Effect of subdermal levonorgestrel contraceptive implants, Norplant, on liver functions

Forty-seven normal health women were studied longitudinally for changes in liver functions during the use of the levonorgestrel contraceptive implant system, NORPLANT. Samples were collected before insertion of the implants and after one, three and six months of use. The enzymes studied were the transaminases (SGOT and SGPT), alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transferase. Serum bilirubin and bile acid levels were also measured. The protein synthetic function of the liver was tested by estimation of total proteins, albumin, transferrin, hemopexin, ceruloplasmin and haptoglobin. The three main immunoglobulins, G, M and A, were also measured. There were no significant changes in the liver enzymes after NORPLANT use. Serum bilirubin and bile acid concentrations showed rises in the first month of use which ameliorated in subsequent months. Serum albumin was transiently increased during the first and third months. Ceruloplasmin decreased significantly at the sixth month. The concentrations of total serum proteins and the other individual proteins showed no significant change. The results point to safety of NORPLANT implant use, as regards hepatic functions.     

Effect of subdermal levonorgestrel contraceptive implants, Norplant, on serum lipids

Forty-seven normal non-smoking parous women were enrolled in a longitudinal study of the effect of use of the subdermal levonorgestrel implants, NORPLANT, on serum lipids. Blood samples were collected after an overnight fast before insertion and after three, six, nine and twelve months of use. The high-density lipoprotein cholesterol showed no change until the twelfth month when it was increased (P less than .05). Total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels decreased significantly during NORPLANT use.     

Effect of levonorgestrel contraceptive implants, Norplant, on blood coagulation

A longitudinal study of coagulation parameters was carried out on 47 women using the levonorgestrel subdermal implants, NORPLANT. The study comprised measurement of platelet count, prothrombin time, thrombin time, partial thromboplastin time with kaolin, clotting factors I, II, V and VI through XIII, plasminogen, antithrombin III (AT III), alpha 1 antitrypsin, alpha 2 macroglobulin and fibrinogen degradation products. The tests were done at admission and after one, three and six months of NORPLANT use. Parallel and similar studies were done on two groups of oral contraceptive users; the first group used a pill containing 1 mg norethisterone and 50 micrograms mestranol, and the second a pill consisting of 150 micrograms levonorgestrel and 30 micrograms ethinylestradiol. Results from this ongoing study have indicated that women using NORPLANT implants evidenced lack of effects on most of the parameters tested except for factor VII activity which was increased and AT III concentration which was decreased after six months of use. The combined pill users evidenced marked changes in the platelet count, the screening tests and in most of the coagulation-promoting factors; the changes were apparent after three months of use and became more pronounced after six months. The results demonstrate, with marked contrast, that the implants had less pronounced effects on the blood coagulation system than did the combined pills used in this study.     

A two-year experience with Norplant implants in Assiut, Egypt

This report describes the two-year experience of 250 acceptors of NORPLANT implants and 100 TCu-380-Ag IUD acceptors in Assiut, Egypt. The two-year net continuation rate was 67.9 per 100 for implant users and 52.3 per 100 for IUD users. The most important cause for NORPLANT removal was the disruption of menstrual rhythm. However, by the end of the second year, three-quarters of NORPLANT users had monthly menstrual periods and about 60 percent described the amount of blood loss as average, 15 percent as decreased, 15 percent as increased and 10 percent as variable. About 88 percent of the NORPLANT acceptors rated their experience with the contraceptive as good or excellent.     

Malathion induced hematological and biochemical changes in the Indian catfish Heteropneustes fossilis

The acute toxicity and effects of duration of sublethal exposure to malathion were determined in the Indian catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis). Fish exposed to the pesticide for 2, 6, 12, 48, and 96 hr showed muscle glycogenolysis with concomitant hyperglycemia at all intervals; hepatic glycogen was unaffected. Malathion was also associated with hypochloremia at 2 and 6 hr and hyperchloremia at 48 and 96 hr; blood chloride concentration was unaffected at 12 hr. Fish developed erythropenia and leukopenia; lowered hematocrit and hemoglobin content and hypercoagulability of blood were also observed. The data show that homeostatic and hemostatic mechanisms are disturbed after malathion treatment and could be helpful for evaluating pesticide toxicosis in fish.     

Corn oil-induced changes in the dorsal root ganglia of rats

The effects of corn oil on rat dorsal root ganglia (DRG) were examined by both light and electron microscopy. Rats were fed corn oil via intubation 5 days per week for 7 weeks. No apparent morphological lesion was observed in the DRG by means of light microscopic examination. However, various cytological changes were revealed by electron microscopy. The most prominent change was the extensive and severe edematous condition in the interstitial space. After 7 weeks of treatment, the interstitial space between neurons and nerve fibers was distended by proteinaceous edematous fluid and collagen fibers. Distention of the intercellular space between the ganglion neurons and their surrounding satellite cell sheaths also occurred. Proliferation of the supporting cells, especially the satellite cells and Schwann cells, producing long and complex networks of cellular processes in the distended interstitial space was also evident. It is believed that chronic ingestion of corn oil by rats has an adverse effect on the endothelial system leading to an increased fluid permeability and edematous condition.     

