Endocrine Abstracts

The classical diagnostic strategy of internal medicine, including medical history, physical examination and additional diagnostic test, is unable to assess the activity of the autonomous nervous system in detail and, consequently, has resulted in negligence of the involvement of the autonomic nervous system. Nonetheless, evidence is emerging that the autonomous nervous system is involved in the pathophysiology of complex diseases. These conditions include insulin resistance, t...

Large randomized studies have established that early intensive glycemic control reduces the risk of diabetic complications, both micro and macrovascular. However, epidemiological and prospective data support a long-term influence of early metabolic control on clinical outcomes. This phenomenon has recently been defined as ‘Metabolic Memory.’ It was first hypothesized by Brownlee (Nature 2000), and since shown by many researchers that overproduction of free radicals, ...

Several prospective studies have shown that fat accumulation in the liver due to non-alcoholic causes (NAFLD) preceeds and predicts type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease independent of obesity and even fat distribution, although individuals with a fatty liver tend to be more abdominally obese than those without. All components of the metabolic syndrome also correlate with liver fat independent of obesity. Both genetic and acquired factors regulate liver fat content. The h...

The introduction of chemical and genetically modified short and long acting insulin molecules, as well as mixed insulin preparations, has provided novel tools to improve glycaemic regulation in patients with diabetes. Reaching the glycaemic target of an HbA1c below 7% represent a major challenge in many patients with type 2 diabetes. Different insulin preparations can be used in various different combinations with a variable number of daily injections as well as in different c...