Serum lipoprotein and apolipoprotein concentrations in patients with hyperthyroidism and the effect of treatment with carbimazole

Forty patients, 32 women and 8 men, with hyperthyroidism were investigated concerning serum lipoprotein lipid and apolipoprotein concentrations before, during and after treatment with carbimazole to euthyroidism. During the hyperthyroid condition the patients had significantly lower serum concentrations of low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. The serum lipoprotein triglyceride concentrations were within the normal ranges. During treatment to euthyroidism the low serum concentrations of LDL and HDL cholesterol increased to normal values. LDL and HDL concentrations increased in the female patient group by 46 +/- 12 and 25 +/- 9% and in the male patient group by 50 +/- 12 and 19 +/- 11%, respectively. During treatment serum apolipoprotein B and A-I concentrations increased significantly in females by 58 +/- 9 and 18 +/- 5% and in males by 60 +/- 9 and 13 +/- 8%, respectively.

BioWAP, mobile Internet service for bioinformatics

We have developed a new Internet service, which provides mobile access to bioinformatics databases and software tools. The BioWAP service facilitates access to basic bioinformatics databases and analysis tools from everywhere without a PC or a laptop computer. Both open source bioinformatics program suites and Internet services, which are not designed for mobile Internet access, were utilized in the BioWAP service.

AVAILABILITY

The BioWAP service starting page can be browsed with any WAP terminal from http://bioinf.uta.fi/wml/welcome.wml.

Effects of the multiple stressors copper and reduced salinity on the metabolism of the hermatypic coral Porites lutea

This study investigates the physiological responses in the hermatypic coral Porites lutea when exposed to a combination of reduced salinity (from ambient 30 psu to 20 psu) and two concentrations of copper (CuS04), 10 microg 1(-1) and 30 microg 1(-1). Corals were exposed for 14 h and changes in metabolism in terms of primary production rate per chlorophyll a and respiration per surface area (cm2) were used as measures of stress. The results showed no significant changes in respiration rate in any of the treatments compared with controls, or between treatments. The primary production rate, however, displayed a more complex pattern. Corals exposed to reduced salinity, 30 microg 1(-1) copper, and the combination of the two stressors significantly reduced the production rate, whereas corals exposed to 10 microg 1(-1) only, remained unaffected. However, adding 10 microg 1(-1) copper to reduced salinity did not affect the production rate thus indicating an antagonistic effect.

Spouses as adjuncts in fluency therapy

Couples with one partner who stutters completed questionnaires about the fluent partners' awareness of their spouses' stuttering; their general knowledge about stuttering; how fluent spouses had helped their partners; and the nature and benefits of spousal participation in therapy. Findings strongly suggested that spouses may be helpful in therapy. Considerations and suggestions for involving spouses are made on the basis of these findings and those of surveys completed by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who include spouses in fluency therapy.

Accurate prediction of protein secondary structural class with fuzzy structural vectors

The prerequisites for accurate prediction of protein secondary structural class (all-alpha, all-beta, alpha+beta, alpha/beta or multidomain) were studied, and a new similarity-based method is presented for the prediction of the secondary structural class of a protein from its sequence. The new method uses representatives of nuclear families as a learning set. For the sequence to be predicted, the method produces a vector of certainty factors called a fuzzy structural vector. Validation with independent test sets shows that the prediction accuracy of the proposed method has clear dependency on the representativity of the learning set. The representatives obtained from the nuclear families of the Brookhaven Protein Data Bank (PDB) were shown to give accurate predictions for PDB proteins, whilst the amino acid composition-based methods used previously achieve their maximum predictability with relatively limited learning sets, and they remain inaccurate even with highly representative learning sets. The usability of the new method is increased further by the fuzzy structural vectors, which substantially reduce the risk of misclassification and realistically describe vague secondary structural tendencies.

Representative selection of proteins based on nuclear families

The selection of unbiased representatives from a large database is complicated by the requirement for the chosen entries to be not only genuinely different from each other but also typical for the family of related entries. A method satisfying this 2-fold objective was developed by equipping complete linkage clustering with a novel noise elimination procedure to deal with overlapping cluster structure. A total of 200 nuclear families of truly related Brookhaven Protein Data Bank structures were generated, from which any entry can be chosen to represent its family.

