Isoprene concentrations in exhaled breath showed gender-specific correlations with respect to age. Further investigations are necessary to clarify the relation between isoprene concentrations in exhaled breath and cholesterol levels and synthesis rates in blood.

The present study was performed to determine the variations of breath acetone concentrations with age, gender and body-mass index (BMI). Previous investigations were based on a relatively small cohort of subjects (see Turner et al 2006 Physiol. Meas. 27 321-37). Since exhaled breath analysis is affected by considerable variation, larger studies are needed to get reliable information about the correlation of concentrations of volatiles in breath when compared with age, gender and BMI. Mixed expiratory exhaled breath was sampled using Tedlar bags. The concentrations of a mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of 59, attributed to acetone, were then determined using proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry. Our cohort, consisting of 243 adult volunteers not suffering from diabetes, was divided into two groups: one that fasted overnight prior to sampling (215 volunteers) and the other without a dietary control (28 volunteers). In addition, we considered a group of 44 healthy children (5-11 years old).The fasted subjects' concentrations of acetone ranged from 177 ppb to 2441 ppb, with an overall geometric mean (GM) of 628 ppb; in the group without a dietary control, the subjects' concentrations ranged from 281 ppb to 1246 ppb with an overall GM of 544 ppb. We found no statistically significant shift between the distributions of acetone levels in the breath of males and females in the fasted group (the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test yielded p = 0.0923, the medians being 652 ppb and 587 ppb). Similarly, there did not seem to be a difference between the acetone levels of males and females in the group without a dietary control. Aging was associated with a slight increase of acetone in the fasted females; in males the increase was not statistically significant. Compared with the adults (a merged group), our group of children (5-11 years old) showed lower concentrations of acetone (p < 0.001), with a median of 263 ppb. No correlation was found between the acetone levels and BMI in adults. Our results extend those of Turner et al's (2006 Physiol. Meas. 27 321-37), who analyzed the breath of 30 volunteers (without a dietary control) by selected ion flow tube-mass spectrometry. They reported a positive correlation with age (but without statistical significance in their cohort, with p = 0.82 for males and p = 0.45 for females), and, unlike us, arrived at a p-value of 0.02 for the separation of males and females with respect to acetone concentrations. Our median acetone concentration for children (5-11 years) coincides with the median acetone concentration of young adults (17-19 years) reported by Spanel et al (2007 J. Breath Res. 1 026001).

. tumour necrosis factoralpha plasma level in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and its association with glycaemic control and cardiovascular risk factors. J Intern Med 2000: 248: 67±76.Objectives. Diabetic patients reveal a significant increase in their cardiovascular risk. Beside glycaemic control and management of established risk factors, determination of cytokines, like serum levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a), might offer a tool to determine patients at high risk. The cytokine TNF-a reveals a complex relationship with diabetes. It is involved in beta-cell damage leading to type 1 diabetes, causes insulin resistance associated with obesity and is of influence in the formation of atherosclerotic vascular lesions. We were interested in the possible association of this cytokine with metabolic control and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 1 diabetes. Design and Subjects. TNF-a plasma levels were determined in 44 outdoor patients (15 women, 29 men) with type 1 diabetes mellitus (mean duration 11.2 6 8.7 years) and in 24 healthy controls by use of a solid phase enzyme amplified sensitivity immunoassay (TNF-a ELISA, Biosource Fleurus, Belgium). None of our study participants suffered from inflammatory or other concurrent diseases. Relationships between variables were evaluated by non-parametric Spearman correlation coefficients.Results. TNF-a plasma levels were significantly higher in diabetic patients (19.3 6 7.5 pg mL 21 ) than in non-diabetic subjects (11.1 6 5.8 pg mL 21 ; P , 0.023), and revealed a significant positive correlation with glycated haemoglobin (HbA 1c ) (r = 0.43; P , 0.004) and fructosamine (r = 0.31; P , 0.049) values, and a negative correlation with HDL cholesterol (r = ±0.36; P , 0.018) and apoAIlevels (r = ±0.37; P , 0.015). These relationships could be observed in patients with a duration of diabetes for more than 5 years, as well as in patients with a shorter duration of diabetes. In the male group, TNF-a plasma levels revealed a significant positive correlation with plasma levels of thiobarbituric acid reacting substances (r = 0.61; P , 0.001). Plasma levels of thiobarbituric acid reacting substances showed a positive correlation with the duration of diabetes (r = 0.58; P , 0.008), as well as with the serum levels of the vascular adhesion molecules intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM) (r = 0.34; P , 0.051) and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM) (r = 0.30; P , 0.052). Conclusions. Our data indicate that TNF-a plasma levels are increased in type 1 diabetes mellitus and reveal a significant association with metabolic longterm control parameters, HbA 1c and fructosamine for glycaemic control, and HDL cholesterol for triglyceride metabolism, as well with lipid peroxidation.

Chromosome analysis on CLL-cells from 649 patients revealed clonal changes in 311 cases (48%). The most common abnormalities were trisomy 12 (n = 112), and structural changes on the long arm of chromosome 13 (n = 62), most of them interstitial deletions or translocations involving 13q14, the site of the retinoblastoma gene. Complex karyotypes were associated with poor prognosis, although karyotypic changes rarely develop during the course of the disease. Among patients with single chromosomal abnormalities those with trisomy 12 had a poor survival, whereas those with structural changes on chromosome 13 had as good a prognosis as patients with a normal karyotype.

in healthy women, real-time dynamic MRI demonstrates parallel cranio-caudal movement of the diaphragm and the PF during breathing and coughing and synchronous changes in abdominal wall diameter.

In addition to the original finding that an increase in body fat is mainly responsible for olanzapine-induced weight gain, these findings confirm results obtained in other studies showing increases in body weight and serum leptin levels during treatment with second-generation antipsychotics.

We investigated the changes in the cardiovascular system [resting blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR), measured by means of a 24-h ambulatory BP and a holter-electrocardiogram (ECG)], glycemic parameters, and lipid metabolism of subjects suffering from metabolic syndrome during a 3-week sojourn at 1,700 m in the Austrian Alps. A total of 22 male subjects with metabolic syndrome were selected. Baseline investigations were performed at Innsbruck (500 m above sea level). During the 3-week altitude stay the participants simulated a holiday with moderate sports activities. Examinations were performed on days 1, 4, 9, and 19. After returning to Innsbruck, post-altitude examinations were conducted after 7-10 days and 6-7 weeks, respectively. The 24-h ambulatory BP and holter ECG revealed a decrease in average HR, BP, and rate pressure product (RPP: systolic blood pressure x HR) after 3 weeks of altitude exposure. In some patients, an increase in premature ventricular beats was observed at the end compared to the beginning of the exposure to moderate altitude. The ECG revealed no ischemic ST-segment changes. Maximal physical capacity as measured by symptom-limited maximal cycle ergometry tests remained unchanged during the study. Six weeks after the altitude exposure the blood pressure increased again and returned to pretest levels. The Homeostasis Model Assessment index, which is a measure of insulin resistance, decreased significantly and glucose concentrations obtained after an oral glucose tolerance test were significantly lower after the stay at altitude compared to the basal values. We conclude that after a 3-week exposure to moderate altitude, patients with metabolic syndrome (1) tolerated their sojourn without any physical problems, (2) exhibited short-term favorable effects on the cardiovascular system, and (3) had significant improvements in glycemic parameters that were paralleled by a significant increase in high-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol.

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