Pancreatic α-cell hyperplasia and hyperglucagonemia due to a glucagon receptor splice mutation.

Unlabelled: Glucagon stimulates hepatic glucose production by activating specific glucagon receptors in the liver, which in turn increase hepatic glycogenolysis as well as gluconeogenesis and ureagenesis from amino acids. Conversely, glucagon secretion is regulated by concentrations of glucose and amino acids. Disruption of glucagon signaling in rodents results in grossly elevated circulating glucagon levels but no hypoglycemia.

Differences in the Treatment Response to Antithyroid Drugs versus Electroconvulsive Therapy in a Case of Recurrent Catatonia due to Graves' Disease.

We reported a case which presented recurrent episodes of catatonia as a result of Graves' disease with hyperthyroidism. The patient showed different treatment response in each episodes; in the first episode, psychiatric and physical symptoms were resolved by a combination of antithyroid and anxiolytic therapies, while in the second episode, the combination therapy did not ameliorate her symptoms and ECT was indicated. We postulated that decreased CSF level of TTR and the resulting susceptibility to the derangement of peripheral thyroid function might be involved in this different treatment response.

Severe hypothyroidism associated with the degree of edema in a patient with nephrosis.

We report the pleural fluid values of thyroid hormones and their carrier proteins in a patient who suffered from nephrotic syndrome with renal insufficiency and transient hypothyroidism. The pleural effusion was transudate. The concentrations of thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG), thyroxine-binding prealbumin (TBPA), and albumin (Alb) were approximately 30-50% of the plasma.

Losartan potassium/hydrochlorothiazide (Preminent®) and hyponatremia: case series of 40 patients.

The clinical course of losartan potassium/hydrochlorothiazide (Preminent(®))-induced hyponatremia has not been described. We summarized 40 patients with Preminent-induced hyponatremia. The study involved 15 (37.

Thyroid hormones, their carrier proteins, and thyroid antibodies in the pleural effusion of two patients with graves' disease-induced thyrotoxicosis.

Introduction: Concentrations of thyroid hormones, their carrier proteins, and thyroid antibodies in plasma have been extensively investigated, but those in pleural effusion have not. PATIENTS AND MEDTHODS: In the present study, we report, for the first time, the concentrations of thyroid hormones, their carrier proteins, and thyroid antibodies in the pleural effusion of two thyrotoxicosis patients with Graves' disease.

Results: The pleural effusions were transudates.

A patient with DiGeorge syndrome with spina bifida and sacral myelomeningocele, who developed both hypocalcemia-induced seizure and epilepsy.

DiGeorge syndrome - a component of the 22q11 deletion syndrome - causes a disturbance in cervical neural crest migration that results in parathyroid hypoplasia. Patients can develop hypocalcemia-induced seizures. Spina bifida is caused by failure of neurulation, including a disturbance in the adhesion processes at the neurula stage.

Severe duodenal hemorrhage induced by Lugol's solution administered for thyroid crisis treatment.

Lugol's solution is an iodinated agent used for treating thyroid crisis. It is primarily used in diagnostic tests for esophageal diseases. However, Lugol's solution can cause local mucosal injury and hemorrhage.

The best insulin injection pen device for caregivers: results of injection trials using five insulin injection devices.

Background: Insulin injection pens have been primarily developed for self-injection among individuals with diabetes. However, an increased elderly population with diabetes has caused an increase in the number of patients who cannot self-inject insulin. Consequently, caregivers inject insulin to the patients ("other-injection"); however, insulin injection devices have not yet been developed for other-injection use.

Primary sellar lymphoma: intravascular large B-cell lymphoma diagnosed as a double cancer and improved with chemotherapy, and literature review of primary parasellar lymphoma.

Lymphoma is one of the causative factors of hypothalamus-pituitary dysfunction, and intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) is a subtype of primary extranodal neoplasm. A 69-year-old woman visited our hospital because of general fatigue. We diagnosed her with presumable non-functional primary pituitary adenoma and subsequent dysfunction.

Tremor in Klinefelter's syndrome improved by testosterone administration.

Tremor in Klinefelter's syndrome is believed to be essential tremor since the publication of "Klinefelter's syndrome and essential tremor" in 1969. However, the author also stated that tremor in Klinefelter's syndrome might differ from essential tremor. A 71-year-old man with Klinefelter's syndrome who suffers from postural hand tremor is described.

Glutest Neo Super--a new handheld blood glucose meter-corrects for the effects of the hematocrit values in both hematocrit-adjusted samples and samples obtained from anemic patients.

Background: Handheld blood glucose (BG) meters are convenient tools that are widely used to measure the BG levels. However, the hematocrit (Hct) value has been identified as a confounding factor for accurate BG measurement. Some BG meters are equipped with an Hct-correcting feature, whose effectiveness has been tested previously.

Shakuyaku-kanzo-to induces pseudoaldosteronism characterized by hypokalemia, rhabdomyolysis, metabolic alkalosis with respiratory compensation, and increased urinary cortisol levels.

Background: Licorice, the primary ingredient of the Japanese herbal medicine shakuyaku-kanzo-to, can cause pseudoaldosteronism. Thus, shakuyaku-kanzo-to can cause this condition.

Case Description: A 79-year-old woman was brought to the emergency room.

IL-12 and IL-18 induction and subsequent NKT activation effects of the Japanese botanical medicine Juzentaihoto.

In this study, we first measured some cytokine concentrations in the serum of patients treated with Juzentaihoto (JTT). Of the cytokines measured interleukin (IL) -18 was the most prominently up-regulated cytokine in the serum of patients under long term JTT administration. We next evaluated the effects of JTT in mice, focusing especially on natural killer T (NKT) cell induction.

Decreased steroidogenic enzyme 17,20-lyase and increased 17-hydroxylase activities in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Objective: To analyze activities of adrenal steroidogenic enzymes in type 2 diabetes mellitus, serum levels of 11 steroid hormones were measured simultaneously.

Subjects: We studied 130 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (74 men and 56 women between the ages of 40 and 69 years), whose blood glucose control had been poor (more than 10% in HbA(1c)). Age-matched normal subjects served as the control group.