Diurnal behaviour of some salivary parameters in patients with diabetes mellitus (protein concentration, amylase activity, density)--note I.

The study was carried out on 31 diabetic patients of both sexes hospitalised in the Clinical Hospital of Diabetes and Nutritional Diseases "Dr. I. Cantacuzino". They were divided in 2 groups: patients with insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM) and noninsulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM) and compared with a group of control non-diabetic subjects. Total mixed saliva was sampled in the morning (07:30-08:00) and in the afternoon (17:30-18:00) without stimulation and tested for amylase activity, proteins and density. The study revealed that the density and the amylase activity have the same diurnal behaviour for the diabetic patients and healthy control subjects either. The only difference was the amplitude of maximal activity (in the morning for density and in the afternoon for the amylase activity). Salivary proteins have a similar diurnal behaviour for both diabetic groups (maximal values in the morning and minimal values in the afternoon) in contrast to healthy control subjects that presented less obvious diurnal changes.

Diurnal behaviour of some salivary parameters in patients with diabetes mellitus (flow rate, pH, thiocianat, LDH activity)--note II.

The study was performed on 31 diabetic patients of both sexes, divided in 2 groups: group I--17 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM) and group II--14 patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM) and compared with a control group of 16 non-diabetic subjects. Mixed saliva was sampled without stimulation during 2 periods of the day: 07:30-08:00 before breakfast and 17:30-18:00 before dinner. We determined: salivary flow rate, pH with Merck indicator and, after homogenization, the thiocianat with the FeCl3 method and LDH activity (the Norbert method adapted in our laboratory for saliva). Our study showed the same diurnal changes in flow rate and salivary pH in both diabetic and control groups: minimal values in the morning and maximal ones in the afternoon. In non-smoking diabetic patients the salivary thiocianat had maximal values in the morning and minimal ones in the afternoon; similar behaviour, but less obvious was observed in smoking diabetic patients and in the control group regardless of the smoking habit. LDH activity showed unsignificant diurnal variations in the diabetic patients. In the control group we found a significant decrease of LDH activity in the afternoon. The discussion is about the implication of these salivary parameters in the pathology of oral cavity: gingivitis, periodontitis and caries in diabetic patients.

[Fibrinolysis during pregnancy. The pre- and postpartal changes]. / Fibrinoliza în cursul sarcinii. Modificari pre si post partum.

Our previous research as well as data in literature (Yuasas, Ishizawa M.--1992) emphasised increased plasma fibrinolytic activity (PFA) in women during labor. Starting from these data we have tried to observe plasma fibrinolytic activity studied through euglobulin lysis time (ELT) in women during pregnancy and after delivery. We studied 25 healthy pregnant women aged between 18 and 30 years which were tested in the seventh month, during labour and at 48 hours after delivery. Blood samples were taken from the antecubital vein by venous puncture. The study showed an increased PFA (shortened ELT) only during labor; in the seventh month and at 48 hours after delivery ELT had almost the same values.

[The behavior of the fibrinolytic system during long-term orthopedic immobilization]. / Comportamentul sistemului fibrinolitic în imobilizarea ortopedica de durata.

Our previous experimental studies on rats motionless for 7 to 60 days in special devices limiting their movements revealed a significantly increased activity of the fibrinolytic system (Groza, Artino) due to the "detention stress" rather then to the immobilization. Starting from these studies we have tried to observe the behaviour of the fibrinolytic system during long-term orthopedic immobilization (7-28 days) on patients having different injuries of the lower limb and submitted to orthopedic therapy (with or without osteosynthesis) to which an anticoagulant preventive treatment was added (heparin or low-molecular-weight substitutes such as Clivarine, Fraxiparine). We studied on 23 patients (11 male and 12 female) motionless for 14, 21, 28 days the plasma fibrinolytic activity (PFA) through euglobulin lysis time (ELT). Clinical investigation revealed that PFA did not change significantly during long-term orthopedic immobilization regardless of the duration of immobilization (14,21,28 days). Rosenfeld et al. (1994) described in healthy volunteers on bedrest for 36 hours an increase of PFA beginning at 24 hours of immobilization, this variation being capable of preventing stasis effects. Our results suggest that preventive anticoagulant therapy properly given during immobilization prevents thromboembolic events.

[The effect of continuous illumination and an inverse rhythm (light-darkness) on fibrinolysis]. / Efectul iluminarii continue si a ritmului inversat (lumina-întuneric) asupra fibrinolizei.

The studies of chronobiology on biological phenomena revealed the existence of a human internal mechanism ("biological clock") which controls biological events according to each function of the body. Most of the programmed and genetically fixed rhythms can be changed and synchronized by external factors. Starting from these data and from our previous studies which emphasised an intradian rhythm of the proteolytic blood coagulation and fibrinolytic systems we observed the behaviour of the fibrinolytic system in modified environmental conditions (continuous illumination and inversed day-night rhythm). Our experiments were performed on 180 Wistar rats both male and female, submitted to continuous illumination and inversed rhythm for 1, 3 and 5 weeks. We studied plasma fibrinolytic activity (PFA) through euglobulin lysis time (ELT) at three different moments of the day: 8:30, 18:30 and 8:30 the next day. The study revealed intradian variations of PFA regardless of the type and time of submission. Thus: continuous illumination for 1, 3, 5 weeks determined a decrease of PFA (prolonged ELT) during the second part of the day, less important at 5 weeks. Inversed day-night rhythm for 1 and 3 weeks determined the same intradian behaviour of PFA but less important than continuous illumination. PFA variations in our experimental conditions suggest an alteration of its biological rhythm.