International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Volume:13 Issue: 1, Jan 2015

Ghrelin is a novel peptide hormone that has GH releasing activity and also other endocrine and metabolic functions. It can also increase food intake and decrease T3 and T4 concentrations. Several parameters of hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis function are modulated by 17β-estradiol (E2).. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of interactions between ghrelin and estradiol (injected via ICV route) on plasma T3 and T4 concentrations in female rats.. Eighteen Wistar female rats (bodyweight, 200-250 g) were randomly divided into three groups. Group 1 received estradiol, Group 2 received ghrelin and Group 3 received ghrelin and estradiol. Plasma samples were used to assess T3 and T4 concentration by RIA.. The results indicated that ghrelin significantly decreased thyroid hormone concentrations, whereas estradiol increased these concentrations. The simultaneous injection of ghrelin and estradiol significantly decreased the inhibitory effect of ghrelin on thyroid hormone concentrations (P < 0.05).. According to the results of this study, both ghrelin and estradiol affect the concentration of thyroid hormone but in opposite directions. This difference might be due to different underlying hormonal mechanisms such as HPA and/or HPT axis melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH) systems could be suggested..

Mobile phone text messaging has rapidly become a socially popular form of communication. Several studies showed that mobile phone might offer a useful means of providing information between clinic visits and might increase adherence to diabetes therapy regimens.. We conducted a study to evaluate the effect of mobile phone short message service (SMS) on glycemic control in Saudi patients with type 2 diabetes..Patients and One hundred patients (mean age, 41 ± 9.5 years) were selected at the Security Forces Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and provided with daily educational, reminding SMS messages for four months. Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level, frequency of hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic attacks, and compliance with blood glucose monitoring were recorded before and after the trial.. In addition to significant improvement in patients’ knowledge, mean fasting blood glucose level improved from 8.60 ± 3.16 to 7.77 ± 3.11 mmol/L and mean HbA1c decreased from 9.9% ± 1.8% to 9.5% ± 1.7%.. Mobile phone text messaging increased adherence to diabetes therapy and improved the clinical outcome in Saudi patients with type 2 diabetes..

Vitamin D (vit D) affects glucose metabolism. Receptors of vitamin D have been identified in β cells and studies show that vitamin D deficiency reduces glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS).. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of vitamin D on insulin release from isolated islets of rats.. Islets were isolated from male Wistar rats, weighing 200-250 grams, using the collagenase digestion method. Insulin release was assessed following 24 and 48 hours coincubation of islets with vitamin D (0.1, 1 and 10 nM) and glucose (5.6, 11.1 and 16.7 mM). In addition, islets were preincubated with vitamin D for 24 and 48 hours and GSIS was assessed for one hour in the presence of 5.6 and 16.7 mM glucose.. Coincubation of islets with vitamin D (10 nM) and 11.1 mM glucose increased islet insulin release (37.27 ± 3.75 vs. 24.64 ± 2.83 ng/islet/24 hours; P < 0.05), while vitamin D (1 and 10 nM) decreased insulin release in the presence of 16.7 mM glucose (21.14 ± 3.58 and 18.65 ± 3.84 vs. 37.71 ± 4.63 ng/ islet/24 hours; P < 0.05). Islets preincubation with vitamin D (1 and 10 nM) increased GSIS in the presence of 16.7 mM glucose (4.39 ± 0.73 and 4.39 ± 0.63 vs. 2.07 ± 0.43 ng/islet/1 hour; P < 0.05).. Preincubation of islets with vitamin D increased GSIS but decreased insulin release in coincubation with high levels of glucose. Insulin secretion from β cells in the presence of glucose seems to be related to the dosage of vitamin D and duration of preincubation..

Anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) levels reflect the number of small antral follicles in ovaries and expression changes of AMH and its receptor are suspected to be involved in the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).. The aim of this study was to evaluate gene expression of AMH and its receptor in immature and adult rats prenatally exposed to androgen excess.. Six pregnant Wistar rats in the experimental group were treated by subcutaneous injection of 5 mg free testosterone on day 20 of pregnancy, while controls (n = 6) received only 500 mL of solvent. Female pups of each mother were randomly divided into three groups as day 0 (newborn), 10-day old and days 75-85 (adult). RNAs were extracted from ovarian tissues and relative expression levels for AMH and its receptor genes were measured using TaqMan Real-Time PCR. Serum AMH and testosterone levels were measured using ELISA method.. Relative AMH expression decreased in newborns, 10-day olds and adults (0.806, 0.443 and 0.809 fold, respectively). AMHR expression was higher in newborns and adults (1.432 and 1.057 fold, respectively), while it decreased by 0.263 fold in 10-day olds, although none of them were significant (P > 0.05). In addition, AMH levels were consistent with the results of gene expression. Testosterone hormone levels from 10 day-olds to adults were significantly increased in both study groups (P = 0.016).. While AMH receptor expression was higher in experimental rats, their serum concentrations of AMH were decreased. Further researches with greater sample sizes and measurement of bioactive forms of hormones are recommended to confirm the findings of this study..

