ISCHAEMIA-REPERFUSION INJURY TO THE INTESTINE

Ischaemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is of obvious relevance in situations where there is an interruption of blood supply to the gut, as in vascular surgery, or in the construction of free intestinal grafts. It is now appreciated that IRI also underlies the gut dysfunction that occurs in early shock, sepsis, and trauma. The events that occur during IRI are complex. However, recent advances in cellular biology have started to unravel these underlying processes. The aim of this review is to provide an outline of current knowledge on the mechanisms and consequences of IRI. Initially, IRI appears to be mediated by reactive oxygen metabolites and, at a later stage, by the priming and activation of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN). Ischaemia-reperfusion injury can diminish the barrier function of the gut, and can promote an increase in the leakage of molecules (intestinal permeability) or the passage of microbes across the wall of the bowel (bacterial trans-location). Ischaemia-reperfusion injury to the gut can result in the generation of molecules that may also harm distant tissues.     

Ageing of intravenous glucose solutions

The pH and acid content of 63 glucose-based solutions was measured up to eight years after their expiry. The pH ranged from 2.27 to 4.33. Newly manufactured solutions with 5 per cent or less of glucose which were packaged in plastic bags contained in the order of 0.01 mEq/L of acid per gram of glucose. Solutions with higher glucose concentrations had lower pH and greater acid. As solutions in bags became older, pH decreased and acid increased. In contrast, 25 per cent and 50 per cent glucose solutions in glass containers were much less acid and showed only slight changes with age in pH or acid. The greater rate of acid increase in glucose solutions in plastic bags may be due to the bags being permeable to oxygen and thus allowing slow oxidation of the glucose.     

Assessing hearing problems within a community survey.

Community surveys are increasingly being used as a method of collecting health and lifestyle data. This report describes the use of a simple question on hearing difficulties within such a survey. A systematic sample of 2.5% of the electoral register of the four Parliamentary constituencies of Cardiff, Wales, was drawn. Of the 5145 individuals in the sample, 83% responded. Age and social class explained much of the variability in reported hearing difficulties. A recent fall and cigarette consumption were associated with hearing problems, but the contribution of alcohol consumption while potentially important did not reach statistical significance. This self-administered community survey provided hearing data which are consistent with other specialized studies and is a viable route for the assessment of community needs.     

Comparison of the treadmill exercise score and single-photon emission computed tomographic thallium imaging in risk assessment

Background  

This study compared the prognostic value of exercise single-photon emission computed tomographic (SPECT) thallium imaging with that of treadmill exercise score in medically treated patients with coronary artery disease (CAD)     

Effects of morphine on acquisition and maintenance of ethanol and water intake patterns in rats.

Two experiments were conducted to assess the effects of chronic subcutaneous injections of morphine (1.0 mg/kg) or saline on the pattern and amount of sweetened ethanol and water intake in fluid restricted Long-Evans rats. Following daily injections, 2-h two-bottle choice tests were conducted with water and an ethanol solution (15% ethanol v/v in 5% sucrose w/v). During a 20-day acquisition phase (Experiment 1), ethanol intake patterns and amounts did not differ between saline (n = 6) and morphine (n = 6) groups. Both groups exhibited ethanol intake patterns that decreased exponentially throughout the session suggesting control by fluid restriction procedures. Morphine decreased water intake during initial periods of each session and increased intake during later periods. In Experiment 2, morphine and saline injections were reversed across three phases with the same rats. Morphine increased total ethanol consumption during the first few days of each 15-day phase, but the groups did not differ thereafter, and the initial increases produced no statistically significant group differences. Additionally, morphine augmented ethanol intake in early portions of sessions, while water intake was decreased and increased during early and later portions of each session, respectively. Analysis of the data from the last 5 days of each phase indicated that, when injected with morphine, the group which received saline during acquisition consumed significantly more ethanol solution than the group injected with morphine during acquisition. The effect on patterns of water and ethanol intake were observed, regardless of the drug injected during acquisition.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)