Ernährung bei Diabetes

According to the current nutritional recommendations issued by professional diabetes and nutrition associations, diabetic patients should keep to a diet consisting of 45–60% carbohydrates, 10–20% protein, and not more than 35% fat. However, not all of these nutritional recommendations are evidence based. For example, current studies show that the intake of insoluble roughage may be underrepresented. It is also possible that diabetic patients could benefit from keeping to the lower end of the recommended range for carbohydrates (45%) and the upper end of the range advised for protein (20%).     

The modern diagnosis of gonorrhea

Modern identification of Neisseria gonorrhoeae may be either accomplished by direct detection of gonococcal antigen, i.e. without microbiological culturing, or, following culturing, by rapid culture confirmation. The direct detection of gonococcal antigen in an enzyme immuno-assay (Gonozyme) shows reduced specifity especially with mixed microbial flora, and decreased sensitivity with small numbers of organisms. Culture confirmation may be achieved by a rapid sugar degradation test (API----quadFERM+), by specific enzyme detection using chromogenic substrates (Gonochek II), or by demonstration of protein I specific for Neisseria gonorrhoeae by means of monoclonal antibodies (Mikrotrak, Phadebact monoclonal GC, Gonogen II). Detection of protein I is highly sensitive and specific in both the tests of immunofluorescence and coagglutination.     

Physical fitness and all-cause mortality. A prospective study of healthy men and women

We studied physical fitness and risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in 10,224 men and 3120 women who were given a preventive medical examination. Physical fitness was measured by a maximal treadmill exercise test. Average follow-up was slightly more than 8 years, for a total of 110,482 person-years of observation. There were 240 deaths in men and 43 deaths in women. Age-adjusted all-cause mortality rates declined across physical fitness quintiles from 64.0 per 10,000 person-years in the least-fit men to 18.6 per 10,000 person-years in the most-fit men (slope, -4.5). Corresponding values for women were 39.5 per 10,000 person-years to 8.5 per 10,000 person-years (slope, -5.5). These trends remained after statistical adjustment for age, smoking habit, cholesterol level, systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose level, parental history of coronary heart disease, and follow-up interval. Lower mortality rates in higher fitness categories also were seen for cardiovascular disease and cancer of combined sites. Attributable risk estimates for all-cause mortality indicated that low physical fitness was an important risk factor in both men and women. Higher levels of physical fitness appear to delay all-cause mortality primarily due to lowered rates of cardiovascular disease and cancer.     

Multiple brain abscesses and intracerebral hemorrhage caused by Bacillus Cereus in a case of acute lymphatic leukemia

We report a first case of a 19 year old female suffering from an acute lymphatic leukemia, which developed shortly after the initiation of a chemotherapy an intracerebral hemorrhage and fatal multiple brain abscesses caused by Bacillus cereus. There is much evidence that Bacillus cereus in immunocompromised patients leads to a localized, necrotizing tissue infection due to the production of potent toxins and usually results in rapid and fulminant tissue destruction. Bacillus species has an special affinity for the CNS mediated by phospholipase C, which tends to associate with the lipid membranes of the brain.     

Release of vasopressin from supraoptic neurons within the median eminence in vivo. A combined microdialysis and push-pull perfusion study in the rat

The present study was designed to investigate whether or not arginine vasopressin (AVP) is released from magnocellular neurons within the median eminence (ME) in vivo. Urethane-anesthetized adult male Wistar rats were equipped with a microdialysis probe aimed at the supraoptic (SON) or paraventricular nucleus (PVN), a push-pull perfusion probe resting in the ME, and a blood microdialysis probe within the jugular vein. Dialysis of the SON (but not the PVN) with Ringer's solution containing 56 mmol l⁻¹ K⁺ resulted in an increase in AVP release within the ME (to 492 ± 192% of release during basal conditions,P < 0.05) and into blood (to 138 ± 9%,P < 0.01) whereby the release probably occurred from axonal swellings and nerve terminals of supraoptic neurons which project through the internal zone of the ME to the posterior pituitary. The calculated amount of AVP released into the extracellular fluid of the ME was high enough (approximately 1 pg/μ1) to hypothesize that the neuropeptide could enter the portal blood capillaries in physiologically relevant concentrations. Taken together, the present study indicates that activation of magnocellular neurons is accompanied by release of AVP within the median eminence. We assume that AVP released in this way might mediate a communication between the hypothalamic-neurohypophysial system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in response to selected stressful stimuli.     

Evaluation of a non-radioactive DNA probe for confirmatory identification of Neisseria gonorrhoeae

A biotinylated DNA probe combined with a streptavidin-peroxidase complex for the identification of culture isolates of N. gonorrhoeae (Ortho diagnostic systems, Neckargemünd, FRG) was compared with the conventional carbohydrate utilisation test as reference. All 118 strains identified by the reference method as N. gonorrhoeae also gave positive reactions with the DNA hybridisation assay. However, with this test 2 of 23 non-gonococcal Neisseria or Branhamella species were identified as N. gonorrhoeae as well. The study shows that the DNA hybridisation technique can principally be used for the confirmatory identification of N. gonorrhoeae, but since specificity is particularly essential for confirmatory identification, the DNA hybridisation assay evaluated cannot be recommended for routine diagnosis.     

Running training and co-ordination between breathing and running rhythms during aerobic and anaerobic conditions in humans

The study was carried out on ten triathletes, six sprinters and ten subjects not trained in running (controls) to assess the effects of training history on the co-ordination between breathing and running rhythms during running on a treadmill. Three exercise intensities were used: 50%, 80% and 110% of the subject's anaerobic threshold (AT). All three intensities were performed twice: once with spontaneous breathing and once with breathing intentionally co-ordinated to the running rhythm. Heart rate, respiratory parameters and leg movements were continuously recorded. Blood lactate concentrations were measured discontinuously. The degree of co-ordination between running and breathing was quantified as the percentage of inspirations and/or expirations starting during the same phase of step. The results showed that the degree of both spontaneous and intended co-ordination at aerobic exercise intensities was in all three groups the same and increased in all groups with increasing intensity from 50% to 80% of AT; further increase of intensity to 110% of AT was associated with a significant decrease of co-ordination in controls and sprinters, whereas triathletes were able to maintain the same high degree of co-ordination as at 80% of AT. It was concluded that running training of either type at aerobic work loads had no effect on the co-ordination between running and breathing rhythms. At anaerobic intensities, however, the degree of co-ordination between running and breathing rhythms was higher in the endurance trained athletes than in the sprinters or in the untrained subjects. The degree of co-ordination increased with increasing regularity of breathing. The ability to increase intentionally the degree of co-ordination by paced breathing was independent of running training and was lowest at anaerobic exercise intensities.