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Objective. This study was aimed to evaluate the prevalence of Cushing’s syndrome and the diagnostic performance of the 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test in class 3 obese patients. Methods. Anthropometric measurements and other laboratory data, including 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test of 753 class 3 obese patients, who applied to the Endocrinology and Metabolism Outpatient Clinic for the pre-bariatric surgery evaluation between 2011 and 2020, were evaluated retrospectively. Results. An abnormal response to the 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test (cortisol ≥1.8 mcg/dl) was observed in 24 patients and the presence of Cushing’s syndrome was confirmed by additional tests in 6 patients. The prevalence of abnormal dexamethasone suppression test was 3.18% and the prevalence of Cushing’s syndrome 0.79%. The specificity value was determined as 97.5% for 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test with cortisol threshold value ≥1.8 mcg/dl. Conclusions. The prevalence of Cushing’s syndrome was found to be low in class 3 obese patients and 1 mg of dexamethasone suppression test had a very sufficient performance for Cushing’s syndrome screening in this patient group.

Amaç: İnsülin tedavisi altındaki kontrolsüz tip 2 diyabetes mellitus hastalarında glisemik kontrolü sağlamak için en sık tercih edilen yöntem insülin dozlarını arttırmaktır. Bu çalışmada, bu grup hastalarda insülin tedavisi yerine eksenatid ile oral antidiyabetik (OAD) kombinasyonunun etkisini değerlendirdik.Gereç ve Yöntem: 2015-2017 arasında, C-peptid düzeyleri 2 ng/ml’nin üzerinde olan, insülin ve metformin tedavisi altında kontrolsüz seyrederken eksenatid ve OAD tedavisine geçilen 61 hasta çalışmaya alındı. Hastalar kullandıkları insulin rejimlerine göre, sadece bazal insülin, bifazik insülin ve bazal-bolus insülin grubu olarak 3 gruba ayrıldı. Hastaların tedavi değişikliği öncesi ve tedavinin 6. ayında açlık kan şekerleri, HbA1c ve C-peptid düzeylerine bakıldı.Bulgular: Eksenatid bazlı tedavinin 6. ayında HbA1c düzeylerinde tedavi değişikliği öncesine göre anlamlı azalma görüldü. Çalışmanın sonunda, eksenatid ve OAD tedavisi alan 61 hastanın 14’ünde HbA1c değeri %7’nin altına düştü. Eksenatid ve OAD tedavisiyle açlık kan şekerinde de azalma görüldü.Sonuç: Bu çalışmada insülin ve metformin tedavisi altındayken kontrolsüz seyreden T2DM hastlarında eksenatid bazlı tedaviye geçişin glisemik kontrolü sağlamakta insülin dozunu arttırmaktan daha iyi bir tedavi seçeneği olduğunu gösterdik.

Hashimoto’s disease is the most common cause of hypothyroidism. Since it is an autoimmune disease, the incidence of other autoimmune diseases has increased with Hashimoto’s disease. Extra-thyroidal involvements are also seen due to the autoantibodies that play a role in the etiopathogenesis of the disease. One of these is ophthalmopathy. We aimed to report the association of ophthalmopathy with Hashimoto’s disease which is frequently associated with Graves’ disease and to report the mechanism involved in pathogenesis in the light of literature., Hashimoto hastalığı hipotiroidinin en sık sebebidir. Otoimmun bir hastalık olmasından dolayı beraberinde diğer otoimmun hastalıkların görülme sıklığı artmıştır. Hastalığın etiyopatogenezinde rol alan otoantikorlardan dolayı ekstra-tiroidal tutulumlar da görülmektedir. Bunlardan biri de oftalmopatidir. Bu vakada, sıklıkla Graves hastalığı ile ilişkilendirilen tiroid oftalmopatisinin Hashimoto hastalığı ile olan birlikteliğini ve patogenezinde rol alan mekanizmaları literatür eşliğinde sunmayı amaçladık.

