Visual disturbances, serum glycine levels and transurethral resection of the prostate

Transient visual disturbances have been noted in patients undergoing transurethral resection of the prostate. It has been suggested recently that these visual aberrations were secondary to high serum concentrations of glycine from the intravasation of irrigant solutions used during the procedure. We prospectively studied visual acuity, serum electrolytes, glucose, ammonia and glycine concentrations in 18 patients undergoing transurethral resection of the prostate. Of our patient population 22% experienced significant decreases in visual acuity. We found that all patients had significantly elevated serum glycine concentrations but that there was no correlation of visual symptomatology with serum electrolyte or glucose concentrations. Our data further suggest that impeded metabolism of glycine may be more important than the absolute serum concentration in symptomatic patients.     

Omega-3 fatty acid treatment fails to alter alpha 1-adrenergic receptor mediated phosphoinositide turnover in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

1. The effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on alpha 1-adrenergic receptor-mediated phosphoinositide turnover in the hearts of 6-week streptozotocin diabetic rats was studied. 2. The diabetic state was characterized by decreased body weight gain, hypoinsulinemia and hyperglycemia. Omega-3 fatty acid treatment did not have any significant effects on the above parameters. 3. Plasma triglyceride and cholesterol levels were significantly higher in diabetic rats compared with controls. 4. Omega-3 fatty acid treatment reduced the plasma triglyceride levels in the diabetic rats, whereas plasma cholesterol levels remained unaffected. 5. Norepinephrine (10 and 100 microM) stimulated inositol monophosphate (IP1) formation was significantly decreased in the diabetic rat heart compared with controls. Omega-3 fatty acid treatment had no significant effect on the norepinephrine-mediated IP1 formation in these rats. 6. Inositol bisphosphate (IP2) formation in response to 100 microM of norepinephrine was significantly lower in the diabetic rat heart; which was also not affected by omega-3 fatty acid treatment.     

Screening for glaucomatous visual field loss. The effect of patient reliability

Eighty-eight glaucoma patients and 252 normal subjects underwent C-30-2 testing on the Humphrey Field Analyzer. The effect of fixation losses, high false-positive and false-negative response rates on visual field test results was assessed using the mirror image method of detecting asymmetry across the horizontal meridian, and the Humphrey STATPAC pattern standard deviation (PSD) and mean deviation (MD). Glaucoma patients with poor fixation (greater than or equal to 20%) had less depressed fields and fewer localized defects than those with good fixation. Fixation loss did not affect measures of localized defects or generalized depression among normal subjects. High false-positive rates (greater than or equal to 10%) were associated with less-depressed visual fields among glaucoma patients and normal subjects. Visual fields were depressed by an average of 9 dB for glaucoma patients and 7 dB for normal subjects with high false-negative rates (greater than or equal to 33%), when compared with those with low false-negative rates. Apparent localized defects were observed among normal subjects with high false-negative rates. Most of these defects were located in the superior nasal and adjacent arcuate area.     

Analgesic profile of the sodium salt of pemedolac

Pemedolac Na, 1-ethyl-1,3,4,9-tetrahydro-4-(phenylmethyl)-pyrano [3,4-b] indole-1-acetic acid sodium salt, exhibited equipotent analgesic effects after oral, iv, and im administration, suggesting that it is well absorbed. In mouse writhing models, the ED₅₀ values ranged from 0.3 mg (0.81 μmol)/kg (vs. acetylcholine) to 4.3 mg (11.6 μmol)/kg (vs. paraphenylbenzoquinone [PBQ]). In the rat Randall-Selitto model, the ED₅₀ o the compound was approximately 0.001 mg (2.7 nmol)/kg, with a flat dose response curve. The peak effects lasted for 7–9 h, 10–18 h, and 5 h following oral, im, and iv injections, respectively. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injections of pemedolac Na inhibited the PBQ-induced writing in mice with an ED₅₀ of 43.5 μg (0.12 μmol)/mouse, and this effect was not antagonized by naloxone. It was inactive in the hot plate and tail flick tests, demonstrating that pemedolac Na does not act via an opiate mechanism. These results indicate that pemedolac Na is a viable parenteral and oral analgesic, typified by high analgesic potency, a rapid onset and long duration of action, and an extremely wide safety index. © Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Dermatologic changes associated with interleukin 2 administration

