A short-time-delay urinary flowmeter

A urinary flowmeter has been designed, using a quickly rotating disc and a balance principle. The flowmeter has a fast and accurate response to changing flows. The time delay of the flowmeter is less than about 0.25 s. The improved accuracy in recording urinary flow using the presented flowmeter should make it possible to extract more information from the detrusor pressure and urinary flow relations, relevant for assessing lower urinary tract function.     

A bioacoustic method for timing of respiration at cardiac investigations

Summary. At cardiac investigations Doppler echocardiography is an established technique for the recording of intracardial and intravascular flow velocities. Transvalvular and venous flows are, however, markedly influenced by respiration. Since the start of inspiration is the important time of reference, accurate recording of the respiratory phase is important when analysing these flow velocities. A bioacoustic technique was therefore adopted to meet this demand and was tested in 10 normal subjects. Oesophageal balloon technique was used as a reference, and the bioacoustic technique was compared with a respiratory inductive plethysmograph. The average delay for the acoustic sensor signal compared to the oesophageal pressure changes was 205±46 (SD) ms, ranging from 160 to 320 ms for normal breathing, and is comparable to that of the respiratory inductive plethysmograph (210±90 ms). The bioacoustic technique is easier to apply than the respiratory inductive plethysmograph. The sensitivity to disturbances can be further reduced by signal processing and the method has clinical potential for the future.     

The potential of proton beam radiation therapy in gastrointestinal cancer

A group of Swedish oncologists and hospital physicists have estimated the number of patients in Sweden suitable for proton beam therapy. The estimations have been based on current statistics of tumour incidence, number of patients potentially eligible for radiation treatment, scientific support from clinical trials and model dose planning studies and knowledge of the dose-response relations of different tumours and normal tissues. In gastrointestinal cancers, it is assessed that at least 345 patients, mainly non-resectable rectal cancers, oesophageal and liver cancers, are eligible. Great uncertainties do however exist both in the number of patients with gastrointestinal cancers suitable for radiation therapy, and in the proportion of those where proton beams may give sufficiently better results.     

Inter-individual variations of human mercury exposure biomarkers: a cross-sectional assessment

Background  

Biomarkers for mercury (Hg) exposure have frequently been used to assess exposure and risk in various groups of the general population. We have evaluated the most frequently used biomarkers and the physiology on which they are based, to explore the inter-individual variations and their suitability for exposure assessment.     

Alcohol use and mental distress as predictors of non-response in a general population health survey: the HUNT study

Purpose  

To investigate to what degree alcohol use and mental distress are associated with non-response in a population-based health study.     

Glycine‐modified growth hormone secretagogues identified in seized doping material

A number of unknown pharmaceutical preparations seized by Danish customs authorities were submitted for liquid chromatography–high resolution mass spectrometry (LC–HRMS) analysis. Comparison with reference standards unequivocally identified the content of the powders as analogs of the growth hormone secretagogues GHRP‐2 (Pralmorelin), GHRP‐6, Ipamorelin, and modified growth hormone releasing factor (modified GRF 1–29), which can be used as performance‐enhancing substances in sports. In all cases, the detected modification involved the addition of an extra glycine amino acid at the N‐terminus, and analytical methods targeting growth hormone secretagogues should hence be updated accordingly.