The epidemiology of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus was studied in an 11.2% sample of the Danish population (574,696 inhabitants) during a 24-month period. Some 175 admissions in ketoacidosis (heavy ketonuria and plasma bicarbonate below 21 mmol/l) were recorded. Based on prevalence rates from a socio-economically and ethnically comparable Danish county, the annual incidence rate was calculated to be 0.045 per diabetic. The incidence rate of moderate and severe episodes (bicarbonate less than 16 mmol/l) was 0.032 and of severe episodes only (bicarbonate less than 10 mmol/l) 0.017 per diabetic. The major risk group was female teenagers. The total annual frequency of recurrence was 8.7%: 48% of the male episodes were ketoacidosis (DKA) associated with onset of diabetes, against 30% of the female episodes (P = 0.02). All Danish diabetics were at the time of the survey (1978-79) treated with conventional insulin treatment. Annual incidence rate in these established diabetics was 0.028, i.e. three to five times less than reported during treatment with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion. Mortality of DKA was low, 3.4%, and dependent upon age and precipitating factor but not upon the degree of acidosis. The overall annual mortality rate was 1.5 per 100 diabetics.

Six months treatment with either T4 or T3 of premenopausal women with nontoxic goitre, aiming at reduced but not totally suppressed TSH values, resulted in biochemical signs of increased bone turnover, whereas bone mass remained unaltered. No differences were found between the effects of T4 or T3 treatment.

An implanted radio-telemetrical device, which consists of a Geiger-Müller detector, a high voltage supply and a FM transmitter, incapsulated in araldite (weight 130 g) was used to measure the body disappearance rate of 125I-iothalamate following a single i.v. bolus in unrestrained and undisturbed rabbits. The disappearance curve is practically monoexponential from 10 to 60 minutes after administration of the indicator and the disappearance rate constant (Ke) is closely correlated to the "final slope" of the plasma disappearance curve of 125I-iothalamate (kp) r=0.99). A linear correlation was also found between Ke and GFR measured simultaneously by constant infusion clearance technique, using an indicator not detected by the Geiger-Müller detector (51Cr-EDTA) (r=0.98). The ratios between the renal clearances of 125I-iothalamate, 51Cr-EDTA and inulin were determined by constant infusion clearance technique in a separate series of experiments since no data were available in the present literature. The results show that GFR can be determined by means of the telemetrical method and in a series of experiments in undisturbed rabbits GFR was found to be on average 4.7 ml . min-1 . kg-1 (expressed as inulin clearance). Using the same technique in lightly pentobarbital anesthetized rabbits GFR was on average 3.5 ml . min-1 . kg-1.

An external-storage telemetric device for continuous detection and registration of radionuclide tracers in humans is described. The weight of the system is 600 g. A pocket-sized ECG cassette tape recorder with 24-h continuous registration constitutes the storage unit. Two end-window GM detectors (Philips 18515) are used as surface detectors. Both gamma- and beta-emitters are detected by this equipment. The linear range is 100 counts/s. Renal excretion of [125I]iodide during 30 h in a normal person is shown. The disappearance rates are 0.1 h-1 during the day and 0.05 h-1 during the night. The coefficient of variation of the individual slopes has been calculated to less than 5%. A comparison with the analog radiotelemetric equipment is shown. The storage telemetric equipment can be applied outside the hospital, when the patient is ambulatory.

Out of 450 patients referred for thyroid scintigraphy 83 consecutive patients with nodular goitre were selected for dual scintigraphy with 99mTc and 123I. Seventy-four patients had one or more palpable nodules and the other nine patients had palpably diffuse goitres with one or more nodules on the routine 99mTc scintigram. For the comparison of scintigrams an eight level colour display was used, and regional differences between the 99mTc and 123I scintigrams were defined as a minimum of 25% (2 colour levels) variation of the relative activity in well defined areas. Thirteen patients, i.e. 16% of those with nodular goitre, had discordant scintigrams. All 13 patients had non-malignant thyroid disorders, (simple goitre, radio-iodine treated hyperthyroidism, autonomous adenoma, subacute thyroiditis, Riedel's and lymphocytic thyroiditis). The diagnosis was verified histologically in eight of these patients. Eight of the 13 patients had a high 99mTc activity relative to 123I, five patients showed the opposite discrepancy. Another 5 patients with a follicular or mixed follicular thyroid carcinoma had identical scintigrams. These findings indicate that 123I does not offer such diagnostic advantages over the cheap and readily available 99mTc, that its use for routine scintigraphy of the thyroid gland seems to be justified at present.