Steroid conversion and prostaglandin production by chorionic and decidual cells in relation to term and preterm labour

The production of progesterone from pregnenolone, of cortisol from cortisone and of prostaglandin E (PGE) under basal and arachidonic acid-stimulated conditions was measured in cells dispersed from chorion and decidua. The cells were obtained after delivery from four groups of women: following spontaneous labour at term (38-42 weeks gestation), at elective caesarean section at term before the onset of labour, after induced labour at term, and after uncomplicated preterm (27-36 weeks) labour. Chorionic cells had a high progesterone output with relatively low cortisol and PGE production, whereas decidual cells had a high cortisol and PGE production rate. Free arachidonic acid stimulated PGE production in both decidual and chorionic cells. There were no significant differences in either steroid or PGE production among the four groups studied. These data suggest that steroid dehydrogenase activity in choriodecidual cells is not related to the mode of onset of labour and that the increased prostaglandin production in intrauterine tissues associated with parturition is due to enhanced availability of arachidonic acid.     

A survey of hospitals in New York State treating psychiatric patients with chemical abuse disorders.

Eighty-eight of 143 hospitals in New York State providing psychiatric inpatient treatment responded to a mailed questionnaire designed to determine the size of three subgroups of chemical abusers--alcohol abusers, drug abusers, and polychemical abusers--among inpatients with psychiatric diagnoses, as well as the availability of services for these patients. Data for New York City and its metropolitan area were analyzed separately. In 1987 almost one-third of psychiatric admissions both in and outside the metropolitan area had comorbid chemical abuse disorders. Seventy-five percent of patients in the metropolitan area with comorbid chemical abuse had a drug abuse disorder; in rural areas 88 percent of patients with chemical abuse disorders abused alcohol. Both hospital- and community-based aftercare services, especially in the metropolitan area, were less available to psychiatric patients with chemical abuse than to patients without these disorders.     

Flavocoxid is as effective as naproxen for managing the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee in humans: a short-term randomized,double-blind pilot study

Flavocoxid (Limbrel), a proprietary mixture of flavonoid molecules (baicalin and catechin), was tested against a traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, naproxen, for the management of the signs and symptoms of moderate osteoarthritis (OA) in humans. Discomfort and global disease activity were used as the primary end points, and safety assessments were also taken for both treatments as a secondary endpoint. In this double-blind study, 103 subjects were randomly assigned to receive either flavocoxid [500 mg twice daily (BID)] or naproxen (500 mg BID) in a 1-month onset of action trial. Outcome measures included the short Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index, subject Visual Analogue Scale for discomfort and global response, and investigator Visual Analogue Scale for global response and fecal occult blood. Both flavocoxid and naproxen showed significant reduction in the signs and symptoms of knee OA (P ≤ .001). There were no statistically detectable differences between the flavocoxid and naproxen groups with respect to any of the outcome variables. Similarly, there were no statistically detectable differences between the groups with respect to any adverse event, although there was a trend toward a higher incidence of edema and nonspecific musculoskeletal discomfort in the naproxen group. In this short-term pilot study, flavocoxid was as effective as naproxen in controlling the signs and symptoms of OA of the knee and would present a safe and effective option for those individuals on traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors. A low incidence of adverse events was reported for both groups.