Combining Ubiquinol With a Statin May Benefit Hypercholesterolaemic Patients With Chronic Heart Failure.

Heart failure (HF) is one of the most common causes of death in Western society. Recent results underscore the utility of coenzyme Q (CoQ) addition to standard medications in order to reduce mortality and to improve quality of life and functional capacity in chronic heart failure (CHF). The rationale for CoQ supplementation in CHF is two-fold.

Treatment options for severe hypertriglyceridemia (SHTG): the role of apheresis.

Hypertriglyceridemia is associated with a number of severe diseases such as acute pancreatitis and coronary artery disease. In severe hypertriglyceridemia (SHTG, triglycerides > 1,000 mg/dL), rapid lowering of plasma triglycerides (TG) has to be achieved. Treatment regimes include nutritional intervention, the use of antihyperlipidemic drugs, and therapeutic apheresis.

Prevalence of diabetes mellitus secondary to pancreatic diseases (type 3c).

Background: Diabetes mellitus secondary to pancreatic diseases is a condition seldom thought of in clinical practice. Yet, a high percentage of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency has been reported for the general population and especially for diabetic subjects. Thus, we investigated the prevalence of diabetes mellitus due to pancreatic diseases.

Successful treatment of severe hypertriglyceridemia with a formula diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids and medium-chain triglycerides.

Background: Patients with highly increased plasma triglyceride levels are at risk of developing serious complications such as pancreatitis, coronary heart disease and stroke. Therefore it is important to rapidly decrease plasma triglyceride levels. A sufficient control of triglyceride levels with drugs like fibrates, statins or nicotinic acid can usually only be attained after a couple of weeks.

Severe hypertriglyceridemia: an indication for apheresis?

Objective: Severe hypertriglyceridemia is associated with a number of severe complications such as acute pancreatitis. Rapid lowering of excessively elevated triglyceride (TG) levels is therefore a primary medical goal in these patients. According to previous reports, immediate apheretic treatment might be an interesting option in order to rapidly lower excessively elevated TG levels.

Severe hypertriglyceridemia and pancreatitis: presentation and management.

Purpose Of Review: Hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is a well recognized cause of acute pancreatitis accounting for approximately up to 10% of all cases and even up to 50% of all cases in pregnancy. Both primary and secondary disorders of lipoprotein metabolism may be associated with hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis (HTGP). The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the current studies on presentation and management of HTGP.

Determinants of Exocrine Pancreatic Function as Measured by Fecal Elastase-1 Concentrations (FEC) in Patients with Diabetes mellitus.

Objective: Recently it has been shown that there is not only endocrine insufficiency in diabetic patients, but a frequent co-morbidity of both, the endocrine and exocrine pancreas. The present study was performed to further analyse the determinants of exocrine pancreatic function in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Methods: The records of 1992 patients with diabetes mellitus who had been treated in our hospital during a 2-year period were re-evaluated.

Distinct autoantibodies against exocrine pancreatic antigens in European patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and non-alcoholic chronic pancreatitis.

Context: Histopathological analysis has demonstrated lymphocytic infiltration in both the endocrine and the exocrine pancreas in some patients with type 1 diabetes and non-alcoholic chronic pancreatitis, suggesting an immune-mediated mechanism which affects both diabetes mellitus and chronic pancreatitis.

Objective: The examination of exocrine pancreatic humoral markers in Caucasian patients with respect to the interactions between exocrine and endocrine pancreatic diseases.

Patients: One hundred and thirty-six European Caucasian subjects subdivided into three groups: type 1 diabetes (n=48); non-alcoholic chronic pancreatitis (n=48); controls (n=40).

Successful long-term treatment of severe hypertriglyceridemia by feedback control with lipid self-monitoring.

Background/aims: Successful treatment of severe hypertriglyceridemia is difficult. Besides therapy with different drugs, dietary intervention is an important approach. However, compliance with dietary recommendations is usually bad.

Is pancreatic diabetes (type 3c diabetes) underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed?

Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency is frequently associated with diabetes, with high prevalence in both insulin-dependent or insulin-independent patients. Exocrine pancreatic failure has often been perceived as a complication of diabetes. In contrast, recent clinical observations lead to the notion that nonendocrine pancreatic disease is a critical factor for development rather than a sequel to diabetes.

Effect of liquid pancreatic enzymes on the assimilation of fat in different liquid formula diets.

Background: In some diseases, patients require high-calorie tube feeding with standard enteral formulas usually administered via temporal feeding tubes. One frequent pathophysiological condition in a relevant number of these patients is exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Patients unable to swallow capsules might benefit from a liquid pancreatic enzyme (LPE) preparation.

Fecal pyruvate kinase-M2 (tumor M2-PK) measurement: a new screening concept for colorectal cancer.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a disease with major impact on public health and public health costs. Colonoscopy is purportedly the best screening tool for CRC. However, the acceptance by the general population is very poor.

Endoscopic sphincterotomy in patients with stenosis of ampulla of Vater: three-year follow-up of exocrine pancreatic function and clinical symptoms.

Aim: To investigate retrospectively the long-term effect of endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) including exocrine pancreatic function in patients with stenosis of ampulla of Vater.

Methods: After diagnostic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and ES because of stenosis of the ampulla of Vater (SOD Type I), follow-up examinations were performed in 60 patients (mean follow-up time 37.7 mo).

Pancreatin therapy in patients with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency according to low fecal elastase 1 concentrations. Results of a prospective multi-centre trial.