Intrauterine devices and menstrual blood loss. A comparative study of eight devices during the first six months of use

An experiment was conducted to determine changes in menstrual blood loss caused by IUDs. 78 volunteer women of similar age and parity were randomly selected from among those requesting IUDs from the outpatient department of the National Medical Center of the Mexican Institute of Social Security. Menstrual blood loss and hemoglobin were measured for 1-2 control cycles and for 6 postinsertion cycles. Of the 8 different types of IUDs used, the Lippes Loop and the copper-releasing devices caused a statistically significant increase in blood loss and a related decrease in hemoglobin. The steroid-releasing devices caused no significant increase in blood loss and no significant changes in hemoglobin concentration. The rigid copper devices caused the greatest increase in blood loss. The noted changes were clearly established by the 3rd postinsertion cycle.     

Amino acid changes and pulmonary response of rats to silica dust

The effect of intratracheal injection of quartz on the free amino acids of lung, serum, and liver and the bound amino acids of lung was studied in rats, at intervals preceding and following the formation of collagen. The studies revealed that amino acid metabolism is significantly altered in silicotic rat lung. Changes in the body pool of amino acids seem to be related to both collagen and noncollagen formation in silicotic lung. It appears that some of the amino acid residues for collagen formation in lung in response to silica exposure are made available by the in situ formation from available precursors, while others are contributed by other organs, especially liver. A central role for glutamic acid metabolism in the genesis of pulmonary fibrosis is discussed.     

Morphological,pharmacokinetic, and hematological studies of lead-exposed pigeons

Adult white Carneaux pigeons were orally dosed with inorganic lead (6.25 mg Pb/kg/day, gastric intubation) for up to 64 weeks and the following studies were carried out: (1) the subcellular distribution of lead in erythrocytes; (2) the changes in tissue lead levels with time; (3) morphological assessment of tissue responses to lead; and (4) hematological effects of lead, the major systemic evidence of toxicity. In the early stage of exposure, there is some lead accumulation in the erythrocyte nucleus relative to its proportion of total cell volume, but such accumulation disappears with time. The kinetic behavior of lead in seven tissues—blood, brain, kidney, liver, femur, sciatic nerve, and crop—was seen to conform to two mathematical methods of lead distribution; brain, kidney, and femur lead increased with dosing time and reached or appeared to approach an upper plateau; lead in blood, liver, sciatic nerve, and crop increased to a maximum, followed by a decline to a lower plateau level. Morphologically, renal tubule cells showed the presence of lead-containing inclusion bodies while CNS mitochondria appeared to have accumulated lead. No evidence of segmental demyelination was seen. Lead exposure induced a marked and rapid hypochromic normocytic anemia in these birds, as well as an elevation in erythrocyte porphyrin. No disturbance in mechanical fragility or osmotic resistance was noted.     

Fractionation, chemical analysis, and mutagenicity testing of low-Btu coal gasifier tar

A tar from a low-Btu coal gasifier was subjected to parallel fractionation, chemical analysis, and bacterial mutagenicity (Salmonella) assay. Like other coal-derived tars, it was a complex mixture containing some high-molecular-weight material and several classes of organic compounds as major constituents. The results of bacterial mutagenicity testing of fractions and subfractions of the tar suggest that neutral nitrogen-containing compounds, phenols, organic bases, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and some uncharacterized high-molecular-weight materials are mutagenic to Salmonella and therefore are potentially mutagenic in higher systems.     

Gastrointestinal absorption of metals (51Cr, 65Zn, 95mTc, 109Cd, 113Sn, 147Pm, and 238Pu) by rats and swine

Adult and neonatal rats and neonatal pigs were gavaged with solutions of metal radionuclides to determine gastrointestinal absorption. Zinc-65 and technetium-95m were well-absorbed by both age groups; chromium-51, cadmium-109, tin-113, promethium-147, and plutonium-238 were not. The quantities of the poorly absorbed metals that were absorbed by neonates were between 4 and 100 times higher than those absorbed by adult rats. Autoradiograms prepared from the entire small intestine of the neonatal rat showed that 109Cd was retained in the duodenum. In contrast, measurements in the piglets showed much higher 109Cd retention in the ileum than in the duodenum. Autoradiograms and radiochemical measurements of 147Pm and 238Pu in both neonatal rats and swine showed the highest level of retention in the ileum. The results indicate that, for most of the metals studied, absorption from the gastrointestinal tract is substantially higher for neonatal than for adult rats.     

