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PubMed2002

Nomograms for clinically localized prostate cancer. Part II: radiation therapy.

Prostate cancer can be effectively treated with either external beam radiation techniques or with brachytherapy. This study was designed to address the methodology that is used to assess outcome data in the current radiation literature and to evaluate available nomograms that can be used to predict outcomes. A literature search was performed and 12 articles reviewed. Risk stratification was the most frequently used methodology to analyze data. This method encompasses disease-specific variables: the pretreatment prostate-specific antigen (PSA) value and the Gleason score are classified by using cut points into low, intermediate, and high-risk groups. Another methodology uses nomograms to predict outcome. The nomogram uses continuous values of each variable so that the outcome probability for a specific set of parameters is quite specific. The advantage of nomogram analysis over risk stratification analysis is presented. In conclusion, only 3 reports were identified in the radiation literature that used a nomogram to predict outcome. One of the nomograms is proprietary and difficult to interpret. The other 2 nomograms, 1 for 3-dimensional radiation and the other for brachytherapy, have been incorporated into hand-held devices that can be used at consultation with the patient to discuss outcome probabilities to assist in treatment decisions.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2002

Using the dallas pain questionnaire to classify individuals with low back pain in a working population.

STUDY DESIGN: Individuals with low back pain were classified by cluster analysis of their responses to the Dallas Pain Questionnaire. These results enabled development of an alternative simple classification tool that yielded results close to those obtained by the cluster analysis. OBJECTIVES: To use the Dallas Pain Questionnaire to classify workers with low back pain, and to develop a practical classification tool for physicians. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The severity of low back pain is important information for patient management. Questionnaires exploring the multidimensional aspect of low back pain have been used to classify individuals with low back pain. The Dallas Pain Questionnaire is a short self-administered questionnaire that explores the functional and emotional aspects of chronic low back pain. It was tested in a population still at work using a simplified scoring system. METHODS: The study included 765 persons with low back pain still at work who completed the self-administered questionnaire. Of these patients, 732 could be classified by cluster analysis according to their answers to the Dallas Pain Questionnaire. A classification tool was developed to categorize them. Using external variables, the groups thus formed were compared. RESULTS: Respondents were classified into four classes: class 1 (minor disability), class 2 (intermediate disability), class 3 (disability for some physical activities), and class 4 (physical disability and emotional disturbance). External pain-related variables were clearly associated with increasing low back pain severity as measured by this classification tool. CONCLUSIONS: The Dallas Pain Questionnaire discriminated between different groups of persons with low back pain. The proposed classification uses a short, simple practical tool to assess different levels of low back pain.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

No improvement in survival from melanoma diagnosed from 1973 to 1984.

BACKGROUND: While the incidence and mortality of melanoma has increased dramatically during the last few decades, survival rates, based on the case-fatality ratio, have apparently improved. Efforts at early detection have probably been effective in the discovery of lesions at a curable stage. However, the effects of lead-time bias need to be accounted for in order to understand the contribution of early detection to the increased incidence. This can best be done by appropriately controlling for depth of the tumour or a surrogate of depth, at diagnosis. METHODS: A survival analysis was conducted for 3197 Connecticut residents newly diagnosed with invasive melanoma between 1973 and 1984. Five prognostic variables were evaluated: sex, age at diagnosis, anatomical site, histological type, and year of diagnosis. RESULTS: As expected, women and the young had better survival than men and the elderly. Melanomas located on the trunk had poorer prognosis than those on other sites. The survival experience by histological type was significantly different; lentigo maligna melanoma and superficial spreading melanoma had the best survival and nodular melanomas the poorest, while 'other' and unclassifiable melanomas had intermediate survival. When survival by period of diagnosis was controlled by other variables, which included surrogates for disease stage, there was no improvement in survival over time. CONCLUSION: These data do not imply that early diagnosis and treatment are ineffective; rather, that within stages of disease, survival improvements did not occur during the period 1973-1984.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Variable-temperature, variable-field magnetic circular dichroism studies of tris-hydroxy- and mu3-oxo-bridged trinuclear Cu(II) complexes: evaluation of proposed structures of the native intermediate of the multicopper oxidases.

