Mortality events amongst non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus patients in Orissa.

In a study over one year, it was observed that mortality amongst hospitalised patients with non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIBDM) was nearly 20%. Those dying within 24 hr were classified as group A, between one day and one week as B, between one week and one month as C, and those after one month as D. There were 31 patients each in groups A and B, 14 in C, and 4 in D. The mean age at death was 61 years in the first three groups. The prevalence of cerebro-vascular accident as a terminal event was similar i.e. 32.2, 35.5 and 35.7 per cent in groups A, B and C respectively; 48% of patients in group A suffered from ischaemic heart disease. Diabetic ketoacidosis was equally prevalent amongst groups A, B and C. Infection was significantly more common in group B (45.2%) than A (P less than 0.05). Nephropathy was observed in 57% of patients in group C as compared to 22.5% in A (P less than 0.02). Cerebrovascular accident and infection were the major causes of mortality in groups B and C (80.7% and 71.4%), whereas ischaemic heart disease and cerebrovascular accident accounted for 80% of deaths in group A.

Isolation, partial purification and pharmacodynamics of a slow contractile substance in the venom sac extract of the wasp Vespa cincta Fabr.

The venom of V. cincta contains acetylcholine (ACh), histamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). Blockers of these agonists did not block completely the hypotensive and smooth muscle contractile activity of venom. On smooth muscle, there was a residual slow contraction. The active substance which produced this slow contraction was separated by solvent extraction, gel filtration and TLC. The purified material (which has been provisionally designated "Vecikinin") lowered cat, rat and guinea pig blood pressure, increased amplitude of cardiac contraction, and increased capillary permeability. Vecikinin contracted several smooth muscle preparations (rat uterus, rat ascending colon, guinea pig ileum, guinea pig colon and rat ileum), while relaxing rat duodenum. Its contractile activity was not lost on boiling, but acid or alkali-boiling reduced its contractile activity. It was inactivated on incubation with chymotrypsin and carboxypeptidase but not with trypsin, pepsin or leucine aminopeptidase. It is a peptide, appears to be of low molecular weight, and could be distinguished from substance P, angiotensin, bradykinin and hornet or wasp kinin.