We have prospectively evaluated the skin changes that occurred in ten patients who were undergoing immunotherapy with interleukin 2 (IL-2) and autologous lymphokine-activated killer cells to treat cancer. Serial skin biopsy specimens were obtained before therapy (baseline), during IL-2 administration, and during IL-2/lymphokine-activated killer cell infusion. All patients developed an eruption that was characterized by macular erythema, with burning and pruritus of the skin. It began after two or three days of IL-2 infusion and was usually localized to the head and neck; it occasionally became generalized (ie, erythroderma). The eruption resolved with desquamation within 48 to 72 hours after cessation of infusion of IL-2. Histologically, the changes were not specific. The only consistent immunohistological finding noted was the presence of DR+/Leu-4+ lymphoid cells surrounding blood vessels in the papillary dermis, with fewer of these cells in the epidermis. There was no difference between the clinical or histological features of the eruption that occurred with IL-2 alone and that which occurred with IL-2 and lymphokine-activated killer cell infusion, suggesting that the cutaneous effects were mediated by IL-2 alone.     

Retention weighted recall improves discrimination of Alzheimer's disease.

Impaired recall for early items (primacy) and late items (recency) on word list recall tests are seen in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We compared conventional scoring on the Telephone Instrument for Cognitive Status (TICS) recall list with scorings based on retention-weighted recall (RWR: each item weighted by its serial position) in older adults participating in a community-based aging study. Subjects with mild AD (N=18) did not differ from those without dementia (N=231) with respect to recency (46% vs. 59%, p = 0.2), but had impaired primacy (2% vs. 39%, p < .001) on word recall on the TICS. RWR scoring improved the effect size (1.52 SD) compared to conventional scoring (1.08 SD). With a fixed sensitivity of 85%, specificity was lower using conventional scoring (56%) than RWR (76%) scoring. Our findings suggest that optimized RWR scoring of word list free recall can improve detection of mild AD compared to conventional scoring.     

GLUT1 and GLUT8 in endometrium and endometrial adenocarcinoma.

Glucose is provided to cells by a family of glucose transport facilitators known as GLUTs. These transporters are expressed in a tissue specific manner and are overexpressed in many primary tumors of these tissues. Regulation of glucose transport facilitator expression has been demonstrated in endometrial tissue and endometrial adenocarcinoma. The following experiments were conducted to quantify and localize the expression of GLUT1 and GLUT8 in benign endometrium and compare this expression to endometrial cancer. Endometrial tissue samples were obtained from random hysterectomy specimens of patients with benign indications for surgery and endometrial cancer. Immunoblot and immunolocatization studies were performed using GLUT1 and GLUT8 specific antisera. Endometrial samples from 65 women who had undergone hysterectomy were examined (n=38 benign, n=27 malignant). A 44 and a 35.4 kDa immunoreacive species was demonstrated in endometrium and endometrial cancer for GLUT1 and GLUT8, respectively. Upregulation of GLUT1 expression was demonstrated with increasing grade of tumors (P<0.002). GLUT8 expression was increased in all tumor subtypes compared to atrophic endometrium (P<0.001). Apical localization by GLUT1 and GLUT8 was demonstrated in endometrial glands. GLUT1 and GLUT8 demonstrated diffuse intracellular localization in the cancer subtypes. GLUT1 and GLUT8 are expressed in both human endometrium and endometrial cancer. There appears to be a step-wise progression in GLUT1 and GLUT8 expression as tumor histopathology worsens. GLUT1 and GLUT8 may be important markers in tumor differentiation, as well as providing energy to rapidly dividing tumor cells.