Cardioprotective conditioning with glucose and insulin prior to cardiac surgery involving ischaemic cold arrest.

The study describes cardioprotective conditioning by means of high doses of glucose together with insulin and potassium. Eighteen hours before cardiac surgery, nine patients received continuous infusion of 1000 ml of 40% glucose solution along with 112 U of insulin and 60 mmol of potassium. Before and after ischaemic cold arrest, the myocardial a--v differences of lactate, pyruvate, glucose, Na, K, Cl, Ca, P, free fatty acids and triglycerides were analysed in all patients.

Results of intensified insulin therapy in type-I diabetics receiving instruction in self-monitoring.

Therapeutic success in I-Type diabetes (i.e., glycaemia close to normal levels in an effort to influence favourably the onset and progression of long-term complications), two important preconditions must be met.

Sucrose induced hypertriglyceridaemia: its mechanism and metabolic effects.

The study summarizes the metabolic effects of increased sucrose or fructose intake. Compared with the traditional carbohydrate source-starch, a high intake of the above two carbohydrates produces a number of metabolic and other changes that can have a pathological effect. A thus induced metabolic and other changes that can have hepatic lipid synthesis, hypertriglyceridaemia and increased tissue lipid utilization, while tissue glucose utilization decreases.

Metabolic studies in postmyocardial infarction patients.

One hundred and seven patients registered in the secondary preventive programme in Prague 4 were followed up for an average period of 3 years. The endpoints of the study were taken as criteria of the progression of clinical atherosclerosis (non-fatal myocardial infarction, cardiovascular death). The authors tried to detect the causes responsible for the high prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance, diabetes and hyperlipoproteinaemia.