Cigarette smoking as a target for potentiating outcomes for methamphetamine abuse treatment

Introduction and Aims. Cigarette smoking occurs frequently among individuals with methamphetamine (MA) dependence. Preclinical and clinical evidence has suggested that the common co‐abuse of MA and cigarettes represents a pharmacologically meaningful pattern. Methods. The present study is a secondary analysis of a randomised, placebo‐controlled trial of bupropion treatment for MA dependence (bupropion n = 36; placebo n = 37). A hierarchical logistic modelling approach assessed the efficacy of bupropion for reducing MA use separately among smokers and non‐smokers. Among smokers, relations between cigarettes smoked and MA use were assessed. Results. Smoking status did not affect treatment responsiveness in either the bupropion condition or the placebo condition. In the placebo condition, increased cigarette use was associated with an increased probability of MA use during the same time period. This effect was not observed in the bupropion condition. Discussion and Conclusions. Initial smoking status did not impact treatment outcomes. Among smokers, results suggest that bupropion may dissociate cigarette and MA use. The effect was modest and a precise pharmacological mechanism remains elusive. Cholinergic systems may be relevant for MA use outcomes. Future studies should continue to assess the role of smoking in MA treatment outcomes.[Brensilver M, Heinzerling KG, Swanson A‐N, Telesca D, Furst BA, Shoptaw SJ. Cigarette smoking as a target for potentiating outcomes for methamphetamine abuse treatment. Drug Alcohol Rev 2013;32:96–99]     

ADVERSE EFFECTS ON VASOEPIDIDYMOSTOMY OUTCOMES FOR MEN WITH CONCOMITANT ABNORMALITIES IN THE PROSTATE AND SEMINAL VESICLE

Purpose

Following microsurgical vasoepididymostomy as many as 85% of men have sperm in the ejaculate, yet only 30 to 50% will spontaneously father children. We examined the possibility that there may be concomitant abnormalities in the prostate and seminal vesicle, which may be associated with low pregnancy rates.

Materials and Methods

Transrectal ultrasound was performed in azoospermic men with suspected epididymal obstruction, excluding those who had undergone vasectomy, to identify abnormalities of the seminal vesicles and ejaculatory ducts. Microsurgical vasoepididymostomy was attempted in all men.

Results

Transrectal ultrasound revealed ejaculatory duct dilatation in 13 of 40 men (33%), although only 3 had accompanying seminal vesicle dilatation. Two men had atrophic seminal vesicles with normal ejaculatory ducts. At surgery 8 of 40 patients (20%) were deemed to have irreparable conditions. For the 27 men followed at least 6 months postoperatively patency and pregnancy rates were 75 and 22%, respectively. Mean sperm counts plus or minus standard deviation were significantly higher in men without compared to those with seminal vesicle or ejaculatory duct abnormalities (43 ± 68 versus 5.7 ± 6.9 x 10⁶ sperm per ml., respectively), and so was the percentage of motile sperm (30 ± 16% versus 1.2 ± 2.2%, respectively). Pregnancy rates were also higher in men without (6 of 19, 32%) than with (0 of 8, 0%) seminal vesicle or ejaculatory duct abnormalities.

Conclusions

Transrectal ultrasound detected abnormalities of the seminal vesicles and ejaculatory ducts are common in men with suspected epididymal obstruction. These abnormalities are associated with a poor outcome for vasoepididymostomy. We recommended that all men with suspected epididymal obstruction undergo transrectal ultrasound before any attempted reconstruction.     

Comparative study of dentin adhesives

Abstract – The marginal adaptation of Silux after application of different dentin adhesives was investigated in dentin cavities prepared in extracted human teeth. The cavity diameter ranged from 1.8 to 6.4 mm and the cavosurface angle was 90°, 110°, 135° or 160°. The investigation included the following adhesives: Clearfil, Creation 1150, GLUMA, NPG-GMA + PMDM, Palfique, Panavia, Scotehbond and Superbond. Silux Enamel Bond was used as control. The most effective adhesive was GLUMA followed by Superbond and then NPG-GMA + PMDM; Palfique, Panavia and Scotehbond were all less effective than NPG-GMA + PMDM, and both Clearfil and Creation 1150 were inferior to the control, Silux Enamel Bond. None of the adhesives were able to prevent the formation of marginal gaps when measured 10 min after polymerization. After water absorption for 1 day, only GLUMA and Superbond produced gapfree fillings. Increasing the cavosurface angle resulted in a significant improvement of the effect of all adhesives, the main reason for this being the reduced ratio volume of filling to area of cavity wall.     

Surface discoloration of restorative resins in relation to surface softening and oral hygiene

Abstract — Restorative resins are susceptible to softening caused by organic acids produced in plaque. Consequently, plaque-covered resin restorations may be liable to pronounced surface staining. In the clinical part of the study a relationship between surface staining and local oral hygiene was demonstrated. This may be explained by the results from the laboratory part of the study, in which a relationship between surface staining and softening was found.     

OCULOMOTOR NERVE PALSY IN CHILDHOOD

Oculomotor nerve palsy was found in 28 children. Trauma was the cause in seven, infection in six. while tumour, poison and migraine were each responsible for one case. Twelve cases were cryptogenic: eight of these were present at birth (but three were probably due to birth trauma), and four cases appeared in infancy, but with no cause found even on full neuroradiological investigation. Among these 12 cases the pupil was large in only three, normal in four and small in five. Cyclic spasms were not seen in this series. Among the five congenital cases associated abnormalities including spina bifida, Goldenhar's syndrome and developmental delay were found in four. Acquired palsy does not seem to have a sinister significance .     

