title: Insulin and glucagon levels in fulminant hepatic failure in man.
abstract: The behavior of insulin and glucagon and related metabolic substrates was assayed in plasma of patients with fulminant hepatic failure. All 12 subjects were provided the same nutritional support. High levels of insulin and glucagon were present at all times and no difference was observed between surviving patients (four) and those who died (8). Elevated values for branched-chain and aromatic amino acids as well as alanine were present. Statistically significant lower levels of aromatic amino acids and consequently a greater branched chain-aromatic amino acid ratio was found in surviving vs nonsurviving patients. A significantly greater level of alpha-fetoprotein was found in patients who survived as compared to those who died.
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Department, University of Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fiaccadori
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pedretti
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pizzaferri
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Riggio
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Orlandi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pezzarossa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000409:Alanine / Q000097:blood; D000597:Amino Acids, Branched-Chain / Q000097:blood; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D002096:C-Peptide / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005934:Glucagon / Q000097:blood*; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000597:Amino Acids, Branched-Chain; D001786:Blood Glucose; D002096:C-Peptide; D007328:Insulin; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; D005934:Glucagon; D000409:Alanine