ABSTRACT
Self-monitoring of capillary blood glucose has proved to be of great value to diabetic patients. Primary care physicians should therefore become familiar with the various models of reflectance meters so that they can advise each patient on the most appropriate type, and on its use. Accordingly, the authors reviewed five of the major self-monitoring blood glucose systems: Glucometer II, Accu-Chek II, Diascan-S, Glucochek SC, and Trends-Meter. The protocol for evaluation included quality of hardware, ease of use, standardization, accuracy and precision, manufacture's support, and cost for each test. Major differences among the five systems concerned ease of calibration, size of blood sample required, half-strip capability, upper end linearity, strip timing programs, and strip storage after development. Nevertheless, all devices proved accurate and unquestionably useful in helping patients control their diabetes.
Subject(s)
Blood Glucose/analysis , Diabetes Mellitus/blood , Equipment Design/standards , Self Care/instrumentation , Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted/instrumentation , Evaluation Studies as Topic , Humans , IndustryABSTRACT
The current study examines the impact of glipizide, a second-generation sulfonylurea, on diabetes control in patients in whom adequate control was not achieved while receiving treatment with first-generation agents. The interim results of this multicenter study are presented in which patients in whom euglycemia was not achieved based on fasting and two-hour postprandial plasma glucose criteria with first-generation sulfonylureas were given glipizide therapy for 24 weeks. Twenty-three percent of the patients who had only fair results with first-generation sulfonylureas (fasting plasma glucose level of more than 140 mg/dl, postprandial plasma glucose level of more than 175 mg/dl) had good to excellent results with glipizide therapy alone (fasting plasma glucose level of less than 140 mg/dl or less than 115 mg/dl, respectively). Overall, 15.4 percent of patients with fair to poor control using first-generation agents had good to excellent control using glipizide. At least a 25-mg/dl decrease in fasting plasma glucose and postprandial plasma glucose levels was also seen in 47 and 46 percent of patients given treatment with glipizide who had poor control (fasting plasma glucose level of more than 200 mg/dl, postprandial plasma glucose level of more than 235 mg/dl) with first-generation agents. Glipizide was extremely well tolerated, with no significant side effects. Preliminary data indicate that glipizide may provide a significant advantage in terms of safety and efficacy over first-generation agents.
Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/drug therapy , Glipizide/therapeutic use , Sulfonylurea Compounds/therapeutic use , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Blood Glucose/analysis , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/blood , Drug Administration Schedule , Drug Evaluation , Fasting , Female , Glipizide/adverse effects , Glycated Hemoglobin/analysis , Humans , Lipids/blood , Male , Middle Aged , Statistics as Topic , Sulfonylurea Compounds/adverse effectsABSTRACT
Retinas of primates (Macaca mulatta) were exposed to oxygen nuclei at the Bevatron, Berkeley, California. Color fundus photographs and fluorescein angiograms were taken of the retinas prior to irradiation and up to 5 weeks post exposure. Animals were sacrificed at post exposure intervals for histopathologic examination of the retinas. A series of animals were exposed to 200 kVp X-ray and examined on the same regime as the first series. The results showed a low rad equivalent dose for retinal damage as compared with the X-ray series, i.e., a high quality factor, and a marked compression of the latency between exposure and onset of the retinal pathology.
