Measurement of acceleration: a new method of monitoring neuromuscular function

A new method for monitoring neuromuscular function based on measurement of acceleration is presented. The rationale behind the method is Newton's second law, stating that the acceleration is directly proportional to the force. For measurement of acceleration, a piezo-electric ceramic wafer was used. When this piezo electrode was fixed to the thumb, an electrical signal proportional to the acceleration was produced whenever the thumb moved in response to nerve stimulation. The electrical signal was registered and analysed in a Myograph 2000 neuromuscular transmission monitor. In 35 patients anaesthetized with halothane, train-of-four ratios measured with the accelerometer (ACT-TOF) were compared with simultaneous mechanical train-of-four ratios (FDT-TOF). Control ACT-TOF ratios were significantly higher than control FDT-TOF ratios: 116 +/- 12 and 98 +/- 4 (mean +/- s.d.), respectively. In five patients not given any relaxant during the anaesthetic procedure (20-60 min), both responses were remarkably constant. In 30 patients given vecuronium, a close linear relationship was found during recovery between ACT-TOF and FDT-TOF ratios. It is concluded that the method fulfils the basic requirements for a simple and reliable clinical monitoring tool.     

A randomized, prospective trial of postoperative somatostatin analogue in patients with neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas.

BACKGROUND. Pancreatic surgery is not uncommonly complicated by prolonged pancreatic drainage and fistula. Octreotide decreases pancreatic exocrine function and has been reported to improve closure of pancreatic and intestinal fistulae. This randomized, prospective trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy of postoperative octreotide in reducing pancreatic drainage and complications after resection of neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas. METHODS. Patients with neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas were entered into the study and randomized after operation to receive octreotide 150 micrograms subcutaneously every 8 hours or saline solution subcutaneously every 8 hours in a double-blinded fashion. Daily pancreatic drainage, total drainage, number of days to drain removal, and complications were recorded. RESULTS. Ten patients were given octreotide; eleven patients were given saline solution. The number of days to drain removal, daily drainage, and total drainage were not significantly different. Complications related to pancreatic drainage were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS. Octreotide is not indicated for the routine postoperative management of patients with neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas.     

Noninvasive assessment of metabolism in wounded skin by 31P-NMR in vivo.

Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance techniques using shallow penetrating coils have been used to noninvasively monitor severity and metabolic changes over time in skin wounds in rats. Ratios of phosphocreatine (PCr) to inorganic phosphate (Pi) indicate energy status in both thermal wounds and surgical flaps. In partial and full-thickness scald wounds, reductions in PCr/Pi ratios correlated with burn depth and improved over time postinjury, suggesting wound revascularization. No decrease in intracellular pH was noted in these wounds; the phosphate shifts may be primarily the result of tissue degradation followed by restoration of the microvasculature. Distal regions of caudally based dorsal 3 x 10 cm full-thickness skin flaps reveal progressively lower PCr/Pi ratios to 3-6 hours after elevation as well as drops in pH up to 0.5 units, presumably as a result of anaerobic glycolysis in these tissues. After 24 hours, the intracellular pH returned to normal (7.1-7.2) and the PCr/Pi ratios approached 70%-90% of the well-perfused proximal regions within 3-7 days. These results indicate the establishment of a microvasculature from the underlying bed as the distal regions survive as free grafts. The data demonstrate the potential usefulness of the technique in noninvasive measurement of the biochemical response to injury and wound healing in living organisms.     

The lack of effects of zinc and nitric oxide in initial state of pilocarpine-induced seizures.

In this study we investigated whether intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of L-NAME (a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor) or CaEDTA (an extracellular zinc chelator) or the combination of the two could affect the initial phase of pilocarpine induced (2 h) seizures. Two groups of rats were used. Animals from both groups were given with i.c.v. injections of either saline (10 microl), L-NAME (150 microg/10 microl), CaEDTA (100 mM/10 microl) or L-NAME and CaEDTA. One group received pilocarpine HCl (380 mg/kg i.p.) the other served as control. Pilocarpine HCl was injected intraperitoneally 10 min later. The behavior of the animals was observed for 2h and the intensity of their seizures was scored. The rats were then sacrificed and their brains were removed and analyzed for zinc ions by using the immersion autometallography and the TSQ fluorescence staining. All the animals which received pilocarpine HCl developed seizures. Despite treatment with L-NAME and/or CaEDTA we found that the latency and the intensity of seizures were similar in both groups investigated. The distribution of stainable zinc ions and the intensity of staining in hippocampus were not affected by pilocarpine and found unchanged after L-NAME and/or CaEDTA injections in both the control animals and the pilocarpine treated animals. The data suggest that the nitric oxide system and zinc ions do not affect pilocarpine-induced seizures in their initial state.     

