Reasons for non-intensification of treatment in people with type 2 diabetes receiving oral monotherapy: Outcomes from the prospective DIAttitude study

OBJECTIVES

To describe the management of glucose-lowering agents in people with type 2 diabetes initially on oral monotherapy, cared for by French general practitioners, and to identify reasons underlying treatment non-intensification.

METHODS

People with type 2 diabetes on oral monotherapy were recruited by general practitioners and followed-up over 12 months. Patient characteristics, HbA1c, and glucose-lowering treatments were recorded electronically. Management objectives and reasons for treatment non-intensification were solicited from the general practitioners.

RESULTS

A total of 1212 patients were enrolled by 198 general practitioners; 937 patients (mean age 68 years) were treated with oral monotherapy, and 916 patients had at least two successive HbA1c values recorded. Of these, 390 patients (43%) had HbA1c≥6.5% on both occasions, and 164/390 (42%) had their treatment intensified. The 226 patients whose treatment was not intensified were older (69±11 years vs. 66±12 years, P=0.02) and had better glycaemic control at study inclusion (6.9%±0.6 vs. 7.3%±0.8, P<0.0001) than treatment intensified patients. Among uncontrolled patients, there were no differences in general practitioner treatment objectives at inclusion for treatment intensified and non-intensified patients; the main reason given by general practitioners for non-intensification was that the patient had an adequate HbA1c (66%). HbA1c did exceed the 6.5% target, but was less than 7.0% in 69% of cases.

CONCLUSIONS

General practitioners showed a patient-centred approach to treatment, but clinical inertia was apparent for 31% of the uncontrolled patients.

Key priorities in managing glucose control in older people with diabetes

Older people with diabetes represent a major and increasing proportion of our elderly population and their care requires better organisation. Targets for risk factor control and pathways of care must be adjusted to the subject's general health status. It is thus advisable to screen for frailty. We have carried out a detailed literature review of the studies published on diabetes in older people since 1990. Studies were considered if they included groups or subgroups of diabetic patients > 65 years old. This review discusses the elaboration of general targets for care, the approach to risk factor control, the screening and the specific prevention or management of complications, the integration of geriatric concepts in diabetes care and the specificity of education with respect to frailty status.

[History of the rhenish and alsacian contributions to the understanding of diabetes]

The history of diabetes mellitus is punctuated from the Egyptian Antiquity by sometimes amazingly acute clinical observations and inversely several missed opportunities on the way of the discovery of the mechanisms of the disease and of the development of its therapies.Alsace, and more generally the Rhine countries, have played a major role in this adventure, of which a crucial step has been the experimental demonstration of the role of the pancrease in the pathogenis of the disease by Oskar Minkowski and Joseph von Mering in Strasbourg in 1889.

Heterogeneity of diabetes phenotype in patients with 3243 bp mutation of mitochondrial DNA (Maternally Inherited Diabetes and Deafness or MIDD)

OBJECTIVE

In patients with maternally inherited diabetes and deafness (MIDD), due to 3 243 A > G mutation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), diabetes may present with variable phenotypes.

OBJECTIVE

To ascertain the existence of two distinct phenotypes, MIDD1 and MIDD2, in a series of patients with MIDD.

DESIGN

Multicenter prospective study.

PATIENTS

77 patients with diabetes and the mtDNA 3243 mutation and 139 control patients with type 1 (T1D) or type 2 (T2D) diabetes, matched according to initial presentation of diabetes, age at onset, sex, and duration of diabetes (24 T1D and 115 T2D, including 55 treated with insulin).

MEASUREMENTS

Anthropometric characteristics (height, body weight, body mass index [BMI], sex), family history of diabetes, and characteristics of diabetes (age at onset, treatment, hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c]), extrapancreatic manifestations.

RESULTS

In 13 cases (17%, MIDD1), diabetes presented as insulin-dependent from the onset, with ketoacidosis in 6 cases. In 64 cases (83%, MIDD2), diabetes resembled T2D, and was treated with diet in 12 cases, oral hypoglycemic agents in 21 cases, or insulin in 31 cases. Compared with patients with MIDD2, patients with MIDD1 were characterized by lower age at onset of first manifestation of MIDD (25.4 +/- 9.6 vs 33.7 +/- 13.2 Years, P<0.0005), lower body weight (49.1 +/- 7.4 vs 56.3 +/- 10.9 kg, P<0.0025), lower BMI (18.2 +/- 2.3 vs 20.9 +/- 3.6 kg/m2, P<0.0005), and higher HbA1c levels (9.5 +/- 2.0 vs 7.5 +/- 1.6%, P<0.0005). Frequency of family history of diabetes and of extrapancreatic manifestations was the same in both MIDD subtypes. No difference was found within the MIDD2 subtype when comparing patients treated with or without insulin. Compared with matched controls, patients with MIDD had a lower BMI (MIDD1/T1D 18.2 +/- 2.3 vs 24.0 +/- 3.6 kg/m2 and MIDD2/T2D 20.9 +/- 3.6 vs 30.2 +/- 5.9 kg/m2, P<0.0025). Lastly, male patients with MIDD had a shorter height than controls (MIDD1/T1D: 166.1 +/- 3.2 vs 177.3 +/- 6.6 cm and MIDD2/T2D: 168.4 +/- 7.2 vs 173.6 +/- 6.6 cm P<0.025).

CONCLUSIONS

These results confirm the existence of two different phenotypes in MIDD, MIDD1 and MIDD2, which may be related to the severity of the mitochondrial disease. The role of other genetic and/or environmental factors in the variable phenotype of MIDD remains to be elucidated.

