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Biomedical subjects

L Neal

Publications and source records attributed to L Neal.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Effects of the alpha-glucosidase inhibitor acarbose on postprandial serum glucose and insulin concentrations in healthy dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To determine effects of acarbose on baseline and postprandial serum glucose and insulin concentrations in healthy dogs, if effects of acarbose were dosage related, and if acarbose caused any short-term adverse effects. ANIMALS: 5 healthy dogs fed a high-fiber diet. PROCEDURE: A Latin-square design was used. During each 1-week treatment period, dogs were given a placebo or 25, 50, 100, or 200 mg of acarbose, PO, twice daily immediately prior to feeding. There was a 1-week interval between periods. At the end of each treatment period, serum glucose and insulin concentrations were measured prior to feeding and at 30- to 60-minute intervals for 6 hours after feeding. RESULTS: Baseline serum glucose and insulin concentrations, insulin peak response, and total glucose absorption were not significantly different following treatment with placebo and treatment with acarbose; however, total insulin secretion was significantly decreased when dogs were treated with 100 or 200 mg of acarbose. Four dogs developed soft to watery stools when treated with 200 mg of acarbose, and 2 dogs lost weight during the study. Results of CBC and serum biochemical analyses were within reference ranges throughout the study. CONCLUSIONS: Acarbose did not induce any serious adverse effects and was effective in healthy dogs in reducing total postprandial insulin secretion when administered immediately prior to meals. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that acarbose may help control hyperglycemia in dogs with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Additional studies designed to evaluate the effect of acarbose on postprandial blood glucose concentrations in dogs with diabetes mellitus are indicated.

Acarbose↗
PubMed1998

Effect of dietary insoluble fiber on control of glycemia in dogs with naturally acquired diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a high insoluble-fiber (HF) diet containing 12% cellulose in dry matter and a low insoluble-fiber (LF) diet on control of glycemia in dogs with naturally acquired insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. DESIGN: Prospective randomized crossover controlled trial. ANIMALS: 11 dogs with naturally acquired diabetes mellitus. PROCEDURE: Dogs were fed HF and LF diets for 8 months each in 1 of 2 randomly assigned diet sequences. Caloric intake and insulin treatment were adjusted as needed to maintain stable body weight and control of glycemia, respectively. After a 2-month adaptation period, control of glycemia was evaluated every 6 weeks for 6 months. Variables assessed included serum glucose concentration measured during the preprandial state, blood glycosylated hemoglobin concentration, serum glucose concentration measured every 2 hours for 24 hours beginning at the time of the morning insulin injection, 24-hour mean serum glucose concentration, mean serum glucose concentration fluctuation from the 24-hour mean serum glucose concentration, and 24-hour urinary excretion of glucose. RESULTS: Significant differences in mean daily caloric intake, body weight, or daily insulin dosage among dogs fed HF and LF diets were not found. Mean preprandial serum glucose concentration, most postprandial serum glucose concentrations, 24-hour mean serum glucose concentration, and 24-hour urinary excretion of glucose were significantly lower in dogs fed the HF diet, compared with the LF diet. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Results of this study support feeding of commercially available insoluble fiber diets to dogs with naturally acquired diabetes mellitus.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Basic musculoskeletal assessment: tips for the home health nurse.

Home care clients typically present with functional deficits that are frequently attributable to musculoskeletal abnormalities. This article teaches the home care nurse how to conduct a basic musculoskeletal assessment and how to use the findings to develop a thorough plan of care for the home care client.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1996

Cognitive processing in post-traumatic stress disorder.

Recent research has suggested an abnormal attentional bias to threat in anxiety disorders. We have assessed the processing of thoughts of trauma, panic attacks, general fear and positive affect in a cohort of 15 war veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and an age- and sex-matched normal control group. Subjects with PTSD showed delayed processing of self-referential sentences when the themes of the sentences were traumatic experiences or positive affect, compared with controls. However, they were more efficient than control subjects in the processing of sentences describing situations of panic attacks and general fear. It would therefore appear that in patients with PTSD, cognitive processing is hindered by personally relevant themes of past traumatic experiences, whereas it may be facilitated by information related to general threat or internal body sensations of panic.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Effects of the anatomical region used for insulin injections on glycemia in type I diabetes subjects.

