Effects of stretching and disuse on amino acids in muscles of rat hind limbs.

Effects of stretching on muscle amino acids were tested in unloaded soleus by casting the foot in dorsiflexion on one limb of tail-casted, hindquarter-suspended rats. For comparison with unloading, amino acids also were measured in shortened extensor digitorum longus (EDL) in the same casted limb and in denervated leg muscles. Concentrations of tyrosine and glutamate were lower, while aspartate, ammonia, and the ratio of glutamine to glutamate were greater in the stretched than in the freely moving, unloaded soleus, but stretched did not differ from weight-bearing, control muscle.

Metabolism of branched-chain amino acids in leg muscles from tail-cast suspended intact and adrenalectomized rats.

Degradation of branched-chain amino acids was studied in muscles of unloaded hind limbs from rats subjected to six days of tail-cast suspension. The total production of 14CO2 from uniformly labeled 14C-leucine, isoleucine, or valine, and the fluxes through leucine aminotransferase and alpha-ketoisocaproate dehydrogenase, which were measured using L-1-14C-leucine, were generally greater in the soleus and extensor digitorum longus muscles of unloaded than of weight-bearing hind limbs. Adrenalectomy abolished any difference in flux through the aminotransferase, whereas the administration of cortisol to adrenalectomized animals restored the greater flux in the unloaded soleus muscle.

Prediction of severe postoperative complications in patients admitted to neuroanaesthesia.

The purpose of this study was to identify factors which will predict the risk of severe postoperative complications in individual patients in a neurosurgical unit. Eleven risk factors were investigated in 363 neurosurgical patients, of whom 40 (11%) developed postoperative complications requiring mechanical ventilation for more than 24 h in an intensive care unit, 16 were found to be severely disabled or in a vegetative state at follow-up 1 month after admission, and 28 patients died. By applying stepwise, logistic regression analysis to the patient's data, we were able to select two significant risk variables, i.

Role of glucocorticoids in increased muscle glutamine production in starvation.

The influence of glucocorticoids on muscle glutamine production in starvation was studied by using cortisol-treated or non-cortisol-treated, starved, adrenalectomized rats. Administration of cortisol at physiological doses in vivo (1 mg/100 g body weight) to fasted, adrenalectomized rats increased the muscle ratio of glutamine/glutamate and the activity of glutamine synthetase after only 6 hours. Prior treatment of fasted, adrenalectomized animals with actinomycin D or proflavine abolished these increases by cortisol.

Glucose uptake in rat soleus: effect of acute unloading and subsequent reloading.

The effect of acutely reduced weight bearing (unloading) on the in vitro uptake of 2-[1,2-3H]deoxy-D-glucose was studied in the soleus muscle by tail casting and suspending rats. After just 4 h, the uptake of 2-deoxy-D-glucose fell (-19%, P less than 0.01) and declined further after an additional 20 h of unloading.

Time course of the response of carbohydrate metabolism to unloading of the soleus.

The time course of the response of carbohydrate metabolism to unloading was studied in the soleus muscle of rats subjected to tail-cast suspension. In the fresh soleus, just 12 hours of unloading led to higher concentrations of glycogen and lower activity ratios of both glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase. These changes were still evident on day 3.

Problems in analysis of data from muscles of rats flown in space.

Comparison of hindlimb muscles of rats flown on Spacelab-3 or tail-traction-suspended showed that 11-17 h reloading post-flight might have altered the results. Soleus atrophied, plantaris, gastrocnemius and extensor digitorum longus grew slower, and tibialis anterior grew normally. In both flight and simulated soleus and plantaris, higher tyrosine and greater glutamine/glutamate ratio indicated negative protein balance and increased glutamine production, respectively, relative to controls.

The natural history of insulin-dependent diabetes in Denmark: 2. Long-term survival--who and why.

Forty per cent of all Danish insulin-dependent diabetic (IDDM) patients survive for at least 40 years after diagnosis. In an attempt to identify factors influencing the probability of surviving for 40 years or more, we followed all IDDM patients diagnosed before 1943 and admitted to the Steno Memorial Hospital. Patients surviving greater than or equal to 40 years were compared with patients dying within 35 years of diabetes diagnosis.

The natural history of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in Denmark: 1. Long-term survival with and without late diabetic complications.

All 906 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) diagnosed before the age of 31 years, prior to 1943, and admitted to the Steno Memorial Hospital were followed until death or until 1 January 1984. In an attempt to identify factors of prognostic importance, we compared patients dying within 35 years of the onset of diabetes with patients surviving for 40 years or more. Three hundred and seventy-seven patients survived for 40 years or more; of these 224 were still alive and invited to a re-examination, in which 184 participated.

Increased response to insulin of glucose metabolism in the 6-day unloaded rat soleus muscle.

Hind leg muscles of female rats (85-99 g) were unloaded by tail cast suspension for 6 days. In the fresh-frozen unloaded soleus, the significantly greater concentration of glycogen correlated with a lower activity ratio of glycogen phosphorylase (p less than 0.02).

Risk factors, complications and outcome in anaesthesia. A pilot study.

In a screening study the strength of association between individual risk factors and post-operative outcome was examined using three-dimensional variate analyses. In a study of 1016 patients, the incidence of life-threatening complications during anaesthesia was low (0.2%), whereas minor complications were seen in about 6% of the patients.

Lipoprotein interconversions in an insect, Manduca sexta. Evidence for a lipid transfer factor in the hemolymph.

Hemolymph lipoproteins (lipophorins) of adult Manduca sexta are disinct from larval forms in density, lipid content, composition, and the presence of a third, low molecular weight apoprotein. Generally, only one lipoprotein species exists in M. sexta hemolymph during any given life stage.

Comparative maternal and neonatal effects of halothane and enflurane for cesarean section.

The effects of placental transfer of enflurane and halothane were studied in 81 women undergoing cesarean sections. All patients had rapid sequence induction using thiopental, succinylcholine, and endotracheal intubation. They were then randomly assigned to one of five groups: Group I (n = 16) received N2O and oxygen, Group II (n = 16) N2O, oxygen, and 0.

Renal function in 153 manic-depressive patients treated with lithium for more than five years.

Renal function was examined in 153 manic-depressive patients treated with lithium for more than 5 years, mean 10 years. No significant change was detectable in plasma creatinine. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decreased slightly, but significantly, and not until after 17 years of treatment did the regression line reach the lower confidence limit in the reference material.

Efficacy of clear antacid prophylaxis in obstetrics.

We studied 33 women scheduled to undergo general anesthesia for cesarean section. Prior to induction of anesthesia, each patient received in a random fashion one of two prophylactic antacids. Group I (n = 17) received 30 ml Gelusil orally and Group II (n = 16) received 30 ml of 0.

Maternal catecholamines decrease during labor after lumbar epidural anesthesia.

To determine whether epidural anesthesia during labor affects maternal circulating catecholamines, blood samples were obtained from 15 patients at the peak of and immediately after two consecutive painful contractions. A lumbar epidural local anesthetic without epinephrine was then administered. After the onset of analgesia, four blood samples were again drawn.