Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P01275 (glucagon)
 26,492 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A large number of observations point towards cytokines, polypeptides released mainly by immune cells, as the molecules responsible for the metabolic derangements associated with cancer-bearing states. Indeed, these alterations lead to a pathological state known as cancer cachexia which is, unfortunately, one of the worst effects of malignancy, accounting for nearly a third of cancer deaths. It is characterized by weight loss together with anorexia, weakness, anemia, and asthenia. The complications associated with the appearance of the cachectic syndrome affect both the physiological and biochemical balance of the patient and have effects on the efficiency of the anticancer treatment, resulting in a considerably decreased survival time. At the metabolic level, cachexia is associated with loss of skeletal muscle protein together with a depletion of body lipid stores. The cachectic patient, in addition to having practically no adipose tissue, is basically subject to an important muscle wastage manifested as an excessive nitrogen loss. The metabolic changes are partially mediated by alterations in circulating hormone concentrations (insulin, glucagon, and glucocorticoids in particular) or in their effectiveness. The present study reviews the involvement of different cytokines in the metabolic and physiological alterations associated with tumor burden and cachexia. Among these cytokines, some can be considered as procachectic (such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha), while others having opposite effects can be named as anticachectic cytokines. It is the balance between these two cytokine types that finally seems to have a key role in cancer cachexia.
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PMID:The role of cytokines in cancer cachexia. 1023 51

Glucagon-producing neuroendocrine tumors typically present with a characteristic constellation of symptoms including necrolytic migratory erythema, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, weight loss, anemia, glossitis, and an increased thrombotic tendency. Most glucagonomas are solid and arise in the body or tail of the pancreas. We report two cases of cystic glucagonoma, one found incidentally in an asymptomatic patient and one in a patient with weight loss and diabetes but no rash. In the first patient, distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy were curative, whereas the second patient continued to exhibit elevated serum glucagon levels and symptoms of glucose intolerance in the absence of demonstrable metastases. Cystic glucagonoma is a unique variant of classic glucagonoma and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cystic pancreatic neoplasms.
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PMID:Cystic glucagonoma: A rare variant of an uncommon neuroendocrine pancreas tumor. 1045 11

Readers of this review may feel that there is much more that we do not know about space endocrinology than what we know. Several reasons for this state of affairs have been given: 1. the complexity of the field of endocrinology with its still increasing number of known hormones, releasing factors and precursors, and of the interactions between them through various feedback mechanisms 2. the difficulty in separating the microgravity effects from the effects of stress from launch, isolation and confinement during flight, reentry, and postflight re-adaptation 3. the experimental limitations during flight, such as limited number of subjects, limited number of samples, impossibility of collecting triple samples for pulsatile hormones like growth hormone 4. the disturbing effects of countermeasures used by astronauts 5. the inadequacy of postflight samples for conclusions about inflight values 6. limitations of conclusions from animal experiments and space simulation studies The endocrinology field is divided in to nine systems or axes, which are successively reviewed: 1. Rapid bone demineralization in the early phase of spaceflight that, when unopposed, leads to catastrophic effects after three months but that slows down later. The endocrine mechanism, apart from the effect of exercise as a countermeasure, is not yet understood. 2. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is involved in stress reactions, which complicate our understanding and makes postflight analysis dubious. 3. In the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, pulsatility poses a problem for obtaining representative values (e.g., for luteinizing hormone). Reproduction of rats in space is possible, but much more needs to be known about this aspect, particularly in women, before the advent of space colonies, but also in males because some evidence for reversible testicular dysfunction in space has been found. 4. The hypothalamic-pituitary-somato-mammotrophic axis involves prolactin and growth hormone. The latter also acts as a stress hormone and its secretion is greatly decreased in spaceflown rats, but not in astronauts, which may be due to differences in the regulation of growth hormone secretion between rats and humans. 5. The hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis involves the thyroid hormones thyroxine and triiodothyronine, which are lowered in space, suggesting mild hypothyroidism. 6. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis, which regulates water and electrolytes, involves antidiuretic hormone and two natriuretic peptides and shows paradoxical behavior in space. 7. Erythrocyte mass regulation involves erythropoietin, and space anemia is still not explained. 8. The endocrine pancreas involves insulin and glucagon, with loss of insulin sensitivity in space due to lack of exercise, which phenomenon requires more study before the advent of space colonies. 9. The sympathetic system acts through epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine and seems to have an increased activity in space in contrast to what had been widely believed. From the foregoing conclusions, it is clear that much further study is needed in all fields of space endocrinology. On the other hand, future studies will allow us to understand what happens in a given endocrine subsystem in the absence of the "gravity factor", the perturbing factor to which the human race has become adapted through thousands of years of evolution. This should provide us with a fuller understanding of the internal homeostatic mechanisms. An important point is that some endocrine systems seem to undergo changes in space that resemble those observed during senescence, but after spaceflight, recovery always occurs within weeks or months after return. This is particularly true for the systems regulating bone and muscle metabolism and reproduction, exactly as happens with the immune, neurosensory, and cardiovascular systems. Further space research may help us find new insights in the pathophysiology of aging and hopefully define novel prev
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PMID:Hormonal changes in humans during spaceflight. 1066 Jul 74

