Nicolas and Camille Husson, chemists, archeologists, researchers ... in toul, during the second part of the 19th century

Nicolas Husson (1814-1890) was chemist in Toul from 1843-1844 to 1875-1876. He was also a member of the town council and deputy of the mayor, in charge of questions interesting education and attendance. Collector, author of some 40 papers, he was very interested in archeology, geology and hygiene in the neighbourhood of Toul. He explored there holes such "Les Trous de Sainte-Reine" and "Le Trou des Celtes". His son Camille (1843-1886) was first a military chemist but he joined soon his father. He was essentially an independant researcher in chemical and alimentary analysis, toxicology and hygiene. Also the author of numerous papers and archeologist, he became national correspondent of the Academy of medicine and chairman of the "Société de pharmacie de Lorraine".     

Hippiatric formularies established during the period of the Revolution

Two hippiatric formularies established during the period of the Revolution are presented. The first one published in 1793, is a printed pamphlet of 8 pages, containing 68 drugs. The second one dated of january 1794 includes 26 items only, and consists in a unique chart entitled: Nomenclature des Drogues nécessaires au traitement des maladies internes et externes des chevaux malades qui sont aux armées et dans les différents dép?ts de la République. This is of particular and new interest when it tentatively synthesizes and standardizes the main pharmaceutical products able of fighting farcy and glanders. After the first work carried out by Bourgelat around 1760, it confirms the necessity of reforming the ancient and often useless polypharmacy, by selecting efficient drugs and in advising about their relevant use.     

Chocolate in some french pharmaceutical or medicinal books from XVIIth, XVIIIth and XIXth centuries. Its beneficent and inconvenient, proved or imaginary, effects

Rapidly after its appearance in France, interesting properties were attributed to chocolate and it was used in medicine,often wrongly, to treat digestive, pulmonary, nervous, even infectious diseases, and also for its nutritive and aphrodisiacal capability... But it was already charged with insomnia or constipation. During the XIXth century, chocolate was used as food and as an excipient for dissimulation and transportation of drugs. Medicinal chocolates were essentially nutritive and analeptic, pectoral, stomachic, purgative or anthelmintic. All of them have disappeared today, but the pharmacological interest of chocolate remains with its antidepressive activity and the promising proposes of some of its components. However, chocolate is still considered to be responsible of constipation, headache or pimples...     

Charles Buchet (1848-1933), father of the french Society of pharmaceutical story

Charles Buchet, pharmacist, worked nearly fifty years in " the Pharmacie centrale de France", of which he endly was Director and President during 35 years. In 1913, he conceived the project of a french society of history of pharmacy, which was achieved with the help of E.-H. Guitard and P. Dorveauz. He was the President of this Society from 1920 to 1928. He really was the "father of the SHP".     

现代科技革命与中药现代化

目的 为中医药学不断吸纳现代科技成果,发展壮大提供参考.方法 分析了生物技术、计算机技术、纳米技术与中药现代化的相互关系,论述了中医药在治疗重大疑难疾病中的作用.结果 与结论 现代科技多学科应在中医理论和临床特色中找准切入点,加强对某些重大疑难疾病的攻关治疗,让国际社会广泛认识中医学理、法、方、药的理论和实践特色,以利于中医药的深入研究与发展.     

Sensitivity and specificity to amphetamine of a french version of the 49-item form of the addiction research center inventory

The main metrological characteristics of a French version of the 49-item addiction research center inventory (ARCI) were evaluated using data collected in three controlled studies in healthy subjects. An analysis of variance showed no study effect, so the three studies were pooled. The test-retest reliability coefficients after placebo evaluated by a Spearman rank correlation test were 0.64 (P < 0.0001) for subscale A, 0.49 (P < 0.0001) for subscale BG, 0.55 (P < 0.0001) for MBG, 0.58 (P < 0.0001) for PCAG and 0.27 for LSD (not significant). Using the same test, the test-retest reliability coefficients after amphetamine were 0.73 (P < 0.0001) for subscale A, 0.61 (P < 0.0001) for subscale BG, 0.71 (P < 0.0001) for MBG, 0.46 (P < 0.0001) for PCAG and 0.66 for LSD (P < 0.0001). In order to assess the predictive validity of the translated questionnaire, areas under curves were calculated from the ROC diagrams for the three scores, amphetamine (A), benzedrine group (BG) and morphine benzedrine group (MBG). Two criteria validity were used: the desire to take amphetamine another time and the discrimination of the allocated treatment (amphetamine or placebo). The calculated areas under curves indicated a good capacity of prediction of the three ARCI subscales (A, BG, MBG) for both criteria.     