Multicopper oxidases catalyze the 4e- reduction of O2 to H2O. Reaction of the fully reduced enzyme with O2 produces the native intermediate (NI) that consists of four oxidized Cu centers, three of which form a trinuclear cluster site, all bridged by the product of full O2 reduction. The most characteristic feature of NI is the intense magnetic circular dichroism pseudo-A feature (a pair of temperature-dependent C-terms with opposite signs) associated with O --> Cu(II) ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) that derives from the strong Cu-O bonds in the trinuclear site. In this study, the two most plausible Cu-O structures of the trinuclear site, the tris-mu2-hydroxy-bridged and the mu3-oxo-bridged structures, are evaluated through spectroscopic and electronic structure studies on relevant model complexes, TrisOH and mu3O. It is found that the two components of a pseudo-A-term for TrisOH are associated with LMCT to the same Cu that are coupled by a metal-centered excited-state spin-orbit coupling (SOC), whereas for mu3O they are associated with LMCT to different Cu centers that are coupled by oxo-centered excited state SOC. Based on this analysis of the two candidate models, only the mu3-oxo-bridged structure is consistent with the spectroscopic properties of NI. The Cu-O sigma-bonds in the mu3-oxo-bridged structure would provide the thermodynamic driving force for the 4e- reduction of O2 and would allow the facile electron transfer to all Cu centers in the trinuclear cluster that is consistent with its involvement in the catalytic cycle.

Circular Dichroism↗
PubMed1998

White-coat hypertension and sex.

OBJECTIVES: To compare, by sex, selected behavioral and biologic characteristics among normotensive, white-coat hypertensive, and essential hypertensive patients, and to assess the similarities and differences in these characteristics between men and women diagnosed as having white-coat hypertension. METHODS: The subjects of this study were 764 men (80 normotensives, 112 white-coat hypertensives, and 572 essential hypertensives) and 442 women (53 normotensives, 81 white-coat hypertensives and 308 essential hypertensives) who were a nonrandom subset of a larger cohort of patients being assessed to determine the prognostic significance of ambulatory blood pressure measurements. Physician-measured technician-measured and ambulatory (average awake and asleep) blood pressures, daytime blood pressure variability, the difference between awake and sleeping blood pressures, cholesterol levels, plasma renin activity (PRA) and anthropometric and demographic characteristics were compared across the patient classifications within each sex group and between male and female white-coat hypertensives using one-way analysis of variance. Student's t tests and chi squared analysis. RESULTS: Among men, cholesterol levels of normotensives were significantly lower than those of either white-coat or essential hypertensives (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). White-coat hypertensives were significantly younger than the essential hypertensives. The ambulatory and technician-measured blood pressures of the white-coat hypertensives were similar to those of the normotensives, as were most measures of variability of blood pressure. Among women, there were no differences in cholesterol level; however, white-coat hypertensives had lower PRA than did the essential hypertensives (P < 0.01) In contrast to the men, women with white-coat hypertension were similar in age to those with essential hypertension, and 10 years older than normotensives (P < 0.01). The ambulatory blood pressures of white-coat hypertensives were similar to those of normotensives, but their technician-measured blood pressures were intermediate between those of the normotensive and essential hypertensive groups. The daily variability of diastolic blood pressure among the white-coat-hypertensive women was greater than that of the normotensive women and similar to that of the essential hypertensive women. For all other measures of variability, data for white-coat-hypertensive women were similar to those for the normotensive women. There was no anthropometric or demographic difference among the patients either for men or for women. White-coat-hypertensive women were older than white-coat-hypertensive men and had higher systolic blood pressures and variabilities of blood pressure (P < 0.05). They also had lower PRA. CONCLUSIONS: These results are consistent with the ideas that the phenomenon of white-coat hypertension is similar for the two sexes, women may exhibit white-coat hypertension at a greater age than do men, and women with white-coat hypertension may further exhibit a broader white-coat effect, reflected in blood pressures measured by other medical personnel.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

In situ distribution of hepatitis C virus replicative-intermediate RNA in hepatic tissue and its correlation with liver disease.