OBJECTIVE In this study, the objective was to evaluate the cardiovascular and metabolic effects in men with male pattern alopecia beginning before 30 years of age. METHODS Total of 81 people (41 androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and 40 healthy individuals), were included in the study. 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) measurement, high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), galectin-3 were studied. Hamilton-Norwood scale (HNS) was used to determine the AGA types of the cases. RESULTS The mean age in the AGA and control groups was 30.3 ± 7.5 and 30.8 ± 6.0, respectively. 24-hour ABP measurements, hsCRP, and galectin-3 were similar in both groups. There was a positive correlation between HNS grade with age, BMI, triglyceride levels and fasting blood glucose levels in individuals with AGA. Similarly, there was a positive correlation between HNS grade with daytime pulse wave velocity and night-time reflection magnitude. A significant positive correlation was determined between hsCRP with BMI and waist circumference, and between galectin-3 with BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, HOMA-IR in individuals with AGA. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that AGA patients are similar to the normal population in terms of insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome components. However, hsCRP and galectin-3 appear to be associated with cardiovascular disease risk factors in individuals with AGA.

Objective: Paget disease of bone (PDB) is a metabolic bone disease that has been rarely reported in the Eastern countries. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and demographic characteristics of patients with PDB followed up at endocrinology clinics in Turkey. Methods: an invitation was sent to tertiary endocrinology clinics to complete a survey on the demographic, clinical, radiological, and laboratory parameters, as well as treatment modalities of patients with PDB. This study enrolled clinically and radiologically proven 185 patients with PDB from 18 endocrinology centers based in 10 cities of Turkey. Results: this cohort of PDB had female preponderance (women/men: 105/80) with a mean age, during diagnosis, of 57±10 years. Most of the patients (59.6%) were symptomatic at diagnosis. Bone pain and headache were the predominant clinical symptoms. Polyostotic disease was observed in 67.5% (n=125) of patients. Frequently affected bones were skull (41.6%), pelvis (53.5%), spine (41%), and femur (25.4%). Moreover, 17 patients with skull involvement had hearing loss. Mean serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) level (552±652 IU/L; range: 280-5762 IU/L) was over the normal reference cutoff with normal serum calcium levels. Intravenous bisphosphonates (zoledronic acid, 5 mg; pamidronate, 60-90 mg) were the most used drugs (75%) for the treatment of PDB. Most of the patients (87.1%) treated with intravenous bisphosphonates responded well, with a decrease in serum ALP level (117±114 IU/L) in the 12th month of therapy. Furthermore, 16 patients relapsed after the second year of therapy; 3 patients did not respond to the initial intravenous bisphosphonate treatment. Conclusion: the patients with PDB followed up by endocrinology clinics of Turkey exhibited polyostotic disease with classical clinical, radiological, and biochemical features and women's predominance with good response to intravenous bisphosphonate therapy., NA

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a complicated public health problem in Turkey as well as worldwide. Genome-wide approaches have been guiding in very challenging situations, such as the elucidation of genetic variations underlying complex diseases such as T2D. Despite intensive studies worldwide, few studies have determined the genetic susceptibility to T2D in Turkish populations. In this study, we investigated the effect of genes that are strongly associated with T2D in genome-wide association (GWA) studies, including MTNR1B, CDKAL1, THADA, ADAMTS9 and ENPP1, on T2D and its characteristic traits in a Turkish population. In 824 nonobese individuals (454 T2D patients and 370 healthy individuals), prominent variants of these GWA genes were genotyped by real-time PCR using the LightSNiP Genotyping Assay System. The SNP rs1387153 C/T, which is located 28 kb upstream of the MTNR1B gene, was significantly associated with T2D and fasting blood glucose levels (P < 0.05). The intronic SNP rs10830963 C/G in the MTNR1B gene was not associated with T2D, but it was associated with fasting blood glucose, HbA1C and LDL levels (P < 0.05). The other important GWA loci investigated in our study were not found to be associated with T2D or its traits. Only the SNP rs1044498 (A/C variation) in the ENPP1 gene was determined to be related to fasting blood glucose (P < 0.05). Our study suggests, consistent with the literature, that the MTNR1B locus, which has a prominent role in glucose regulation, is associated with T2D development by affecting blood glucose levels in our population., Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey [213S035], This study was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (213S035).

