Ghrelin is secreted primarily by the stomach. It circulates as acyl-(AG) and desacyl-(DG) forms. AG (but not DG) stimulates appetite. Ghrelin is elevated in Prader Willi syndrome (PWS), suggesting it may cause the characteristic hyperphagia and overweight. Short-acting somatostatin analogue octreotide suppresses ghrelin in PWS. We hypothesized that long-acting octreotide (Sandostatin LAR®, L-Oc...

Are ghrelin levels really elevated in epileptic patients? To the Editor, I have recently read a reply letter by Dr. Berilgen regarding my comments about his article published in Seizure. 1 However, I found that his/their replies/ comments to my letter were scientifically unacceptable. Here, I wish to expand upon his/their interpretation of epileptic ghrelin levels. It seems he and his co-worker...

R ecent meta-analysis (1) and systematic review (2) show that high and low birth weight are related in a Ushaped manner to later risk of type 2 diabetes. It is also interesting to denote the positive birth weight/type 2 diabetes associations within the normal weight range. It is now widely accepted that both genetic and environmental factors are engaged in intrauterine growth, glucose tolerance...

GLP-1 receptor agonists have antihypertensive properties, explained via release of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) as shown in mice (1). Whether GLP-1 directly interacts with the natriuretic peptide system in humans was studied in a single report (2). Here, we studied interaction of two major incretins, glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) and GLP-1, both administered exogenously, wi...

OBJECTIVE Leptin is a highly hydrophilic protein that circulates in plasma as a 16-kDa protein. It is produced in adipose tissue and also recently described to be synthesized by placental tissue. Plasma concentration of leptin is positively correlated to body fat mass, and administration of recombinant leptin to mice indicates that leptin participates in the regulation of food intake and energy...

Objective. Leptin is a highly hydrophilic protein that circulates in plasma as a 16-kDa protein. It is produced in adipose tissue and also recently described to be synthesized by placental tissue. Plasma concentration of leptin is positively correlated to body fat mass, and administration of recombinant leptin to mice indicates that leptin participates in the regulation of food intake and energ...

Featured Article: Considine RV, Sinha MK, Heiman ML, Kriauciunas A, Stephens TW, Nyce MR, et al. Serum immunoreactive-leptin concentrations in normal-weight and obese humans. N Engl J Med 1996;334:292–5. This study was done at a very exciting time in the field of obesity research. Jeffrey Friedman’s group had published the landmark report in December 1994 that described the cloning of the Lep (...

To the Editor: The adipocyte secreted protein, adiponectin, is of particular interest in metabolic and vascular disease because of its close associations with insulin sensitivity and obesity.1 Lower levels of adiponectin are associated with later development of type 2 diabetes.2 Recent observations from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study3 suggest that lower adiponectin concentrations migh...

To the Editor: Excess cardiovascular risk has been observed in HIV-infected patients, driven by traditional risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and aging, although therapy-induced hyperlipidemia and HIV-induced proinflammatory state and immune activation seem to play a role. A recent report from the Data Collection on Adverse Events of AntiHIV Drugs (DAD) Study, one of the lar...

Purpose: Adipocytes represent one of the most abundant constituents of the mammary gland. They are essential for mammary tumor growth and survival. Metabolically, one of the more important fat-derived factors (“adipokines”) is adiponectin (APN). Serum concentrations of APN negatively correlate with body mass index and insulin resistance. To explore the association of APN with breast cancer and ...