Maternally inherited diabetes and deafness: a multicenter study

BACKGROUND

Maternally inherited diabetes and deafness (MIDD), which is seen in 0.5% to 2.8% of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, is related to a point mutation at position 3243 of mitochondrial (mt) DNA. Its clinical description is incomplete.

OBJECTIVE

To study the clinical presentation and complications of diabetes in patients with MIDD and to identify clinical characteristics that may help select diabetic patients for mtDNA mutation screening.

DESIGN

Multicenter prospective descriptive study.

SETTING

16 French departments of internal medicine, diabetes and metabolic diseases, or both.

PATIENTS

54 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and the mtDNA 3243 mutation.

MEASUREMENTS

Characteristics of diabetes, metabolic control (glycosylated hemoglobin level), complications of diabetes, and involvement of other organs.

RESULTS

On average, patients with MIDD were young at diabetes onset and presented with a normal or low body mass index. None were obese. Seventy-three percent of probands had a maternal family history of diabetes. Diabetes was non-insulin-dependent at onset in 87% of patients; however, 46% of patients had non-insulin-dependent disease at onset but progressed to insulin therapy after a mean duration of approximately 10 years. Neurosensory hearing loss was present in almost all patients. Eighty-six percent of patients who received an ophthalmologic examination had macular pattern dystrophy (a specific retinal lesion). Forty-three percent of patients had myopathy, 15% had cardiomyopathy, and 18% (9 of 51) had neuropsychiatric symptoms. Although the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy was 8% among patients who received an ophthalmologic examination, lower than expected after a mean 12-year duration of diabetes, prevalence of kidney disease was 28%. This suggests that a specific renal involvement was the result of mitochondrial disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Maternally inherited diabetes and deafness has a specific clinical profile that may help identify diabetic patients for mtDNA testing.

Multicenter randomized evaluation of a nutritional education software in obese patients

OBJECTIVE

To study the efficacy of the nutritional education software, Nutri-Expert, in the management of obese adult patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Two groups of obese patients were followed up over one year in a randomized study: the first group received close traditional management (seven nutritional visits over the year, with physicians and dietitians conjointly) and the second one also used at home by Minitel the Nutri-Expert system. 557 patients were enrolled in the study by 16 French centers of diabetology and nutrition. Body mass index (BMI), tests of dietetic knowledge, dietary records and centralized biological measurements were assessed at inclusion, 6 and 12 months. 341 patients were evaluable at the end of the year.

RESULTS

The group using Nutri-Expert scored significantly better in the tests of dietetic knowledge than the control group. For all patients, nutritional education led to a significant improvement in BMI, dietary records and biological measurements, without significant difference between the two groups. Five years after the end of the study, the weight of 148 patients was recorded; mean BMI was significantly lower than the initial value but there was no significant difference between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

In the management of obese patients, Nutri-Expert system has a role to play in reinforcing nutritional knowledge; if regular follow-up is not possible, or if a large series of obese patients is to be treated, Nutri-Expert could partly replace traditional management, for example between visits.

[Pharmacological treatment of postprandial hyperglycemia]

Every diabetes treatment contributes to the control of postprandial blood glucose, yet some agents more specifically target this goal. Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, led by acarbose, mainly address postprandial glucose control. These agents inhibit intestinal disaccharidases through a competitive effect and can be used either as the sole treatment or in combination with other antidiabetic drugs. Other agents improve insulin secretion kinetics. This is the case for repaglinide et nateglinide, which are efficient in controlling postprandial blood glucose, and to a lesser degree, fasting blood glucose. These agents shortly and quickly stimulate insulin secretion and should be available soon. In oral therapy secondary failures, trials are currently being conducted to clarify the role of fast-acting insulin analogs, as monotherapy or in combination. Finally, insulin sensitizing agents are being investigated as a way to improve postprandial glucose efflux by potentiating insulin effects. The optimal strategy for the use of these different therapeutic agents remains to be established, as well as their long-term effects on diabetic complications.

Short-term variations of serum glycated apolipoprotein B

Serum glycated apolipoprotein B (apo B-G) levels were determined in 31 non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients and 13 control subjects by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Apo B-G was increased in diabetic patients compared to non-diabetic subjects, whether expressed as a serum concentration (57.7 vs 36.1 mg/l) or a percentage of total apolipoprotein B (4.42 vs 3.14%). Apo B-G, together with other markers (mean daily plasma glucose, serum fructosamines, triglycerides, total cholesterol, glycated haemoglobin), was measured before and after 5 days of therapeutic adjustment in diabetic patients. In 20 patients with a favourable course of glycaemic control, the mean decrease of apo B-G concentration reached nearly 16%. In 11 patients with an unfavourable course, the increase of apo B-G concentration was about 14%. Therefore, variation of serum apo B-G concentration could serve as an additional short-term marker for glycaemic control, although possible concomitant variations of serum triglycerides or total apolipoprotein B concentrations should also be considered.

[Refsum disease]

Refsum's disease, firstly described almost 50 years ago by the Norvegian neurologist Sigvald Refsum, is an autosomic recessive disease affecting mostly the Scandinavians and the populations originating from Northern Europe. The disease results from a specific enzyme deficiency of the first step of phytanic acid catabolism pathway. This deficiency leads to an accumulation of this C20 fatty acid in the serum and the tissues with a preference for adipose tissue, liver and kidneys. The clinical picture includes retinitis pigmentosa, peripheral neuropathy, ataxia and elevated cerebrospinal fluid protein concentration. Other less frequent manifestations include cranial nerves deficiency, myocardiopathy, renal tubular dysfunction and ichtyosis. The diagnosis relies on serum phytanic acid measurement. The treatment consists of a phytanic-acid free diet sometimes associated with plasmapheresis. This treatment is generally effective on neuropathy but not on cranial nerves dysfunction and retinitis pigmentosa.