WOS: 000439420700012, PubMed: 30598635, Background: Fractalkine (FKN) is an inflammatory cytokine that has been shown with increased serum levels in diabetic patients and is considered to contribute to the adipose tissue inflammation by supporting monocyte adhesion to adipocytes which has an important role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Our aim was to evaluate the effects of glucose ingestion on the serum fractalkine levels in healthy subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and newly diagnosed T2DM patients. Methods: A total of 67 patients were included in this study, and they were divided into NGT (n=34) and T2DM (n=33) groups according to their oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) results. The serum FKN and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured at 0 and 120 minutes during an OGTT following overnight fasting. Results: The 0-minute (basal) and 120-minute OGTT FKN levels were found to be significantly higher in the T2DM group when compared to the NGT group (p=0.012 and p=0.001, respectively). However, no significant differences were observed in terms of the changes in the basal and 120-minute OGTT FKN levels in the T2DM and NGT groups (p=0.433 and p=0.06, respectively). A significant positive correlation was observed between the 120-minute OGTT FKN and glucose levels in the study group consisting of all of the patients (r=0.331, p=0.006). Conclusions: In this study, basal and post-glycemic load FKN levels were found to be higher in newly diagnosed T2DM patients than those with NGT; however, there was no additional change in FKN levels by glycemic load., Selcuk UniversitySelcuk University [BAP 16102008], This work was presented in part in abstract form at the 19th European Congress of Endocrinology, 2017, in Lisbon, Portugal. This study has been partially supported by Selcuk University under grant no: BAP 16102008.

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı gestasyonel diabetes mellitus hastalarında ve sağlıklı gebelerde serum prokalsitonin düzeylerini karşılaştırmak ve prokalsitonin düzeyinin diğer metabolik parametreler ile ilişkisini değerlendirilmesidir.Gereç ve Yöntem: Endokrinoloji Bilim Dalı polikliniğine başvuran 142 gebe çalışmaya dahil edildi. Oral glukoz tolerans testi sonuçlarına göre 57 gebeye gestasyonel diabet mellitus tanısı konuldu. 85 sağlıklı gebe ise kontrol grubuna dahil edildi. Serum analizi için tüm kan örnekleri bir gecelik açlık sonrası oral glukoz tolerans testi başlangıcında sabah 7:00 ve 8:00 saatleri arasında alındı.Bulgular: Gestasyonel diabet mellitus grubunda serum prokalsitonin düzeyleri kontrol grubuna göre anlamlı olarak yüksek bulundu. Serum prokalsitonin düzeyi ile açlık glukozu ve oral glukoz tolerans testi 60. dakika glukoz düzeyleri arasında anlamlı pozitif korelasyon bulundu.Sonuç: Bu çalışmada gestasyonel diabet mellitus’lu gebelerde serum prokalsitonin düzeylerinin sağlıklı gebelere göre anlamlı olarak yüksek olduğu ilk kez gösterilmiştir. Bu sonuç kronik düşük-dereceli inflamasyonun gestasyonel diabet mellitus patogenezinde önemli role sahip olduğu bilgisini desteklemektedir. Prokalsitonin düzeyi gestasyonel diabet mellitus hastalarında kronik düşük-dereceli inflamasyonun yeni bir biyobelirteci olarak düşünülebilir., Purpose: The aim of this study was set as to compare procalcitonin levels of gestational diabetes mellitus patients and healthy pregnant individuals and evaluate link between serum procalcitonin concentration and metabolic parameters of gestational diabetes mellitus.Materials and Methods: 142 pregnant individual who consulted to Endocrinology Division were taken to the study. According to the oral glucose tolerance test results, 57 were diagnosed gestational diabetes mellitus, and 85 healthy pregnant were included in the control group. For the serum analysis, samples were obtained after overnight fasting and between 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM.Results: In the gestational diabetes mellitus group serum procalcitonin levels was found significantly higher than control group. A positive correlation was found between serum procalcitonin levels and fasting glucose and oral glucose tolerance test 60. minute glucose levels.Conclusion: Our results shown that levels of serum procalcitonin in gestational diabetic mellitus were significantly higher than healthy pregnancies for the first time. This result supports the knowledge that chronic low-grade inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of gestational diabetes mellitus. Procalcitonin level may be considered as a new biomarker for chronic low-grade inflammation in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus

WOS: 000425183100009, PubMed: 29455547, OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to compare serum levels of FKN and SFRP-4 in patients with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: A total of 152 patients presented to the endocrinology outpatient clinic of our hospital were included in the study. Eighty-two patients with a history of T2DM were assigned to the T2DM group. IGT (n = 34) and NGT (n = 36) groups included the patients who received oral glucose tolerance test outcomes. RESULTS: Serum FKN levels were significantly higher in the IGT and T2DM groups compared to the NGT group (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Serum SFRP-4 levels were significantly higher in the T2DM group compared to the IGT and NGT groups (p = 0.001 and p = 0.004, respectively). A significant correlation was observed between FKN and fasting glucose levels. SFRP-4 was significantly correlated with fasting glucose, HbA1c, and triglyceride levels. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, increased FKN levels in patients with IGT were demonstrated for the first time in this study. The results of our study support the opinion that FKN and SFRP-4 may contribute to the pathogenesis of T2DM., Selcuk UniversitySelcuk University [BAP 15401081], This study has been partially supported by Selcuk University under grant number BAP 15401081.

Background Subclinical hypothyroidism is a situation in which the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) value exceeds the upper limit of normal, but the free triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) values are within the normal range. The etiology is similar to overt hypothyroidism. Case presentation An 18-year-old female patient was referred to our endocrinology clinic due to elevated TSH levels detected during a routine examination. She was clinically euthyroid and had a normal thyroid ultrasound pattern. The TSH concentration was measured twice independently, giving values of 5.65 μIU/mL and 5.47 μIU/mL. The polyethylene glycol (PEG) method for TSH measurement was used to determine the concentration of macro-TSH (m-TSH), a macromolecule formed between TSH and immunoglobulin (Ig). Using the same blood samples for which the TSH levels were found to be high, the PEG method found TSH levels to be within a normal range, with values of 1.50 μIU/mL (5.65–1.50 μIU/mL measured; a decrease of 75%) and 1.26 μIU/mL (5.47–1.26 μIU/mL measured; a decrease of 77%), respectively. The TSH values determined by the PEG precipitation test were markedly low, with PEG-precipitable TSH ratios greater than 75%. Conclusions The cause of 55% of subclinical hypothyroidism is chronic autoimmune thyroiditis. However, it is necessary to exclude other TSH-elevated conditions for diagnosis. One of these conditions is m-TSH, which should be kept in mind even though it is rarely seen. m-TSH should be considered especially in patients who have a TSH value above 10 μIU/mL without hypothyroidism symptoms or who require a higher levothyroxine replacement dose than expected to make them euthyroid.

WOS: 000449522300016, We recently encountered the case of an 18-year-old female complaining of abdominal pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, tremor of the hands, and vaginal bleeding. Her blood test revealed highly elevated human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) levels, suppressed thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, and increased free thyroid hormone levels. Molar pregnancy and hyperthyroidism were suspected based on highly elevated hCG levels and suppressed TSH levels with the co-existence of ultrasono-graphic findings of the uterus and thyroid Doppler images. Her symptoms and thyroid hormone levels responded well to plasmapheresis. Subsequently, the patient underwent dilatation and curettage for hydatidiform mole. Histopathology of the products verified the diagnosis of complete hydatidiform mole with no invasion. The patient is currently stable, and her hCG and thyroid hormone levels are within normal reference ranges.