Selection of a representative set of structures from Brookhaven Protein Data Bank

Reliable structural and statistical analyses of three dimensional protein structures should be based on unbiased data. The Protein Data Bank is highly redundant, containing several entries for identical or very similar sequences. A technique was developed for clustering the known structures based on their sequences and contents of alpha- and beta-structures. First, sequences were aligned pairwise. A representative sample of sequences was then obtained by grouping similar sequences together, and selecting a typical representative from each group. The similarity significance threshold needed in the clustering method was found by analyzing similarities of random sequences. Because three dimensional structures for proteins of same structural class are generally more conserved than their sequences, the proteins were clustered also according to their contents of secondary structural elements. The results of these clusterings indicate conservation of alpha- and beta-structures even when sequence similarity is relatively low. An unbiased sample of 103 high resolution structures, representing a wide variety of proteins, was chosen based on the suggestions made by the clustering algorithm. The proteins were divided into structural classes according to their contents and ratios of secondary structural elements. Previous classifications have suffered from subjective view of secondary structures, whereas here the classification was based on backbone geometry. The concise view lead to reclassification of some structures. The representative set of structures facilitates unbiased analyses of relationships between protein sequence, function, and structure as well as of structural characteristics.

The effects of beta blockade with (epanolol) and without (atenolol) intrinsic sympathomimetic activity in stable angina pectoris

Beta blockade constitutes efficient therapy for stable angina pectoris. The effects of lowering blood pressure and heart rate with such treatment are not always desired. Epanolol is a beta 1-selective partial agonist with minor effects on blood pressure and heart rate at rest. Atenolol is a pure beta 1-selective antagonist with more pronounced effects on blood pressure and heart rate at rest. The effects of epanolol, 200 mg o.d., and atenolol, 100 mg o.d., were compared in 173 middle-aged patients with stable angina pectoris in a randomized, double-blind, parallel group-controlled study for one year. No significant differences were shown in angina attack rate, nitrate consumption, or exercise performance. Resting heart rate and blood pressure were significantly lower on atenolol. Epanolol tended to be better tolerated than atenolol, as shown by visual analogue scales of well-being, activity, energy, and warm extremities, further supported by fewer reports on possible adverse reactions. In conclusion, epanolol appears to be as effective as atenolol and better tolerated in patients with stable angina pectoris.

Fibroepithelial polyps. An unusual case report

Fibroepithelial polyps usually present as small, benign dermal growths known as skin tags. The incidence of this lesion in the foot has not been precisely determined. An unusual case and a literature review were presented.

Prevention of myocardial infarction and stroke in patients with intermittent claudication; effects of ticlopidine. Results from STIMS, the Swedish Ticlopidine Multicentre Study

The Swedish Ticlopidine Multicentre Study (STIMS) was a double-blind placebo-controlled trial designed to determine whether ticlopidine, a platelet antiaggregatory agent, reduces the incidence of myocardial infarction, stroke and transitory ischaemic attacks in patients with intermittent claudication. A total of 687 patients was monitored for a minimum of 5 years or until an end-point was reached. The number of end points (99 vs. 89), analysed according to the intention-to-treat principle, was 11.4% lower in the ticlopidine group (P = 0.24). The mortality rate was 29.1% lower in the ticlopidine group (64 vs. 89, P = 0.015); this observation could be accounted for by a reduced mortality from ischaemic heart disease. On-treatment analysis showed there to be significantly fewer end points in the ticlopidine group (47 vs. 76, P = 0.017). Diarrhoea was the most common side-effect. Reversible leucopenia or thrombocytopenia was reported in seven patients on ticlopidine. It is concluded that the high morbidity and mortality from cardio- and cerebrovascular disease in patients with intermittent claudication can be reduced by long-term treatment with ticlopidine.

Subcutaneous treatment of deep venous thrombosis with low molecular weight heparin. A dose finding study with LMWH-Novo

Treatment of deep venous thrombosis with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH-Novo, Logiparin) was carried out with two different doses of Logiparin, 75 XaI U/kg b.w. twice daily and 150 XaI U/kg b.w. once daily subcutaneously for 5 days. Simultaneously warfarin was given from the first day of heparin treatment. Mean age of the twenty patients was 65 years and one third was females. No serious side effects, hematomas, pulmonary emboli or signs of recurrent thrombosis occurred during treatment with either dose regime. Venografic assessment with Marder scoring one week after initiation of Logiparin treatment showed a slight not significant improvement apparent in 40% of the patients. The activities of F-IIaI and F-XaI in the blood plasma were found to increase after injection of Logiparin. These two parameters seem to be the most suitable for monitoring the effect during treatment. For future studies on the therapeutic effect of Logiparin in deep venous thrombosis a single dose of 150 to 200 F-XaI activity per 24 hours seems to be most suitable.

Lawrence design first metatarsophalangeal prosthesis. A complication

A complication involving tibial sesamoid impingement within the hinge of the Lawrence first metatarsophalangeal implant is described. The authors believe that this particular problem may be accentuated by the Lawrence design, which preserves the sesamoid apparatus.

