Effects of intraduodenal glucose concentration on blood pressure and heart rate in healthy older subjects.

The aims of this study were to determine whether the hypotensive and heart rate responses to small intestinal glucose infusion are dependent on the glucose concentration. Eight healthy subjects, aged 65-78 years, were studied on 3 separate days in random order. Each subject received intraduodenal infusions of 50 g of glucose in either 300 mL (16.

Focusing optics of a parallel beam CCD optical tomography apparatus for 3D radiation gel dosimetry.

Optical tomography of gel dosimeters is a promising and cost-effective avenue for quality control of radiotherapy treatments such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Systems based on a laser coupled to a photodiode have so far shown the best results within the context of optical scanning of radiosensitive gels, but are very slow ( approximately 9 min per slice) and poorly suited to measurements that require many slices. Here, we describe a fast, three-dimensional (3D) optical computed tomography (optical-CT) apparatus, based on a broad, collimated beam, obtained from a high power LED and detected by a charged coupled detector (CCD).

Laparoscopy in the management of impalpable testicle.

Purpose: In paediatric urology, one of the main applications of laparoscopy is the evaluation and treatment of impalpable testis. Herein we present our initial experience with laparoscopy in patients with impalpable testis.

Material And Methods: Laparoscopy was performed under general anaesthesia on 13 patients.

Sleep and developmental disabilities: assessment, treatment, and outcome measures.

People with developmental disabilities sleep less and experience higher incidence of clinical sleep disorders than the general population. Exploring the neurophysiology linking sleep with daytime performance in patients with developmental disabilities is now possible using minimally sufficient sleep and sleep-sensitive behavioral assays. Although frequent sampling represents the primary difficulty, it is required to untangle coincident effects of sleep quality amidst circadian variation.

Abdominal pseudocyst: predisposing factors and treatment algorithm.

Abdominal pseudocyst (APC) is an uncommon complication of ventriculoperitoneal shunts. Various predisposing factors have been attributed to it, including the presence of infection and multiple shunt revisions. We reviewed the records of shunt revisions performed over a 20-year period.

A complete distortion correction for MR images: II. Rectification of static-field inhomogeneities by similarity-based profile mapping.

Radiotherapy treatment planning relies on the use of geometrically correct images. This paper presents a fully automatic tool for correcting MR images for the effects of B(0) inhomogeneities. The post-processing method is based on the gradient-reversal technique of Chang and Fitzpatrick (1992 IEEE Trans.

Initially more rapid small intestinal glucose delivery increases plasma insulin, GIP, and GLP-1 but does not improve overall glycemia in healthy subjects.

The rate of gastric emptying of glucose-containing liquids is a major determinant of postprandial glycemia. The latter is also dependent on stimulation of insulin secretion by glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). Although overall emptying of glucose approximates 1-3 kcal/min, the "early phase" of gastric emptying is usually more rapid.

Effects of small intestinal and gastric glucose administration on the suppression of plasma ghrelin concentrations in healthy older men and women.

Objective: Ghrelin is a peptide hormone secreted primarily from the gastric mucosa. It plays a role in energy balance by stimulating appetite, thereby increasing food intake and enhancing weight gain and fat mass deposition. Plasma ghrelin concentrations increase with fasting and are suppressed by nutrient intake.

Effect of pramlintide on satiety and food intake in obese subjects and subjects with type 2 diabetes.

Aims/hypothesis: Long-term trials in insulin-treated subjects with type 2 diabetes have shown that adjunctive treatment with the amylin analogue pramlintide reduces HbA(1)c levels and elicits weight loss. While amylin reduces food intake in rodents, pramlintide's effect on satiety and food intake in humans has not yet been assessed.

Methods: In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, 11 insulin-treated men with type 2 diabetes (age 60+/-9 years, BMI 28.

A complete distortion correction for MR images: I. Gradient warp correction.

MR images are known to be distorted because of both gradient nonlinearity and imperfections in the B0 field, the latter caused either by an imperfect shim or sample-induced distortions. This paper describes in detail a method for correcting the gradient warp distortion, based on a direct field mapping using a custom-built phantom with three orthogonal grids of fluid-filled rods. The key advance of the current work over previous contributions is the large volume of the mapping phantom and the large distortions (>25 mm) corrected, making the method suitable for use with large field of view, extra-cranial images.

Phosphatidylcholine-rich acceptors, but not native HDL or its apolipoproteins, mobilize cholesterol from cholesterol-rich insoluble components of human atherosclerotic plaques.

To examine the potential of high density lipoproteins (HDL) to ameliorate atherosclerotic plaques in vivo, we examined the ability of native HDL, lipid-free HDL apolipoproteins (apo HDL), cholesterol-free discoidal reconstituted HDL (R-HDL) comprised of apo HDL and phosphatidylcholine (PC) and PC liposomes to release cholesterol from cholesterol-rich insoluble components of plaques (ICP) isolated from atherosclerotic human aorta. Isolated ICP had a free cholesterol (FC) to phospholipid (PL) mass ratio (0.8-3.

Use of a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model to study the time to reach brain equilibrium: an experimental analysis of the role of blood-brain barrier permeability, plasma protein binding, and brain tissue binding.