A 58-year-old patient had been treated for recurrent gastritis. Numerous gastroscopies indicated hemorrhagic gastritis combined with increasingly severe anemia. The patient was admitted with a hemoglobin of 4.4 g/dL. Gastroscopy showed marked antral angiodysplasia. Serum samples for gastrin were taken and found to be elevated (170-250 U/mL). The search for a gastrin-producing tumor with abdominal ultrasound, computed tomography, octreotide scan, and secretin test was negative, but angiography detected a pancreas tumor with a 2-cm diameter. Partial pancreatectomy and partial gastrectomy were performed. Immunohistochemical examination of the tumor did not show a gastrinoma but did show glucagon-reactive tissue. Further tumors or elevated plasma hormone levels were not detected, and a multiple endocrine neoplasia type I syndrome could be excluded. We thus found antral angiodysplasia with hypergastrinemia leading to detection of a glucagonoma diagnosed by immunohistochemistry. After more than 4 years of follow-up, the patient is without any symptoms or signs of relapse or secondary hormone syndrome.
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PMID:Immunohistochemical assessment of an asymptomatic glucagonoma in a patient with hypergastrinemia and marked antral angiodysplasia. 1127 23

Glucagonoma syndrome is a paraneoplastic phenomenon characterized by an islet alpha-cell pancreatic tumor, necrolytic migratory erythema, diabetes mellitus, weight loss, anemia, stomatitis, thromboembolism, and gastrointestinal and neuropsychiatric disturbances. These clinical findings in association with hyperglucagonemia and demonstrable pancreatic tumor establish the diagnosis. Glucagon itself is responsible for most of the observed signs and symptoms, and its induction of hypoaminoacidemia is thought to lead to necrolytic migratory erythema. Liver disease and fatty acid and zinc deficiency states may also contribute to the pathogenesis of the eruption in some cases. Most patients are diagnosed too late in the clinical course for cure, but successful palliation of symptomatology can usually be achieved with surgical and medical intervention. This paper reviews the glucagonoma syndrome, paying particular attention to its cutaneous features, and provides new perspectives in our current understanding of this phenomenon.
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PMID:The glucagonoma syndrome: a review of its features and discussion of new perspectives. 1137 Jul 94

Glucagonomas are rare tumors. They are predominantly located in the body or tail of the pancreas and display a constellation of signs and symptoms referred to as glucagonoma syndrome. The term necrolytic migratory erythema is used to characterize the distinctive rash associated with this syndrome. This report describes a classic presentation consisting of dermatitis, glossitis, stomatitis, angular cheilitis, anemia, and weight loss that was associated with the finding of a pancreatic mass and a markedly elevated plasma glucagon level. After pancreatic resection, the patient had complete resolution of the rash and normalization of plasma glucagon.
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PMID:Dermatitis, glossitis, stomatitis, cheilitis, anemia and weight loss: a classic presentation of pancreatic glucagonoma. 1194 95

