Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2003

Mentor: Philip Raskin, M.D.
Department: Internal Medicine
Room number: G 5.238
Mail Code: 8858
Phone number: (214) 648 2017
E-mail: Philip.Raskin@utsouthwestern.edu
Project title: 1. Potential Causes of Weight Gain With Intensive Insulin Therapy in Type 1 Diabetes: A Pilot Study
2. Potential Causes of Weight Gain With Intensive Insulin and Combination Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): Project 1 - 1102-603
Project 2 - 0403-218 (in process)
Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Project Type Patient-based

Brief Description of Project: Project 1 is a pilot study, planned to enroll up to 20 patients. The duration of the study is 6 months and the goal is to find out why patients gain weight with intensive insulin therapy and where this weight goes.

Poorly controlled type 1 diabetes patients get baseline studies (anthropometrics, 24 hr urine glucose, BUN, and creatinine, calorimetry, underwater weighing, bioimpedance analysis, and MRI of abdomen for visceral to subcutaneous fat ratio) and are started on intensive insulin therapy. Studies will be repeated at the end of 6 months. Patients will have their values compared at the end, taking into consideration change in glycemic control (represented by hemoglobin A1c) as well as weight gain.

Project 2 is a randomized study of intensive insulin therapy compared to combination therapy. Duration is 6 months and goal is to find out why patients gain weight with intensive insulin therapy and combination therapy in type 2 diabetes. 40 patients are projected to enroll in each of 4 groups. One group will receive insulin alone. The other 3 will receive metformin and insulin, pioglitazone and insulin, and metformin and pioglitazone and insulin respectively.

Again poorly controlled patients, this time with type 2 diabetes will be enrolled. Baseline studies and follow up studies will be similar to project 1.

Potential possibilities for medical students include observation of history and physical examinations, clinical diabetes care, help in data collection and analysis, and exposure to daily clinical research activities (such as recruitment, screening, consenting, and office visits).

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:

Our group has taken many summer students in the past. We and they seem to enjoy the interaction.
The students seem to learn much about clinical research.

1990 Effect of acetyl-L-carnitine on nerve function on the diabetic rat
1993 Comparison of SDH activity levels and severity of diabetic complication
1994 Red blood cell galactitol, sorbitol dehydrogenase, and aldose reductase assays
1995 Aldose reductase isolation and purification, aldose reductase assay, and capillary basement
membrane of pancreatic transplant recipients, diabetic patients
1996 Study of sibutramine hydrochloride on weight loss and glycemic control in obese NIDDM
patients
1997 The effect of metformin vs placebo in poorly controlled insulin-treated non insulin dependent
diabetes mellitus

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