The frequency of inherited disease among apparent sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma patients is close to 10% in the Polish population of MTC patients. The extended analysis of all known RET proto-oncogene mutation sites is obligatory in patients younger than 45 years at diagnosis, but we also see the need to analyze the impact of rarer mutations in older patients.

Excessive GH response to various stimuli has been frequently described in diabetes mellitus. We studied the GH response to a synthetic GHRH in a group of 16 non-obese Type I diabetic patients. GHRH (1\p=n-\44) given as iv bolus at a dose of 50 \ g=m\ g induced a markedly greater GH response in the diabetic than in the normal subjects with peak values of 39.5 and 14.7 \g=m\g/l,respectively, and the differences were significant from 15 to 60 min. Peak GH level was 44.6 \g=m\g/l in diabetic patients without retinopathy and 34.2 \g=m\g/l in patients with retinopathy, but the difference was not significant. Peak GH levels did not correlate with metabolic control of disease estimated by basal glucoseand HbA1 levels nor with age, weight of the patients, and duration of the disease. It is concluded that Type I diabetic patients show an exaggerated GH response to GHRH and this response does not correlate with the metabolic control of diabetes.

Abstract. Ornithine-α-ketoglutarate (OAK), a drug commonly used in various catabolic states, was studied for its acute effects on endocrine pancreas. A 30-min infusion of OAK (20 g/m2) induced significant increases in insulin levels (from 15 through 60 min) and in glucagon levels (from 15 through 90 min). However, OAK-induced insulin and glucagon responses were lower than after a 0.5 g/kg arginine infusion. The fluctuations of blood glucose levels were much less marked during OAK infusion than during arginine and especially the late fall was less evident.

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