Purpose Galectin-3 is associated with the process of inflammation and fibrosis. The aim of this study was both to evaluate of galectin-3, methylated arginines and hs-CRP in subjects with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes and to investigate a relation between serum galectin-3, methylated arginines and hs-CRP levels. Methods In this study, all subjects were defined as the control group, type 2 diabetes (n = 84) by fasting plasma glucose and prediabetes (n = 34) by 75-g oral glucose tolerance test. Also, participants with type 2 diabetes were divided into as group I (HbA1c ≤7%, n = 40) and group II (HbA1c ≥7%, n = 44). The analysis of serum methylated arginines levels was analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry. Galectin-3 levels were determined via chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA). Results Serum galectin-3, ADMA, L-NMMA and SDMA levels were significantly lower in the control group (13.3 ± 3.42; 0.630 (0.13–1.36); 0.176 (0.02–0.53); 0.115 (0.04–0.26), respectively) compared to diabetic subjects (15.71 ± 4.22; 0.825 (0.23–2.80); 0.366 (0.08–1.41); 0.1645 (0.06–0.47), p = 0.002, p = 0.01, p = 0.001 and p = 0.006, respectively). Galectin-3 was positively correlated with hs-CRP (r = 0.295 p = 0.001), L-NMMA (r = 0.181 p = 0.022), HbA1c (r = 0.247 p = 0.002), neopterin (r = 0.160 p = 0.045) and FPG (r = 0.207 p = 0.001) respectively. Also, there was positively correlated ADMA with FPG (r = 0.192 p = 0.016) and eAG (r = 0.235 p = 0.003). Conclusions Thus, galectin-3 might be a useful prognostic marker in the population with prediabetes and diabetes. Moreover, it can be a marker showing the condition of developing complications in diabetic patients.

Severe hypertriglyceridemia can give rise to a fundus appearance with whitish-colored retinal vessels called lipemia retinalis. A 52-year-old man with hypertriglyceridemia presented with a best-corrected visual acuity of 20/20 in both eyes and creamy-white retinal vessels on fundus. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) revealed hyperreflective and engorged retinal vessels and white dots mainly accumulated in the inner nuclear and ganglion cell layer. Follow-up fundus examination after plasmapheresis sessions revealed normal retinal vessels. The hyperreflective appearance of the retinal vessels in OCT reversed rapidly 5 days after the treatment, whereas hyperreflective dots in retina disappeared slowly in 3 months. OCT is useful in demonstrating inner retinal changes associated with lipemia retinalis at histopathological level. The hyperreflective dots in inner retina associated with leakage from superficial retinal capillaries attested the correlation of their location with their origin. [ Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina . 2016;47:589–592.]

WOS: 000440978000010, PubMed: 30160136, OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate prorenin and secreted frizzled-related protein 4 (SFRP4) levels in pregnancies with or without gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). METHODS: A total of 76 pregnant women were included in the study. Thirty-five of the pregnant women were included in GDM group according to the results of oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) and 41 of them were included in the control group. RESULTS: In the group with GDM, SFRP4 value was found to be significantly higher than that of the control group (5.59 +/- 3.32 ng/mL vs 4.05 +/- 2.15 ng/mL; p = 0.017). Women with GDM had significantly higher serum prorenin levels compared with control group [737 (427-1339) pg/mL vs. 535 (376-725) pg/mL; p = 0.009]. There was a significant positive association between prorenin and SFRP4 levels in GDM (r = 0.91; p < 0.001) and control groups (r = 0.42; p = 0.002) and whole pregnancies (r = 0.75; p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: We have shown that prorenin and SFRP4 were significantly elevated in GDM patients when compared to healthy control group. Furthermore, we found that there was a positive correlation between prorenin and SFRP4 (Tab. 1, Fig. 2, Ref. 38). Text in PDF www.elis.sk., Selcuk UniversitySelcuk University [BAP 15401082], This study has been partially supported by Selcuk University under grant number BAP 15401082.