Anti-thyroid drugs (ATDs)-related myopathy is rarely reported in literature, but once developed, it can cause significant morbidity to patient.. A 28-year old Chinese female was treated with carbimazole (CMZ) for Graves’ disease with hyperthyroidism. Two weeks later, she developed myalgia and proximal muscle weakness. Investigations showed evidence of myopathy. CMZ was stopped and rapid improvement of clinical condition and biochemical parameters ensued.. Rapid decrement of thyroid hormone level is recognized as an important association for anti-thyroid drugs (ATDs)-related myopathy; however, the drug effects on muscle tissue cannot be excluded. Further elucidation of pathophysiology and identification of risk factors are needed. After commencing ATDs, early recognition of this rare condition and close monitoring are the essence of management. Different treatment strategies: dose reduction of ATDs, switching to alternative ATDs, with or without addition of thyroid hormone supplement can be applied depending on clinical situation..

Struma ovarii is an ovarian teratoma, represented in more than 50% by thyroid tissue. Five percent of struma ovarii cases have been proven to be malignant and, as in the thyroid gland, papillary thyroid carcinoma is the most common histotype arising in struma ovarii. Because of the unusual occurrence of this tumor, its management and follow-up after pelvic surgery is still controversial. Usually, total thyroidectomy followed by radioiodine treatment is the choice treatment in metastatic malignant struma ovarii, while these procedures are still controversial in non-metastatic thyroid cancer arising in struma ovarii.. We report a female with follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma arising in struma ovarii. After pelvic surgery, thyroid morphofunctional examinations were performed and a single nodular lesion in the left lobe was discovered. The patient underwent total thyroidectomy and histological examination showed a papillary carcinoma. Radioiodine-ablation of residual thyroid tissue was performed and levothyroxine mildly-suppressive treatment was started.. A more aggressive treatment should not be denied for malignant struma ovarii without any evidence, even when apparently confined into the ovary. However, in selected cases, aggressive treatment may be advisable to decrease the risk of recurrence and to allow an accurate follow-up..

It has been shown that camel milk consumption has a definite decreasing effect on the prevalence of diabetes. However, most of these studies were conducted on patients with type 1 diabetes, whereas studies on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are limited. In vitro experiments have shown that camel milk was able to decrease blood glucose concentration.. The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of camel and cow milk on blood sugar, lipid profile, and blood pressure of patients with T2DM..Patients and In a randomized single-blinded controlled clinical trial, 20 patients with T2DM were randomly allocated into two groups. Participants consumed 500 mL of either camel milk (intervention group) or cow milk (control group) daily for two months.. Mean of insulin concentration was significantly increased from 64.59 to 84.03 pmol/L in the camel milk group during the study (P < 0.05). No significant differences were shown in fasting blood sugar, lipid profile, and blood pressure between the two groups at the end of study. There was significant increase in homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) during the study in both groups, but no significant difference was seen between the two groups.. Camel milk increased insulin level in patients with T2DM and might contribute to glycemic control in T2DM..

Diabetes mellitus (DM) and vitamin D deficiency are major health concerns around the world. Evidence suggests a possible role of vitamin D in improvement of insulin secretion and sensitivity.. We assessed whether vitamin D supplementation could be used in vitamin D deficient-type II diabetes to improve glucose metabolism, components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and specific inflammatory biomarkers..Patients and A double blind, randomized clinical trial was conducted in King Khalid University Hospital, Saudi Arabia to evaluate the effect of cholecalciferol supplementation on glycemic control, MetS components and specific inflammatory biomarkers including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), Interleukin (IL-6), leptin, adiponectin and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1). Twenty-two patients with type II diabetes with insulin resistance, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) ≥ 6 (42 mmol/mol) and serum 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/L were randomized using a computer program to receive either supplementation with cholecalciferol (5000 IU/day) or placebo for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was change in HbA1c levels from baseline.. Median [IQR] 25(OH)D levels increased significantly in the vitamin D group as 58.1 [48, 67.3] nmol/L (P = 0.002). There was no significant difference in the change of HbA1c between the groups (P = 0.5) with a decrease of -0.1% [-1, 0.5] in the vitamin D group and an increase of 0.15% [0.1, 0.2] in the placebo group. A significant improvement was observed in the homeostasis model of assessment of β-cell activity (HOMA-%B) (P = 0.03) with vitamin D supplementation compared to baseline.. Vitamin D repletion for 12 weeks increased serum vitamin D concentrations and improved β-cell activity in vitamin D-deficient type II diabetes with no significant changes in HbA1c or insulin sensitivity..