Abnormal oesophageal function in patients with non-toxic goiter or enlarged left atrium, demonstrated by radionuclide transit measurements.

In 10 patients with enlarged atrium and in 29 patients with goiters and neck discomfort dynamic oesophageal scintigraphy was performed. The passage of water and capsules, containing 99mTc-pertechnetate, was studied with the patients in the supine and in the sitting positions. As a reference group we examined 35 healthy, age-matched volunteers.

Kinetics of insulin disappearance from plasma in cortisone-treated normal subjects.

The effect of glucocorticoid excess on insulin disappearance from plasma was examined in eight normal men during cortisone treatment (50 mg orally twice daily for 4 d) and in the absence of any medication (control) in random order. Constant infusion of insulin (1-5 mU/kg/min) was used to achieve different levels of steady state plasma insulin concentrations; normoglycaemia was preserved by a glucose clamp technique. The experimentally determined data were compared using a previously validated model of saturation kinetics.