Effect of phenolic compounds on in vivo activity of transaminases in certain tissues of the fish, Notopterus notopterus

Chronic effects of phenol (P), 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), and pentachlorophenol (PCP) individually and in three combinations, viz. (PCP + DNP)/P (highly antagonistic), (DNP + P)/PCP (additive), and (P + DNP)/PCP (highly synergistic) on in vivo activity of glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (GOT) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) in brain, liver, kidney, and gills of Notopterus notopterus were studied at subacute levels (1/10, 1/15, and 1/20 of 96-hr LC50) following exposure for 15 and 30 days. Significant stimulation in activity of GOT and GPT was observed in all the tissues at different concentrations of phenolic compounds after both the time intervals. However, stimulation in activity of both GOT and GPT was maximum (140.67% in GOT, 142.68% in GPT) in liver at 1/10 concentration of the (P + DNP)/PCP combination after 30 days, but minimum in gills, in case of GOT (17.29%) at 1/20 of P after 15 days and in case of GPT (7.68%) at 1/20 of the (PCP + DNP)/P combination after 30 days. Stimulatory effect of phenolic compounds on the activity of these enzymes indicates possibly the increased conversion of amino acids into keto acids and vice versa, thus resulting in the disturbance of protein metabolism.     

Cancer patients' personality characteristics, physician-patient communication and adoption of the Moerman diet

Breast cancer patients and patients with Hodgkin's disease (N = 663) were contacted initially by medical specialists at 15 medical centers across The Netherlands and subsequently 498 of them were interviewed in their homes in order to examine interactions between their personality characteristics, their assessment of the adequacy of information feedback from their physicians about their illness, its treatment and prognosis, and their adoption of an unproven diet remedy. The data indicate that patients who believed they had received insufficient and unclear information were more likely to be adopters of the Moerman diet than patients who believed the information was adequate. Personality moderator analyses indicated further that the relationship between information adequacy and diet adoption held specifically for those patients with high trait anxiety, low self-esteem, angry-aggressive coping styles or impulsive attitudes. The discussion focused on rational and irrational elements in physician-patient communications, the strategies available to physicians to improve their communication skills, the desirability of constructing and distributing educational and informational materials for use by patients, and the need for physicians to offer their patients an opportunity for contact with companions in distress.     

Organ and subcellular distribution of selenium in rats exposed to cadmium,mercury, and selenium

Three groups of rats were given sodium selenite (Se), sodium selenite and cadmium chloride (Se + Cd), or sodium selenite, cadmium chloride, and mercuric chloride (Se + Cd + Hg), respectively. All animals received subcutaneous doses of ¹¹⁵CdCl₂ (0.3 mg Cd/kg) every other day for a fortnight. Mercuric chloride was administered intravenously at doses of 0.5 mg Hg/kg every other day and Na₂⁷⁵SeO₃ intragastrically at doses of 0.1 mg Se/kg every other day for 2 weeks. The whole-body retention of selenium was slightly elevated by cadmium and increased threefold by cadmium with mercury (mainly blood, liver, and kidneys). Cadmium did not affect subcellular levels of selenium in the kidneys and slightly increased the selenium content in the soluble fraction of the liver. On the other hand, combined administration of mercury and cadmium induced a significant elevation of the selenium content in all subcellular fraction of the kidneys and in the nuclear and mitochondrial fractions of the liver. In all animal groups selenium was bound in the soluble fractions of both the liver and kidneys by high-molecular-weight proteins.     

Organ and subcellular distribution of cadmium in rats exposed to cadmium, mercury, and selenium

Four groups of rats were given: cadmium chloride (Cd), cadmium chloride and mercuric chloride (Cd + Hg), cadmium chloride and sodium selenite (Cd + Se), or cadmium chloride, mercuric chloride, and sodium selenite (Cd + Hg + Se). All animals received subcutaneous doses of 115mCdCl2 (0.3 mg Cd/kg) every other day for 2 weeks. Mercuric chloride was administered intravenously at doses of 0.5 mg Hg/kg every other day, and Na2 75SeO3 intragastrically at doses of 0.1 mg Se/kg every day for a fortnight. The whole-body and organ retention of cadmium changed slightly with the type of exposure. A significant interaction effect of the examined elements was noted in the nuclear and soluble fractions of the liver and kidneys. Mercury decreased the cadmium concentration in both the nuclear and soluble fractions of the kidneys and diminished the effect of selenium on the cadmium level in the soluble fraction of the kidneys. In the liver the presence of mercury contrary to selenium, lowered the cadmium level in the nuclear fraction. The pattern of cadmium binding to proteins of the soluble fraction of the kidneys and liver remained the same in all groups of animals.     