Glucagonomas are alpha pancreatic islet cell tumors that, when they are active, produce a syndrome characterized by necrolytic migratory erythema, diabetes mellitus, weight loss, anemia, glossitis, thromboembolism, neuropsychiatric disturbances and hyperglucagonemia. We report a 43 years old male presenting with a five years history of dermatological lesions, associated with weight loss, glossitis and onicodystrophy. Serum glucagon was 2200 pg/ml and a CAT scan showed a tumor in the tail of the pancreas. The tumor was surgically excised but one year later, hepatic metastases were found. These were excised surgically, treated with long acting octeotride and finally treated with radiotherapy using Y-DOTATOC. In the last control in November, 2001, the patient is asymptomatic.
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PMID:[Glucagonoma: evolution and treatment]. 1219 91

Glucagonomas are rare tumors originating in alpha-cells of the pancreas. The most common clinical presentation is the association of diabetes mellitus, necrolytic erythema, weight loss and anemia. The diagnosis of pancreatic tumor is usually made by abdominal computed tomography and/or endoscopic ultrasonography. Indium-labeled octreotide scanning is useful for the localization of most neuroendocrine tumors and their metastases. Glucagon release can be confirmed by a high concentration of plasma glucagon. We report the case of a 74-year-old patient who had a glucagonoma with particular presentation of neurological impairment and weight loss. The diagnosis was confirmed by usual imaging procedures and plasma glucagon level. Medical treatment was started with long-acting repeatable octreotide (Sandostatin(R) LAR). After a one-year follow-up, the patient remained well. The original presentation and benefit of a new, long-acting somatostatin analog for the treatment of inoperable glucagonoma are discussed.
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PMID:[Clinical response of an atypical glucagonoma treated with a long-acting somatostatin analog]. 1243 3

Glucagonoma of the pancreas is a rare tumor with distinct clinical manifestations, such as necrolytic migratory erythema,weight loss, anemia, diabetes mellitus, and hypoamino-acidemia. We report the case of a 68-year-old Japanese man who underwent curative resection for malignant glucagonoma of the pancreas diagnosed through anemia and diabetes mellitus. The patient had had diabetes mellitus for 20 years. Anemia was diagnosed in 1998. On admission, the hemoglobin level was 8.3g/dl, but the levels of serum iron, vitamin B12, and erythropoietin and, the number of reticulocytes were within normal limits. The levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen (CA)19-9, and DUPAN-2 were also within normal limits, and exocrine function of the pancreas (PFD, 75%) was normal. Ultrasonography (US) revealed a hypoechoic tumor in the distal pancreas. Computed tomography (CT) demonstrated a high-density area 4 cm in diameter with calcification. The serum glucagon level was very high (2360 pg/ml), but the levels of other hormones such as somatostatin or gastrin were within normal limits, while insulin was low. Glucagonoma of the pancreas was diagnosed, and distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy was performed. Histological examination revealed a malignant endocrine tumor,which was immunohistochemically positive for chromogranin A and glucagon. Two months after the operation, the serum glucagon level had decreased to within normal limits and the hemoglobin level had increased to 10.4 g/dl. The case of glucagonoma reported here was found through diagnostic examinations of anemia and treated by surgical resection, by which the patient's anemia was largely alleviated. Therefore, we recommend checking patients who have diabetes mellitus and anemia in order to diagnose and treat glucagonoma in its early stage.
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PMID:Malignant glucagonoma of the pancreas diagnoses through anemia and diabetes mellitus. 1291 65

We report a case of glucagonoma syndrome, revealed by a necrolytic migratory erythema that had developed for four Years, associated with anorexia, severe weight loss, anemia, hypoprotidemia, and hypoaminoacidemia. The fasting blood glucose level tended paradoxically to be low (0.6 g/l). Elevated plasma glucagon levels confirmed our diagnosis. The absence of diabetes was explained by an independent insulin secretion derived from this composite pancreatic tumor, authenticated by the histological analysis and the proinsulin level. This level was similar to those typically observed in insulinomas. Six Months after a complete surgical exeresis, symptoms disappeared and biological results returned to normal values.
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PMID:[Necrolytic migratory erythema revealing glucagonoma without diabetes]. 1503 34


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