Red-green colour blindness in the Tormes-Alberche Valley (Avila-Central Spain)

A population from a Central Spanish region (Tormes-Alberche Valley) has been investigated for the presence of red-green colour vision defects. A sample of 998 subjects (469 male and 529 female) was analyzed. To identify colour vision defects, Ishihara test plates were used. The red-green colour blindness percentage obtained was 4.69 +/- 0.976% for males (2.13% protan and 2.56% deutan types) and none of the females tested were found to be colour blind. These results are within the variation range of Mediterranean populations and lower than the usual frequencies among non-Mediterranean European samples.     

Antihyperglycemic activity of phenolics from Pterocarpus marsupium

Glucose levels in rats with hyperglycemia induced by streptozotocin were determined after i.p. administration of marsupsin (1), pterosupin (2), and pterostilbene (3), three important phenolic constituents of the heartwood of Pterocarpus marsupium. Marsupsin and pterostilbene significantly lowered the blood glucose level of hyperglycemic rats, and the effect was comparable to that of 1,1-dimethylbiguanide (metformin).     

Antimutagenic activity of casein against MNNG in the E. coli DNA repair host-mediated assay

The effect of caseinate and soy protein in the diet on the mutagenicity induced by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) was assessed in-vivo and ex-vivo in the DNA-repair host-mediated assay and liquid suspension assay, respectively. Of the two proteins only casein showed a strong antimutagenic activity over the whole digestive tract, except in the stomach. It is suggested that the molecular structure of a protein determines its protective effect against mutagens: casein lacks secondary and tertiary structure so that amino acids are more readily available for interaction with the mutagen than with the amino acids in soy protein which is a globular protein.     

Oncological outcomes of operative treatment of subcutaneous soft-tissue sarcomas of the extremities

We reviewed the cases of sixty-two patients who had had a subcutaneous sarcoma to determine the effect of tumor and treatment-related variables on the rates of survival and local recurrence. Fifty-nine (95 per cent) of the patients had had an operation at another hospital before being referred to us. Twenty-nine (47 per cent) of the sixty-two tumors were high-grade, forty-two (68 per cent) were small (five centimeters or less), and thirty (48 per cent) were malignant fibrous histiocytomas. We followed a treatment strategy that consisted of repeat excision with the goal of obtaining wide margins. Excluding thirteen patients who had had a palpable local recurrence at the time of presentation, twenty (49 per cent) of forty-one patients who had had a marginal excision at another hospital had microscopic residual tumor on repeat excision. At a median of fifty-six months after the repeat excision, fifty (81 per cent) of the sixty-two patients had been continuously disease-free, one had no evidence of disease, eight had died of the disease, and three had died of other causes. The five-year rate of disease-free survival was 85 per cent (fifty-three of sixty-two patients). There were three local recurrences, all in patients who had had a marginal resection. No recurrences were noted in patients who had had a wide local excision of the tumor or of the previous operative field. Multivariate analysis revealed that a large tumor (greater than five centimeters), a marginal excision, and adjuvant radiation therapy were associated with a worse prognosis. Excellent rates of survival for patients who have a subcutaneous sarcoma, including those who have a large or high-grade tumor and those who have residual tumor following a previous operation, can be obtained with carefully planned operative treatment alone. We recommend operative excision or repeat excision with wide margins because of the high prevalence of residual tumor. Size is the most important tumor-related factor, and the operative margin is the most important treatment-related factor. The additional value of adjuvant radiation therapy remains unproved.     