Liver failure from chronic hepatitis C is the leading indication for liver transplantation in the United States. However, the pathogenesis of liver injury resulting from chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is not well understood. To examine the relationship between HCV replication in liver tissue and hepatocellular injury, a strand-specific in situ hybridization procedure was developed. The sensitivity and specificity of digoxigenin-labeled riboprobes were optimized by analyzing Northern blots and cell lines expressing HCV RNAs. For the current study, both genomic (sense) and replicative-intermediate (antisense) HCV RNAs were detected and quantified in 8 of 8 liver tissue specimens from infected patients versus 0 of 11 liver tissue specimens from noninfected controls. The distribution pattern for HCV replicative-intermediate RNA in liver was different from that for HCV genomic RNA. HCV genomic RNA was variably distributed throughout infected livers and was located primarily in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes, with some signal in fibroblasts and/or macrophages in the surrounding fibroconnective tissue. However, HCV replicative-intermediate RNA showed a more focal pattern of distribution and was exclusively localized in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes. There was no significant relationship between the distribution pattern for HCV genomic RNA and any indices of hepatocellular injury. However, a highly significant correlation was observed between the percentage of cells staining positive for replicative-intermediate RNA and the degree of hepatic inflammatory activity (P, < 0.0001). Furthermore, the ratio of cells staining positive for HCV replicative-intermediate versus genomic RNA correlated with the histological severity of liver injury (P, 0. 0065), supporting the hypothesis that active replication of HCV in liver tissue may be a significant determinant of hepatocellular injury.

5' Untranslated Regions↗
PubMed1985

Flow cytometric analysis of heterogeneity in blood group-related antigen expression in a human urinary bladder carcinoma cell line, 647V.

Previous immunohistological studies showed a relationship between expression of blood group-related antigens (BG-Ag) and invasive potential in human urinary bladder carcinoma, but the marked variability of antigen staining within many individual tumors has obscured the biological basis of this finding. We studied the expression of the A, H, and T (Thomsen-Friedenreich) BG-Ag by flow cytometry in a human bladder carcinoma cell line (647V) using fluoresceinated BG-Ag-specific lectins (Dolichos bifloris, Ulex europaeus, and Arachis hypogaea). Cell cycle compartments were quantitated by flow cytometry using propidium iodide staining. Expression of all three antigens was highly variable, but staining for each antigen produced a distinct profile. T antigen expression appeared independent of A or H antigen expression. Cell populations sorted by T antigen expression showed heritable antigenic differences persistent over many weeks in culture. However, much of the T antigen variability was nonheritable, since the stable staining profiles of the sorted cells were intermediate between the parental and the profiles obtained immediately after sorting. The nonheritable antigenic variation did not appear entirely explainable by cell size or cell cycle fluctuation. These results were confirmed by isolating 64 clones from the dim part of the T antigen staining profile, 19 of which had a persistently dim phenotype. The variability of BG-Ag expression by human bladder carcinoma cells in vitro may explain the staining patterns observed in the study of antigen expression in resected human bladder carcinomas.

ABO Blood-Group System↗
PubMed1992

Extensive size polymorphism of the human keratin 10 chain resides in the C-terminal V2 subdomain due to variable numbers and sizes of glycine loops.

Existing data suggest that the human keratin 10 intermediate filament protein is polymorphic in amino acid sequence and in size. To precisely define the nature of the polymorphism, we have used PCR amplification and sequence analyses on DNA from several individuals including five with documented size variations of the keratin 10 protein. We found no variation in the N-terminal or rod domain sequences. However, we observed many variations in the V2 subdomain near the C terminus in glycine-rich sequences with a variation of as much as 114 base pairs (38 amino acids), but all individuals had either one or two variants. Our results show that (i) the keratin 10 system is far more polymorphic than previously realized, (ii) the polymorphism is restricted to insertions and deletions of the glycine-rich quasipeptide repeats that form the glycine-loop motif in the C-terminal domain, (iii) the polymorphism can be accounted for by simple allelic variations that segregate by normal Mendelian mechanisms, and (iv) the differently sized PCR products most likely represent different alleles of a single-copy gene per haploid genome.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Metabolic variables of cholesterol during squalene feeding in humans: comparison with cholestyramine treatment.

