In situ gamma-spectrometry several years after deposition of radiocesium. II. Peak-to-valley method.

A new method is introduced for deriving radiocesium soil contaminations and kerma rates in air from in situ gamma-ray spectrometric measurements. The approach makes use of additional information about gamma-ray attenuation given by the peak-to-valley ratio, which is the ratio of the count rates for primary and forward scattered photons. In situ measurements are evaluated by comparing the experimental data with the results of Monte Carlo simulations of photon transport and detector response. The influence of photons emitted by natural radionuclides on the calculation of the peak-to-valley ratio is carefully analysed. The new method has been applied to several post-Chernobyl measurements and the results agreed well with those of soil sampling.

In situ gamma-spectrometry several years after deposition of radiocesium. Part I. Approximation of depth distributions by the Lorentz function.

Several years after the deposition of fallout-radiocesium, the maximal activity of this radionuclide will not remain at the soil surface but be found rather in deeper layers. In order to estimate the total radiocesium contamination of a large area and the resulting gamma-dose rate by in-situ spectrometry, it is necessary to approximate the vertical distribution of this radionuclide by an analytical function. Observations at ten undisturbed grassland soils and Bavaria, Germany, show that the resulting depth distributions can be approximated closely by a three-parameter Lorentz function. This function characterises the observed distributions in all three critical sections, i.e. the surface layer, the distribution around the maximal concentration, and the tail at greater depth. It is also shown that the observed total activity per unit area of the soil due to 137Cs agrees very well with the corresponding value obtained from the integrated Lorentz function. The two coefficients of the Lorentz function, which characterise the location (depth) and width of the maximum in the activity distribution, are shown to be correlated. In part II of this study, it will be shown how the parameters of the Lorentz function can also be obtained by in-situ gamma-ray spectrometry. As a result, it is possible to use in-situ gamma-ray spectrometry to obtain the total 137Cs activity per unit area also for sites where the vertical distribution of this radionuclide in the soil is no longer exponential.

Human atrial natriuretic peptide in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus: is it related to the development of diabetic nephropathy?

There is controversy as to whether increased plasma levels of human atrial natriuretic peptide (hANP) in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus may contribute to the development of diabetic nephropathy. Therefore, we decided to conduct two studies to examine the relationship of hANP levels to urinary albumin excretion and blood pressure. In a cross-sectional study, 83 randomly selected type 1 diabetic patients were investigated. 19 of the patients had increased urinary albumin excretion. 45 healthy volunteers served as controls. In a longitudinal study, 19 type 1 diabetic patients were examined for one year at monthly intervals. An increased risk of eventually developing diabetic nephropathy was identified in 7 out of these patients by repeatedly revealing increased urinary albumin excretion. On the average, hANP levels were increased in type 1 diabetic patients in comparison to controls (P < 0.001). In both studies, hANP levels were positively related (P < 0.05) to mean arterial blood pressure. There was no correlation between hANP levels and metabolic control. hANP levels lay within normal range irrespective of normal or elevated urinary albumin excretion provided that mean arterial blood pressure was normal. In the longitudinal study, increased urinary albumin and alpha-1-microglobulin excretion preceded the increase in both hANP levels and mean arterial blood pressure. Although hANP levels were evidently not related to the disease mechanisms of early diabetic nephropathy, it is tempting to speculate that hANP may contribute to the vicious circle connecting diabetic kidney disease to hypertension once that its levels are increased by elevated blood pressure.

[Significance of increased endothelin level for development of sequelae of diabetes mellitus]. / Zur Bedeutung erhöhter Endothelinspiegel für die Entwicklung von Folgeerkrankungen des Diabetes mellitus.

In order to gain insight into the potential role of endothelin, a 21 amino acid peptide produced by endothelial cells, in the development of complications of diabetes mellitus, basal plasma endothelin levels were measured in 152 patients with diabetes mellitus (83 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, 69 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus) and compared to those in 50 healthy controls. Blood was drawn at 8.00 a.m. under resting conditions and endothelin was determined after prior extraction by a sensitive radioimmunoassay. Endothelin levels were increased in patients with diabetes mellitus in comparison to controls (controls 0.9 +/- 0.1 pg/ml, type 1 diabetes mellitus 1.7 +/- 0.1, type-2-diabetes mellitus 2.0 +/- 0.1 pg/ml, p < 0.01 vs controls). 60% of patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and elevated endothelin levels > 2.5 pg/ml (highest value measured in a control subject) had arterial hypertension with blood pressure > 140/90 mm Hg (p < 0.05 vs patients with normal endothelin levels). A reduced creatinine clearance (< 60 ml/min) was detected in 30% of patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus with elevated endothelin levels > 2.5 pg/ml, but only in 7% of patients with endothelin levels < 2.5 pg/ml (p < 0.05). In patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and elevated endothelin levels diabetic retinopathy and peripheral neuropathy (p < 0.05) were more prevalent than in patients with normal endothelin values. 62% of patients with elevated endothelin levels had insufficient metabolic control (HbA1 concentrations above 10%). Positive correlations were found between endothelin and human atrial natriuretic peptide levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Increased plasma levels of endothelin in diabetic patients with hypertension.

In order to gain insight into the potential role of endothelin, a 21 amino acid peptide produced by endothelial cells, in the development of complications of diabetes mellitus, basal plasma endothelin levels were measured in 152 patients with diabetes mellitus (83 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, 69 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus) and compared to those in 50 healthy controls. Blood was drawn at 8:00 AM under resting conditions and endothelin was measured after prior extraction by a sensitive radioimmunoassay specific for both endothelin 1 and 2. Endothelin levels were increased in patients with diabetes mellitus in comparison to controls. In type 1 diabetes mellitus a positive correlation between endothelin levels and age was found. We found that 60% of patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and elevated endothelin levels higher than 2.5 pg/mL (highest value in a control person) had had diabetes for more than 20 years (P less than .05 v patients with normal endothelin levels). In type 2 diabetes mellitus the relation between elevated endothelin levels and diabetes duration was reversed. Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1) concentrations above 10% of total hemoglobin were measured in 62% of the patients. Arterial hypertension was present in 60% of the patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and increased endothelin levels greater than 2.5 pg/mL (both P less than .05 v patients with normal endothelin levels).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)