Background: Recently, high prevalence of exocrine dysfunction in diabetic populations has been reported. Patients with fecal elastase 1 concentration (FEC) <100 microg/g have also been demonstrated to suffer from steatorrhea in about 60% of cases, indicating the need of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy. Until now, there have only been a few reports on the use of enzyme replacement therapy in diabetic patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.

Influence of cholesterol and fat in food on indirect parameters of exocrine pancreatic function.

Fecal elastase 1, chymotrypsin activity, and fat content in stool are clinical parameters of exocrine pancreatic function. The aim of this study was to clarify the possible impact of extreme changes in diet on fecal enzyme concentration/activity, since extreme diets may lead to wrong conclusions in the diagnosis of pancreatic insufficiency. Twelve healthy test persons followed 4 diet phases, each with a duration of 6 days.

[Pyruvate kinase M2 (tumor M2-PK) as a screening tool for colorectal cancer (CRC). A review of current published data].

Introduction: Colonoscopy is currently supposed to be the best screening tool for colorectal cancer. However, the acceptance of the population is very poor although it has been included in screening programs in the German health system since 2002. Therefore, evaluation of additional screening tools seems to be of great interest.

Effects of oral fat load on insulin output and glucose tolerance in healthy control subjects and obese patients without diabetes.

Objective: Elevated plasma nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations cause peripheral and hepatic insulin resistance and may play an important role in regulating glucose-induced insulin secretion. The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of physiologically elevated NEFA levels on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in order to find evidence that NEFAs are a potential factor predisposing for type 2 diabetes and related metabolic disorders, which are known risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Research Design And Methods: We combined an orally administered fat emulsion with an intravenous glucose tolerance test and measured the time course of NEFA, insulin, and glucose.

Faecal tumour M2 pyruvate kinase: a new, sensitive screening tool for colorectal cancer.

Proliferating cells, especially tumour cells, express a special isoenzyme of pyruvate kinase, termed M2-PK, which can occur in a tetrameric form with a high affinity to its substrate, phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), and in a dimeric form with a low PEP affinity. In tumour cells, the dimeric form is usually predominant and is therefore termed Tumour M2-PK. The levels of Tumour M2-PK within tumours and in EDTA-plasma correlate with staging and the ability of the tumour cells to metastasise.

High prevalence of steatorrhea in 101 diabetic patients likely to suffer from exocrine pancreatic insufficiency according to low fecal elastase 1 concentrations: a prospective multicenter study.

Impaired exocrine pancreatic secretion has been frequently observed in diabetic patients by different methods, including direct function tests. However, the clinical importance remained unclear. In the present study, the fecal fat excretion in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus and exocrine dysfunction according to fecal elastase 1 concentrations <100 microg/g was investigated.

High prevalence of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in diabetes mellitus. A multicenter study screening fecal elastase 1 concentrations in 1,021 diabetic patients.

Background: There have been numerous reports on pancreatic exocrine dysfunction in diabetes mellitus using either direct or indirect function tests. The measurement of fecal elastase 1 concentrations (FEC) has been used as a screening tool for exocrine pancreatic disease in different patient groups indicating a high prevalence of exocrine dysfunction in diabetic populations. In this study we had the opportunity to study more than 1,000 diabetic patients to confirm recent observations in smaller populations.

The commercially available ELISA for pancreatic elastase 1 based on polyclonal antibodies does measure an as yet unknown antigen different from purified elastase 1. Binding studies and clinical use in patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.

The measurement of fecal elastase 1 concentrations by means of an ELISA based on monoclonal antibodies (mABs) highly specific for human elastase 1 (ELISA 1) has become an accepted indirect test of the exocrine pancreatic function during the last years. Its use has been demonstrated in many clinical studies including comparison with direct function tests and ERCP morphology. Recently, a new ELISA, also named "elastase 1" based on polyclonal antibodies (pABs; ELISA 2) became available.

Fecal pyruvate kinase concentrations (ELISA based on a combination of clone 1 and clone 3 antibodies) for gastric cancer screening.

Background: Recently we were able to demonstrate that Tumor M2 Pyruvate Kinase (Tumor M2-PK) is detectable in the feces of patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer. In this study an ELISA based on a different combination of antibodies was used to investigate stool samples of GI cancer patients.

Patients And Methods: The ELISA (ScheBoBiotech AG, Giessen, Germany) was based on one antibody specific for Tumor M2-PK and a second antibody reacting with Tumor M2-PK, M1-PK and the tetrameric M2-PK.

Measurement of fecal pyruvate kinase type M2 (tumor M2-PK) concentrations in patients with gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, colorectal adenomas and controls.

Background: The determination of Tumor M2 Pyruvate Kinase (Tumor M2-PK) in EDTA plasma has been described as a tumor marker in a variety of different tumor types. Since most GI tumors grow intraluminally, it appeared interesting to determine whether Tumor M2-PK is detectable in the feces of tumor patients.

Materials And Methods: Measurements were performed with a commercially available ELISA (ScheBo Biotech AG, Giessen, Germany) modified for fecal analysis.

Enhancement of beta-cell sensitivity to glucose by oral fat load.

Recent studies have demonstrated that 6 h infusions of lipid emulsion enhance insulin release, whereas 24 h infusions inhibit insulin secretion. How insulin release is modulated after oral fat loading has not yet been elucidated. 17 healthy fasting volunteers were subjected to 3 experiments in random order: test 1 was a frequently sampled i.