WOS: 000440357400009, PubMed: 29893513, Background. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase p85 alpha regulator subunit 1 gene (PIK3R1) encodes the PIK3R1 protein, which plays a direct role in insulin signaling. PIK3R1 (p85 regulatory subunit) connects firmly with the p110 catalytic subunit, and together these proteins form the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) protein. PI3K is a key protein in the Akt signaling pathway, which regulates cell survival, growth, differentiation, glucose trafficking, and utilization. Defects in the insulin signaling cascade play an important role in the development of insulin resistance, which shares a common genetic basis for metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes (T2D), obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Objectives. In our study, we investigated the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs3756668 in 3'UTR region, rs706713 and rs3730089 in exons 1 and 6, respectively, rs7713645 and rs7709243 in intron 1, and rs1550805 in intron 6 of PIK3R1 gene on T2D. Material and methods. This study enrolled a total of 840 individuals, including 427 diabetic individuals (206 obese and 221 non-obese) and 413 nondiabetic individuals (138 obese and 275 non-obese). The target SNPs were analyzed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS18.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, USA). The p-values >= 0.05 were consideied statistically significant. Results. The SNPs rs706713 (Tyr73Tyr) and rs3730089 (Met326lle) located in exons, and rS7713645, rs7709243 and rs1550805 located in introns were determined to be significantly associated with T2D and phenotypic features such as obesity, insulin resistance and the lipid parameters. The association with SNP rs3756668, which is located in the 3'UTR, was not significant. Conclusions. Our study supports the role of PIK3R1, an important candidate gene due to its critical role in insulin signal transduction, in T2D development., Selcuk University Research FoundationSelcuk University [13202033], This study was supported by the Selcuk University Research Foundation (13202033).

Background: Radiation-induced hypopituitarism is an important late complication of cranial radiotherapy in children and adults. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the effects of radiotherapy on pituitary function in adult nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. Methods: Pituitary function was evaluated in 30 patients after cranial radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Somatotroph and corticotroph axes were assessed by insulin tolerance test while gonadotroph and thyroid axes were evaluated by basal pituitary and end organ hormone levels at 10–133 months after radiotherapy. Results: At least one hormonal disorder was observed in 28 (93%) patients after radiotherapy. 26 (87%) patients had one or more anterior pituitary hormone deficiencies. The rates of pituitary hormone deficiencies were 77% for growth hormone, followed by adrenocorticotropic hormone (73%), thyroid-stimulating hormone (27%) and gonadotropins (7%). Hyperprolactinemia was present in 13 (43%) patients. Conclusions: Radiation-induced hypopituitarism is more common than expected in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

PubMed: 25854344, Thyroid cancer is the most prevalent endocrine cancer and is evident in nearly 5% of thyroid nodules. The correlation between mean platelet volume (MPV) and many other cancer types has been investigated previously. However, the correlation between papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and MPV has not yet been studied in detail. The aim of this study was to examine whether MPV would be a useful inflammatory marker to differentiate PTC patients from cases of benign goiter and healthy controls. Preoperative MPV levels in patients with PTC were found to be significantly higher when compared with benign goiter patients and healthy controls ((respectively, 8.05 femtoliter (fl), 7.57 fl, 7.36 fl, p=0.001). After surgical treatment of PTC patients, a significant decrease in MPV levels was seen (8.05 fl versus 7.60 fl, p=0.005). ROC analysis suggested 7.81 as the cut-off value for MPV (AUC=0.729, sensitivity 60%, specificity 80%). In conclusion, maybe changes in MPV levels can be used as an easily available biomarker for monitoring the risk of PTC in patients with thyroid nodules, enabling early diagnosis of PTC.

This study was designed to evaluate neopterin levels and low Apgar scores in pregnancies with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) vs. normal control pregnancies.We carried out a cross-sectional study by enrolling 81 pregnant women with GDM and 38 pregnant women without GDM.Maternal and cord blood neopterin levels were higher in women with GDM. There was a significant positive association between fasting blood glucose levels and maternal serum neopterin levels. The results of 50-g oral glucose challenge tests revealed a correlation between maternal and cord neopterin levels. Pregnancies complicated by GDM exhibited lower fetal Apgar scores than those of control subjects. The levels of cord blood neopterin were inversely correlated with an fetal Apgar score of 1 min in patients with GDM.Patients with GDM had higher maternal and cord blood neopterin levels, and the cord blood neopterin levels are inversely associated with lower Apgar scores in women with GDM. The neopterin levels might be potential predictors of low fetal Apgar scores in women with GDM.

