Transient massive hyperlipidaemia in a type 2 diabetic subject

A 50-year-old man, in apparently good health, was referred to the Lipid Center of San Luigi Gonzaga Hospital, Orbassano (Turin, Italy), by his primary care physician (PCP) because clinical tests at the time of blood donation showed milky plasma with serious hypertriglyceridaemia (>5000 mg/dl) and hyperglycaemia (381 mg/dl), diagnostic for diabetes. It was not possible to perform further blood chemical analyses because hypertriglyceridaemia would have provided abnormal results. The patient entered the hospital to prevent acute pancreatitis, which is often associated with severe hypertriglyceridaemi

Using non–invasive genetic techniques to assist in maned wolf conservation in a remnant fragment of the Brazilian Cerrado

The maned wolf is a South American canid considered a keystone species of the Cerrado. We performed a genetic assessment of maned wolves that inhabit a small remnant fragment of the Cerrado in Brazil. We collected 84 fecal samples over a year and also included two tissue samples from road–killed animals. We successfully identified the species, sex, and individuals using molecular markers. Using microsatellite loci analysis we identified 13 different individuals, eight females and five males. The genetic variability level found and the high number of individuals detected indicates the presence of an open population

The FLUKA Code: An Overview

FLUKA is a multipurpose Monte Carlo code which can transport a variety of particles over a wide energy range in complex geometries. The code is a joint project of INFN and CERN: part of its development is also supported by the University of Houston and NASA. FLUKA is successfully applied in several fields, including but not only, particle physics, cosmic ray physics, dosimetry, radioprotection, hadron therapy, space radiation, accelerator design and neutronics. The code is the standard tool used at CERN for dosimetry, radioprotection and beam-machine interaction studies. Here we give a glimpse into the code physics models with a particular emphasis to the hadronic and nuclear sector

Quality of life and treatment satisfaction in adults with Type 1 diabetes: A comparison between continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion and multiple daily injections

Aims: The aim of this case-control study was to compare quality of life (QoL) and treatment satisfaction in adults with Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) treated with either continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) or multiple daily injections (MDI). Methods: Consecutive patients aged between 18 and 55 years, and attending diabetes clinics for a routine visit, completed the Diabetes-Specific Quality-of-Life Scale (DSQOLS), the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (DTSQ) and the SF-36 Health Survey (SF-36). Case (CSII) and control subjects (MDI) were recruited in a 1 : 2 ratio. Results: Overall, 1341 individuals were enrolled by 62 diabetes clinics; 481 were cases and 860 control subjects. Cases had a longer diabetes duration and were more likely to have eye and renal complications. Age, school education, occupation and HbA1c were similar. Of control subjects, 90% followed glargine-based MDI regimens and 10% used NPH-based MDI regimens. On multivariate analysis, after adjusting for socioeconomic and clinical characteristics, scores in the following areas of the DSQOLS were higher in cases than control subjects: diet restrictions (β = 5.96; P < 0.0001), daily hassles (β = 3.57; P = 0.01) and fears about hypoglycaemia (β = 3.88; P = 0.006). Treatment with CSII was also associated with a markedly higher DTSQ score (β = 4.13; P < 0.0001) compared with MDI. Results were similar when CSII was compared separately with glargine- or NPH-based MDI regimens. Conclusions: This large, non-randomized, case-control study suggests quality of life gains deriving from greater lifestyle flexibility, less fear of hypoglycaemia, and higher treatment satisfaction, when CSII is compared with either glargine-based or NPH-based MDI regimens. © 2008 The Authors