Biliary elimination and hepatic disposition of an association of piperacillin and tazobactam: experimental evaluation

Biliary elimination and hepatic disposition of tazocillin, an association of a highly bile-excreted ureido-penicillin, piperacillin, with a beta-lactamase inhibitor, tazobactam, have been assessed applying an isolated perfused rabbit liver experimental model. Six investigations were performed, each during a 3 h period, using reconstituted blood circulating in a closed circuit. Piperacillin and tazobactam concentration in all specimens were determined by high performance liquid chromatography. Blood samples and cumulative bile secretion were collected every 30 min, and liver fragments were isolated at the end of each experiment for dosage purposes. Following the simultaneous administration of piperacillin 80 mg and tazobactam 10 mg (dose ratio 8/1) in the perfusion device, theoretical initial serum concentrations were respectively 414 micrograms/ml and 32.1 micrograms/ml. Maximal biliary concentrations of 4431 +/- 1541 (s.d.) of piperacillin and 21.3 +/- 7.8 micrograms/ml of tazobactam were reached between 0.5-1 h and 2.5-3 h, respectively. Cumulative biliary excretion (0-3 h) amounted to 37.6 +/- 17.7% of the administered dose for piperacillin and 1.5% for tazobactam. At the end of the perfusion, respectively 22.1% and 50.7% of piperacillin and tazobactam doses remained in the circulating blood, while 1.1% and 5.6% were found in the liver. On the basis of these data, the calculated percentages of piperacillin and tazobactam doses having undergone hepatic biotransformation, were 6.5% and 1.2%, respectively. Under such experimental conditions, concentrations and excretion of piperacillin in bile prove to be substantial. Of note, tazobactam concentrations turn out to be stable both in serum and in bile whereas they stay at a relatively constant level of 20 micrograms/ml during nearly all the perfusion time.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Biliary excretion and hepatic disposal of cefixime: experimental and clinical study]

Cefixime is a new oral cephalosporin with in vitro activity similar to that of third-generation cephalosporins. Renal excretion accounts for only 40% of systemic clearance of cefixime, suggesting that biliary excretion of the drug may be significant. This study was designed to determine to what extent nonrenal clearance of cefixime is due to biliary excretion of the parent compound. In an isolated perfused rabbit liver model, biliary excretion of cefixime was very low, with only 0.28 +/- 0.15% of a single 10 mg dose injected in the system being recovered in the bile after three hours perfusion. The liver biotransformation rate for cefixime was found to be 16.2%. These results are in striking contrast with those obtained in human studies. Cefixime levels in duodenal juice aspirates collected over four hours following an intravenous injection of 200 mg cefixime in six healthy volunteers were at least fivefold concomitant serum levels. Studies of bile collected by external biliary drainage during 24 hours following an oral dose of 200 mg cefixime in ten cholecystectomized patients showed that the Cmax was 56.9 +/- 70 mg/l, i.e., 25-fold the serum Cmax (2.3 +/- 0.85 mg/l). The bile AUC/serum AUC ratio was 20.4 +/- 20.3. Mean bile level of cefixime was still as high as 4.3 +/- 3.7 mg/l 20 hours after dosing. The amount of cefixime excreted in the bile over 24 hours was 10.0 +/- 12.3 mg i.e., 5% of the dose administered. Twenty-four hour renal excretion of cefixime was 53.3 +/- 26.2 mg.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Discovery of pancreatic diabetes in Strasbourg]

Although many clinical aspects of diabetes were already known in the second half of the XIXth century, its pathogenesis remained mysterious. The German Medical School of Strasbourg, rich of numerous eminent teachers and researchers such as A. Kussmaul and B. Naunyn in the 1880ies, represented by this time one of the leading centers in diabetes research. The studies of Joseph Freiherr Von Mering on phloridzin-induced glycosuria are an example between others, but the discovery by Oskar Minkowski of the pancreatic origin of the disease undoubtedly stands as the most famous. This discovery was partly indebted to luck since Von Mering and Minkowski were studying a problem of digestive absorption of lipids, but it was greatly due to the excellent clinical and experimental training of Minkowski, as well as his operatory skill. These works, initially criticized by some authors, turned out to stimulate in several countries researchs on the isolation from pancreas of an hypoglycemic substance. Several investigators gave up or failed near the end, which was reached in 1921 by F. Banting and C. Best, subsequently opening the therapeutic era of diabetology.

[Experimental study on the hepatobiliary kinetics and excretion of temafloxacin. Evidence for production of active metabolites by the rabbit liver]

Temafloxacin is a new fluoroquinolone derivative currently under evaluation. Its hepatobiliary disposition remains undefined as yet. The present study represents an experimental approach to this issue. Six isolated rabbit liver preparations were perfused for three hours with reconstituted and oxygenated blood in a closed circuit. A the onset of the procedures, temafloxacin 10 mg were added to the circulating blood. Both bile and blood were sampled throughout the perfusion time, and liver fragments were taken at the end of the experiments. Temafloxacin levels were measured by HPLC in serum and hepatic tissue, and by both HPLC and microbiological assay in bile. The percentage of drug undergoing hepatic biotransformation appeared to be high, i.e. 58.3%. This finding is substantiated by the comparison of temafloxacin levels in bile, as provided by HPLC and microbiological assay, the latter yielding concentrations twice as high (biliary peak: 33.5 +/- 2.8 micrograms/ml versus 19.3 +/- 3.1 micrograms/ml by HPLC assay) as those obtained by HPLC (p less than 0.05). Consistently, the average amount of temafloxacin excreted into the bile (0-3 h) was, respectively, 92 micrograms (0.9% of the dose) and 204 micrograms (2.0%) as determined by HPLC and microbiological methods (p less than 0.05); this statistically significant difference suggests the presence of active metabolites in bile. The presented results bring out evidence for substantial biotransformation of temafloxacin by Rabbit liver. Extrapolation to other species, however, would be hazardous; further pharmacokinetic studies are needed in order to assess the relevance of these findings in humans.