HLA-DR mismatching correlates with early cardiac allograft rejection, incidence, and graft survival when high-confidence-level serological DR typing is used

To determine if cardiac allograft outcome is improved among patients with fewer HLA-DR mismatches with their donors, we studied 132 recipients of a primary cardiac allograft who were transplanted between December 1985 and December 1991. These recipients and their donors all had high-confidence-level serological HLA-DR typing, previously shown to correlate highly with DNA DR typing. Patients were divided in two groups based on the HLA-DR mismatch with their donors. Group I consisted of 78 patients with 1 or zero DR mismatch and group II of 54 patients with 2 DR mismatches. Allograft outcome measurements included incidence of moderate rejection, incidence of allograft vasculopathy at 12 months, cardiac function measured as left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and cardiac index (CI), and actuarial graft survival up to 7 years. Groups I and group II were not different with regard to recipient age, donor age, ischemia time, pulmonary vascular resistance, sex, or PRA greater than 0%. Group II had a higher incidence of moderate rejection on the first-week biopsy (47% vs. 25%, P = 0.019), and during the first month (84% vs. 58%, P = 0.006), but no difference was found in frequency of rejection from months 2 to 12. LVEF was not different in the groups at any point. CI was better in group I at 12 months (2.76 vs. 2.5, P = 0.03). No statistically significant difference was found in incidence of allograft vasculopathy (17% vs. 26%, P = 0.204). Actual graft survival at 1 year was better for group I (91% vs. 74%, P = 0.008), and actuarial graft survival at 6 years also favored group I (76% vs. 56%, P = 0.04). Using high-confidence-level serological HLA-DR typing assignments we demonstrated that HLA-DR mismatching correlates highly with cardiac allograft outcome. Implications are that heart transplant survival could be improved if prospective matching were feasible and prioritized or if immunosuppression were tailored to the HLA-DR match.     

The Effect of the Charge Fluctuation of Dust Parti-cles on Ion-acoustic Wave Excited Through Ionization Instability

The effect of the charge fluctuation of dust particles on ion acoustic wave (IAW) excited through ionization instability was investigated. The hydrodynamic equations and linear time-dependent perturbation theory served as the starting point of theory, by which the dispersion relation and growth rate of the IAW were given. By comparing the results with the case of constant dust charges, it was found that the charge fluctuation of dust particles reduces the instability of the wave mode.     

The development of pre- and post-natal veins

There is little information on the metabolic response to ingested fructose in patients with cirrhosis. Glucose kinetics, plasma lipid and blood lactate levels, whole body substrate oxidation rates and energy expenditure were measured following ingestion of 75 g fructose, in 8 cirrhotic patients and 6 controls. Fasting plasma glucose levels and rates of glucose appearance (Ra) and disappearance (Rd) were similar. The basal rate of lipolysis was higher in cirrhotic patients (P < 0.05), but whole body lipid and carbohydrate oxidation rates and energy expenditure were similar. After fructose ingestion, plasma fructose levels were much higher in cirrhotic patients (P < 0.001) and the incremental area under the plasma glucose curve was twice that of controls (P < 0.05). The increase in glucose in patients with cirrhosis was due to an increase in glucose Ra and an initial reduction in glucose Rd. Plasma non-esterified fatty acid levels fell to similar low levels in both groups. Glycerol levels fell in controls (P < 0.05) but not in cirrhotic patients. Blood lactate levels, fasting and after oral fructose, were similar in cirrhotics and controls. The time course of suppression of lipid oxidation and stimulation of carbohydrate oxidation was more closely related to fructose levels than to serum fatty acid levels in both groups. The percent suppression and total quantity of lipid oxidized in 4 h after fructose were not significantly different, but the suppressed lipid oxidation rates and elevated carbohydrate oxidation rates were sustained for longer in the cirrhotics. The data suggest that fructose uptake and metabolism inhibits oxidation of intracellular lipid. There was a smaller increase in energy expenditure after fructose in cirrhotics (P < 0.001), but normal overall storage of fructose; the likely explanation is reduced first pass hepatic fructose uptake in cirrhotics making more fructose available to the periphery for incorporation into muscle glycogen. The energy cost of storing fructose as muscle glycogen is less than that of storing it as liver glycogen. Preferential incorporation of fructose carbon into muscle glycogen, with lower rates of hepatic glycogen and triglyceride synthesis, would therefore result in less energy expenditure after a fructose load in cirrhotics.