Toxicology and hazard potential of trifluralin

This paper reviews the results of toxicity studies conducted in laboratory animals to evaluate the safety of the herbicide trifluralin (TFL). The data show that TFL is slightly toxic following single oral exposure. Testing for embryotoxicity in rats and rabbits indicated no teratogenic potential, and many different mutagenicity tests showed that TFL was non-genotoxic. Subchronic and chronic toxicity testing in rats, mice and dogs indicated that TFL was haematotoxic (anaemia and methaemoglobinaemia), particularly in the dog, and slightly hepatotoxic. No-observed-effect levels of 4.8 and 41 mg/kg body weight/day, respectively, were determined in dogs and rats exposed chronically to TFL. Oncogenicity studies in rats and mice revealed no carcinogenic potential. Since the data for TFL indicated no mutagenic or other special toxicological risks, it is suggested that a safety factor of 100 could be used for the determination of the acceptable daily intake of TFL, which would be 0.05 mg/kg body weight/day.     

Use of ultrasound to assess healing of a mandibular distraction wound.

PURPOSE: A standardized, noninvasive technique to assess healing of the mandibular distraction wound is not available. Current methods include clinical examination, plain radiography, and computed tomography. These imaging techniques are expensive and obligate the patient to serial radiation exposure. In addition, anatomic overlap and metal artifacts may obscure the distraction gap. In contrast, ultrasound has been shown to be a noninvasive, efficient, and inexpensive way to evaluate bone healing. The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of ultrasound to evaluate an experimental mandibular distraction osteogenesis wound. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Distraction devices were placed via a submandibular incision into 24 minipigs. The protocol consisted of 0-day latency and distraction rates of 1, 2, or 4 mm/d for a 12-mm gap. The wounds were assessed in vivo after 0, 8, 16, and 24 days of neutral fixation. Ex vivo radiographs were used to estimate bone fill using a semiquantitative score. A semiquantitative ultrasound score was assigned, and the beam penetration depth was measured in millimeters. RESULTS: In all groups, clinical stability of the distraction wound increased with the duration of fixation. Plain radiographs, taken during neutral fixation, showed that the desired distraction gap was achieved and maintained. The ultrasound score increased with fixation time, whereas beam penetration depth decreased as expected. Ex vivo radiographs showed increasing bone fill score with time and paralleled the ultrasound score. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this feasibility study indicate that ultrasound is potentially useful for the assessment of bone formation in distraction osteogenesis wounds.     

Bowel visualization during indium-111-labelled diethylene triamine penta-acetic acid cisternography due to massive cerebrospinal fluid leak

We report a case of massive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage where the tracer injected intra-thecally for radionuclide cisternography was later visualized in the bowel as well as the nasopharynx. We discuss the potential implications of this finding in patients with CSF leaks. A brief review of the diagnosis of CSF leaks is included.     

How often do asymptomatic healthcare workers cause methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus outbreaks? A systematic evaluation.

A systematic search was performed to identify outbreaks of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection and colonization caused by healthcare workers (HCWs). Of 191 outbreaks identified, 11 had strong epidemiological evidence that HCWs were the source. In 3 of these outbreaks, asymptomatic carriers were the cause. The frequent practice of screening asymptomatic HCWs should be reconsidered.     

Monitoring of Neuromuscular Blockade at the P6 Acupuncture Point Reduces the Incidence of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting

Background: Electrical stimulation of the P6 acupuncture point reduces the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Neuromuscular blockade during general anesthesia can be monitored with electrical peripheral nerve stimulation at the wrist. The authors tested the effect of neuromuscular monitoring over the P6 acupuncture point on the reduction of PONV.

Methods: In this prospective, double-blinded, randomized control trial, the authors investigated, with institutional review board approval and informed consent, 220 women undergoing elective laparoscopic surgery anesthetized with fentanyl, sevoflurane, and rocuronium. During anesthesia, neuromuscular blockade was monitored by a conventional nerve stimulator at a frequency of 1 Hz over the ulnar nerve (n = 110, control group) or over the median nerve (n = 110, P6 group) stimulating at the P6 acupuncture point at the same time. The authors evaluated the incidence of nausea and vomiting during the first 24 h.

Results: No differences in demographic and morphometric data were found between both groups. The 24-h incidence of PONV was 45% in the P6 acupuncture group versus 61% in the control group (P = 0.022). Nausea decreased from 56% in the control group to 40% in the P6 group (P = 0.022), but emesis decreased only from 28% to 23% (P = 0.439). Nausea decreased substantially during the first 6 h of the observation period (P = 0.009). Fewer subjects in the acupuncture group required ondansetron as rescue therapy (27% vs. 39%; P = 0.086).     

Assigning the source of human campylobacteriosis in New Zealand: A comparative genetic and epidemiological approach

Integrated surveillance of infectious multi-source diseases using a combination of epidemiology, ecology, genetics and evolution can provide a valuable risk-based approach for the control of important human pathogens. This includes a better understanding of transmission routes and the impact of human activities on the emergence of zoonoses. Until recently New Zealand had extraordinarily high and increasing rates of notified human campylobacteriosis, and our limited understanding of the source of these infections was hindering efforts to control this disease. Genetic and epidemiological modeling of a 3-year dataset comprising multilocus sequence typed isolates from human clinical cases, coupled with concurrent data on food and environmental sources, enabled us to estimate the relative importance of different sources of human disease. Our studies provided evidence that poultry was the leading cause of human campylobacteriosis in New Zealand, causing an estimated 58–76% of cases with widely varying contributions by individual poultry suppliers. These findings influenced national policy and, after the implementation of poultry industry-specific interventions, a dramatic decline in human notified cases was observed in 2008. The comparative-modeling and molecular sentinel surveillance approach proposed in this study provides new opportunities for the management of zoonotic diseases.     

Drug analysis with polarographic methods. 33. Electroanalytic studies of a new benzodiazepine: [6(o-chlorophenyl)-2,4-dihydro-2-[(4-methyl-1-piperazinyl) methylene]-8-nitro-1H-imidazol[1,2-a][1,4]benzodiazepine-1-one (WHO) (loprazolam,1)] and content determination its drug forms

Loprazolam (1) is a tricyclic benzodiazepine containing a new butazadiene moiety, which has not been investigated by polarography up to now. 1 is reduced in three waves at a DME over the whole pH-region. In BRP (pH 2-9) 10 electrons are consumed in this process. The first step is suitable for the determination of 1 in Loprazolam tablets containing 1 or 2 mg. These tablets are on the pharmaceutical market in several European countries. The mechanism of the electrode process will be reported in the communication XXXIV.     

Synthesis and post-translational modification of the androgen receptor in LNCaP cells

Androgen receptor synthesis and modification were studied in the human LNCaP cell line. Immunoblotting with a specific polyclonal antibody showed that the androgen receptor migrated as a closely spaced 110–112 kDa doublet on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) gels. Most of the receptor protein is present in the higher molecular mass form. Pulse labelling experiments with [³⁵S]methionine showed that the androgen receptor is synthesized as a single 110 kDa protein which is rapidly converted to a 112 kDa protein. Alkaline phosphatase treatment of cytosols from [³⁵S]methionine pulse labelled cells caused a gradual elimination of the 112 kDa isoform with a concomitant increase of the 110 kDa isoform. This indicates that the observed 110 to 112 kDa upshift of the newly synthesized androgen receptor reflects receptor phosphorylation. Both isoforms can bind hormone and can undergo a hormone dependent transformation to a tight nuclear binding form, indicating that the 110 to 112 kDa conversion is not an obligatory step for hormone binding or receptor transformation.