This study was designed 1) to examine the effects of blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability [quantified as permeability-surface area product (PS)], unbound fraction in plasma (f(u,plasma)), and brain tissue (f(u,brain)) on the time to reach equilibrium between brain and plasma and 2) to investigate the drug discovery strategies to design and select compounds that can rapidly penetrate the BBB and distribute to the site of action. The pharmacokinetics of seven model compounds: caffeine, CP-141938 [methoxy-3-[(2-phenyl-piperadinyl-3-amino)-methyl]-phenyl-N-methyl-methane-sulfonamide], fluoxetine, NFPS [N[3-(4'-fluorophenyl)-3-(4'-phenylphenoxy)propyl]sarcosine], propranolol, theobromine, and theophylline in rat brain and plasma after subcutaneous administration were studied. The in vivo log PS and log f(u,brain) calculated using a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model correlates with in situ log PS (R(2) = 0.

Complications of pneumatic ureterolithotripsy in the early postoperative period.

Purpose: To document the perioperative and early postoperative complications of pneumatic ureterolithotripsy.

Patients And Methods: Between January 1997 and December 2003, pneumatic ureterolithotripsy was performed in 665 male and 314 female patients for stones >0.5 cm.

Determination of grade and receptor status from the primary breast lesion by magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Magnetic resonance spectra (MRS) from fine needle aspiration biopsies (FNAB) from primary breast lesions were analysed using a pattern recognition method, Statistical Classification Strategy, to assess tumor grade and oestrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PgR) status. Grade 1 and 2 breast cancers were separated from grade 3 cancers with a sensitivity and specificity of 96% and 95%, respectively. The ER status was predicted with a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 90%, and the PgR status with a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 86%.

Contribution of postprandial lipemia to the dietary fat-mediated changes in endogenous lipoprotein-cholesterol concentrations in humans.

Background: Dietary fats alter LDL and HDL cholesterol while serving as precursors of postprandial triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins (TRLs).

Objective: We hypothesized that the saturated fatty acid (SFA)-mediated increase and the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-mediated decrease in endogenous lipoprotein cholesterol are promoted by postprandial TRLs.

Design: We performed a 16-d crossover diet study to examine the effect of PUFA-rich [ratio of PUFAs to SFAs (P:S) = 2.

Effect of variations in small intestinal glucose delivery on plasma glucose, insulin, and incretin hormones in healthy subjects and type 2 diabetes.

The determinants of postprandial blood glycemia are controversial. We assessed the effects of variations in the initial rate of small intestinal glucose delivery on blood glucose, plasma insulin, and incretin responses in both health and type 2 diabetes. Eight controls and eight patients with type 2 diabetes managed by diet alone underwent paired studies.

Postprandial chylomicrons: potent vehicles for transporting cholesterol from endogenous LDL+HDL and cell membranes to the liver via LCAT and CETP.

We examined whether postprandial (PP) chylomicrons (CMs) can serve as vehicles for transporting cholesterol from endogenous cholesterol-rich lipoprotein (LDL+HDL) fractions and cell membranes to the liver via lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) and cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) activities. During incubation of fresh fasting and PP plasma containing [(3)H]cholesteryl ester (CE)-labeled LDL+HDL, both CMs and VLDL served as acceptors of [(3)H]CE or cholesterol from LDL+HDL. The presence of CMs in PP plasma suppressed the ability of VLDL to accept [(3)H]CE from LDL+HDL.

Effect of serotonin on ciliary beating and intracellular calcium concentration in identified populations of embryonic ciliary cells.

Embryos of the pond snail Helisoma trivolvis express three known subtypes of ciliary cells on the surface of the embryo early in development: pedal, dorsolateral and scattered single ciliary cells (SSCCs). The pedal and dorsolateral ciliary cells are innervated by a pair of serotonergic sensory-motor neurons and are responsible for generating the earliest whole-animal behavior, rotation within the egg capsule. Previous cell culture studies on unidentified ciliary cells revealed that serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) produces a significant increase in the ciliary beat frequency (CBF) in a large proportion of ciliary cells.

Ultrastructure of the seminiferous tubules in human testes before and after varicocelectomy.

Ultrastructure of the membrana propria and the seminiferous epithelium was studied in infertile human testis both before and 3-6 months after varicocelectomy. The frequent alterations, observed before and after the operation, were extremely thickened membrana propria, deep invaginations, multilamination and knob-like formation of basal laminae and formation of multinucleated spermatids, which were all considered as the common response of the testis to different noxious agents. Although the cells of the seminiferous epithelium were clearly affected by varicocele before varicocelectomy, many areas exhibited normal features after the operation.

Alcohol-mediated enhancement of postprandial lipemia: a contributing factor to an increase in plasma HDL and a decrease in risk of cardiovascular disease.

Background: Moderate alcohol consumption increases plasma HDL and lowers cardiovascular disease risk while transiently enhancing postprandial lipemia.

Objective: We hypothesized that the alcohol-mediated increase in postprandial triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins (TRLs) and their clearance elevate HDL cholesterol and reverse cholesterol transport.

Design: We determined the effect in normolipidemic humans (n = 14) of postprandial lipemia produced 4 h after a test meal (M) or a test meal + 0.

Effects of fat digestion on appetite, APD motility, and gut hormones in response to duodenal fat infusion in humans.

The presence of nutrients in the small intestine slows gastric emptying and suppresses appetite and food intake; these effects are partly mediated by the release of gut hormones, including CCK. We investigated the hypothesis that the modulation of antropyloroduodenal motility, suppression of appetite, and stimulation of CCK and glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion by intraduodenal fat are dependent on triglyceride hydrolysis by lipase. Sixteen healthy, young, lean men were studied twice in double-blind, randomized, crossover fashion.