Smell perception during early pregnancy: no evidence of an adaptive mechanism.

Objective: It has been suggested that nausea and vomiting in pregnancy is an evolutionary adaptive mechanism to avoid the ingestion of potentially harmful foods. It has also been suggested that the mechanism that triggers nausea and vomiting in pregnancy may be olfaction and that olfactory senses are invoked to provide this protection. This study aimed to test this theory in a systematic design.

Glucosamine induces cell-cycle arrest and hypertrophy of mesangial cells: implication of gangliosides.

Alterations in proliferation and hypertrophy of renal mesangial cells are typical features of diabetic nephropathy. The HP (hexosamine pathway) has been proposed as a biochemical hypothesis to explain microvascular alterations due to diabetic nephropathy; however, involvement of HP in the regulation of mesangial cell growth or hypertrophy has been poorly studied. Although gangliosides are known to regulate cell proliferation, their potential role in mesangial cell-growth perturbations has hardly been explored.

Involvement of gangliosides in glucosamine-induced proliferation decrease of retinal pericytes.

The hexosamine pathway (HP) is a biochemical hypothesis recently proposed explaining cellular alterations occurring during diabetic microvascular complications. Diabetic retinopathy is a common microvascular complication of diabetes, and it is known that cell proliferation is severely affected during the development of the disease. Particularly, early stages are characterized by death of the retinal microvascular cells, pericytes.

a-Series gangliosides mediate the effects of advanced glycation end products on pericyte and mesangial cell proliferation: a common mediator for retinal and renal microangiopathy?

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are involved in the development of microvascular complications, including alterations of retinal pericyte and renal mesangial cell growth occurring during diabetic retinopathy and diabetic nephropathy, respectively. Because gangliosides are implicated in the regulation of cell proliferation, we hypothesized that AGEs could exert cellular effects in part by modulating ganglioside levels. Results of the present study indicate that AGEs caused an inhibition of both bovine retinal pericyte (BRP) and rat renal mesangial cell (RMC) proliferation, associated with an increase of a-series gangliosides consecutive to GM3 synthase activity increase and GD3 synthase activity inhibition.

A pilot study to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of sibutramine in healthy subjects under fasting and fed conditions.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to characterize the food effect on the pharmacokinetics of sibutramine and its pharmacologically active metabolites.

Methods: This was an open label, single dose, crossover study completed by six healthy males. A single dose of sibutramine 15 mg was administered orally under fasting and fed conditions.

Is there a need for special antenatal clinic for women with a medical disorder?

A two year review of clinical practice in a medical antenatal clinic was performed. Forty-six per cent of the patients were diabetics and the other 54% were a mixture of endocrine, cardiac, vascular and other medical disorders. The referral rate was 1.

A randomised controlled trial of insulin lispro given before or after meals in pregnant women with type 1 diabetes--the effect on glycaemic excursion.

In order to study the glucose excursion associated with pre- and postprandial administration a randomised controlled trial with patients randomised to receive insulin lispro (IL) immediately before or after a standardised meal was performed. Pregnant women with diabetes who were treated with IL as part of a basal bolus regime were asked to bring their own usual lunch and administer their own IL. Maternal glycaemia was monitored preprandially and then at 15-minute intervals for 3 hours following the first bite of lunch.

Psychological health in early pregnancy: relationship with nausea and vomiting.

The psychological health of women in early pregnancy was investigated in a sample of 273 women (mean gestational age 12.8 weeks, SD=2.8) using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and mood and illness perception visual analogue scales, and compared with the prevalence and severity of nausea and vomiting as measured using the Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy Instrument (NVPI).

The position of rumenic acid on triacylglycerols alters its bioavailability in rats.

The metabolic fate of rumenic acid (9cis,11trans-octadecenoic acid) related to its position on the glycerol moiety has not yet been studied. In the present work, synthetic triacylglycerols (TAG) esterified with oleic and rumenic acids were prepared. Rats were force-fed synthetic dioleyl monorumenyl glycerol with (14)C labeled rumenic acid in the internal (sn-2) or in the external position (sn-1 or sn-3).

Pulmonary vasodilation in the rat by insulin in vitro could indicate potential hazard for inhaled insulin.