Squalene, a key intermediate of cholesterol synthesis, is present especially in olive oil. Regulation of cholesterol metabolism by dietary squalene in man is unknown, even though olive oil users in Mediterranean areas have low serum cholesterol levels. We have investigated absorption and serum levels of squalene and cholesterol and cholesterol synthesis with the sterol balance technique and serum levels of cholesterol precursors in humans during squalene feeding (900 mg/d for 7-30 days). The results were compared with those during cholestyramine treatment. Fecal analysis suggested that about 60% of dietary squalene was absorbed. Serum squalene levels were increased 17 times, but serum triglyceride and cholesterol contents were unchanged. The squalene feeding significantly (P less than 0.05) increased serum levels of free (1.7-2.3 times) and esterified (1.9-2.4 times) methyl sterol contents, while elevations of free and esterified delta 8-cholesterol and lathosterol levels were inconsistent. Cholestyramine treatment modestly augmented free methyl sterol levels (1.3-1.7 times), less consistently than those of esterified ones, while, in contrast to the squalene feeding, serum contents of free and esterified delta 8-cholesterol and lathosterol were dramatically increased (3.3-8 times). Neither of the treatments significantly affected serum plant sterol and cholestanol levels. The squalene feeding had no consistent effect on absorption efficiency of cholesterol, but significantly increased (paired t-test, P less than 0.05) the fecal excretions of cholesterol and its nonpolar derivatives coprostanol, epicoprostanol, and coprostanone (655 +/- 83 SE to 856 +/- 146 mg/d) and bile acids (212 +/- 24 to 255 +/- 24 mg/d), indicating an increase of cholesterol synthesis by about 50%. We suggest that a substantial amount of dietary squalene is absorbed and converted to cholesterol in humans, but this squalene-induced increase in synthesis is not associated with consistent increases of serum cholesterol levels. The clearly increased serum contents of esterified methyl sterols may reflect stimulated tissue acyl CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT, EC 2.3.1.26) activity during squalene feeding as these sterols are not esterified in serum.

Cholestanol↗
PubMed1984

Inter and intratrial variation in cat locomotor behavior.

Four cats were trained to locomote on a treadmill at a variety of speeds. The cats were then filmed at weekly intervals for three weeks; additionally, one of the cats was filmed 35 days prior to the first weekly filming. The films were used to characterize the variation exhibited by the cats in total cycle and swing/stance durations, and in footfall patterns both across the weekly trials and within them, and across speeds. The intertrial comparison indicated the existence of a "training effect" (i.e., a consistent change in gait subsequent to continued training) for only one cat; the cat showed notable reductions in cycle duration at all speeds over time. The intertrial comparison also indicated that a limb (especially a forelimb) could exhibit slightly different (but internally consistent) footfall patterns during different trials. Furthermore, the variation in one forelimb's pattern was usually associated with corresponding, but reciprocal, variation in the other forelimb's pattern. The analysis comparing variation in cycle duration across speeds indicated generally more variability at slow speeds relative to fast speeds. However, maximum or near maximum variability in cycle duration as well as in footfall pattern often occurred at an intermediate speed near the walk-trot transition. The data also demonstrated that both swing and stance durations could be modified at all speeds, although individual cats may consistently modify one more than the other. Additionally, swing duration appeared to be the primary variable during galloping. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for comparative studies of cat locomotor behavior subsequent to surgically induced lesions, and in terms of achieving a better understanding of cat locomotion and its neural control.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Morphology of adenohypophysial tumors in mice transgenic for vasopressin-SV40 hybrid oncogene.

Transgenic mice for the promoter sequence of bovine arginine vasopressin (AVP) gene fused to large SV40 T-antigen coding sequence develop pituitary tumors and insulin-producing pancreatic tumors. In order to establish the cellular composition of the pituitary tumors, histological, immunocytochemical, in situ hybridization, and electron microscopic technics were applied. Pituitary anterior lobe tumors were identified in 10 out of 14 glands examined. In 2 of these cases, intermediate lobe tumors were also found. The anterior lobe tumors contained a variable number of GH immunoreactive cells. In situ hybridization performed in 7 cases revealed a diffuse distribution of GH messenger RNA over all tumor cells. Ultrastructurally, the tumors contained undifferentiated cells with very small secretory granules and rare cells showing some resemblance to somatotrophs. The results indicate that these pituitary tumors are composed of undifferentiated somatotrophs. The presence of a few PRL immunoreactive cells in four tumors and scattered TSH immunoreactive cells in two tumors supports the view that somatotrophs have the potential to produce PRL and TSH. The intermediate lobe tumors were immunoreactive for ACTH and intensely positive for POMC mRNA. In the nontumorous adenohypophyses, no hyperplasia of any cell type was noted. Several GH immunoreactive cells exhibited pleomorphic, giant nuclei and mitoses. In conclusion, the majority of transgenic mice for AVP/large T-antigen develop pituitary tumors originating in and composed of somatotrophs. Less frequently, intermediary lobe tumors were present as well. AVP/SV40 transgenic mice provide a unique experimental model for somatotroph tumors that are neither preceded by, nor associated with somatotroph hyperplasia.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Prognostic factors for treatment outcome in autotransplantation of intermediate-grade and high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with cyclophosphamide, carmustine, and etoposide.

