Ghrelin reduction after esophageal substitution and its correlation to postoperative body weight loss in esophageal cancer patients.

Background: Body weight loss is observed commonly after esophagectomy with gastric tube reconstruction in thoracic esophageal cancer patients. The functional and anatomical alteration of the stomach by this surgery should affect ghrelin secretion, a novel gastric hormone that upregulates body weight through appetite control and metabolic reaction.

Methods: Early-phase postoperative alteration of serum ghrelin was measured before and at day 3 and day 7 after surgery in 9 patients.

Postoperative ghrelin levels and delayed recovery from body weight loss after distal or total gastrectomy.

Background: Body weight loss is a common but one of the most serious sequelae after gastrectomy. Ghrelin, a novel gastric hormone that up-regulates body weight through appetite control and metabolic reaction, seems to be affected by gastric surgery.

Patients And Methods: Early postoperative alteration of serum ghrelin was evaluated at days 3 and 7 after gastrectomy for 13 hospital patients.

A successful monitoring for intraoperative calcium stimulation test in complete resection of pancreatic insulinoma.

An intraoperative arterial stimulation, venous sampling method was recently used for resection of insulinoma. In using this technique, some anesthetic concerns complicate the usual management of insulinoma. We suggest methods for solving these problems.

Human anti-murine antibodies interfere with CPR assays performed with commercial kits.

Quantitation of C-peptide is important for the assessment of insulin secretion, in particular in patients receiving insulin therapy. Since the CPR levels become much higher than the concentration of C-peptide for several reasons, such as the high concentration of proinsulin, CPR values sometimes need to be assessed carefully. We have had two diabetic patients whose CPR values were abnormally high when determined with a Daiichi C-peptide kit III (method 1).

Increased blood proinsulin and decreased C-peptide levels in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Background/aims: Abnormal glucose tolerance during oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is frequently observed in patients with pancreatic cancer. The abnormality shown in previous studies, however, was characterized mainly by analyses based on immunoreactive insulin or C-peptide response during OGTT, despite their cross-reactivity with proinsulin. The mechanisms responsible for glucose intolerance in patients with pancreatic cancer remain controversial.