Aims/hypothesis: Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction is an essential mechanism to prevent hypoxaemia in lung diseases. Insulin is known to be a systemic vasodilator but its effect on the pulmonary circulation is not known. Inhaled particulate insulin can generate locally high concentrations in the lung which could be physiologically important.

The role of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in ischaemic diabetic lower extremity ulcers: a double-blind randomised-controlled trial.

Objective: ischaemic lower-extremity ulcers in the diabetic population are a source of major concern because of the associated high risk of limb-threatening complications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of hyperbaric oxygen in the management of these ulcers.

Method: eighteen diabetic patients with ischaemic, non-healing lower-extremity ulcers were recruited in a double-blind study.

Preliminary experience with the use of insulin lispro in pregnant diabetic women.

Insulin lispro (IL) possesses characteristics (decreased hypoglycaemia, greater convenience in timing of administration and better post-prandial glucose control) which may favour its use in women with diabetes. We report pregnancy outcomes in seven women with Type I diabetes treated with IL. Mean age was 30 years (2241), duration of diabetes from 3 to 21 years.

Development of an instrument to measure nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.

Severity of nausea, retching and vomiting was determined using a newly developed nausea and vomiting in pregnancy instrument (NVPI) in two groups of pregnant women at two gestational time periods. Participants at Time 1 (approximately gestational week 9), completed a postal questionnaire (N = 643) and those at Time 2 (approximately 13 weeks) completed the instrument at the clinic (N = 284). The three scale items forming the instrument had acceptable internal reliability (Time 1 alpha = 0.

Pregnancy outcome in Type 1 diabetes mellitus treated with insulin lispro (Humalog).

Aims: The use of insulin lispro in pregnancy has not been systematically investigated despite its increasing use. Pooled data from seven centres with experience in the use of insulin lispro were accumulated to evaluate pregnancy outcome in women with Type 1 diabetes.

Methods: Seven units with specialist obstetric diabetes services were recruited to describe their total experience with insulin lispro in pregnancy.

Dermatological care of the diabetic foot.

Approximately 30% of patients with diabetes mellitus will have disease-related dermatological problems. Dry skin can be associated with autonomic neuropathy and may be fragile, promoting bacterial invasion. Any potentially infected 'diabetic foot' must be taken seriously, and non-painful deep sepsis suspected if there is evidence of sensory loss.

Neuroendocrinology of ageing.

Many common problems encountered in the ageing patient can be related to neuroendocrine phenomena. These include Alzheimer's disease, dementia and cognitive dysfunction, depression, Parkinson's disease, hyponatraemia and the postmenopausal increase in both vascular risk and osteoporosis. This review concentrates on the hypothalamic neuroendocrine system, including the dopaminergic, noradrenergic, serotoninergic, cholinergic and neurohypophyseal systems and the roles of the anterior pituitary and monoamine oxidases, luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone, corticotrophin-releasing factor, the pro-opiomelanocortin-derived and opioid peptides, peptides involved in growth hormone and thyrotropin regulation, and amino acid transmitters.

Comparison of direct and indirect methods of measuring the precursors of beta-methyl-gamma-octalactone and their application to the analysis of Sessile oak wood.

A new indirect method for measuring the level of beta-methyl-gamma-octalactone precursors in oak wood by GC-MS is described. This level is calculated from the difference between the amount of free beta-methyl-gamma-octalactone and the amount formed after hydrolysis and lactonization. It is compared to the level of a precursor of cis-beta-methyl-gamma-octalactone, a 6'-O-gallate derivative of (3S,4S)-4-[3-beta-glucopyranosyloxy-3-methyloctanoic acid, determined directly by HPLC.

Long-term sexual co-habitation offers no protection from hypertensive disease of pregnancy.

Long-term sexual co-habitation and previous pregnancies are thought to protect against the development of hypertensive disease of pregnancy. In order to test the hypothesis that pregnancies conceived after prolonged exposure to the partner's spermatozoa have reduced rates of hypertensive disease this study examined the outcomes of pregnancies of women who conceived by donor insemination as compared with women who conceived after IVF with partner's spermatozoa. This was a retrospective cohort study of 218 women attending an IVF clinic, 45 of whom conceived by donor insemination and 173 of whom conceived by partner's spermatozoa.