Changes in vitamin E concentration after surgery and anesthesia.

UNLABELLED: The aim of this randomized study was to examine changes in vitamin E concentration in female subjects (age 30-60, ASA I) after cholecystectomy and halothane (N = 16) or isoflurane (N = 16) anaesthesia. Vitamin E concentration was measured two days before, and then one, five and twenty-four hours and four days after surgery. High-pressure liquid chromatography was used for its determination. Simultaneously activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) were determined. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: ANOVA, Tukay HSD test. The research has been accepted by the Drugs Committee of the Karlovac County Hospital. Preoperative vitamin E concentrations in the halothane group were 8.69 +/- 2.35 micrograms/L, median 8.67 micrograms/L and in the isoflurane group 9.43 +/- 2.4 micrograms/L, median 9.08 micrograms/L. Statistically lower vitamin E concentrations compared with preoperative values were noted one hour (P < 0.05), 5 hours (P < 0.01), 24 hours (P < 0.01), as well as 4 days (P < 0.01) after the operation. The lowest vitamin E concentrations were noted 24 hours after the operation with statistically insignificantly higher values in the isoflurane group (halothane group 5.98 +/- 2.08 micrograms/L, isoflurane group 6.58 +/- 1.51 micrograms/L). Analyzing enzyme (ALT, AST and GGT) pre- and postoperative values, no statistically significant differences between the investigated groups and during the time were observed. Statistically significant differences were found between individual measurement times, with no statistical significance of the differences between the halothane and isoflurane groups. It seems that neither the difference in halothane and isoflurane biotransformation nor their distinct effect on perfusion of some organs are the determining factors in post-operative changes in vitamin E concentration.

The content of total fatty acids in the serum of healthy children from the Zagreb area.

A study of the fatty acid content was performed by gas chromatography in the sera of 26 healthy children aged 3-13 years and in the sera of 7 children aged up to three years, both from the Zagreb area. The following parameters were calculated for each subject and each fatty acid individually: mmol/l, mol%, g/l, mass% and mean molecular mass. On the basis of the results, the values of the parameters for the whole group of subjects were calculated. The values of these parameters for some characteristic groups of fatty acids (saturated, unsaturated, monounsaturated and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids) were also calculated and their interrelationship is presented. The ratio of fatty acids according to age groups (0-1, 1-3 and 3-13 years) is also shown. Fatty acids C 18:2, C 16:0 and C 18:1 with 32.87 mol%, 22.56 mol% and 20.79 mol%, respectively, were most frequently observed in the children's sera, which correlated well with the generally known data. Essential fatty acids were present in the following amounts: C 20:4, 5.49 mol%; C 22:5, 0.26 mol%; and C 22:6, 0.82 mol%. The sera of the children aged up to one year were found to contain significantly higher amounts of short-chain fatty acids and lower amounts of C 18:2 and C 20:4 than the sera from children older than one year.

Basic amino acid in the pathogenesis of caries.

Amino acid pattern in total saliva was studied in 43 children with caries, aged 12-15 years, using the method of ion exchange chromatography. The results were compared to those obtained in a control group of 39 children without caries. In saliva from the children with caries, a significantly lower level of arginine (22.02 mumol/l), and a complete lack of histidine and its derivatives were observed when compared to the control group, where the concentrations of arginine and 1-methylhistidine were 28.36 and 26.34 mumol/l, respectively. The results obtained suggested that a decreased concentration of arginine, and a lack of histidine and its derivatives might imply an increased risk of caries.

[Inborn metabolic errors of urea cycle synthesis. Present possibilities of treatment]. / Prirodene greske u metabolickom ciklusu sinteze ureje. Suvremene mogucnosti lijecenja.

The case history of an infant with congenital hyperammonaemia due to inherited ornithine-transcarbamylase deficiency is presented together with some basic data on his family. The metabolic cycle of urea synthesis is delineated with its enzymes and the possible inherited defects. The differential diagnosis of hyperammonaemia in the newborn infant is given. The successful contemporary method of therapy of urea cycle disorders is presented.