Iopamidol and meglumine diatrizoate: comparison of effects on patient discomfort during aortofemoral arteriography

Iopamidol was compared with Renografin-60 (meglumine diatrizoate, Squibb) in a controlled, randomized double-blind study of 40 patients undergoing peripheral arteriography for arteriosclerotic occlusive disease to determine which agent caused less discomfort. Each patient was evaluated for objective signs of discomfort and subjective feelings of pain and heat. Monitoring was achieved by multiple physical examinations, chemical tests, electrocardiograms, and intra-arterial pressure recordings. It is concluded that iopamidol is safe and causes significantly less patient discomfort than Renografin-60.     

Effects of benzo(a)pyrene on early development of flatfish

The ontogenetic effects of the environmental carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene (BAP) on three species of larval flatfish were investigated using concentrations (from 0.10 to 4.2 ppb) which were comparable to levels found in polluted harbors. BAP-treated sand sole (Psettichthys melanostichus) eggs displayed a significant decline in hatching success and a significantly higher incidence of developmental anomalies than did control eggs. Flathead sole (Hippoglossoides elassodon) eggs exposed to a single dose of a water-soluble BAP-bovine serum albumin complex demonstrated evidence of toxie injury with pycnotic nuclei present in the integument and, more commonly, in ocular and neural tissues. An increased incidence of morphological anomalies in English sole (Parophyrs vetulus) eggs and larvae exposed to BAP was not detected.     

Uptake of benzo[a]pyrene by gonadal tissue of flatfish (family Pleuronectidae) and its effects on subsequent egg development

Accumulation of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) by sexually mature flatfish gonad, its transfer to developing gametes, and its subsequent effects on developing embryos were studied. Thin-layer chromatography revealed both unmetabolized BaP and polar metabolites in the ovary, wolffian ducts, oocytes, and semen of English sole 24 h after ip injection with 200 microCi [3H]BaP. Concentrations of BaP and its metabolites were 3-11 times higher in oocytes and semen than in gonadal tissue. Fertilized eggs from flathead sole that had been fed 4.0 mg BaP 5 h before spawning demonstrated a significantly lower (p less than 0.001) hatching success (11.9%) than eggs from control fish (56.6%). Morphological abnormalities were found in only 1.6% of control embryos but in 5.6% of embryos from treated females.     

Benzo(a)pyrene-induced morphologic and developmental abnormalities in rainbow trout

To determine if the widespread environmental mutagen, benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), was embryotoxic or teratogenic in the rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri R.), newly fertilized eggs were reared on sand experimentally coated with 1 to 500 ppm BaP. The system produced relatively constant aqueous BaP concentrations ranging from 0.08 to 2.99 ppb, levels comparable with those found in polluted rivers. Rainbow trout alevins reared in 2.40 ppb aqueous BaP for 36 days accumulated an average of 12.34 ppm BaP, and autoradiographic examination revealed accumulation of¹⁴C-benzo(a)pyrene primarily in the yolk sac and in developing neural and ocular tissues. Although no differences in either survival or hatching success were found between control and BaP-treated eggs, exposure to BaP did alter the length of the hatching process. Morphological abnormalities were significantly increased in BaP-treated alevins compared to controls at aqueous exposures of 0.21, 2.40, and 2.99 ppb. Insufficient yolk sacs, lack of body pigment, kyphosis, and abnormalities or absence of the eyes were among the anomalies present in alevins exposed to BaP.     

Long-term occlusion of the porcine cystic duct by means of endoluminal radio-frequency electrocoagulation

Recurrent cholelithiasis must be expected after gallstone removal without cholecystectomy. Chemical gallbladder ablation may offer prevention but requires preliminary cystic duct occlusion. Radio-frequency (RF) electrocoagulation of the cystic duct was performed in 15 pigs to induce occlusion by a controlled thermal epithelial injury. A flexible coagulation catheter was placed into the cystic duct lumen under fluoroscopic control by means of either subhepatic cholecystostomy or direct, percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder puncture. Complete cystic duct occlusion was proved in 14 animals. Follow-up ranged from 1 to 17 weeks (mean, 11 weeks). Histologically, the RF technique induced an intense chronic inflammatory and fibroblastic reaction, which eventually obliterated the coagulated cystic duct segments. There was no epithelial regeneration or recanalization of the fibrotic cystic duct segments. The adjacent structures, particularly the cystic artery, were intact in all specimens.     

Spider Webs as Indicators of Heavy Metal Pollution in Air

No abstract available.