Effect of chronic exposure to low doses of ionized radiation on embryonal development of the Japanese quail

Experiments on Japanese quail embryogenesis on a background of chronic exposure to gamma- and neutron doses comparable with the doses of ionized radiation inside the orbital space stations Mir and ISS, and exploration vehicles gave evidence that permanent absorption of low gamma-doses (0,15 cgy/d) did not impact development of the Japanese quail embryos. On the contrary, the neutron dose of 200 microgy/d imparted by the neutron flux of 30 particles/cm2s was hazardous to embryos as it caused morphological disorders in 12% of embryos.     

Severe hypoglycaemia in a person with insulin autoimmune syndrome accompanied by insulin receptor anomaly type B.

AIMS: A rare case of the insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS) accompanied by insulin receptor anomaly is reported. METHODS: Antibodies to insulin and insulin receptor were determined in the patient with severe hypoglycaemia before and after the treatment with prednisolone. RESULTS: Titers of antibody to insulin and insulin receptors were 73.0% and 41.5%, respectively. Drug-induced lymphocyte stimulation tests were all negative for the suspicious drugs. Her HLA-DR was DRB1*0403/04051. Following steroid therapy, the formation of antibodies was suppressed and alleviated her symptoms. Scatchard analysis yielded findings specific to polyclonal antibodies. CONCLUSIONS: The changes in autoantibodies resulted in alleviation of the hypoglycemic symptoms as a result of steroid therapy.     

Performance and comparison of the Cockcroft-Gault and simplified Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formulae in estimating glomerular filtration rate in a Chinese Type 2 diabetic population.

AIMS: Our aim was to assess performances of the Cockcroft-Gault and simplified Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formulae in estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in Chinese diabetic populations and their association with vascular risks. METHODS: A total of 1009 patients with Type 2 diabetes were categorized into low estimated GFR groups (GFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2)) and control groups by the two equations. The performances of these formulae were assessed at different stages of kidney function. Carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy or albuminuria were compared among the groups. The ability of these formulae to identify established vascular risk markers using sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were also compared. RESULTS: The prevalence of low estimated GFR was 32.7% with the Cockcroft-Gault formula and 5.2% with the MDRD formula, respectively. In low estimated GFR subjects by the MDRD formula, IMT was significantly thicker than those by the Cockcroft-Gault formula (1.2 mm vs. 1.0 mm; P < 0.05), with a higher prevalence of albuminuria (78.4 vs. 52.8%, P < 0.05) and diabetic retinopathy (46.5 vs. 30.5%; P < 0.05). The Cockcroft-Gault formula gave a specificity of 71.7% and a sensitivity of 37.0%, and the MDRD formula gave a specificity of 96.6% and a sensitivity of 7.9% in estimating low GFR relevant for established vascular risks. CONCLUSIONS: These formulae performed differently in Chinese diabetic populations. The simplified MDRD formula is minimally superior to the Cockcroft-Gault formula for its high specificity and positive predictive values in estimating low GFR relevant for vascular risks.     

Relationship of the blood pressure's level and skinfold thickness]

OBJECTIVE: Hypertension is an important problem of the public health. Insufficient education of the people along with insufficient physical examination also plays a role in the poor success of the diagnosis and treatment of the hypertension. We investigated whether the skinfold thickness has an importance in the prediction of blood pressure or not. METHODS: In Aydin City area 110 women and 100 men selected by randomized sampling method were included into our study. Body mass index, blood pressure and skinfold thickness were measured according to the international guidelines. RESULTS: There was a moderate correlation between the skinfold and body mass index (r= 0.494, p=0.000) and there was a mild correlation between the body mass index and systolic and diastolic blood pressures (r=0.225, p=0.000 and r=0.300, p=0.000, respectively). There was no correlation between the skinfold thickness and systolic and diastolic blood pressures (r=0.058, p=0.400 and r=0.090, p=0.194, respectively). CONCLUSION: It is concluded that body mass index, not skinfold thickness, can be used for the prediction of the blood pressure. Some other factors independent from the body mass index might be the determinants of the skinfold thickness.     

Initial stages of validation by penile volume assessment that sexual orientation is distributed dimensionally

Kinsey concluded that homosexuality and heterosexuality were distributed dimensionally in the normal population, a significant percentage of whom experienced homosexual feelings. This conclusion has been ignored by most sex researchers. Twenty men seeking treatment for compulsive sexual behaviours reported a dimensional distribution of heterosexual and homosexual feelings, rated by questionnaire on 11-point scales. Their penile volume responses to 10-second movies of nude women and men were assessed. Significant correlations were found between individual subjects' penile volume and questionnaire assessment of heterosexual/homosexual feelings, validating their questionnaire-assessed dimensional distribution of their feelings. The finding was considered to provide the initial stage of physiological validation of the questionnaire, which in previous studies demonstrated a dimensional distribution of heterosexual/homosexual feelings in representative samples of medical students, supporting Kinsey's conclusion.     

Resource allocation: idealism, realism, pragmatism, openness.

Lewis and Charny have come under siege for suggesting remote questioning to decide appropriate medical care. While the criticisms are theoretically valid, the idea is so important practically that Lewis and Charny should be supported and their approach investigated as a way of making medical treatment at least more open and possibly more fair.     

The hygienic characteristics of the working conditions in the modern electroplating industry]

The contributors propose a set of newly performed hygienic studies in the widely developed technologies of electrotype, expound a complex of the hazardous occupational factors commonly encountered in modern galvanoplastics, contamination of the equipment, overalls and the skin with the metallic compounds contained in the galvanic electrolytes. Shops with non-isolated electrotype lines were characterized by the most unfavourable labour conditions.