Hyperinsulinemia and hypoinsulinemai. Insulin responses to oral carbohydrate over a wide spectrum of glucose tolerance.

Oral glucose tolerance tests using a 75 gm. carbohydrate load were performed on 396 Pima Indians. Subjects were divided into groups on the basis of two-hour plasma glucose levels and the patterns of insulin response examined. Two-hour insulin levels were highest in the group with two-hour plasma glucose levels between 140-169 mg,/100 ml. and then fell progressively until levels about 400 mg./100 ml. were reached. Half and one-hour insulin levels showed little change in the groups with two-hour glucose levels up to 170 mg,/100 ml., but at higher glucose levels these insulin levels also progressively diminished. Fasting insulin levels were relatively unchanged over the entire range of glucose inintolerance. Obesity was the most important factor influencing the fasting insulin levels. Glucose level was the major determinant of post-load insulin responses, but these were also significantly influenced by obesity. No effect of age or sex on insulin levels was demonstrated. Comparison with other published data indicated that different interpretations of insulin response in subjects with "mild diabetes" have resulted from comparisons of groups with different degrees of glucose tolerance.

Serum cholesterol levels in American (Pima) Indian children and adolescents.

Serum cholesterol levels from birth to adulthood in a population of North American (Pima) Indians are described and compared to those of Caucasian populations. Cholesterol levels at birth (mean +/- SEM, 87 +/- 2.6 mg/100 ml) were similar in Pimas and Caucasians, but levels in Pimas from 5 to 16 years (148 +/- 4.6 mg/100 ml) were 20 to 30 mg/100 ml lower than among most white populations. The levels showed little rise with age from 5 to 16, then rose significantly in both sexes from ages 17 to 25. Cholesterol levels in adult Pimas (190 +/- 1.5 mg/100 ml) were up to 50 to 60 mg/100 ml lower than in American whites, and showed little increase after age 25. Two cohorts of children followed prospectively for six years indicated that the prevalence data reflect sequential changes in the population. Cholesterol levels of those subjects were significantly correlated at the first and last examinations. The Pima, in contrast to Caucasian American populations, have relatively low levels of serum cholesterol and low rates of coronary heart disease, but evidence of a causal relationship with the latter remains to be established.

Postoperative wound infections detected during hospitalization and after discharge in a community hospital.

Postoperative wound infections were evaluated in 1271 patients who had 1389 surgical procedures. There were 49 postoperative wound infections identified, of which 26 (53%) were discovered after discharge. Wound infections varied from 2.5% for clean wounds up to 13.3% for dirty wounds. Among the specialties, the infection rate ranged from no infection for otolaryngologists and urologists to 8.6% for general surgeons. With routine hospital surveillance, the overall infection rate was 1.8% or 2.2%, including readmissions for infection, but less than the actual rate of 3.8%. Persons who had three procedures had no infection rate of 27.3%; for two procedures, 8.1%; and for one procedure, 3.2%. Most postoperative wound infections detected after discharge were based on clinical grounds and not positive cultures. Rehospitalization was required for seven patients because of infection. This study demonstrates that postoperative wound infection surveillance must be continued after discharge.

Recognition and treatment of hypercholesterolemia in a family practice center.

Elevated levels of serum cholesterol are a major risk factor for coronary artery disease, yet few studies have investigated the extent to which practicing physicians recognize and treat their patients with hyperlipidemia. A retrospective chart review was performed on 93 patients who had documented cholesterol levels greater than or equal to 6.20 mmol/L (240 mg/dL) in an outpatient setting to determine the degree of recognition and treatment of hypercholesterolemia. Hypercholesterolemia was diagnosed in 66 percent of patients, dietary recommendations were made in 46 percent, and lipid-lowering medication was prescribed in only 6 percent. Lipid profiles or high-density lipoprotein levels were determined in 22 percent, and thiazide diuretics were being prescribed for 32 percent. There was a trend toward greater recognition and treatment in patients with cholesterol levels greater than 7.75 mmol/L (300 mg/dL) and in patients less than 70 years of age. These results suggest that physician recognition of hypercholesterolemia is greater when compared with previous studies, but more aggressive diagnosis and intervention are needed. Greater utilization of lipid-profile analysis in hypercholesterolemic patients should also be encouraged.

Antibiotic use among medical specialties in a community hospital.

Antibiotic use in a community hospital was evaluated to demonstrate specialty variations. A chart review was performed using the Veterans Administration's "Guidelines for Peer Review" to determine appropriate antibiotic use. Of the 1,054 patients discharged in August 1977, three hundred ten (29.4%) received 479 courses of antibiotics of which two hundred eighty-seven (60%) were considered appropriate. Seventy-two percent of the therapeutic courses and 36% of the prophylactic courses were appropriate. Prophylactic antibiotics were used in 12% of the hospitalized patients and accounted for 33% of the total antibiotics. No notable difference in appropriate antibiotic use was found among general surgeons (73%), internists (72%), orthopedists (71%), and family practitioners (67%). Substantially lower levels were found among urologists (54%), otolaryngologists (44%), and obstetricians (36%). Continued education in proper antibiotic use is needed especially for prophylaxis. Educational programs directed at specific specialties may be the most fruitful way to effect improved overall antibiotic use.

A peer review of a peer review organization.

Under Medicare, one of the federally required objectives of peer review organizations is to reduce inappropriate and unnecessary admissions. We reevaluated 32 admissions approved and 32 denied by the Arizona peer review organization, Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG), in a "blind" manner to determine whether practicing physicians in the community agree with the local peer review organization. Overall, physicians at the Scottsdale Memorial Hospital (SMH) approved 72% of HSAG-approved and denied 61% of HSAG-denied admissions. Of the 64 admissions, 3 or 4 of 4 reviewers (2 physicians and 2 nurses) agreed with the HSAG decision in 38 (59%), but 2 or more reviewers disagreed in the other 26 (41%). Disagreement between the 2 physicians occurred in 48% of the cases and disagreement between the 2 nurses in 33%. Even among admissions denied by SMH physician reviewers, the physicians would have admitted 23% of those patients under similar circumstances. In 28% of the HSAG-denied admissions, the reviewing physicians thought that the patients' health care would have been compromised if the admissions had not taken place. Despite well-defined criteria for the appropriateness of hospital admissions, the review process remains subjective, with much disagreement between peer review organizations and practicing physicians.

Lack of causal association between Coxsackie B4 virus infection and diabetes.

An epidemic of Coxsackie B4 virus infection in an isolated group of islands in the Bering Sea in 1967 provided an opportunity to test the suggestion that infection with this virus might be associated with an increased incidence of diabetes. In 1973 islanders were tested by glucose-tolerance tests and their two-hour plasma glucose levels were analysed in the light of serological evidence of CB4 infection five years earlier. There was no evidence of any increased prevalence of diabetes in those who had been infected in 1967.

Digital subtraction angiography for localization of parathyroid lesions.

Transvenous digital subtraction angiography was used before surgery to evaluate seven patients with chemical evidence of hyperparathyroidism. Digital subtraction angiography identified parathyroid adenomas in six of the seven patients. This technique is a sensitive, although not specific, method to identify small vascular tumors.

Benign giant adrenal cyst and parathyroid adenoma: a case report.

An unusual case of a benign adrenal cyst and a parathyroid adenoma occurring in a 59-year-old man with hypercalcemia is reported. Excretory urography, ultrasound, renal aortography, computerized axial tomography and selective thyroid venous sampling were used to establish a diagnosis. Left adrenalectomy was done because of a suspicion of malignancy, which was followed by excision of a retrolaryngeal parathyroid adenoma.