Biliary pharmacokinetic profile of piperacillin: experimental data and evaluation in man

The purpose of the present experimental and clinical work is to revisit the biliary pharmacokinetic properties of piperacillin. Whereas the up to now published data result from microbiological assays, this work was realized by high performance liquid chromatography. In the isolated and perfused rabbit liver model (n = 5; 3 h), the biliary level peaked at 1,013 +/- 305 micrograms/ml between 30 and 60 min. During the experiments, 56.7% and 10.8% of the administered piperacillin (10 mg) were respectively eliminated in bile and submitted to hepatic biotransformation. In man, a single 2 g i.v. dose was administered to 6 volunteers. The excretion measured in the duodenal fluid was 1,681 +/- 601 micrograms in 4 h (0.08% of the administered dose). In cholecystectomized patients (n = 10) provided with a T-drain, the biliary peak concentration was 211 +/- 64 micrograms/ml during the 2nd h, and the 24 h biliary elimination was 12,963 +/- 3,332 micrograms, representing 0.65% of the administered dose. The hepato-biliary clearance was 0.80 ml/min. On per-operatively collected serum, choledocal bile, gallbladder bile and gallbladder wall samples (n = 10 patients), the concentrations of piperacillin simultaneously measured 1 h after the i.v. administration of 2 g were respectively, 81.7 +/- 20.5, 382 +/- 110, 30.8 +/- 2.5 micrograms/ml and 10.5 +/- 2.6 micrograms/g.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Biliary elimination and hepatic disposition of piperacillin: experimental evaluation]

The rate of biliary elimination and the hepatic disposition of piperacillin were studied by using an experimental model of a three hours perfusion of five isolated rabbit liver preparations. After addition of 10 mg of the antibiotic to the circulating blood, a mean biliary peak of 1,013 +/- 305 micrograms/ml was obtained between the 30th and 60th minute. The cumulated biliary elimination (0-3 hr) amounted to 5,665 +/- 389 micrograms (56.7% of the dose given). The hepatobiliary clearance was calculated to 134.2 ml/hr and the biliary elimination rate constant to 0.5 545 (h-1). After the procedure, 7.2 +/- 2.7% of the dose of piperacillin was still present in the circulating blood and 0.4 +/- 0.1% in the liver. The degradation of the antibiotic in the perfusion device concerned 24.9% of the dose. The percentage of piperacillin undergoing hepatic biotransformation, calculated by subtraction, was 10.8%. Under these conditions, the biliary elimination of piperacillin is much higher than that of the twenty other beta-lactams studied in our laboratory by the same experimental procedure.

Clinical pharmacokinetics of cefotiam

Cefotiam, a semisynthetic parenteral cephalosporin of the aminothiazole group, exhibits interesting properties: stability against hepatic metabolism and excellent solubility, accounting for an apparent volume of distribution 2 to 3 times higher than that of most other cephalosporins. Its degree of protein binding is about 40%. High concentrations of cefotiam are observed in several tissues (kidney, heart, ear, prostate and genital tract) as well as in fluids and secretions (bile, ascitic fluid). In healthy subjects, the serum elimination half-life is about 1 hour. The pharmacokinetics are linear only for doses lower than 1g. Cefotiam is mostly (and rapidly) eliminated in unchanged form in urine; 50 to 70% of the dose is recovered during the 12 hours following administration, and only severe renal failure, with creatinine clearance less than 5 ml/min, significantly alters the elimination half-life. Although the drug has no proven nephrotoxicity in man, a reduction of the dose is recommended when creatinine clearance is less than 30 ml/min.

[Cefpiramide, a new cephalosporin with high hepatic elimination; experimental evaluation of its biliary passage and disposition in the liver]

The biliary elimination and hepatic disposition of cefpiramide were studied using an isolated and perfused rabbit liver model. Five experiments were performed, each lasting 3 hours. After addition of 10 mg of cefpiramide to the circulating blood, the biliary concentration reached a mean peak of 741 +/- 15 micrograms/ml between the 30th and 60th minute; the cumulated biliary elimination of the drug amounted 4042 +/- 1099 micrograms, corresponding to 40.4% of the injected dose. The hepato-biliary clearance was 54.5 ml/hr and the biliary elimination rate constant 0.2019(hr-1). At the end of the perfusion, 21.7% of the dose was still present in the circulating blood and 1.4% is found in the liver. Control experiments showed that 36.2% of the cefpiramide added into the experimental device was submitted to degradation. Thus, it was possible to calculate the rate of liver biotransformation of cefpiramide, which accounted for 0.3%. These experimental results confirm the major role of the liver in the elimination of cefpiramide and prove that the drug is not submitted to hepatic metabolisation.

