Cholecystokinin attenuates basal and drug-induced increases of limbic and striatal dopamine release

Subcutaneous administration to mice of the sulfated octapeptide of cholecystokinin (CCK; 0.2-1 mg/kg) lowered dopamine release and metabolism in the caudate-putamen and frontal cortex in a dose- and time-related manner. Twelve-fold higher doses of CCK were required to lower dopamine release and metabolism in the olfactory tubercle. Amphetamine-induced increases in dopamine release but not metabolism in the caudate-putamen and olfactory tubercle were attenuated in a dose-related manner by CCK. Increases in dopamine release and metabolism following haloperidol were also attenuated by CCK. These data are consistent with the potential antipsychotic action of CCK receptor agonists. CCK appears to be a suppressor of striatal, limbic and cortical dopamine release, especially when release is augmented.     

The value of conventional radiography and computed tomography (CT) in diagnosis of pulmonary hamartoma

No radiologic features are pathognomonic for hamartoma of the lung. Punctate or popcorn calcification, umbilication sign and CT density measurements should be helpful but are not diagnostic. Evidence of fat may suggest pulmonary hamartoma and CT density measurements may be helpful to detect this. A low CT number, however, may be the result of either the partial volume averaging or the presence of fat in the tumour. The definite diagnosis can be made only by histological examination after thoracotomy or transthoracic puncture.     

Kinetics of carbamazepine and carbamazepine-epoxide, determined by use of plasma and saliva

The concentration-time curves of carbamazepine (CBZ) and its metabolite (carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide; CBZ-epoxide) were determined in patients undergoing long-term antiepileptic drug treatment with the use of plasma and saliva data. Plasma and saliva samples were assayed concurrently for each patient by liquid chromatography. There was excellent linear correlation between CBZ levels in saliva and plasma (r = 0.991, p less than 0.001) over a large concentration range. The saliva/plasma ratio for CBZ concentration was 0.26 +/- 0.01 (SD). Since CBZ binding to plasma proteins is in the order of 76%, saliva CBZ concentration seems to reflect the unbound fraction of the drug in plasma. CBZ-epoxide has not been detected in saliva. The pharmacokinetic parameters of CBZ-epoxide were determined in 6 patients. The pharmacokinetic parameters of CBZ obtained from saliva concentrations were in excellent agreement with those obtained from plasma concentrations. Thus, CBZ determination in saliva is convenient for controlling blood levels in patients as well as for studying pharmacokinetics. The half-life, the relative body clearance of CBZ, and the metabolite concentration during steady-state, expressed as percent the parent compound, appear to be significantly different in patients on single and combined drug therapy.     

Über die Umsetzung von Schwefelkohlenstoff mit Mannich-Basen

The Reaction of Carbon Disulfide with Mannich Bases Carbon-disulfide is inserted into Mannich bases and other tertiary amines containing an electron attracting group in the β-position to give substituted dithiourethanes 5 . The insertion proceeds by an intramolecular mechanism and not by elimination and addition.