M. Raghavan Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA Abstract Stress-hyperglycemia and insulin resistance are exceedingly common in critically ill patients, particularly those with sepsis. Multiple pathogenetic mechanisms are responsible for this metabolic syndrome; however, increased release of pro-inflammatory mediators and counter-regulatory hormones may play a pivotal...

Stress-hyperglycemia and insulin resistance are exceedingly common in critically ill patients, particularly those with sepsis. Multiple pathogenetic mechanisms are responsible for this metabolic syndrome; however, increased release of pro-inflammatory mediators and counter-regulatory hormones may play a pivotal role. Recent data suggests that hyperglycemia may potentiate the pro-inflammatory re...

Like leptin, the pancreatic hormone insulin is an important adiposity signal to the brain. We report that the hypothalamic melanocortin system is an important target of the actions of insulin to regulate food intake and body weight. Hypothalamic neurons expressing insulin receptors were found to coexpress the melanocortin precursor molecule pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), and administration of ins...

Ingestion of a protein-amino acid mixture (Pro; wheat protein hydrolysate, leucine, and phenylalanine) in combination with carbohydrate (CHO; 0.8 g x kg(-1) x h(-1)) has been shown to increase muscle glycogen synthesis after exercise compared with the same amount of CHO without Pro. The aim of this study was to investigate whether coingestion of Pro also increases muscle glycogen synthesis when...

OBJECTIVE Patients with a gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) suffering from non-islet cell tumour-induced hypoglycaemia (NICTH), being associated with increased plasma levels of pro-insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-IIE[68-88], have been reported occasionally. We studied the clinical relevance of pro-IGF-IIE[68-88] and other IGF-related proteins in GIST patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS Twent...

This study was designed to better understand the molecular mechanisms involved in the anabolic resistance observed in elderly people. Nine young (22 ± 0.1 years) and 10 older (69 ± 1.7 years) volunteers performed a one-leg extension exercise consisting of 10 × 10 repetitions at 70% of their 3-RM, immediately after which they ingested 30 g of whey protein. Muscle biopsies were taken from the vas...

Understanding the mechanisms involved in the development of insulin resistance in horses should enable development of effective treatment and prevention strategies. Current knowledge of these mechanisms is based upon research in obese humans and rodents, in which there is evidence that the increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by adipose tissue negatively influences insulin signali...

Chromogranin A knockout (Chga-KO) mice exhibit enhanced insulin sensitivity despite obesity. Here we probed the role of the Chromogranin A-derived peptide pancreastatin (PST: CHGA273-301), by investigating the effect of diet-induced obesity (DIO) on insulin sensitivity of these mice. We found that on a high fat diet (HFD), Chga-KO mice (KO-DIO) remain more insulin sensitive than wild-type DIO (...

Ames dwarf (Prop1(df), df/df) mice are characterized by growth hormone (GH), prolactin, and thyrotropin deficiency, remarkable extension of longevity and increased insulin sensitivity with low levels of fasting insulin and glucose. Plasma levels of anti-inflammatory adiponectin are increased in df/df mice, while pro-inflammatory IL-6 is decreased in plasma and epididymal fat. This represents an...

Several insulin-related substances, comprising 1 to 2% of the total protein, were isolated from commercial crystalline bovine insulin. The main components of this mixture were: the 81-residue, single chain proinsulin, two degradation products of proinsulin, termed Intermediate Forms I and II, and an insulin dimer, possibly linked by covalent bonds and apparently an artifact of the preparation. ...