Assessment of value of glycosylated albumin and protein in detection of gestational diabetes

There is a recognized need for the early detection of gestational diabetes, and a single blood test, if reliable, would be advantageous. Because serum albumin and total protein are glycosylated and have short life spans, we investigated the usefulness of glycosylated albumin and glycosylated protein in the detection of gestational diabetes. We studied five groups, each with 20 subjects: nonpregnant and pregnant controls, nonpregnant and pregnant insulin-dependent diabetic (IDDM) patients, and gestational diabetic patients. All patients with no history of diabetes had an oral glucose tolerance test to define their carbohydrate status. Our results showed that percent glycosylated albumin and percent glycosylated protein were significantly elevated in both groups of IDDM patients compared with the other groups. However, gestational diabetic patients had glycosylated albumin and glycosylated protein values similar to those of both control groups. Both glycosylated albumin and glycosylated protein correlated well with HbA1c determinations. Thus, glycosylated albumin and glycosylated protein may be a good index of glycemic control, but they are of little value in the diagnosis of gestational diabetes because of a lack of sensitivity: 8 and 3% for glycosylated albumin and glycosylated protein, respectively.     

Direct cadiac electorphysiologic effects of sufentanil and vecuronium in isolated guinea-pig hearts

Sufentanil and vecuronium are commonly used simultaneously in anaesthesia. Bradycardia and asystole have been described immediately after the administration of these two compounds. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the direct cardiac effects of sufentanil and vecuronium in all parts of the cardiac pacemaker and conduction system.
The electrophysiological effects of sufentanil and vecuronium were studied in isolated spontaneously beating guinea-pig hearts perfused by the method of Langendorff. At a concentration of 0.1 μmol/1 sufentanil a significant reduction of the spontaneous sinus rate, prolongation of atrioventricular, intraventricular and His' bundle conduction could be observed. The highest concentration of 10 μmol/1 of sufentanil led to an overall slowing of conduction velocity and to an profound slowing of spontaneous sinus rate. AV nodal as well as atrial and ventricular refractoriness were markedly prolonged at this high concentration of sufentanil. In contrast, during perfusion with vecuronium at a concentration of 0.1 μmol/1 up to 10 μmol/1 no significant effects on cardiac conduction and pacemaker activity could be observed.
In conclusion, the electrophysiological effects of sufentanil are comparable to that of unspecific calcium antagonists. Therefore, especially in patients with a preexisting damage of the cardiac conduction system, the indirect effect of the combination of sufentanil and vecuronium which is predominantly responsible for bradycardia and asystole may be worsened by the direct effects of sufentanil.     

The effects of LY-201116 [4-amino-N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl) benzamide] on the amygdala-kindled rat

The effects of LY-201116, a 4-aminobenzamide, were examined in rats using the amygdala kindling model, both during acquisition of the kindled response and in fully kindled animals. Dose-response and time-response studies for efficacy and rotorod toxicity were completed following intraperitoneal injection of the drug. Afterdischarge duration, behavioral seizure response, kindled seizure threshold and EEG recordings were used to assess efficacy and toxicity of the drug. In the acquisition trial, the drug (7.5 mg/Kg) did not significantly alter the number of stimulations required to produce the first stage 5 kindled response nor did it modify afterdischarge durations. Doses of 11.25 and 15 mg/Kg suppressed afterdischarge and diminished behavioral responses significantly in fully kindled rats, but these doses were also neurotoxic as judged by rotorod performance. The non-selective anticonvulsant effect of 11.25 mg/Kg lasted at least 90 min. A dose of 15 mg/Kg raised kindled seizure threshold and diminished afterdischarge duration. Doses of 20, 30 and 40 mg/Kg produced spontaneous EEG spikes and seizures accompanied by behavioral convulsions. The drug thus exhibited non-selective anticonvulsant effects in fully kindled rats following doses of 11.25 or 15 mg/Kg, but exhibited proconvulsant activity following doses in the range of 20-40 mg/Kg.     

