PTH-related protein is released into the mother's bloodstream during lactation: evidence for beneficial effects on maternal calcium-phosphate metabolism.

Recent studies have indicated that parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) may have important actions in lactation, affecting the mammary gland, and also calcium metabolism in the newborn and the mother. However, there are as yet no longitudinal studies to support the notion of an endocrine role of this peptide during nursing. We studied a group of 12 nursing mothers, mean age 32 years, after they had been nursing for an average of 7 weeks (B) and also 4 months after stopping nursing (A).

Effect of calcium-channel blockers on calcium-phosphate metabolism in patients with end-stage renal disease.

Background: After EDTA-induced hypocalcaemia, healthy volunteers treated with diltiazem display more severe hyperparathyroidism than subjects on felodipine studied under identical conditions. Therefore patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and severe secondary hyperparathyroidism might be particularly sensitive to this side-effect.

Methods: To test this hypothesis, seven patients with ESRD on chronic haemodialysis (3 women and 4 men) with serum levels of intact PTH ranging from 204 to 675 pg/ml were studied both before and during the first 180 min of haemodialysis against a dialysate with low calcium concentration (0.

Cell-cycle and ploidy analysis in bone marrow and liver cells of rats after long-term consumption of irradiated wheat.

Rats were fed for 4 or 90 days either with 70% freshly irradiated wheat (0.25, 0.75 or 2.

Decomposition of toxic and environmentally hazardous 2,3,7,8-tetra-chlorodibenzo-p-dioxin by gamma irradiation.

The decomposition of the toxic and environmentally hazardous 2378-TCDD by gamma irradiation was studied and successfully used to decontaminate laboratory wastes containing small quantities of this chemically and biologically stable compound. The method makes use of gamma irradiation from a commercial 60cobalt facility at high dose levels (1000 kGy) to break down the compound into nontoxic products. Irradiation also decomposed 2378-TCDD in contaminated soil from the Seveso accident.