This study hypothesizes that oral rosuvastatin, oral dienogest and intraperitoneal bevacizumab might improve endometriosis in randomly selected female Wistar albino rats with surgically endometriotic implants. Thirty female Wistar albino rats with surgically endometriotic implants were randomized into three treatment groups: oral rosuvastatin (20 mg kg/day; oral rosuvastatin group 1; n = 10), oral progesterone (dienogest group 2; n = 10) and intraperitoneal bevacizumab (2.5 mg/kg of single intraperitoneal injection of bevacizumab; bevacizumab group 3; n = 10), for 10 days. Post-treatment variables were compared. The oral rosuvastatin group showed higher reduction for the glandular epithelium and uterine vessels of histopathological scores values than the oral progesterone group (both, p 0.017, respectively). The median glandular epithelium and uterine vessels and histopathological scores values did not show a statistically significant difference between group 1 and group 3 (p 0.017). Endometrial thickness values and uterine volume values were more significantly reduced in the oral rosuvastatin group than the oral progesterone group (both, p 0.017, respectively). Moreover, endometrial thickness and uterine volume values were not different in groups wecompared with group 3 (p 0.017). In conclusion, oral rosuvastatin and intraperitoneal injection of bevacizumab may cause more significant regression of surgically endometriotic implants in rats than oral progesterone medications.

Insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1), plays a critical role in insulin signaling and its control has an important place in the development of insulin resistance. The tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS1 serves as docking molecules for downstream effectors such as Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and phosphotyrosine phosphatase-2. We focused on the Gly972Arg and Ala513Pro variants of the IRS1 gene, since these specific allelic variants are located near the Tyr-Met-X-Met (YMXM) motifs around Tyr987 and Tyr612. Thus, we aimed to investigate the effects of Gly972Arg/Ala513Pro polymorphisms in IRS1 gene on development of insulin resistance and the risk of type 2 diabetes in a non-obese Turkish population. This work included 306 individuals comprising 178 subjects with type 2 diabetes and 128 healthy subjects matched for body mass index. Gly972Arg/Ala513Pro polymorphisms had no effect on type 2 diabetes risk and its phenotypes (P. > 0.05). Although IRS1 gene and its variants are associated with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance in several studies worldwide, our data showed that there is no association between Gly972Arg and Ala513Pro variants in IRS1 and disease in Turkish population. © 2014., 2003/010, We would like to thank to Dr. Ahmet Arslan and Dr. Mustafa Sait Gonen for their assistance in this study. This study was supported by the Selcuk University Research Foundation (2003/010). Financial disclosure The authors declared no financial disclosure.

The use of statins may have unnatural effects. A 54-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with an incidental finding of hypercalcemia (10.8 mg/dL). There was no disease other than hyperlipidemia, and the patient had been on a course of atorvastatin calcium 10 mg for 1.5 years. A workup investigation to diagnose the cause of hypercalcemia was completed. The investigation did not reveal any pathological diseases that may have caused the hypercalcemia. The hypercalcemia resolved after atorvastatin- calcium was stopped, and the patient developed hypercalcemia shortly after the initiation of the atorvastatin calcium. Here, we report a clinical case of recurrent hypercalcemia possibly induced by atorvastatin calcium administration.

Previous studies suggest that serum IGF-1 is higher in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The ophthalmologic effects of IGF-1 excess have not yet been investigated in women with PCOS. The aim of the current study is to compare the corneal thickness of patients with PCOS and those of healthy subjects. Forty three patients with PCOS and 30 age-matched and gender-matched healthy individuals were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Central corneal thickness (CCT) was measured in patients with PCOS and in healthy individuals with an ultrasound pachymeter. IGF-1 values were also determined in the study group. Women with PCOS had significantly higher levels of IGF-1 and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) levels than the control group. Right and left CCT measurements were higher in the PCOS group than in the control group. A positive correlation between IGF-1 and right and left CCT was identified in both groups. In multiple linear stepwise regression analyses, IGF-1 independently and positively associated with HOMA-IR in women with PCOS. A correlation between total testosterone and CCT was identified in the whole group. In multiple stepwise regression analyses, total testosterone independently and positively associated with left central corneal thickness in the whole group. These findings indicate that PCOS has target organ effects on the eye. Consequently, it can change central corneal thickness. Higher IGF-1 levels seem to be the main causes of increased corneal thickness. Insulin resistance in PCOS is one of the underlying causes and promotes increase in IGF-1. We suggest a careful and detailed corneal evaluation in PCOS patients to prevent the potential risk of increased CCT, in addition to the already-known complications.