The effects of lithium, valproic acid, and carbamazepine during pregnancy and lactation

The chronic, complex, and episodic course of bipolar mood disorder presents a particularly formidable challenge to the clinician making a treatment plan for the onset or recurrence of the illness during pregnancy and lactation. Women treated with anti-manic drugs who become pregnant are commonly considered to be at high risk for fetal complications during the pregnancy or during lactation. The risks of antimanic drug use during pregnancy include teratogenic effects, direct neonatal toxicity, and the potential for longer-term neurobehavioral sequela. The use of medications during pregnancy and lactation requires critical attention to the timing of exposure, dosage, duration of use, and fetal susceptibility. The postnatal period is a time of increased onset and relapse of mental illness. No antimanic drug can be proven completely safe. Prescribing antimanic medications with a long safety record, avoiding exposure in the first trimester; avoiding multidrug regimens, and prescribing the lowest dose for the shortest duration will minimize the fetal risk. This review considers treatment with lithium, valproic acid, and carbamazepine. It assesses the risk to the fetus, the perinatal risks for the infant, the risks associated with treatment during the puerperium and breast-feeding, and the risks to the later development of the child.     

The possible role of ammonia toxicity on the exposure, deposition, retention, and the bioavailability of nicotine during smoking

A complete and rigorous review is presented of the possible effect(s) of ammonia on the exposure, deposition and retention of nicotine during smoking and the bioavailability of nicotine to the smoker. There are no toxicological data in humans regarding ammonia exposure within the context of tobacco smoke. Extrapolation from occupational exposure of ammonia to smoking in humans suggests minimal, non-toxicological effects, if any. No direct study has examined the effect of the ammonia on the total rate or amount of nicotine reaching the arterial bloodstream or brains of smokers. Machine-smoking methods have been reported which accurately quantify >99% of the nicotine in mainstream (MS) smoke for a wide variety of commercial and test cigarettes, including a series of experimental cigarettes having a range in MS smoke ammonia yields using the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) protocol. However, the actual exposure of nicotine to smokers depends on their own smoking behavior. The nicotine ring system is relatively thermally stable. Protonated nicotine forms nicotine which evaporates before the nicotine ring system decomposes. The experimental data indicate that neither nicotine transfer from tobacco to MS smoke nor nicotine bioavailability to the smoker increases with an increase in any of the following properties: tobacco soluble ammonia, MS smoke ammonia, “tobacco pH” or “smoke pH” at levels found in commercial cigarettes. Gas phase nicotine deposits primarily in the mouth and upper respiratory tract. To the extent that ammonia increases the deposition of nicotine in the buccal cavity and upper respiratory tract during smoking, the total rate and amount of nicotine into the arterial bloodstream and to the central nervous system will decrease. Charged nicotine analogues are actively transported in a number of tissues. This active transport system appears to be insensitive to pH and the form of nicotine in the biological milieu, suggesting that protonated nicotine may be a substrate for active transport. Neither “smoke pH” of commercial cigarettes nor “smoke pH_eff” nor the fraction of non-protonated nicotine in tobacco smoke particulate matter are useful, practical smoke parameters for providing understanding or predictability of nicotine bioavailability to smokers. Greater than 95% of both ammonia and nicotine are in the gas phase of environmental tobacco, and both are likely to deposit in the buccal cavity and upper respiratory tract following exposure.     

The pharmacokinetics of hematoporphyrin, its derivative and fluorescein during the development of carcinosarcoma

The pharmacokinetics of fluorescein, hematoporphyrin and a derivative of hematoporphyrin was studied microspectrofluorometrically on rats with transplanted carcinosarcoma. It was shown that in the rats in contrast to intact animals the tissue concentration of fluorescein exhibits a general tendency towards an increase, that of hematoporphyrin towards a decrease and that of hematoporphyrin derivative towards an increase in all parenchymatous organs and a decrease in the skin and mucosae of the hollow organs. At the equally short period of the maximal accumulation of luminophores, the tumour tissue differs from the normal one by a pronounced delay of excretion only of hematoporphyrin derivative.     

The pharmacokinetics of fluorescein, hematoporphyrin and its derivative during the development of granuloma

In experiments on rats with granuloma reproduced by subcutaneous implantation of foreign material there was shown a slowing of excretion from the organism as well as a considerable redistribution between the organs of fluorescein, hematoporphyrin and its derivative as compared with intact animals. The noted changes practically did not depend on the time of granuloma development.