Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P61278 (somatostatin)
 22,083 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Ten patients with active acromegaly, six with a poor response to previous therapies and four newly diagnosed, were treated with the long-acting somatostatin analog octreotide (Sandostatin; 200-500 micrograms/day, sc, twice or three times daily) for 6-15 months. There was rapid clinical improvement in all patients. The mean daily serum GH concentration was reduced by 64% and was normalized (all GH values less than 2 micrograms/L) in three patients. Serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) concentrations were lowered by 40% and were normalized in eight patients. Serum concentrations of the amino-terminal propeptide of type III procollagen (PIIINP), an index of tissue collagen metabolism, were reduced by 40% and were normalized in all patients with initially elevated values. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between the mean serum GH and IGF-I levels (r = 0.47; P less than 0.001) as well as between serum GH and PIIINP levels (r = 0.34; P less than 0.05) and between serum IGF-I and PIIINP (r = 0.50; P less than 0.001). The effects of octreotide on pituitary tumor size and pathology were evaluated in one patient. The therapy did not seem to be associated with significant changes in sellar computed tomographic scans or light microscopic findings. The drug was generally well tolerated. However, indications of significant hepato-biliary dysfunction were noted in one patient after 5 months of therapy. This was reversible upon discontinuation of therapy and did not occur later during the rechallenge with a lower dose of the drug. However, there was probably newly formed cholelithiasis in four patients during the therapy. Our study suggests that octreotide is an effective and relatively safe new approach for treating active acromegaly. Further studies are needed to investigate long term effects on the hepatobiliary system.
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PMID:Effective clinical response to long term octreotide treatment, with reduced serum concentrations of growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-I, and the amino-terminal propeptide of type III procollagen in acromegaly. 218 Sep 76

Serum type III procollagen propeptide (PIIIP) is a reliable index of tissue collagen synthesis. Since in acromegaly there is increased collagen production, we measured serum PIIIP in acromegalic patients before any treatment (basal), during medical treatment with the somatostatin analog SMS 201-995, and after pituitary adenomectomy. In all patients, serum GH and plasma somatomedin-C (SmC) levels were also measured. Basal serum PIIIP levels were significantly (P less than 0.01) higher in acromegalic patients (mean +/- SEM, 22.7 +/- 2.1 ng/ml) than in normal subjects (n = 30; 9.7 +/- 0.5 ng/ml), and they were significantly correlated with plasma SmC values (r = 0.31; P less than 0.05). A significant (P less than 0.01) reduction in PIIIP levels occurred in patients treated with SMS 201-995 or surgery (from 24.3 +/- 2.7 to 12.4 +/- 1 ng/ml) as well as in GH and SmC levels. The maximum percent decrease in serum PIIIP was significantly correlated with those in GH (r = 0.65; P less than 0.01) and SmC (r = 0.60; P less than 0.01). Serum PIIIP levels did not change in those patients in whom neither GH nor SmC were decreased by treatment. In conclusion, serum PIIIP levels are elevated in acromegalic patients, and they decline in parallel with GH and SmC during medical or surgical treatment. Serum PIIIP measurements may be useful in the evaluation of acromegalic patients to gain information on the biological activity of GH and in monitoring the course of the disease.
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PMID:Serum type III procollagen propeptide levels in acromegalic patients. 287 8