[Fructosamine determination as a screening test for diabetes mellitus in patients with acute coronary heart disease]. / Die Fructosaminbestimmung als Screeninguntersuchung für Diabetes mellitus bei Patienten mit akuter koronarer Herzkrankheit.

Plasma fructosamine was determined in 41 patients with acute coronary heart disease (acute myocardial infarction and instable angina) to assess its usefulness as a screening method for diabetes mellitus. The results (11/15 true positive and 23/26 true negative) were comparable to those for glycated hemoglobin (14/15, 22/26). Discriminant analysis was performed to extract additional information from further laboratory data (glucose and albumin).

Determination of thiocyanate in plasma and saliva without deproteinisation and its validation as a smoking parameter.

A simple photometric procedure was developed for the determination of thiocyanate (SCN-) in plasma and saliva without deproteinisation or dialysis. Fe(III) ions form a red coloured complex with SCN- with a maximum absorbance at 460 nm. Mercury(II) nitrate is used to run a sample blank. A manual and an automated version (COBAS BIO) of the method is described. The method is linear up to 5000 mumol/l SCN-. The CV of the between-run precision is 2.8-8% for the manual and 2.6-6.6% for the automated method. The SCN- plasma concentration was 21-134 mumol/l in nonsmokers and 44-260 mumol/l in smokers. In mixed saliva, the concentration is much higher than in plasma: 1.57-5.5 mumol/l in smokers and 0.79-3.9 mumol/l in nonsmokers. Plasma, but not oral fluid SCN-, is a valuable parameter for studying smoking habits in population surveys. However, its use is limited. In our experience only heavy smokers can be distinguished from nonsmokers.

Activities in leiomyomas and myometrium of enzymes involved in energy metabolism.

The activities of six enzymes involved in energy metabolism were measured in leiomyoma specimens and in the adjacent normal myometrium from the uterus of 17 patients. In leiomyomas the specific activities of hexokinase, lactate dehydrogenase and hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (HAD) were higher than in myometrium. The soluble protein content was lower in leiomyomas. Therefore, most of the differences of specific activities were not found when the enzyme activity was expressed per gram wet weight of tissue, except for HAD activity, which was still higher in leiomyomas (p less than 0.05). This result is compatible with increased fatty acid utilization by leiomyomas, and with the increased growth potential of such tumors.

Enzymology of human myometrium: variations related to the hormonal milieu.

The activities of various enzymes involved in glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle and fatty acid oxidation were assayed in human myometrium. A gradient of the activities from fundal to cervical myometrium was observed. In contrast to studies performed in rodents, cyclic changes of glycolytic enzymes could not be detected. Hydroxyacyl-CoA-dehydrogenase (HAD) activity was higher in secretory phase myometrium and in cases with cystic hyperplasia of the endometrium than in proliferative phase myometrium. In pregnant myometrium, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and glycogen phosphorylase (GLP) were increased and in postmenopausal myometrium the activities of phosphofructokinase (PFK), LDH and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) were decreased as compared to proliferative phase myometrium. We conclude that in the human myometrium, except for HAD, activities of enzymes involved in fuel metabolism are stable throughout the menstrual cycle and that only prolonged hormonal stimulation leads to alterations of some enzyme activities.

Laboratory evaluation of the Greiner G-400 discrete selective multichannel analyzer.

We evaluated the new Greiner G-400 selective multichannel analyzer. Thirty different tests can be run in combination profile and single-test mode at a rate between 150 and 300 tests per hour. The new photometer allows kinetic and equilibrium (endpoint) measurements. The G-400 analyzer demonstrated excellent precision, linearity, accuracy, ease of operation, and no carryover. Results for 16 different analytes as determined with the Hitachi 705, GSA II, and Corning 940 correlated favorably with those obtained with the G-400. The G-400 analyzer is suitable for both emergency and routine use.

Activities in the placenta and fetal membranes of enzymes involved in energy metabolism.

The placenta and the fetal membranes differ in their energy dependent functions and in their blood supply. In a search for quantitative differences in the expression of enzymes involved in energy metabolism in these tissues we measured in the placenta and in amnion and chorion the activities of enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism (hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, lactate dehydrogenase, glycogen phosphorylase), a tricarboxylic acid cycle enzyme (succinate dehydrogenase) and an enzyme involved in fatty acid oxidation (hydroxyacyl-CoA-dehydrogenase). The activities of succinate dehydrogenase and hydroxyacyl-CoA-dehydrogenase in the placenta were higher than those in the membranes, whereas the activities of the other enzymes assayed were lower. Lactate dehydrogenase activity was higher in the amnion than in the chorion (p less than 0.01). These results could indicate that the fetal membranes depend mainly on glycolysis for an energy supply.

[Evolution of tobacco consumption in 2 towns with intervention programs and 2 control towns in Switzerland]. / Evolution de la consommation de tabac dans 2 villes d'intervention et 2 villes témoins suisses.

The National Research Program 1 A on "Primary Prevention of cardiovascular disease in Switzerland' was designed to determine whether community health education can reduce cardiovascular risk factors in the population. Two communities (12,000 inhabitants each) in the French speaking and two (16,000 inhabitants each) in the German speaking part of the country were selected either for intervention or comparison. Following baseline screening in 1977 (stratified random samples) and the community intervention program (1978-1980), a final assessment on the initial participants was performed at the end of 1980. Amongst the regular smokers, 26,2% stopped during this period in the intervention communities whereas 18,1% did so in the reference cities. 4,7% of non-smokers began to smoke during the same period in the intervention communities whereas 7,8% did so in the reference cities. Plasma thiocyanate measurement suggested reliable answers on smoking status. These results suggest that community health education may be effective in preventing harmful health consequence of smoking.