Psychophysiological activity and neuropsychological test performance in alcoholics.

This study examined electromyogram (EMG) and skin conductance level (SCL) as mediators of neuropsychological test performance of alcoholics. Alcoholics and controls with high EMG performed less well than low EMG subjects on 12 measures of neuropsychological performance. For SCL, the alcoholics and controls in the Low Group did not differ from those in the High Group on any measure. Analyses that used information intake (Low EMG and High SCL) and rejection (High EMG and Low SCL) information postures (IPs) demonstrated that the intake group outperformed the rejection group on 10 neuropsychological measures. Subjects with intake IPs reported more stimulation, concentration, and interest during the tasks than did subjects with rejection IPs. Results suggest that IPs can be used to identify alcoholics with neuropsychological deficits.     

How to assess fetal metabolic acidosis from cord samples.

The degree of metabolic acidosis at birth has been calculated in cord artery and vein samples from 21 term fetuses with cord artery pH less than 7.20. The aim of the study was to compare base deficit values calculated from either Siggaard-Andersen alignment nomogram (BD blood) or the Acid-Base chart (BD extra cellular fluid, BDecf). BDblood was found to be consistently higher in the cord artery as compared with BDecf, 13.2 +/- 3.5 and 9.9 +/- 2.9 mmol/l (Mean +/- SD), respectively. A significant correlation was found between cord artery PCO2 and BDblood whereas BDecf appeared unaffected by PCO2. In cases with cord entanglement BDecf a-v differences were increased to 3.4 +/- 2.3 mmol/l as compared with the small a-v difference noted in acidotic cases without cord entanglement, 1.1 +/- 1.25 mmol/l. It is speculated that with acutely emerging, intermittent asphyxia due to cord compression, a cord artery and vein difference in metabolic acidosis may exist and where the vein captures the basal level and the artery the acute changes. It is concluded that BDecf in both cord artery and vein add valuable information on the mechanisms behind metabolic acidosis.     

Antigenuria after immunization with Haemophilus influenzae oligosaccharide CRM197 conjugate (HbOC) vaccine

We tested the urine of 30 infants 6 weeks to 7 months of age after they received standard 10-micrograms (0.5-ml) doses of HbOC (HibTITER) Haemophilus influenzae b (Hib) conjugate vaccine for the presence of Hib antigenuria using a commercially available latex particle agglutination assay (Directigen). Urines were collected within 1 hour, from 1 to 3 hours, at 24 hours and at 3, 6 and 9 days after vaccine administration and reactions were quantitated from 0 to 3+. In contrast to previous studies in older children which showed little or no antigenuria following HbOC vaccination, our study shows that in infants intense Hib antigenuria is evident within 2 to 3 hours and persists 3 days after vaccine administration and that less intense antigenuria may be detected in some infants for several days. With efficacious vaccines now being used in 2- to 6-month-old infants, invasive Hib disease may soon be limited to infants of this age just before their seroconversion. It should be recognized that antigenuria occurs for several days after vaccination with Hib conjugate vaccines and that it could be erroneously interpreted as evidence of invasive Hib infection.     

Fetal growth and autoimmune thyroid disease

To determine whether fetal and infant growth could influencesusceptibility to autoimmune disease in adults, the occurrenceof thyroid autoantibodies and autoimmune thyroiditis was studiedin 305 women, aged 60–71, born in Hertfordshire and forwhom details of birth weight, infant growth, and feeding wereroutinely recorded. Thyroglobulin autoantibody was detectedin 37% of the women, thyroid peroxidase autoantibody in 41%,and autoimmune thyroiditis, defined as biochemical or clinicalhypothyroidism in association with thyroid autoantibodies, in5.6%. The proportion of women with thyroglobulin and thyroidperoxidase auto antibodies fell with increasing birth weightbut was not related to weight at 1 year of age or the methodof infant feeding. The prevalence of both autoantibodies rosewith increasing adult body mass index but fell as the waistto hip ratio increased. These results demonstrate the importance of early environmentin determining the susceptibility to autoimmune thyroid disease.The contrasting effects of adult body mass index and waist tohip ratio on antibody prevalence could be explained by theirassociations with different hormonal environments.     