Effects on the serum lipoprotein concentrations by lipid-lowering diets with different fatty acid compositions

It has been reported that lipid-lowering diets may reduce high density lipoprotein as well as low density lipoprotein cholesterol but that the reduction of the high density lipoproteins is less pronounced with diets of lower P/S ratios. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate whether the effects on the low density lipoproteins could be maintained, but those on the high density lipoproteins diminished, by reducing the P/S ratio from 1.3 to 0.7. Fourteen hyperlipoproteinaemic patients in a metabolic ward were given two fat-modified diets during two consecutive 3-week periods in a randomized order. The diets were identical with regard to nutrient composition but differed with regard to the P/S ratios, which were 1.3 and 0.7, respectively. The average serum lipoprotein lipid composition and the apolipoprotein concentrations were similar at the end of the two periods. However, in the group of patients (n = 7) who started on the diet with P/S ratio 1.3 the low density lipoprotein cholesterol increased significantly (p less than 0.05) by 7% and the apolipoprotein B concentration by 10% (p less than 0.001) when shifting to the diet with P/S ratio 0.7. No changes of the high density lipoprotein concentrations were seen. The relative content of saturated fatty acids, of oleic acid, and of arachidonic acid in the plasma lipid esters decreased, but the content of linoleic acid increased, when shifting from the diet with a P/S ratio of 0.7 to that of 1.3.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Initial clinical experience with ICI 141,292 (Visacor), a new selective beta 1-adrenoceptor blocker with ISA--a multicentre trial in 59 patients

The objective of this placebo controlled double-blind multicentre (six centres) trial was to investigate the safety and efficacy of ICI 141,292 (Visacor), a new selective beta 1-adrenoceptor antagonist with modest intrinsic sympathomimetic activity (ISA), in hypertensive patients. Fifty-nine patients with mild essential hypertension were randomized to two of five treatment alternatives (placebo, 50 mg, 100 mg 200 mg or 300 mg of ICI 141,292) each given once daily for 2 weeks with a 4 week placebo period before (run in) and in between (wash out) active periods. Thus, each of the five treatments was evaluated in 20-24 patients. After 2 weeks (24 h after last dose) the reduction in recumbent blood pressure for all doses except 50 mg of ICI 141,292 was statistically significant and in the order of 6/4 mm Hg. Standing systolic blood pressure was reduced in a dose-dependent way but only significant for 200 mg of ICI 141,292 (8 mm Hg). Heart rate changes (delta) less than 4 beats/min) were not statistically significant for any dose. It is concluded that ICI 141,292 was well tolerated and had a significant but weak antihypertensive effect which might be explained by too much beta 1-adrenoceptor ISA.

Similar serum lipoprotein reductions by lipid-lowering diets with different polyunsaturated:saturated fat values

Lipid-lowering diets enriched in polyunsaturated fat decrease the serum cholesterol in hyperlipoproteinaemia, usually by reducing both the low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentrations. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the effects on LDL could be maintained but those on HDL cholesterol be diminished by reducing the ratio, polyunsaturated:saturated fat (P:S) of the diet. Twenty hyperlipoproteinaemic patients (six with type IIa, eight with type IIb and six with type IV) in a metabolic ward were given two fat-modified diets during two consecutive 3-week periods in a randomized order. The diets were identical with regard to nutrient composition but differed with regard to the P:S values, which were 2.0 and 1.3 respectively. The lipoprotein-lipid composition and serum apolipoprotein concentrations were similar at the end of the two dietary periods in type IIa and type IV patients but in type IIb patients a more pronounced reduction of the LDL-cholesterol concentration by 9% (P less than 0.05) was achieved on the diet with the higher P:S value. The HDL-cholesterol did not differ significantly. The results indicate that increasing the P:S value of lipid-lowering diets from 1.3 to 2.0 does not offer a great advantage with regard to the lipoprotein-lipid reductions achieved in moderate hyperlipoproteinaemia.

Treatment of hyperlipoproteinemia with 'type-specific' diets under metabolic ward conditions. Effects on serum lipoproteins and serum lipid esters

Three lipid lowering diets for treatment of different types of hyperlipoproteinemia were prepared based on ordinary Swedish food. Seven different daily menus were planned with an identical composition at all energy levels. The fat and protein content provided 34-35% and 20% of the energy, respectively. The ratios between polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids varied in the three diets between 1.3 and 2.0. The cholesterol content was 0.14 g per 6.7 MJ. The effects of the diets were evaluated under isoenergetic conditions in 45 hyperlipoproteinemic patients during 2 weeks. The concentration of the very low density lipoprotein triglycerides decreased by 27-33%, the low density lipoprotein by 16-19% and the high density lipoprotein cholesterol by 5-13% compared with the concentrations during a preceding 2-week period on a control diet. No changes of the lipoprotein removal capacity indicated that the effects were mainly due to a reduced production of serum lipoproteins.