A plasma inhibitor of the renin-antirenin reaction and the in vitro generation of angiotensin I

In the course of studies designed to develop a radioimmunoassay system for the detection of renin, we have identified in human plasma a potent inhibitor that interferes with the renin-antirenin reaction. Utilizing gel filtration, this renin-antirenin inhibitory activity was found to have the same molecular size as renin substrate. However, it could be separated from renin substrate by ion-exchange chromatography. When fractions containing this activity were tested in an in vitro system containing renin and renin substrate, they were found to inhibit the generation of angiotensin I.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/22129/1/0000557.pd

Production and use of 6He, 7Be, 8Li, 12B and metastable nuclear beams

A low energy (few MeV/nucleon), modest flux (104-107/s) radioactive nuclear beam (RNB) facility has been in operation for approximately three years at the University of Notre Dame Van de Graaff accelerator. This facility utilizes a compact superconducting solenoid lens, designed at the University of Michigan, with adjustable apertures to produce momentum-analyzed secondary beams via the direct transfer and other methods. Useable beams of 6He, 7Be, 8Li, 12B, 18F and to our knowledge the first isomeric beam, 18mF, have been produced and a first generation of RNB experiments has been successfully completed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/29368/1/0000438.pd

Short-term stability in refractive status despite large fluctuations in glucose levels in diabetes mellitus type 1 and 2

Purpose: This work investigates how short-term changes in blood glucose concentration affect the refractive components of the diabetic eye in patients with long-term Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Methods: Blood glucose concentration, refractive error components (mean spherical equivalent MSE, J0, J45), central corneal thickness (CCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD), crystalline lens thickness (LT), axial length (AL) and ocular aberrations were monitored at two-hourly intervals over a 12-hour period in: 20 T1DM patients (mean age ± SD) 38±14 years, baseline HbA1c 8.6±1.9%; 21 T2DM patients (mean age ± SD) 56±11 years, HbA1c 7.5±1.8%; and in 20 control subjects (mean age ± SD) 49±23 years, HbA1c 5.5±0.5%. The refractive and biometric results were compared with the corresponding changes in blood glucose concentration. Results: Blood glucose concentration at different times was found to vary significantly within (p0.05). Minor changes of marginal statistical or optical significance were observed in some biometric parameters. Similarly there were some marginally significant differences between the baseline biometric parameters of well-controlled and poorly-controlled diabetic subjects. Conclusion: This work suggests that normal, short-term fluctuations (of up to about 6 mM/l on a timescale of a few hours) in the blood glucose levels of diabetics are not usually associated with acute changes in refractive error or ocular wavefront aberrations. It is therefore possible that factors other than refractive error fluctuations are sometimes responsible for the transient visual problems often reported by diabetic patients

Diabetic ketoacidosis

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is the most common acute hyperglycaemic emergency in people with diabetes mellitus. A diagnosis of DKA is confirmed when all of the three criteria are present — ‘D’, either elevated blood glucose levels or a family history of diabetes mellitus; ‘K’, the presence of high urinary or blood ketoacids; and ‘A’, a high anion gap metabolic acidosis. Early diagnosis and management are paramount to improve patient outcomes. The mainstays of treatment include restoration of circulating volume, insulin therapy, electrolyte replacement and treatment of any underlying precipitating event. Without optimal treatment, DKA remains a condition with appreciable, although largely preventable, morbidity and mortality. In this Primer, we discuss the epidemiology, pathogenesis, risk factors and diagnosis of DKA and provide practical recommendations for the management of DKA in adults and children

On the Simulation of Multiagent-Based Regulators for Physiological Processes

The multiagent approach allows to e#ectively address and manage the complex regulation of physiological processes. In this paper we argue why multiagent regulating systems need to be simulated in order to assess the properties of interest. In particular, we consider a multiagent regulator of the glucose-insulin metabolism and we show how the e#ectiveness of its control activity and other salient properties of this system can be derived from simulation

Analysis of intrathyroidal cytokine production in thyroid autoimmune disease: thyroid follicular cells produce interleukin-1 alpha and interleukin-6.

Cytokine production was studied in thyroid tissue from patients with Graves' disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis and non-toxic goitre. The expression of interferon gamma, tumour necrosis factor alpha and beta, interleukin-1 alpha and beta, interleukin-6 and platelet-derived growth factor A chain was assessed by slot-blot analysis of the respective mRNA in freshly isolated tissue samples. All seven cytokines were detected in patients of all groups. Although the respective mRNA levels were, in general, higher in thyroid autoimmune disorders, this appeared to relate to the degree of the lymphocytic infiltration of the thyroid gland at the time of surgery. Purified thyroid follicular cells expressed high levels of interleukin-1 alpha and interleukin-6 mRNA and when established in primary culture, purified thyroid follicular cells from Graves' disease as well as non-toxic goitre produced interleukin-1 alpha and interleukin-6 bioactivity spontaneously. In the case of interleukin-1 this could be further augmented by addition of lipopolysaccharide to the thyroid follicular cell cultures. These results demonstrate that the lymphocytic infiltrate found in autoimmune and non-autoimmune thyroid disorders is associated with cytokine production. Additionally we have shown that intrathyroidal cytokine production is not restricted to thyroid-infiltrating mononuclear cells, but may also involve thyroid follicular cells both in vivo and in vitro. The cytokines produced by thyroid follicular cells may have an important role in stimulating autoantigen specific T cells in vivo as both interleukin-1 and interleukin-6 facilitate T cell activation