Jejunoileal bypass and electrolytes. A follow-up study of intra- and extra-cellular electrolytes with special emphasis on magnesium.

It is generally believed that patients operated on for gross obesity with jejunoileal shunt develop electrolyte malabsorption. In follow-up studies electrolyte abnormalities have been reported in 6-37% of the cases. We have not been able to find any description of simple diagnostic tools to help indicate which patients should be treated with electrolyte supplements.

Amiodarone during pregnancy.

A case study is presented in which amiodarone (A) was given during the whole of pregnancy and during the breast feeding period. An intensive observation of thyroid tests, serum concentrations of A and its metabolite, desethylamiodarone (DEA) was undertaken. The child was observed in the same way from birth until 2 months of age.

The familial magnesium-losing kidney.

Magnesium deficiency is often secondary to existing disease. Over a period of 20 years, 17 cases of primary magnesium-losing kidney have been reported. This report describes two additional cases, and a comparison with previous cases is made.

The prognosis for patients referred with suspected acute myocardial infarction.

A follow-up investigation of the prognosis of 381 patients admitted with suspected acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been carried out in respect of later AMI or death. During hospitalization the patients were divided into groups with particular attention to patients with no demonstrable myocardial infarction but with ischaemic heart disease (non-AMI) and patients with confirmed AMI. All patients were subjected to follow-up for 43 months (range 37-54).

Variation of serum lipoproteins in postmyocardial infarction patients treated with verapamil or placebo.

The effect of verapamil on plasma lipids and lipoproteins was studied in 64 patients taking part in a double blind controlled trial of verapamil versus placebo in post myocardial infarction. During a six month treatment period no significant difference was seen in plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoproteins or low density lipoproteins.

Haemolytic uraemic syndrome and accumulation of haemoglobin-haptoglobin complexes in plasma in serum sickness caused by penicillin drugs.

2 patients treated with penicillin and ampicillin, respectively, suffered from haemorrhagic diathesis, haemolysis, cerebral symptoms and renal insufficiency, resembling a haemolytic-uraemic syndrome. Their plasma was red due to the presence during several days of haemoglobin-haptoglobin complexes, the P-haemoglobin being 2.8 and 1.

Primary hyperlipoproteinaemia in a Danish family.

A Danish family consisting of 80 persons, 72 between the ages of 3 and 70 years, was examined for the presence of primary hyperlipoproteinaemia (HLP), resulting in the finding of types II A (8 cases), II B (4 cases), III (2 cases), IV (5 cases), and V (2 cases). The pedigree of the family is presented together with lipid data and HLP type. Five cases of the so-called 'sinking pre-beta midband', which can often be correlated to ischaemic heart disease, have been found using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PGE); two of these subjects had arteriosclerotic disease, one had uratic arthritis, while the other two were normal.