OBJECTIVE: Subcutaneous insulin is absorbed at different rates from different anatomical regions, but it is not clear how much the varying rates of absorption affect plasma glucose concentrations in diabetic subjects. To address this issue, subcutaneous injections of insulin in the abdomen were compared with subcutaneous injections of insulin in the thigh. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In a crossover trial, 22 type I diabetic subjects received, in random order, a test dose of regular insulin injected subcutaneously in the abdomen on one morning and in a thigh on another morning. The subjects also received, in random order, usual morning doses of NPH and regular insulins injected subcutaneously in the abdomen on one morning and in a thigh on another morning. The study was performed in the University of Minnesota General Clinical Research Center. Main outcome measures were plasma glucose and serum free insulin. RESULTS: After injections of regular insulin in the abdomen, the peak postprandial increment in plasma glucose was 3.1 mM or 29% lower (P < 0.001), the peak increment in serum free insulin was 54 pM or 38% higher (P = 0.017), and the length of time required to achieve peak serum free insulin was significantly shorter than after injections of regular insulin in the thigh. After injections of NPH and regular insulins in the abdomen, the morning peak increment in plasma glucose was 2.5 mM or 18% lower (P = 0.008) than after injections of NPH and regular insulins in a thigh. However, no significant difference was observed in the afternoon peak increment in plasma glucose. CONCLUSIONS: A subcutaneous injection of regular insulin in the abdomen produced a substantially greater reduction in plasma glucose than an injection of regular insulin in the thigh. Changing the injection site of regular insulin from the abdomen to the thigh had an effect equivalent to reducing the dose administered. With injections of NPH and regular insulin in combination, the influence of the region used for injection was less but still potentially important.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1992

Effect of glipizide on serum insulin and glucose concentrations in healthy cats.

With the recent identification of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) in cats, new possibilities arise for the use of oral hypoglycaemic agents in the treatment of feline NIDDM, similar to their use in humans. To identify the future applicability of the oral hypoglycaemic agent, glipizide, in the treatment of feline NIDDM, its effects on serum insulin and glucose concentrations in healthy cats was examined. In addition, adverse effects seen clinically or on bloodwork following short-term use of the drug were looked for. Serum insulin and glucose concentrations were evaluated after the oral administration of 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 mg glipizide and placebo in 10 healthy cats. For each drug trial, blood was obtained five minutes before, immediately before, and 7.5, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 minutes after glipizide or placebo administration. Mean serum insulin concentration increased after glipizide administration, with peak mean serum insulin concentration occurring 15 minutes after administration and declining to baseline by 60 minutes. There was no significant difference in peak mean serum insulin concentration, mean serum insulin concentration at 60 minutes after glipizide administration, or mean total insulin secretion between the three glipizide dosages. Mean serum glucose concentration decreased within 15 minutes of glipizide administration, with the glucose nadir occurring 60 minutes after glipizide administration. Placebo trials showed no significant change in mean serum insulin or glucose concentrations from baseline concentrations.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1991

Microvascular architecture of the elastase emphysemic hamster lung.

Vascular corrosion casts of normal and elastase-induced emphysemic hamster lungs, prepared with a low viscosity resin mixture consisting of Mercox and Sevriton, were observed by scanning electron microscopy. Casts were quantitated by measuring vascular volume or determining non-alveolar air space using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Normal lung casts were characterized by well-organized fields of alveoli (about 70 microns in diameter) connected by distinct alveolar ducts. Emphysemic lung casts exhibited numerous bullae (often as large as 0.5 mm in diameter). The vasculature of the bullae indicated that they were formed by destruction of alveolar walls and subsequent coalescence of numerous alveolae. Remnants of alveolar walls, consisting of shallow ridges of capillaries, lined the bases of the bullae. Vascular volumes expressed as cast volume/total tissue volume were calculated at 20% and 12% for uninflated and inflated lungs, respectively, for both control and emphysemic lungs. Four months after elastase instillation, nonalveolar air space of the emphysemic lungs was increased by 73% over controls. These observations indicate that elastase emphysema results, initially, in remodeling of the alveolar structure (bullae formation) and loss of surface area for gas exchange, rather than from extensive loss of vasculature. Vascular corrosion casting is a useful technique for monitoring emphysema both morphologically and quantitatively.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Per capita income in breast cancer patients.