PURPOSE: We examined a consecutive series of 78 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma treated on prospective protocols with high-dose cyclophosphamide, carmustine (BCNU), and etoposide (CBV) plus autotransplantation to determine prognostic factors for time to treatment failure. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with relapsed, refractory, or poor-risk intermediate- and high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were treated with CBV with autologous marrow or peripheral-blood progenitor cell support. Patient characteristics before transplantation were examined in univariate analyses by the log-rank test and simultaneously in a Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. A best-predictive model was determined from those variables significant (P < .10) in the univariate test. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, intermediate-grade and immunoblastic lymphoma, responsiveness to pretransplant salvage chemotherapy, and transplantation after primary therapy (first complete response [CR] or partial response [PR]) were associated with prolonged time to treatment failure. In proportional hazards multiple regression analysis, intermediate-grade and immunoblastic histology, responsive disease, and autotransplantation in first CR or PR were positive prognostic factors, and these characteristics are the basis of the best-predictive model for prolonged time to failure. Actuarial 3-year failure-free survival of patients with stable or responding disease at autotransplant was 54%. CONCLUSION: CBV is an effective conditioning regimen in intermediate-grade and immunoblastic non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Patients with these histologies transplanted while responding to primary therapy, or those with stable disease or disease responding to salvage therapy at the time of autotransplant, are most likely to benefit. Patients with lymphoblastic lymphoma or diffuse undifferentiated lymphoma did poorly with CBV and should be offered alternative therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Formation of cytoskeletal elements during mouse embryogenesis. IV. Ultrastructure of primary mesenchymal cells and their cell-cell interactions.

The ultrastructure of the day 8.5 mouse embryo has been studied by transmission electron microscopy, with special emphasis on the primary mesenchymal cells and their interaction with cells of the embryonic ectoderm and the proximal endoderm. The organization of the two polar epithelial cell layers (embryonic ectoderm and proximal endoderm), the isolated cells of the distal endoderm and the primary mesenchymal cells is described. Primary mesenchymal cells are different from embryonic ectoderm cells, from which they are derived, not only by the absence of desmosomes and intermediate-sized filaments of the cytokeratin type but also by their variable morphology not exhibiting stable polar architecture, and their numerous cytoplasmic processes which make contacts with the basal lamina of the ectoderm, the basal cell surface of the proximal endoderm, and other mesenchymal cells. Over most of the embryo the embryonic ectoderm is covered by a typical basal lamina, except for certain regions that are frequently characterized by cytoplasmic projections ("blebs') from the basal cell surface membrane. In contrast, the basal surface of the proximal endoderm is not covered by a continuous basal lamina and reveals mushroom-like protrusions of the cortical cytoplasm. Junctions between primary mesenchymal cells are numerous and include adhaerens-type formations of various sizes as well as gap junctions. Occasionally, a special type of junction between mesenchymal cells and embryonic ectoderm has been found, resulting in local interruptions of the basal lamina. The observations are discussed in relation to possible mechanisms of mesoderm formation and the drastic changes of cell character that accompany this process, including cytoskeletal changes such as the disappearance of cytokeratin filaments and the expression of vimentin.

Animals↗
PubMed1974

The mechanism of viral replication. Structure of replication complexes of encephalomyocarditis virus.

The structure of the purified replicative intermediate of encephalomyocarditis virus was determined by electron microscopy. Approximately 80% of the replicative intermediate complexes were characterized by a filament of double-stranded RNA of widely variable length, which had a "bush" of single-stranded RNA at one end. In many examples one or more additional single-stranded bushes were appended internally to the double-stranded RNA filament. These results support the view that before deproteinization, replicative intermediate contains little if any double-stranded RNA.

Centrifugation, Density Gradient↗
PubMed1991

Basaloid carcinoma of salivary glands, a variety of undifferentiated adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemical study of intermediate filament proteins in 24 cases.