Effect of a minor vitamin A deficiency on the course of infection with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ascaridia galli</Emphasis> (Schrank, 1788) and the resistance of chickens

Summary The effect of vitamin A deficiency was studied in chickens infected with 500 Ascaridia galli eggs and controls. Diet 1 (deficient, 500 IU vitamin A or 172 μg retinol acetate per kg diet), Diet 2 (deficient, 1000 IU vitamin A or 344 μg retinol acetate per kg diet) and Diet 3 (sufficient, 1500 IU vitamin A or 516 μg retinol acetate per kg diet) were assigned to 46 chickens each. Clinical signs, weight gains, livers’ weights, vitamin A levels, worm burdens and parasite eggs’ excretions were recorded. Infected chickens had lower weight gains than the controls fed alike. Chickens given Diet 1 stored lesser vitamin A in liver than those fed Diet 3. Although worm counts in the 3 groups did not differ significantly, chickens fed Diet 1 excreted more A. galli eggs than those fed the 2 other diets. Female worms harboured by chickens fed Diet 1 had higher fecundity at week 5 pi than those of chickens fed Diet 2. Results indicated that Vitamin A is important for poultry in the moderation of the infection with A. galli.     

Hormone replacement therapy dissociates fat mass and bone mass, and tends to reduce weight gain in early postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled 5-year clinical trial of the Danish Osteoporosis Prevention Study.

The aim of this study was to study the influence of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on weight changes, body composition, and bone mass in early postmenopausal women in a partly randomized comprehensive cohort study design. A total of 2016 women ages 45-58 years from 3 months to 2 years past last menstrual bleeding were included. One thousand were randomly assigned to HRT or no HRT in an open trial, whereas the others were allocated according to their preferences. All were followed for 5 years for body weight, bone mass, and body composition measurements. Body weight increased less over the 5 years in women randomized to HRT (1.94 +/- 4.86 kg) than in women randomized to no HRT (2.57 +/- 4.63, p = 0.046). A similar pattern was seen in the group receiving HRT or not by their own choice. The smaller weight gain in women on HRT was almost entirely caused by a lesser gain in fat. The main determinant of the weight gain was a decline in physical fitness. Women opting for HRT had a significantly lower body weight at inclusion than the other participants, but the results in the self-selected part of the study followed the pattern found in the randomized part. The change in fat mass was the strongest predictor of bone changes in untreated women, whereas the change in lean body mass was the strongest predictor when HRT was given. Body weight increases after the menopause. The gain in weight is related to a decrease in working capacity. HRT is associated with a smaller increase in fat mass after menopause. Fat gain protects against bone loss in untreated women but not in HRT-treated women. The data suggest that women's attitudes to HRT are more positive if they have low body weight, but there is no evidence that the conclusions in this study are skewed by selection bias.     

Accuracy of radiologic and endoscopic diagnosis of gastric ulcer

Patients with upper abdominal pain are often examined with both double contrast study of the stomach and endoscopy. On the basis of the results of the two examinations four diagnostic criteria of an ulcer can be formed: 1) radiography reveals an ulcer, 2) endoscopy reveals an ulcer, 3) both radiography and endoscopy reveal an ulcer, and 4) radiography and/or endoscopy reveals an ulcer. In a prospective study the accuracy of each of the four diagnostic criteria was examined. Eighty-two randomly selected outpatients had a double contrast barium examination and an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy performed by staff personnel. The diagnosis of a specialist in upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was used as the standard. For the four diagnostic criteria the overall accuracy ranged from 0.80 to 0.88. The predictive value of a positive test result was around 0.70 and the predictive value of a negative test result ranged from 0.81 to 0.96. The specificity ranged from 0.87 to 0.95, and the sensitivity from 0.38 to 0.90. It is concluded that from a clinical point of view, the accuracy of the four diagnostic criteria does not differ to an extent that justifies recommendation of one diagnostic criterion of gastric ulcer rather than the other.     

LIPOPROTEIN(α) IN HEALTH AND DISEASE

SUMMARY Elevated plasma levels of Lp(a) do seem to influence the progression of atherosclerosis. Evidence is emerging that certain apo(a) isoforms may be more atherogenic than others, and in transgenic mice free apo(a) has been shown to be associated with accelerated atherosclerosis. Currently it is not known whether treating elevated Lp(a) levels will reduce progression of atherosclerosis and, as therapeutic options are limited, mass screening of Lp(a) levels in populations is not indicated. The presence of raised Lp(a) levels, however, warrants aggressive treatment to reduce other cardiovascular risk factors. Continuing research to investigate the relationship of the apo(a) gene to other genes, including the plasminogen gene and apo(a)-related genes, will add further information pertaining to the evolution, function, regulation and clinical implications of Lp(a).