, Matched-Pair Analysis, Middle Aged, Obesity:blood, Statistics, Nonparametric, Triglyceri.   

OBJECTIVES: Adiponectin is a novel plasma protein produced exclusively in adipocytes. Despite early data, its relationship with obesity and diabetes has been recently questioned. Since plasma lipids influence diabetes and obesity, of concern is whether any associations between plasma lipids and adiponectin exist.

DESIGN AND METHODS: The aim of this study was to measure adiponectin levels and to investigate their associations with plasma cholesterol fractions and triglycerides in 73 obese non-diabetic subjects (44 women and 29 men), and 43 obese diabetic subjects (28 women and 15 men), aged 52.7+/-11.2 and 53.1+/-11 years, respectively, and matched for age, sex and BMI. The WHO definitions of obesity and diabetes were used. Adiponectin was determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS: No correlations between adiponectin and total and LDL cholesterol levels were shown (for the whole cohort: r=0.0130; p=0.8899, and r=0.0807; p=0.3958, respectively). A positive correlation between HDL cholesterol levels and adiponectin occured predominantly in obese women without diabetes (r=0.4531; p=0.0023), resulting in an overall statistical trend in the whole cohort (r=0.2243; p=0.0164). A negative correlation between serum adiponectin and triglycerides was found (r=-0.3413; p=0.0002).

CONCLUSION: Adiponectin correlated only with TG and partially with HDL but not with LDL and total cholesterol in the study group of obese diabetic and obese non diabetic subjects. In view of these results we suggest that the role of adiponectin in human metabolism is unclear and merits further investigation....

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Journal Article 2007; 28(6): 811-814 PubMed PMID: 18063925 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Antipsychotic Agents:therapeutic use, Humans, Male, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Risperidone:therapeutic use, Schizophrenia:blood, Schizophrenic Psychology, Severity of Illness Index, Statistics, Nonparametric, Testosterone:blood,.   

OBJECTIVE: Recent neuroendocrinological studies have suggested that gonadal sex hormones play a significant role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Low testosterone is associated with negative symptoms in chronic schizophrenia. The relevance of these findings has not yet been elucidated. The aim of our naturalistic open study was to explore the association between symptoms, drug response and testosterone levels in first-episode schizophrenia to exclude the effects of age, chronic illness, long-term treatment and institutionalization.

METHODS: 68 males, consecutively hospitalised for the first time with first-episode schizophrenia were evaluated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) on admission (before treatment) and at discharge. Further, plasma testosterone was measured. Total testosterone was assayed using chemiluminescent immunoanalysis (CMIA). All patients were treated openly by monotherapy; risperidone being the drug of first choice. Treatment response was defined as delta PANSS (PANSS total on admission - PANSS total at discharge /PANSS total on admission).

RESULTS: On average the total PANSS and PANSS subscales scores significantly decreased during the acute treatment. In contrast to results in chronic schizophrenia, the mean values of testosterone were within the normal range (15.36 and 22.55 nmol/l respectively) both before and after acute treatment. The range of normal values for the method used is given as 5.76-30.43 nmol/l for males <50 years old. On admission only 6 patients had testosterone values lower than 5.76 nmol/l. No significant correlation between negative symptoms (negative PANSS subscale) at the beginning or at the end of acute treatment or between treatment response and testosterone plasma levels was found.

CONCLUSIONS: During the first psychotic breakdown no significant association was observed either between total testosterone plasma levels and symptoms or treatment reactivity. However, schizophrenia is a heterogeneous disease. In some patients with first-episode schizophrenia an alteration of psychoendocrinology parameters has been observed. These patients may be more vulnerable to development of enduring negative symptoms, and pharmacotherapy based on neuroendocrinology profile should be considered....

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Journal Article 2007; 28(5): 639-642 PubMed PMID: 17984948 Citation  Keywords:  Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Depressive Disorder:blood, Dissociative Disorders:blood, Female, Humans, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System:physiopathology, Male, Middle Aged, Pituitary-Adrenal System:physiopathology, Prolactin:blood, Statistics, Nonparamet.   

OBJECTIVES: Usual neuroendocrinological manifestation of traumatic stress and dissociation is dysregulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The aim of the present study is to perform examination of HPA axis as indexed by basal serum prolactin and test its relationship to dissociative symptoms and symptoms of traumatic stress.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: 25 inpatients treated at the university hospital with diagnosis of unipolar depression mean age 41.23 (SD=11.53) were assessed using psychometric measures of dissociation (DES) and traumatic symptoms (TSC-40), and using standard biochemical analytical methods basal serum prolactin levels were investigated.

RESULTS: Data show that prolactin manifests significant relationship to dissociative symptoms (r=0.52, p=0.004). Significant correlation was not found between prolactin and traumatic symptoms measured by TSC-40 (r=0.31, p=0.07).

CONCLUSIONS: The present data suggest that serum prolactin levels in unipolar depressive patients are related to dissociative symptoms that is likely caused by passive coping mechanisms leading to dissociation....

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