Biliary elimination of ticarcillin plus clavulanic acid (Claventin): experimental and clinical study

The aim of the present study was to assess the biliary elimination and disposition of Claventin, a combination of clavulanic acid (CA), a beta-lactamase inhibitor, with ticarcillin (TIC), resulting in an enhancement of the activity of the antibiotic and broadening of its antibacterial spectrum. This work was done experimentally and in humans. Assays of both molecules were performed by HPLC. During a 3 h perfusion of five isolated rabbit liver preparations, 1.3 +/- 0.2% and 0.4 +/- 0.1% of TIC and CA added to the circulating blood were eliminated in the bile. At the same time, 31.8% of TIC and 50.5% of CA were submitted to a hepatic biotransformation. In healthy subjects (n = 5), after a single i.v. injection of 3.2 g of Claventin (TIC: 3 g + CA: 0.2 g) mean peak concentrations of 66.8 +/- 31.9 micrograms/ml (TIC 4th h) and 0.3 +/- 0.1 microgram/ml (CA, 2nd h) were observed in the aspirated duodenal fluid where 0.07% and 0.01%, respectively, of the administered dose were recovered during the 4 h investigation period. In cholecystectomized patients (n = 10) provided with a T-tube, i.v. administration of Claventin, 3.2 g, resulted in biliary maximal levels of 177 +/- 49 micrograms/ml (TIC: 2nd h) and 2.7 +/- 0.5 microgram/ml (CA 1st h). Total amount of each derivative eliminated in bile over 12 h averaged 0.28% (TIC) and 0.05% (CA) of the given dose. Hepatobiliary clearance was 20.5 ml/h (TIC) and 4.4 ml/h (CA). In intra-operative simultaneously sampled specimens of serum, choledochal bile, gallbladder bile and gallbladder wall, the following concentrations were measured 1 h after i.v. administration of Claventin: TIC: 105 +/- 10; 386 +/- 66; 72 +/- 20 micrograms/ml and 36 +/- 11 micrograms/g, CA: 3.5 +/- 0.7; 5.9 +/- 1.5; 0.3 +/- 0.3 microgram/ml and 0.1 +/- 0.1 microgram/g. The biliary pharmacokinetics determined in humans makes it possible to consider favourably the prophylactic use of Claventin in surgery of the biliary tree and constitute a good prerequisite for a possible beneficial treatment of biliary tract infections.

High hepatic excretion in humans of cefpiramide, a new cephalosporin

After intravenous administration of 1 g of cefpiramide, the biliary elimination of the drug was studied by using high-performance liquid chromatography. In five healthy volunteers, a mean peak concentration of 339 +/- 107 (standard error of the mean) micrograms/ml was measured in aspirated duodenal fluid during h 2 after administration, and 1.2% of the dose given was recovered over a 4-h period. A maximal concentration of 1,161 +/- 392 micrograms/ml was reached during h 2 in T-tube bile from 10 recently cholecystectomized patients, with a 24-h biliary recovery of 23.1%; urinary recovery over the same period averaged 49.4%. In 10 patients undergoing cholecystectomy, the concentrations in serum, choledochal bile, gallbladder bile, and gallbladder wall 1 h after cefpiramide administration were 157 +/- 21, 1,726 +/- 501, and 84 +/- 33 micrograms/ml and 23 +/- 4 micrograms/g, respectively. These figures represent the highest biliary concentrations attained so far with a beta-lactam antibiotic and are therefore a good prerequisite for treatment of biliary tract infections with cefpiramide.

[Polymorphism of C4 and factor B in type I diabetes]

The haplotypic frequencies of the fourth component of complement (C4) and factor B (Bf) have been determined in 44 Alsatian type 1 diabetics. An increased frequency of the rare allele Bf F1 (9.1% vs 1.5%) and of the silent alleles of C4 (C4 AQO: 21.6% vers 15.5% -C4 BQO: 29.6% vs 16.0%) was observed in diabetics in comparison to the general population of the same geographic area. A complete HLA haplotype determination has been obtained in 24 type 1 French diabetics. Three haplotypes were associated with the diabetic susceptibility: HLA-A30 CW5 B18 BfF1 C4A3BQO DR3 (18.75% vs 0.86%), HLA-A1 CW7 B8 BfS C4AQOB1 DR3 (15.58% vs 4.17%), HLA-A2 CW3 BW62 BfS C4A3B3 DR4 (6.25% vs 0.45%). The authors suggest that the silent alleles of C4 could modulate the expression of the diabetic susceptibility genes by lowering of the serum C4 hemolytic activity.

[The role of ciprofloxacine metabolites in its biliary and urinary elimination in man]

The purpose of the present work was the investigation of the urinary and biliary eliminations of M1, M2, M3 and M4, the four metabolites of ciprofloxacin in twelve recently cholecystectomized patients provided with a T-drain. The four metabolites were measured by HPLC under isocratic conditions for M2 and M4, and by gradient elution for M1 and M3. After a single oral dose of 500 mg of ciprofloxacin, the 24th urinary elimination of the parent compound and its metabolites respectively amounted to 130.1 +/- 15.6; 13 +/- 11; 46.6 +/- 8.2; 13 +/- 3.7 and 0 mg, representing 26.02; 0.54; 1.32; 2.60 and 0% of the administered dose (total: 192.4 mg; 38.5%). During the same investigation period, the biliary elimination respectively reached 1,587 +/- 222; 241 +/- 38; 11,042 +/- 2,489; 144 +/- 51 and 19 +/- 13 micrograms (total: 13 mg) corresponding to 0.32; 0.05; 2.21; 0.03 and 0% (total: 2.61%) of the dose. The urinary and biliary elimination of ciprofloxacin as metabolites respectively represents 12.5 and 2.3% of the dose (total: 14.8%). The important amount of M2 recovered in bile (7 times more than ciprofloxacin itself) let suggest a hepatic biotransformation of ciprofloxacin.

