Adequacies of skin puncture for evaluating biochemical and hematological blood parameters in athletes.

OBJECTIVE: The authors tested the effect of blood sampling (skin versus venous puncture) on some biochemical and hematological blood parameters in athletes to answer whether skin puncture could be used as a substitute for venous puncture. DESIGN: Comparative study of 2 methods of blood samples collection. SETTING: The blood was collected in the same athletes at 3 different moments of the preparatory training phase. PARTICIPANTS: Fourteen male indoor soccer players (22 +/- 1 years old) and 7 female handball players (18 +/- 1 years old) participated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT: Blood was collected in heparin and K3EDTA by Vacutainer BD or Microvette Sarstedt system for biochemical and hematological analyses, respectively. RESULTS: There were no significant statistical differences between the 2 methods for the values of creatine kinase, urea, creatinine, lymphocytes, and platelets. The other hematological analyzes and uric acid exhibited significant higher values in skin blood, although they were all within the normal expected range. A high degree of correlation was observed between the 2 techniques for all parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Skin puncture is a reliable, easy, accurate, and less invasive sampling method for assessing hematological and some biochemical parameters in athletes, respecting that blood samples should always be obtained from the same site, especially in follow-up studies.     

AMPK在妊娠期糖尿病发病机制中的作用

腺苷酸活化蛋白激酶是一种重要的蛋白激酶,主要作用是协调代谢和能量平衡.腺苷酸活化蛋白激酶被激活后,在增加骨骼肌对葡萄糖摄取、增强胰岛素敏感性、增加脂肪酸氧化以及调节基因转录等方面发挥重要作用.已经证实脂联素有调节糖脂代谢的作用,但其作用机制尚不十分清楚,很可能是通过腺苷酸活化蛋白激酶介导,对脂联素信号转导通路的研究将成为进一步理解脂联素作用的关键所在.而脂联素又是妊娠期糖尿病的预测因子,所以腺苷酸活化蛋白激酶逐渐成为对妊娠期糖尿病研究中的焦点.     

Reconstruction of upper digestive tract: reducing morbidity by laparoscopic pull-up.

BACKGROUND: Gastric pull-up is a useful method for reconstruction of the upper digestive tract, with considerable morbidity/mortality, especially in esophageal cancers (EC). OBJECTIVE: To analyze the experience of a multidisciplinary team with a laparoscopic gastric pull-up (LGPU) method, with or without thoracoscopy, in a series of 120 patients with EC. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 1992 to 2004, 120 EC [cervical/cervicothoracic (3.0%), middle third (15.0%), and inferior third (82.0%)]. Most were squamous cell carcinomas (47.0%) and adenocarcinomas (34.0%). Stomach was dissected and mobilized exclusively by laparoscopy. Occasionally, laparoscopic approach was extended cranially, until connecting with cervical dissection. In other cases, dissection of thoracic esophagus was accomplished through a thoracoscopic approach. RESULTS: Eighty-one patients (68.0%) had LGPU; 39 (32.0%) needed thoracoscopy. Mortality was 5.9%. Complications were fistula (10.0%) and pneumonia (10.0%). All fistulae closed spontaneously; 89.2% of patients could swallow a normal oral diet. CONCLUSION: Low morbidity/mortality of LGPU for EC compared favorably with conventional techniques.     

Metabolic effect of pancreas transplantation on long-term diabetic rats

Thirty-six male Lewis rats rendered diabetic using alloxan received syngeneic pancreaticoduodenal grafts. Seven days prior to and 7, 30, and 90 days posttransplantation, the animals were housed in metabolic cages for periods of 48 hours. During this time, body weight, water intake, food intake, urine output, and fecal output were recorded every 24 hours. Blood sugar, plasma insulin, glucosuria, and proteinuria were determined at 3-month intervals prior to the transplant and at monthly intervals posttransplantation. These parameters were also concurrently recorded for diabetic control rats. Pancreaticoduodenal transplantation produces immediate relief of hyperglycemia, glucosuria, polyuria, polyphasia, and polydypsia, resulting in good health of the animals until the time of sacrifice. A significantly increased insulin level was also recorded. The transplanted animals showed a weight gain reflecting that of a normal growth curve.     

Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition increases gastric tone and delays gastric emptying in rats.

We evaluated the effects of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) selective inhibitors, COX-1 selective inhibitor, or COX non-selective inhibitor on gastric emptying and intestinal transit of liquids, and evaluated the effect of a COX-2 selective inhibitor on gastric tonus (GT). Male Wistar rats were treated per os with saline (control), rofecoxib, celecoxib, ketorolac, rofecoxib + ketorolac, celecoxib + ketorolac, or indomethacin. After 1 h, rats were gavage-fed (1.5 mL) with the test meal (5% glucose solution with 0.05 g mL(-1) phenol red) and killed 10, 20 or 30 min later. Gastric, proximal, medial or distal small intestine dye recovery (GDR and IDR, respectively) were measured by spectrophotometry. The animals of the other group were treated with i.v. valdecoxib or saline, and GT was continuously observed for 120 min using a pletismomether system. Compared with the control group, treatment with COX-2 inhibitors, alone or with ketocolac, as well as with indomethacin increased GDR (P < 0.05) at 10-, 20- or 30-min postprandial intervals. Ketorolac alone did not change the GDR, but increased the proximal IDR (P < 0.05) at 10 min, and decreased medial IDR (P < 0.05) at 10 and 20 min. Valdecoxib increased (P < 0.01) GT 60, 80 and 100 min after administration. In conclusion, COX-2 inhibition delayed the gastric emptying of liquids and increased GT in rats.