Effect of the Superior Vena Cava Electrode Surface Area on Defibrillation Threshold in Different Lead Systems

Little data is available comparing the efficacy of the Transvene, Endotak C 70 series, and the active CAN configuration on defibrillation success. In addition, the impact of the superior vena cava (SVC) electrode surface area and length on the active CAN system is unknown. Therefore, we compared the defibrillation efficacy of the Transvene and Endotak C 70 series lead systems with and without the active CAN in dogs. Defibrillation threshold (DFT) testing was randomly performed in 20 dogs. In protocol I [10 dogs), DFT energy was compared in three BV/SVC lead systems with an SVC electrode defibrillating surface area of 90 mm² (Transvene-90), 160 mni² (Transvene-160). 617 mm² (En-dotak), and an RV/CAN configuration. In protocol II (10 dogs), DFT comparison was performed in the Transvene-90/CAN, Transvene-160/CAN. Endotak/CAN, and RV/CAN configurations. In protocol I, in-creasing the SVC surface area from 90 to 160 mm² and from 160 to 617 mm² significantly lowered DFT energy. The Endotak and the RV/CAN systems provided the lowest DET energy requirements. In protocol II, the Endotak/CAN system significantly lowered DFT energy compared to the other three lead configu-rations. In both protocols, the impedance decreased as the SVC surface area increased from 90 to 160 mm². However, no significant reduction in DFT impedance occurred as the SVC surface area increased from the Transvene-160 to the Endotak lead. Increasing the SVC surface area from 90 to 617 mm² in a two coil lead system lowered DFT energy to similar levels provided by the HV/CAN configuration. The addition of an SVC electrode with a surface area of 90 or 160 mm² did not reduce DFT energy compared to the RV/CAN configuration. The Endotak/CAN system, however, provided the lowest DFT requirements.     

Solution structure of the B-chain of insulin as determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy Comparison with the crystal structure of the insulin hexamer and with the solution structure of the insulin monomer

The solution structure of the isolated B-chain of bovine insulin has been determined by ¹H NMR spectroscopy combined with simulated annealing calculations. Complete sequence-specific assignments for the proton resonances are reported together with a set of 309 NOES used in the structure calculations. Chemical-shift variations from random coil values provide support for the existence of helical regions in the polypeptide chain, as do a characteristic series of d_αp(i,i+ 3) NOES from residues B8 to B17. While there is some evidence for a limited degree of conformational averaging over the helical region, in general the helix is relatively well defined and corresponds closely to the helical region seen in the X-ray crystal structure of the insulin hexamer. Other similarities with the crystal structure include turn-like conformations at the carboxy terminal end of the helix and extended strands at both the amino and carboxy termini of the peptide. These similarities between the crystal structure and the isolated B-chain suggest that this peptide has intrinsic folding properties, which allow it to adopt its characteristic structure in intact insulin without the need for extensive cooperative interactions with the A-chain. Despite these general similarities, an important difference between the isolated B-chain and the intact protein occurs in the carboxy terminal region. This region appears significantly more mobile in the isolated B-chain. As a conformational change involving the carboxy terminus has been implicated in receptor binding, the current study of the isolated B-chain provides valuable information on the extent of this region's intrinsic mobility. © Munksgaard 1995.     

NECROTIZING VASCULITIS OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM IN A PATIENT WITH AIDS–RELATED COMPLEX

A patient with AIDS-related complex (ARC) presented with a fulminant neurologic syndrome suggestive of ascending myelopathy, and died approximately 48 h after admission to hospital. At necropsy, there was evidence of a severe necrotizing vasculitis affecting the nervous system most severely, with multifocal haemorrhagic necroses of the spinal cord and cauda equina. Although a rare intranuclear inclusion suggestive of herpesvirus infection was seen in the predominantly lympho-histiocytic infiltrate in and around blood vessel walls, the precise aetiology of the angiitis was not apparent. It may represent a response to AIDS virus infection of one or more components of the blood vessel wall.     

Comparative Toxicokinetics of Inhaled Methanol in the Female CD-1 Mouse and Sprague-Dawley Rat

Female CD-1 mice were exposed for 8 hr, both individually andin groups of eight to nine, to 2500, 5000, and 10,000 ppm methanolvapor in a flowthrough exposure chamber. The ventilation ofindividually exposed mice and the absorption of methanol fromthe chamber airstream were measured. The extraction of methanolfrom the airstream and the blood methanol concentration at varioustime points during and following exposure were determined forthe group-exposed mice. The similarity of systemic kinetic parameters(volume of distribution; Michaelis-Menten elimination parameters,V_max and K_M) between inhalation exposure and iv and po routesof administration was verified. Total 8-hr ventilation decreasedslightly with increasing exposure concentration. The fractionof inhaled methanol absorbed (0.85 0.14) did not vary statisticallywith exposure concentration. Measured ventilation, fractionalabsorption, and systemic kinetic parameters were combined ina semiphysiologic pharmacokinetic model that yielded accuratepredictions of blood methanol concentrations during and afteran 8-hr exposure. Model predictions for the mouse were comparedto a previously developed inhalation toxicokinetic model forthe rat. The comparison demonstrated that at similar methanolvapor concentrations, mice evidenced a two- to threefold higherblood methanol concentration than rats, despite the fact thatthe apparent V_max for methanol elimination in the mouse is twofoldlarger than that in the rat. These data may have significantimplications in understanding species differences in methanol-inducedteratogenic effects.