[Study of insulin resistance in cirrhosis by the hyperinsulin euglycemia clamp]

To explore the insulin resistance state in liver cirrhosis and to assess the respective role of insulin sensitivity and cellular metabolism alterations, an euglycemic glucose clamp was performed in 12 cirrhotic patients and 6 healthy volunteers with 3 successive hyperinsulinemic periods of 90 mn (infusions of 7, 20 and Iu/h). An artificial beta-cell model allowed to quantify the amount of glucose needed to keep glycemia at 4.70 mmol/l. In 7 cirrhotic patients, insulin secretion was tested by an intravenous glucose tolerance test. The dose-response curves showed a significant (p less than 0.01) decrease of the theoretical maximal metabolic clearance rate of glucose (capacity). The insulin concentration corresponding to the half-maximal response (ED50) did not differ between cirrhotic and control subjects because of a very important dispersion of individual values in cirrhotics. The ED50 value was lower than the values of control subjects in five cirrhotic patients and normal or enhanced in seven other patients; the former showed the most reduced values for capacity, and the latter a more marked hyperinsulinemia during the intravenous glucose tolerance test. The two subgroups of patients did not differ for clinical or biological parameters of cirrhosis, or for glucose tolerance. These results 1) show a constant and marked impairment of glucose metabolism capacity in liver cirrhosis, 2) and suggest that the insulin resistance inconstantly observed in this state is a consequence of chronic hyperinsulinemia.

[Evaluation of the biliary excretion of a ticarcillin-clavulanic acid combination in man]

The association of a beta-lactamase inhibitor, clavulanic acid (CA) (0.2 g) to ticarcillin (TIC) (3 g) enhances the activity of the latter on resistant strains. The aim of the present study was to assess their biliary elimination in man. Serum, urine and bile concentrations of TIC and CA were measured in biological samples collected in 10 cholecystectomized patients provided with a T-tube, during 12 hours after the IV administration of 3.2 g of claventin. Concerning TIC, a mean biliary peak of 177 +/- 49 (SEM) micrograms/ml was reached during the 2nd hour; the total biliary output (0-12 h) (AB) was 8.8 +/- 2.6 mg (0.28% of the administered dose), the hepato-biliary clearance CL HB 0.34 ml/min and the biological half-life, TB 1/2 1.2 h. The mean biliary peak of CA was 2.7 +/- 0.5 micrograms/ml and occurred during the first hour. AB amounted to 98.5 +/- 34.7 micrograms (0.04% of dose), CLHB to 0.10 ml/min and TB 1/2 1.2 h. In per-operatively sampled serum, choledochal bile, gallbladder bile and gall-bladder wall, the following concentrations were measured 1 hour after the IV administration of 3.2 g of Claventin. TIC: 105 +/- 11; 386 +/- 66; 72 +/- 20 micrograms/ml and 36 +/- 11 micrograms/g. CA: 3.6 +/- 0.7; 5.9 +/- 1.5; 0.3 +/- 0.3 micrograms/ml and 0.1 +/- 0.1 micrograms/g. The biliary pharmacokinetic profiles allow to favorably consider the prophylactic use of Claventin in the surgery of the biliary tract as well as its therapeutic administration in biliary tract infections.

High biliary elimination of ceftriaxone in man

Biliary elimination of ceftriaxone was studied in man using chromatography (HPLC). After a single i.v. administration of 2 g of ceftriaxone to 6 normal subjects, a peak concentration of 565 +/- s.e.m. 347 micrograms/ml was reached during the 1st h in the collected duodenal fluid, and 1.4 +/- 0.5% of the given dose was recovered within 4 h. In 10 cholecystectomized patients provided with a T-drain, a maximal biliary concentration of 1,078 +/- 158 micrograms/ml was measured during the 2nd h after i.v. injection of 2 g of ceftriaxone and the 24-h recovery was 9.5 +/- 2.9%. Intraoperative samples obtained in 12 patients undergoing cholecystectomy 1 h after i.v. administration of 2 g of the antibiotic, gave the following results: serum concentration 199 +/- 10 micrograms/ml, choledochal bile = 5,259 +/- 1,085 micrograms/ml, gallbladder bile 4,533 +/- 809 micrograms/ml. These data indicate an excellent biliary elimination of ceftriaxone in comparison with other beta-lactams previously studied under the same conditions and point to be a promising therapeutic potential in biliary tract infections.

[Ceftriaxone, a cephalosporin with high hepatic elimination. Evaluation of its biliary clearance in man. Therapeutic value]

The biliary elimination of ceftriaxone, a cephalosporin derivative, was quantitatively studied in man with the help of high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). In 6 healthy volunteers a mean peak concentration of 565 +/- 347 (SEM) micrograms/ml was observed in the aspirated duodenal fluid within the first hour after i.v. administration of 2 g ceftriaxone, and 1.4 +/- 0.5% of the dose was recovered during the 4 hours investigation period. In 10 cholecystectomized patients provided with a T-drain, the biliary concentration peak (1078 +/- 158 micrograms/ml) was reached within 1 hour after administration and the total 24 hours recovery amounted to 9.5 +/- 2.9% of the dose given. In 12 patients undergoing cholecystectomy, serum, and choledochal (CB) and gallbladder bile (GB) were peroperatively collected 1 hour after i.v. administration of 2 g ceftriaxone; the respective concentrations were: 199 +/- 10 (serum), 5259 +/- 1085 (CB), and 4533 +/- 809 (GB) micrograms/ml. These data point to excellent biliary elimination of ceftriaxone compared with the other beta-lactams previously studied, and afford evidence of its high therapeutic potential in biliary tract infections.