Among adenoid cystic carcinomas of salivary glands (ACCs), the solid basaloid type has a poor prognosis similar to that of undifferentiated adenocarcinomas. We studied 24 cases in immunohistochemistry using antibodies reactive with keratins of various molecular weights, vimentin, S-100 protein, and its A and B subunits. Our findings were correlated with the histological pattern and with the variable degree of differentiation of these carcinomas. In comparison with other types of ACC, intermediate filament proteins in this group were weakly expressed. The co-expression of cytokeratin and vimentin was noted in some cases. Additional features noted were the presence of cribriform cavities associated with solid lobules and areas of necrosis giving a comedocarcinomatous pattern. In these two variants, cells characterized by the dual expression of cytokeratin and S-100 protein were seen. In the highly malignant anaplastic variety, only a few cells were weakly positive with antisera to cytokeratin and vimentin. This group shows similarities to undifferentiated adenocarcinomas of salivary glands. Such similarities could be explained by the common origin of these tumours from intercalated ducts.

Carcinoma, Transitional Cell↗
PubMed1994

Italian multicentre study on very low-birth-weight babies. Neonatal mortality and two-year outcome.

The Italian multicentre study on very low-birth-weight babies is the first collaborative project in Italy on the health status of newborns weighing 500-1499 g at birth: 634 such babies were admitted in 1987-88 to eight Italian NICUs; 424 infants survived and were followed until two years of age, corrected for prematurity. Logistic regression analysis of pre-admission risk factors of in-hospital mortality identified eight statistically significant variables: birth weight, gestational age, sex, antepartum steroids, 1-min Apgar score and, on admission to the NICU, body temperature, pH and absence of spontaneous respiration. Using the equation derived from the logistic model, a theoretical mortality rate was calculated for each centre, predicted on the basis of the local incidence of preadmission risk factors. In no case was the predicted mortality significantly different from the observed one. At two years of age, 8 children were blind and 48 had motor disability. Of these, 46 had cerebral palsy: based on a functional evaluation score 14 had severe (degree 4), 20 intermediate (degree 3) and 12 mild cerebral palsy (degree 2). Among 25 variables entered in a logistic regression as risk factors for cerebral palsy, only periventricular leukomalacia and acidosis were significantly associated with the outcome.

Apgar Score↗
PubMed1983

Pharmacokinetics of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion.

One of the reasons for the variability of blood glucose regulation in Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients is the huge variation in subcutaneous absorption of intermediate-acting insulin. We have investigated the variation in insulin absorption during continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion in eight such patients. The content of insulin in the subcutaneous tissue was measured using 125I-labelled insulin. The concentration of free serum insulin and blood glucose was followed from 1 h before and from 7 h after breakfast on two consecutive days. The amount of insulin absorbed during 24 h differed in all cases by less than 3% from the daily insulin dose given by the pumps. Mean insulin absorption rates and mean free insulin concentration showed peak values 30-90 min after meal bolus injections; this was sufficient to maintain near-normal blood glucose. Mean free serum insulin correlated strongly with disappearance of insulin from the subcutaneous tissue (r = 0.98). From the insulin absorption rates and free insulin concentrations during basal constant insulin infusion, the half-time of serum insulin was calculated as 6 min. Compared with the known large variability in the absorption of intermediate-acting insulin, continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion offers a precise and reproducible way of insulin administration resulting in post-prandial serum insulin peaks sufficient to maintain near-normal blood glucose levels. The half-time of serum insulin during subcutaneous infusion corresponds to values for intravenous infusion given in the literature, indicating that local degradation of insulin in subcutaneous tissue is of minor importance.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Development and morphological variability of Echinococcus granulosus.

Characteristics are presented of Echinococcus granulosus strobila from dogs experimentally infected with protoscolices from a single cyst isolated from the liver of a domestic pig in a central Slovakian district. Adult cestodes are characterized mainly by 28-32 hooks highly variable in shape and size; 26-51 testes situated mostly throughout the proglottis (1 or 3 rows behind the vitelline gland); a lobate ovary; the shape of the uterus, which in 10% of proglottides is more or less spherical, in 62% is saccular with lateral sacculations of variable size, in 27% is saccular without lateral sacculations and in 1% is more or less tubular or strongly ramified; and an intermediately rapid rate of development lasting until between 40 and 44 days p.i. The present report analyzes the high degree of variability of the clone studied, referring to the knowledge on the characteristics of the pig, sheep, and cattle strains of E. granulosus and E. multilocularis species, with which some taxonomic characters of the clone representatives overlap.

Animals↗