The age of osteosarcoma patients is increasing. An epidemiological study of osteosarcoma in Sweden 1971 to 1984

We conducted an epidemiological study of osteosarcoma in Sweden from 1971 to 1984 to investigate whether the typical features of the disease had changed. Of 294 osteosarcoma patients reviewed, 249 had primary skeletal tumours, and for these the mean annual incidence was 2.1 per million, without any clear trend over time. The mean male/female ratio for the period was 1.6 again with no consistent pattern over time; nor was there any significant change in the distribution of tumours according to location. The only feature which showed a significant change over the 14-year period was the mean age of the patients, being at its lowest (19 years) in 1972 and at its highest (40 years) in 1981. Excluding the 22 patients with craniofacial tumours, the remaining 227 also showed a significant increase in mean age. Analysis of the annual age distribution disclosed an increasing fraction of patients older than those in the classical age peak between 10 and 29 years. A large number of trials have shown improved survival in osteosarcoma over the last 15 years, which has been attributed mainly to adjuvant chemotherapy. The change we have observed in age distribution should also be taken into account in the evaluation of the results of treatment; it may be that older patients have a better prognosis.     

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children: correlation of musculoskeletal manifestations and immunophenotypes

Purpose Studies on musculoskeletal manifestations (MSM) of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have yielded variable findings with regard to their clinical impact. We investigated the significance for differential diagnosis, treatment and outcome of musculoskeletal complaints as presenting symptoms of ALL, and their correlation with leukemia immunophenotypes, for which data is lacking. Methods Data on 783 children in the national study for childhood ALL between 1984 and 2003 were reviewed retrospectively. Statistical analysis examined possible relationships between MSM at the time of diagnosis and demographic and clinical data, biological features of leukemia (peripheral blood counts, immunophenotype and main cytogenetic aberration), response to initial prednisone treatment, and outcome. Results Of 765 children with data on orthopaedic complaints, 240 presented with MSM (31.4%). Among these children, B cell precursor (BCP) was much more common (209/576, 36.3%) than T cell ALL (25/176, 14.2%). Patients with MSM had lower white blood cell counts (WBC) (median of 9 vs. 20 × 10⁹/L, P < 0.001) and percentage of blast cells in the peripheral blood at diagnosis compared to those without (median of 27 vs. 53%, P < 0.001). Hepatomegaly and splenomegaly were less common in MSM group (67 vs. 53% <3 cm, P < 0.001, and 63 vs. 50% <3 cm, P < 0.001, respectively). Poor response to initial treatment with prednisone was recorded in 7.1% of patients with MSM versus 11.5% of those without (P = 0.086). The analysis revealed no independent effect of MSM on event-free survival (EFS), after correcting for differences in EFS related to immunophenotype or initial WBC. Conclusions MSM occur mostly in children with BCP ALL who present with less involvement of extramedullary organs, low peripheral blood blasts and white blood cells counts. These findings highlight the importance of including ALL in the differential diagnosis of MSM even in the presence of an apparently normal peripheral blood count. Our study also suggests that MSM are caused by leukemic cells with enhanced biological propensity to remain relatively confined within the intramedullary bone-marrow space.     

Management of drug misusers in police custody.

Police surgeons are increasingly being asked by the police to assess whether drug misusers held in police custody are fit to be detained and fit for interview. There has been little published on how they manage these questions, furthermore the management appears to vary in different parts of the country. This study sets out to determine the attitudes and practise of police surgeons to the management of drug misusers in police custody. A questionnaire was sent to the full members of the Association of Police Surgeons of Great Britain (APSGB) in March 1993. It was found that police surgeons are very aware of the increasing drug problem, indeed 76% reported that they were seeing an increasing number of drug misusers. However, they exhibit significantly negative attitudes to drug misusers and there is no common practice for prescribing controlled drugs. Fifty-two per cent said that on average they notified no drug misusers each month. Seventy-six per cent of respondents said they had received a hepatitis B immunization. The majority of respondents called for more training on drug problems. Therefore, there is an urgent need for specific guidelines for police surgeons on the management of drug misusers in police custody to address the arbitrary nature of the current practice.     

Interpretation of functional series expansions

While much research has been devoted to the implementation and application of Volterra and Wiener functional series expansions in the identification and characterization of biological systems, little effort has been focused on the fundamental problem of interpreting the resulting kernels. This paper describes the application of the series to the components of a known model of the human pupil control system. As more complicated elements are put together, insight into kernel interpretation is built up incrementally until the total system is identified. Practical limitations and methods are also discussed.