[Experimental evaluation of the biliary tract passage of ceftriaxone and its hepatic disposition]

The biliary elimination of ceftriaxone was studied by an isolated perfused rabbit liver model (n = 5). After adding of 10 mg of this antibiotic to the circulating blood of this preparation, a mean biliary peak level reaching 120.5 +/- 24.6 micrograms/ml was obtained between the 30th and 60th minutes. The total amount of ceftriaxone eliminated unchanged in the bile collected during a 3h period represents 8.8 +/- 2.6% of the administered dose. At the end of this study period, 32.7 +/- 3.3% of the initial dose remained in the circulating blood. The hepatic tissue concentrated 3.7% of the whole dose. At last, control experiments proved that 36.4% of the added antibiotic has been degraded by the experimental system itself. Thus the remaining 18.4% can be attributed to a hepatic biotransformation of ceftriaxone.

Semisynthetic human insulin: biological and pharmacokinetic effects in normal subjects

The assessment of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of semisynthetic human insulin produced by enzymatic conversion was done in normal subjects, and compared to those of highly purified pork insulin. Ten healthy volunteers were submitted to an intravenous injection of 0.06 U/kg of regular insulin, semisynthetic (Actrapid HM) and monocomponent pork insulin (Actrapid MC) in succession. No significant differences were pointed out as far as the pharmacokinetic parameters, immunoreactivity and hypoglycemic effect of both types of insulin are concerned. Only a stronger inhibition of endogenous insulin secretion, expressed by a significantly lower plasma-C-peptide levels, was observed after PPI. Stimulation of glucagon secretion was similar with both types of insulin.

[Evaluation of bile diffusion of piperacillin]

In 10 patients undergoing cholecystectomy peroperative samples of serum, bile and gall bladder tissue were obtained one hour after intravenous injection of 2 g of piperacillin. Measurements were made by high performance liquid chromatography. Mean concentrations of piperacillin were 81.7 +/- 13.6 micrograms/ml in serum (S), 382 +/- 110 micrograms/ml in choledochal bile (CB), 30.8 +/- 8.5 micrograms/ml in gall bladder bile and 10.5 +/- 2.6 micrograms/g of gall bladder tissue. With a CB/S ratio of 4.7, piperacillin may be classified among beta-lactams showing good distribution in the biliary tract. This property would make piperacillin useful against the pathogens usually responsible for biliary tract infections.

[Malnutrition and deficiency of insulin secretion in alcoholic cirrhosis. Study by the assay of urinary C-peptide]

In order to evaluate the relationship between nutritional status and insulin secretion in cirrhosis, the following parameters of caloric (tricipital skin fold, prealbumin) and proteic (arm muscle size, transferrin, 24 h-urinary creatinine excretion) nutritional status were compared in 20 alcoholic cirrhotics and 10 normal subjects. Insulin secretion was evaluated in both groups by insulin and C-peptide response to an intravenous glucose tolerance test and by 24 h urinary excretion of C-peptide. When compared to normals, cirrhotics have lower values for all nutritional status parameters and individually for at least three of those in 14 (70 p. 100) patients. In cirrhotics there is a significant decrease of the 4-min poststimulative response of insulin and C-peptide, contrasting with higher basal and late poststimulative values than in normals. This contrast could be explained by a reduced metabolic clearance rate of insulin (consistent with insulin resistance) and of C-peptide (the urinary clearance of which is 2.5 times lower in cirrhotics than in normals). The 24-h urinary excretion of C-peptide, probably weakly dependent of this reduced clearance, is 50 p. 100 lower in cirrhotics: 12.9 +/- 1.6 nM/24 h than in normals: 26.0 +/- 2.4 nM/24 h (p less than 0.001). In cirrhotics there is a significant linear correlation between 24 h urinary C-peptide excretion and all the nutritional status parameters but one (prealbumin). These results indicate that in cirrhosis: 1) urinary C-peptide excretion rate is a good index of insulin secretion; 2) urinary C-peptide indicates a marked deficit in insulin secretion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Experimental and clinical evaluation of the biliary elimination of ceftazidime]

After adding 10 mg of ceftazidime to the circulating blood of five isolated rabbit liver perfusions, total antibiotic excretion over a 3 hours period accounted for 1.4% of the administered dose; only 0.9% was found to be metabolized by the liver. In five healthy subjects given 2 g ceftazidime intravenously, 0.05% (102 +/- 576 micrograms) was recovered in the duodenal fluid over a four-hour period. In 10 patients with a T-tube inserted following cholecystectomy, 0.21% of a 2 g dose of ceftazidime injected intravenously was found in the bile collected over a 12-hour period (4 161 +/- 489 micrograms); a mean biliary peak of 36.3 +/- 4.0 micrograms/ml was recorded during the second hour. In 10 patients in whom serum, choledochal bile and gallbladder bile were sampled simultaneously during surgery 1 hour after IV administration of ceftazidime, the concentrations found were 40.6/e 2.1, 78.3 +/- 12.0 and 17.9 +/- 7.5 micrograms/ml respectively. Our results suggests that ceftazidime may be suitable in the treatment of biliary tract infections.