Subacute toxicity of 1,1,1-trichloroethane, noise, and their combination in rats

The metabolism of the xenobiotics 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCE) or 1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane and endogeneous substrates may be changed under physiological stress situations. We studied long-term effects on rats exposed to TCE, noise pollution, and their combination. The experiments were performed in a special set-up where four parallel groups of rats were simultaneously exposed to defined conditions the chemical vapor; the noise pollution of 90 dB; their combination; and a control group without any exposure. The vapor of TCE was applied at a concentration of 200 ppm/8 hr or of 2000 ppm/12 hr for 84 days each. The experiments were performed with TCE from two different commercial sources. One of those TCE preparations caused effects at the high dosage level in terms of enhanced levels of the relation of liver to body weight; liver microsomal protein content; liver microsomal monooxygenase activity; and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol excretion in urine. Eight other physiological and biochemical parameters were not changed.     

Ethnicity in the reported pain, emotional distress and requests of medical outpatients

Relationships of patients' ethnicity to their reported pain, emotional distress and requests were investigated. When patients aged over 60 years were compared. Italian-Americans were found to more frequently report pain than were Anglo-Americans; however, this difference was not replicated in the younger patients of Italian and Anglo backgrounds. In addition to patients' age, their sex also was found to mediate the relationship of ethnicity to the expression of pain. In particular, older female Italian-Americans were likely to report pain while, in contrast, older male Anglo-Americans were not. Age and sex may be important mediators of ethnic differences because older and female patients may carry on ethnic traditions more than do younger and male patients. Ethnicity was not found to be significantly related to emotional distress and requests.     

Influence of levonorgestrel contraceptive implants, NORPLANT, initiated early postpartum upon lactation and infant growth

This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of use of levonorgestrel contraceptive implants, NORPLANT^R, by breastfeeding mothers on lactational performance and infant growth. NORPLANT^R implants were inserted between days 30 and 42 postpartum in 50 lactating women. Two control groups of breastfeeding mothers, 50 each, were studied in parallel: the first used an intrauterine device (Cu T380-Ag) and the second used either barrier or no contraception. There was no difference in lactational performance among the three groups. The increments in infant weight and height in the three groups were within the normal range for Egyptian infants. However, the rates of weight and height gain in the early postpartum months were slightly, but significantly, lower in the NORPLANT^R group than in the two control groups. However, by the sixth postpartum month, there were no significant group differences in these growth parameters. The possible confusing effect of supplementary feeding is discussed.     

Flowers of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, a potential source of contragestative agent: I. Effect of benzene extract on implantation of mouse

In mouse, the benzene extract of $\text{Hibiscus rosa-sinensis}$ flowers was administered at four different dose levels (250–1000 mg/kg body weight/day) from day 1–4 postcoitus. Anti-implantation response and associated changes in the uterine chemical composition were studied. With an increase in the dosage of the extract, the percentage of implantation failure increased. At the dose level of 1 gm/kg body weight the extract led to failure of implantation in 93% of the mice. The effect was accompanied by adversely altered uterine weight, its protein content and alkaline and acid phosphatase activity. In another experiment, influence of the extract on uterine uptake of progesterone was studied in bilaterally ovariectomized mice treated with or without estrogen. It exerted neither inhibitory nor stimulatory influence on uterine progesterone uptake in untreated castrated mice but the estrogen-induced increase in the uptake level was significantly inhibited by the extract. Failure of uterine bed preparation due to antiestrogenic potentiality of the extract has been discussed as the plausible cause of implantation failure.     

The phototoxicity of benzo[a]pyrene in the green alga Selenastrum capricornutum

The effects of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on the growth of the green alga Selenastrum capricornutum in three light regimens were examined. In gold fluorescent light, benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) at 12 mg/liter (48 mumole/liter), benz[a]anthracene (BaA) at 40 mg/liter (175 mumole/liter), anthracene (A) at 40 mg/liter (224 mumole/liter), and 13 metabolites of BaP each at 40 micrograms/liter had no effect on algal growth. In cool-white fluorescent light, 30% inhibition of algal growth occurred with 0.1 mumole/liter BaP, 8.0 mumole/liter BaA, and 40 mumole/liter A. BaP at 0.16 mg/liter (0.64 mumole/liter) totally inhibited growth. BaP concentrations an order of magnitude lower inhibited algal growth in fluorescent blacklight. In cool-white light, 5 of 13 metabolites of BaP (each 40 micrograms/liter) inhibited algal growth: 3,6-quinone; 6-hydroxy; 9-hydroxy; 3-hydroxy; and 1,6-quinone. Based on these results, PAHs and metabolites of BaP are selectively phototoxic to S. capricornutum due to the incident light intensity below 550 nm.