Glucose and ketone body turnover in fasting grey seal pups

Concentration and metabolic replacement (turnover) rate of glucose and ketone bodies were determined at intervals during a 52 day postweaning fast in five grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) pups, using bolus injections of radiotracers. Blood glucose was maintained at a high level throughout the fast, while beta-hydroxybutyrate increased 26 times from day 3 to day 37, whereafter it by and large was maintained. Glucose replacement rate decreased to 56% of the day 9 value at day 37 and dropped further to only 32% of the day 9 level at day 52 in two seals, while in another 2 seals it increased at this late stage. The average ketone body replacement rate ranged between 8.6 and 13.8 mumols min-1 kg-1, but did not change significantly (P greater than 0.05) during the fasting period. These results suggest a reduced gluconeogenesis from protein and increased production of ketone bodies, which may in part replace glucose as energy source during fasting.     

Hypolipidemic, hypocholesterolemic and antisclerotic action of the rotenoid glycoside amorphin

Amorphin--24-vicyanoside (C34H4O16(2)H2O)--in a dose of 10 mg/kg orally decreases the content of cholesterol, total lipids, atherogenic lipoproteids in the blood and organs of intact rats and rats with endogenous or ethanol hyperlipemia, inhibits the development of experimental atherosclerosis in rabbits induced by the combination of risk factors (cholesterol + glucose + hypodynamia), decreases the content of lipids in the blood and organs (especially in aorta), prevents the development of morphological manifestations of the aorta atherosclerosis.     

Popliteal artery entrapment syndrome

Three cases of popliteal artery entrapment syndrome, one of them bilateral, are presented with a review of the literature, with special reference to the embryological development of the popliteal space and the diagnostic and therapeutic problems presented by this syndrome.