Biliary elimination of apalcillin: an experimental and clinical study

After adding 10 mg of apalcillin to the circulating blood of five isolated rabbit liver perfusion preparations, total apalcillin biliary recovery over a 3 h-period accounted for 30.7% of the administered dose; the biliary peak level averaged 686.0 +/- 135.9 micrograms/ml. In five healthy subjects, a maximum level of 1088 +/- 582 micrograms/ml was measured in the duodenal fluid collected during 4 h following intravenous injection of 1 g of apalcillin. In 10 cholecystectomized patients provided with T-tube drainage, after the same dosage, a biliary peak of 2093 +/- 859 micrograms/ml was attained in the 3rd hour and cumulative biliary recovery over a 12 h-period amounted to 12.1% of the injected dose. In 20 patients undergoing biliary surgery, intra-operative simultaneous sampling performed 1 h after intravenous injection of 1 g of apalcillin showed antibiotic levels of 65.5 +/- 5.0 micrograms/ml in serum, 3860 +/- 551 micrograms/ml in common bile duct bile and 2552 +/- 627 micrograms/ml in gallbladder bile. The results of these investigations were compared with data previously obtained with 13 other beta-lactam derivatives.

Biliary elimination of cefotiam, an experimental and clinical study

Five isolated rabbit livers were in vitro perfused over a 3-hour period. After addition of 10 mg of cefotiam to the circulating blood, a biliary peak concentration of 76.2 +/- 14.2 micrograms/ml (mean +/- SEM) was reached between the 90th and 120th min; 3.1 +/- 0.4% of the dose given was excreted in the bile during the 3-hour period. In 10 recently cholecystectomized patients provided with a T-tube drain, 1 g of cefotiam was given intravenously. A biliary peak concentration of 340 +/- 81 micrograms/ml was observed 2 h later. 1.8 +/- 0.7% of the administered dose was recovered in the bile during the 12-hour period. In 5 clinically normal subjects given intravenously 1 g of cefotiam, 0.5 +/- 0.2% of the administered dose was found in the duodenal fluid aspirated over a 4-hour period. Cefotiam concentrations measured in choledochal and gallbladder bile collected simultaneously during operation 1 h after intravenous administration of 1 g of the drug to 10 patients were 502 +/- 102 micrograms/ml and 143 +/- 39 micrograms/ml, respectively; they exceeded significantly the concentration determined in the serum sampled at the same time (17.9 +/- 2.6 micrograms/ml). The biliary parameters of cefotiam were compared with those of 14 other beta-lactam antibiotics previously studied by the same procedure. The results of the present study are consistent with a possible beneficial effect of cefotiam in the treatment of biliary tract infections.

Comparison of high-pressure liquid chromatography and microbiological assay for the determination of biliary elimination of ciprofloxacin in humans

Serum kinetics and biliary, urinary, and fecal elimination of ciprofloxacin, a new quinolone derivative, were studied in 12 recently cholecystectomized patients provided with T-tube drainage during 24 h after oral administration of a single 500-mg dose of this substance. Drug concentrations were measured by both high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and microbiological assay. The results were comparable for the concentrations in serum (average of peaks, 2.0 +/- 0.2 micrograms/ml by HPLC and 2.3 +/- 0.3 micrograms/ml by the microbiological method) and urine (0 to 6 h, 267 +/- 74 and 241 +/- 58 micrograms/ml, respectively). This was not the case for biliary values, for which the microbiological assay yielded significantly higher concentrations than did HPLC (average of peak concentrations, 21.2 +/- 2.6 and 16.0 +/- 2.5 micrograms/ml, respectively [P less than 0.02]), nor for total 24-h biliary output (2,167 +/- 288 and 1,587 +/- 222 micrograms, respectively [P less than 0.01]). This suggests hepatic biotransformation of ciprofloxacin into microbiologically active metabolites. The apparent broad antibacterial spectrum of ciprofloxacin and its higher biliary levels than simultaneously determined serum concentrations suggest that this derivative is suitable for the treatment of biliary tract infections.

[Treatment of severe hyperthyroidism by plasma exchange. Clinical and biological efficacy. 8 cases]

The effectiveness of plasmapheresis was evaluated in 8 patients with severe thyrotoxicosis of diverse origin and clinical manifestations, who underwent a total of 22 plasma exchanges. The method proved rapidly effective in controlling the symptoms in 6 cases. No adverse reaction was noted. In all patients plasma exchanges significantly reduced plasma concentrations of total thyroxine and triiodothyronine and of thyroxine-binding globulin, without effect on free thyroxine and triiodothyronine fractions. The satisfactory clinical results obtained can only be explained by displacement of thyroid hormones from the intracellular compartment. The hormonal variations observed were proportional to the initial hormone concentrations, to the amount of thyroxine-binding globulin removed and to the plasma volume purified. It is concluded that plasmapheresis rapidly extracts thyroid hormones and is therefore useful in the treatment of acute severe thyrotoxicosis.

Biliary elimination of beta-lactam antibiotics by the isolated perfused rabbit liver

Biliary elimination of 15 beta-lactams was studied using a model of isolated perfused rabbit liver. During the perfusion period, the main liver functions were well preserved. The highest biliary concentrations were reached by antibiotics of the penicillin group, and the highest biliary recovery was observed with metampicillin, apalcillin and mezlocillin (46.5, 30.7 and 20.3%, respectively, of the dose administered). This technique was also suitable for estimating the degree of bio-transformation in the liver of the antibiotics studied.

Biliary elimination of apalcillin in humans

Apalcillin was administered intravenously as a single 1-g dose on day 8 after surgery to 10 cholecystectomized patients with T-tube drainage. A peak of 2,093 +/- standard error of the mean 859 micrograms/ml of bile was attained at 3 h after dosage. Biliary recovery over a 12-h period amounted to 12.2% of the dose. In 20 patients undergoing biliary surgery, apalcillin concentrations 1 h after a 1-g dose were 65.5 +/- 5.0, 3,680 +/- 551, and 2,552 +/- 627 micrograms/ml in serum, choledochal bile, and gallbladder bile, respectively.