Both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which is characterized by chronic, progressive inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Recent studies have shed new light on the importance of inflammation in the pathogenesis of arterial stiffness.This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurement and biochemical parameters in inactive and active IBD patients without cardiovascular risk factors and perform a comparison with the control group.We enrolled 102 IBD patients without cardiovascular risk factors and 74 matched controls, and evaluated each patient in active and inactive disease periods. All patients completed a standard questionnaire form and we assessed various laboratory parameters. We carried out vascular measurements using a Mobil-O-Graph 24-h pulse wave analysis monitor, an automatic oscillometric device.Although cardiovascular risk factors, such as total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, were significantly lower (P0.05) in IBD patients than the controls, 24 h, day and night PWV values, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, and homocysteine were higher in patients with active and inactive IBD than the controls (P0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that PWV was correlated positively with age and duration of IBD.This study showed increased PWV, homocysteine, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance in patients with active and inactive IBD and provides evidence of the potential contribution of inflammation and inflammation-related factors toward arterial stiffening independent from conventional cardiovascular risk factors.

Adiponectin, an adipose tissue specific protein encoded by the Adiponectin gene, modulates insulin sensitivity and plays an important role in regulating energy homeostasis. Many studies have shown that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Adiponectin gene are associated with low plasma Adiponectin levels, insulin resistance and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the contribution of the Adiponectin gene polymorphisms in genetic background of type 2 diabetes in a Turkish population. In total, 169 unrelated and non-obese diabetic patients and 119 age- and BMI-matched nondiabetic individuals with no family history of diabetes were enrolled in this study. We detected a significant association between type 2 diabetes and two SNPs: SNP −11391G N A, which is located in the promoter region of the Adiponectin gene, and SNP +276G N T, which is found in intron 2 of the gene (P b 0.05). The silence SNP G15G (+45TN G) in exon 1 and SNP+349ANG in intron 2 also showed a weak association with type 2 diabetes (P=0.06 and P=0.07, respectively),while SNPs−3971ANG in intron 1 and Y111H, R112C and H241P in exon 3 showed no association (P N 0.05). In conclusion, these findings suggest that Adiponectin gene polymorphisms might be effective on susceptibility for type 2 diabetes development which emerged from the interactions between multiple genes, variants and environmental factors.

Hypersecretion of PTHrP is a relatively common cause of malignancy-related hypercalcemia. However, there is only one case report of letrozole induced hypercalcemia. A 52-year-old female patient was referred to our clinic because of the recent discovery of hypercalcemia (11.0 mg/dL). The patient had a history of left breast carcinoma. She had started a course of letrozole (aromatase inhibitor; 2.5 mg dose/day) ten months earlier. Patient’s parathyroid hormone-related protein levels were normal and a bone scintigram revealed no evidence of skeletal metastasis. Other potential causes of high calcium levels were ruled out. We recognized that, when letrozole was taken at one dose daily (2.5 mg), she had recurrent hypercalcemia. Our experience suggests that letrozole may precipitate hypercalcemia in a patient with breast cancer.

A 35-year-old male patient was admitted with fatigue and muscle weakness. He had been on methimazole due to thyrotoxicosis for 2 weeks. Laboratory tests showed overt hyperthyroidism and hypokalemia. Potassium replacement was started with an initial diagnosis of thyrotoxic hypokalemic periodic paralysis. Later on, despite the euthyroid condition and potassium chloride treatment, hypokalemia persisted. Further investigations revealed hyperreninemic hyperaldosteronism. The patient was considered to have Gitelman's syndrome (GS) and all genetic analysis was done. A c. 1145C>T, p. Thr382Met homozygote missense mutation located on solute carrier family 12, member gene 3, exon 9 was detected and GS was confirmed.