Effect of norethisterone acetate on serum lipid and lipoprotein parameters as well as on blood coagulation in female monkeys (M. fascicularis)

The effects of daily oral administration of a high dose of 10 mg norethisterone acetate (NET-Ac.)/kg/day over 14 weeks on serum lipid and lipoprotein parameters as well as on blood coagulation were investigated in female monkeys (M. fascicularis). Measurements of lipids and lipoprotein cholesterol were performed in weeks —5 and — 1 before treatment and in weeks 4, 8 and 12 after treatment. In addition, various blood coagulation and fibrinolytic parameters were determined in weeks 11–14 after treatment with NET-Ac. Furthermore, the serum levels of norethisterone (NET) were determined in order to monitor the real systemic compound exposure and revealed that C_max and AUC (0–3 h) values reached for norethisterone in this experiment in monkeys were about 25 times higher than those obtained after an oral contraceptive dose of NET-Ac. in women.

The results of lipid and lipoprotein cholesterol determinations showed decreases in serum total lipids, phospholipids, triglycerides and total cholesterol associated with similar decreases in HDL-, LDL- and VLDL-cholesterol fractions after NET-Ac.-treatment in monkeys. These effects were observed from week 4 onwards and maintained their magnitude up to week 12 after treatment. Since both HDL- and LDL-cholesterol fractions decreased, the HDL/LDL-ratio remained almost unchanged. Thus, the results obtained in this study after high-dose treatment with NET-Ac. in monkeys did not indicate any changes of lipid and lipoprotein parameters which in humans are supposed to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular lesions, namely a decrease in HDL- and increase in LDL-cholesterol fractions.

The results of blood coagulation and fibrinolytic parameters showed increased antithrombin-III and plasminogen levels besides minor changes in other parameters, thus indicating that NET-Ac. -treatment does not contribute to an increased risk of cardiovascular thrombotic events in the cynomolgus monkey.     

Unraveling the mysteries of serum theophylline levels: a patient care report in the light of pharmacokinetics

One of our patients had trouble maintaining therapeutic and safe levels of theophylline, even though we were careful in planning and monitoring her drug regimen. This case report shows how we were able to use principles of pharmacokinetics to distinguish among plausible explanations for her experience. We discovered that she was not taking the drug consistently as prescribed and that supervised administration resolved apparent contradictions between doses and serum levels. We believe that physicians can use the same information and methods that we used to get better and safer results from theophylline therapy.     

Theoretical and practical considerations in the doubly-labelled water (2H2(18)O) method for the measurement of carbon dioxide production rate in man

In the doubly-labelled water (2H2(18)O) method for the measurement of carbon dioxide production rate in man, single exponential disappearance curves for 2H2O and H2(18)O in body water are used; the precision with which the slopes and intercepts of the curves are estimated determines the precision of the estimate of carbon dioxide production rate. In studies with infants, and in computer simulations, the effect of different experimental regimes on the overall precision of the carbon dioxide production estimate was investigated. When the number of data points used was progressively reduced by shortening the total observation period from 7 d (about 3 biological half-lives for the isotopes) to 1 d there was a deleterious effect on precision and in the infants there was an upward bias in the values for carbon dioxide production. When the number of data points was reduced by removing points from the middle of the exponential curves with the maintenance of the 7-d experimental period, precision was also reduced but by less than in the former procedure and there were no consistent trends in the average values for carbon dioxide production.     

Herpes zoster: a consideration in the differential diagnosis of radiculopathy

Herpes zoster probably occurs more often than generally thought. Since it produces a radicular distribution of pain, it should be included in the differential diagnosis of radiculopathy. A case is presented in which evaluating the radicular low back pain before the characteristic rash appears was misleading. Careful history-taking concerning the exact nature of the pain and sensory changes is needed to differentiate between zoster and radiculopathy, if no rash is evident.