Comparison of two analytical procedures for the determination of free urinary catecholamines under the demands of shiftwork experiments

Summary A typical shiftwork experiment was chosen to prove the validity of an automated procedure for the analysis of free noradrenaline and adrenaline in urine. The method consists of a column switching technique with an adsorption/elution clean-up and a reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography followed by chemical reaction detection based on the trihydroxyindole method. The analysis of variance was performed using a second data set obtained by a semi-automated procedure for which the accuracy had already been confirmed. The analysis of covariance showed that for field studies, as well as for laboratory experiments in which the variances contributed by the experiments themselves are greater than 10% rel., the data sets of the two methods provide the same information.Dedicated to Prof. H. Hartkamp, University of Wuppertal, on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Respiratory function and bronchial reactivity in mill workers

Professional exposure to vegetable dusts affect the respiratory function of the exposed subjects. A previous survey conducted in an industrial flour-mill demonstrated a higher frequency of respiratory symptoms in workers compared to a control group. Ten subjects employed in a work site particularly exposed to dust were studied. Each subject answered a questionnaire and performed on Mondays and Fridays, at the begenning and end of his work shift, a flow volume curve and an isocapnic hyperventilation test. The aerobiology of the professional environment was also measured. We noted: 1) in the flow volume curves: a drop in the FEV₁ during the Monday morning shift, a significant difference between the FEV₁ (p<0.05) and the MMEFR 25–75 (p<0.05) measured at 6 am on Monday and Friday, and between the MMEFR 25–75 values obtained at 12 noon on Monday and Friday (p<0.05). 2) after isocapnic hyperventilation, a significant drop in the MMEFR 25–75 at 6 am on Monday (p<0.01) and in the FEV₁ and MMEFR 25–75 at 12 noon on Mondays (p<0.05), a significant drop in the FEV₁ at 1 pm on Monday (p<0.01).     

ACETALDEHYDE ADDUCTS WITH HAEMOGLOBIN: DETERMINATION OF ACETALDEHYDE RELEASED FROM HAEMOGLOBIN BY ACID HYDROLYSIS

Acetaldehyde, the first metabolite of ethanol, reacts with haemoglobinin vitro to produce acetaldehyde—haemoglobin adducts.Some clinical studies on the minor haemoglobins have suggestedthat these adducts may be formed in people abusing alcohol.Under hydrolysis of haemoglobin, with oxalic acid at 100°Cin sealed vials, some acetaldehyde was released and then specificallydetermined by HPLC. The kinetics of hydrolysis were studiedusing haemoglobin previously labelled with ¹⁴[C] acetaldehyde.The maximum liberation of ¹⁴[C] acetaldehyde was obtained after3 hr 30 min hydrolysis and this time factor was then utilizedin the analysis of alcoholic and control haemoglobin. Thus,we have confirmed the formation of acetaldehyde haemoglobinadducts in vivo. It must be noted that the released acetaldehydecorresponds only to an index of the stable adducts. The levelswere higher in alcoholics than in controls (1.417±0.171and 1.295±0.139 nmol/mg Hb, respectively, P<0.001).In conclusion, this marker is not a convenient tool for themonitoring of alcohol exposure levels because of the low differencesbetween alcoholic and control haemoglobins.     

Population screening and referral for hypercholesterolemia

To determine the potential effect of screening on referral patterns, an adult population sample (4,404 men, 5,164 women, 20-69 years of age) was systematically recruited and screened for hypercholesterolemia and then analyzed by different cholesterol referral recommendations. Using levels suggested by the Lipid Research Clinics Coronary Primary Prevention Trial (greater than or equal to 265 mg/dL), 7.3% of men and 5.8% of women would be referred for follow-up. With the suggested recommendations of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), (greater than or equal to 200 mg/dL), 49.2% of men and 40.2% of women would be referred. The use of age-related definitions of the NIH Consensus Conference on Lipid Lowering results in 28.0% referrals in men and 21.8% in women. From this population, hypercholesterolemia subjects (greater than or equal to 265 mg/dL at screening; n = 624) were invited for a second cholesterol determination (58% returned), which found 36% below the 265 mg/dL level. Population screening for cholesterol is likely to produce large numbers of patients for follow-up, with the actual numbers strongly dependent on cutoff levels and age-sex distributions. Referral and follow-up of these patients may place a significant load on an unprepared health care community.     

Severe herpetic keratitis. I: Prevalence of visual impairment in a clinic population.

We report a prevalence study of the best visual acuity in the affected eye of 100 selected patients with herpetic keratitis seen during a two-year period. Sixty-two patients retained an acuity of 6/9 or better without requiring penetrating keratoplasty (PK). The prevalence of reduced visual acuity severe enough to warrant PK was 33%. Patients requiring PK for whom full clinical records were available suffered a mean of 6.8 episodes of keratitis. In this group of patients the vision of 18 fell from 6/6 to 6/60 over a mean period of 8.5 years. Once visual acuity was permanently reduced to 6/12, 78% of patients proceeded to lose vision to 6/60. Unilateral visual impairment occurs in at least a third of patients with severe herpetic keratitis. Once vision falls permanently to 6/12, the long-term prognosis for vision appears to be poor.