The Wisconsin Department of Health and Human Services has identified breast cancer as the most common malignant neoplasm among women in Wisconsin. To determine the potential effectiveness of a program of low-cost screening mammography in reducing cancer morbidity and mortality in individuals of low socioeconomic status, the authors conducted a retrospective analysis of data from tumor registries. Using the tumor registries of two hospitals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the records of 323 patients with breast cancer were identified and analyzed for size of tumor at first presentation. These data were correlated with per capita income taken from census block information for the residence of each patient. The data indicate that mean income was lower for patients with more advanced disease. Other variables such as race did not influence tumor classification at initial presentation. Economically disadvantaged women present with more advanced breast cancers than affluent patients. This adverse circumstance may be the result of lack of financial resources and poor dissemination of information. Programs that recognize these problems are likely to be more successful in achieving earlier breast cancer detection.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Serial thyroid hormone concentrations in healthy euthyroid dogs, dogs with hypothyroidism, and euthyroid dogs with atopic dermatitis.

Serum thyroxine (T4) and 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) concentrations were determined every 3 h for 12 h beginning at 8 a.m. in 20 healthy euthyroid dogs, 19 dogs with hypothyroidism, and 18 euthyroid dogs with atopic dermatitis. Status of thyroid function was based on history, physical findings, results of thyrotropin response testing, and requirement for thyroid hormone replacement therapy. Mean serum T4 and T3 concentrations did not vary significantly between blood samplings within each of the three groups of dogs. Between groups of dogs, mean serum T4 concentration was significantly (P less than 0.05) higher at each blood sampling time in healthy euthyroid dogs and euthyroid dogs with atopic dermatitis when compared to dogs with hypothyroidism. There was no significant difference in mean serum T4 concentration at any blood sampling time between healthy euthyroid dogs and euthyroid dogs with atopic dermatitis or in mean serum T3 concentrations at any blood sampling time between any of the three groups of dogs. Random fluctuation in serum T4 and T3 concentrations was found in dogs in all three groups. Random fluctuations were more common with serum T3 versus T4 concentrations. Consequently, sensitivity (0.88 versus 0.52), specificity (0.73 versus 0.45), predictive value for a positive test (0.75 versus 0.32), predictive value for a negative test (0.87 versus 0.65), and accuracy (0.80 versus 0.47) were better for serum T4 concentration than serum T3 concentration, respectively, when all blood samples were analysed. Measurement of serum T4 concentration was more accurate than serum T3 concentration in assessing the status of thyroid gland function.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prospective trial using Virtual Vision as distraction technique in patients undergoing gastric laboratory procedures.

To determine whether distraction techniques using Virtual Vision, an audiovisual system integrated into a modified pair of glasses, improves tolerance to routine gastric laboratory procedures, a prospective study of 50 patients was done. Patients were allowed to view/hear a travelogue tape during testing. Patients and registered nurses, who performed the procedure, were asked their interpretation of Virtual Vision as a device that improved patient tolerance, impaired the patient's ability to follow directions, or impaired the nurse's ability to perform the procedure. Patients graded the procedure from 1 (unbearable) to 5 (reasonably comfortable) and were asked whether they would use the device for a repeat procedure. For those who had undergone previous procedures, patients were queried regarding their preference for routine testing or Virtual Vision. Improved tolerance to procedures was noted in 82% of the patients as perceived by nurses and patients. Eighteen percent of the nurses and 8% of the patients thought that the auditory insert and glasses impaired the patient's ability to cooperate with the test, whereas 88% and 86%, respectively, thought that Virtual Vision was a valuable distraction technique. Using an ordinal scale for testing tolerance, patients graded their test at a mean of 3.8 (SD 1.25) and 82% expressed a desire to use the system in conjunction with future testing. Twenty-six of 33 patients (79%) who had undergone previous gastric laboratory testing preferred distraction techniques using Virtual Vision to conventional testing. Distraction techniques using a system such as Virtual Vision have the potential to improve patient tolerance to routine gastric laboratory studies.

Adolescent↗