Subject(s)
Granulocytes/physiology , Leprosy/blood , Adhesiveness , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Neutrophils/physiologySubject(s)
Alcoholism , Ethanol/pharmacology , Zinc/metabolism , Humans , Male , Zinc/blood , Zinc/urineSubject(s)
Coronary Disease/etiology , Electrocardiography , Exercise Test , Myocardial Infarction/physiopathology , Coronary Disease/diagnosis , Coronary Disease/physiopathology , Female , Humans , Male , Myocardial Infarction/complications , Myocardial Infarction/mortality , Shock, Cardiogenic/etiology , Shock, Cardiogenic/physiopathology , Ventricular Fibrillation/etiology , Ventricular Fibrillation/physiopathologySubject(s)
Conjunctivitis/complications , Optic Neuritis/etiology , Paraplegia/etiology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Disease Outbreaks/epidemiology , Female , Hemorrhage/complications , Humans , India , Male , Middle Aged , Quadriplegia/etiologySubject(s)
Coronary Disease/drug therapy , Verapamil/therapeutic use , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Verapamil/adverse effectsABSTRACT
The role of alcohol as the precipitating factor in the induction of acute attacks of acute intermittent porphyria was studied in an Indian population. Thirty-four teetotal patients with acute intermittent porphyria, in remission, were given 60 ml of 30% ethanol. Except for two patients, all had negative Watson-Schwartz tests prior to the alcohol. Within 24 hours, the Watson-Schwartz test became positive in 16 of these 32 patients (50%). In 8 out of the 34 patients (23.5%) a clinical attack was precipitated, including both patients who had a positive Watson-Schwartz test prior to the alcohol. It was concluded that alcohol does precipitate an acute attack in a significant percentage of patients of Indian origin with acute intermittent porphyria. Patients already excreting porphobilinogen are at a greater risk of developing an acute attack on alcohol ingestion. This study is the first from India and probably first of its kind to be reported from any country.
Subject(s)
Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury , Ethanol/adverse effects , Porphyrias/chemically induced , Acute Disease , Humans , IndiaABSTRACT
Glycosylation of hair was studied in 30 diabetic (15 IDDM and 15 NIDDM) patients and in 30 age and sex matched healthy non-diabetic subjects. A positive correlation occurs between glycosylation of proximal portion of hair and the simultaneously measured glycosylated haemoglobin. The hair glycosylation remains stable along the length of hair from scalp to tip in normal subjects and suggests that a sufficiently long hair sample may offer a long term record of degree of hyperglycaemia. This may be useful in the investigation of hyperglycaemia and microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus. The level of glycosylation of hair is independent of duration of the disease, age, sex and race of the patient and colour of the hair, thus providing a universal index of hyperglycaemia in the control of diabetic state. Glycosylation of hair is perhaps the most non-invasive technique readily acceptable to the patients and yet provides a fairly accurate and reliable information regarding hyperglycaemia in the preceding duration in which the hair has been grown.