Oral administration of methylergometrine shows a late and unpredictable effect on the non-pregnant human menstruating uterus

Objective: To study the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of oral and intravenous methylergometrine upon uterine motility during menstruation. Study-design: Intra-uterine pressure was measured in six volunteers with a fluid-filled sponge-tipped catheter during menstruation. Methylergometrine was given orally (0.5 mg) or intravenously (0.2 mg) in a cross-over design. Results: After intravenous administration, a fast increase of the frequency of uterine contractions and basal tone occurred with a decrease of amplitude, lasting at least 30 min. Oral administration had a late and less marked effect on uterine motility. An intravenous dose administered 24 h after an oral dose had no effect on uterine motility. Pharmacokinetic data, such as the maximum plasma concentration (C_max), the time at which C_max is reached (t_max) and the half-life of absorption (t_1/2abs) also demonstrated large individual variations after oral administration. Conclusion: Oral administration of methylergometrine had an unpredictable and late effect on uterine motility on the menstruating uterus, probably due to an unpredictable bioavailability, in contrast with the fast and predictable effect after intravenous administration.     

Prospective study of antigenemia,plasma viremia and lymphocytic viremia in HIV-infected hemophiliacs

A total of 186 blood samples from 24 HIV-1 seropositive hemophiliac patients, monitored every four months for 29 months, were investigated for the presence of viral antigen in plasma. In addition, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were cultured for HIV-1, using normal PBMC as a target for replication. Antigenemia was detected in 51 % of the patients and from PBMC in 87.5 % of the patients. The incidence of HIV isolation in asymptomatic patients (42.8 %) was similar to that found in symptomatic patients (51.4 %). Patients with opportunistic infections had a higher incidence of lymphocytic viremia (p<0.05). Plasma viremia was closely associated (p<0.05) with low CD4+ counts and infection progression. The persistence of antigenemia was also a marker of a poor clinical course. In treated patients, plasma viremia was the marker that better correlated with the clinical course, and it did not appear during the first nine months of therapy. Zidovudine doses of >500 mg/day significantly lowered the appearance of antigenemia and lymphocytic viremia (p<0.05).     

Traumatic rupture of the thoracic aorta diagnosed by transoesophageal echocardiography.

Transoesophageal echocardiography is a safe and rapid means of obtaining anatomical and dynamic information about the descending aorta. It was used to confirm a suspected diagnosis of ruptured descending aorta.     

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Experience with renal and proximal ureteral calculi at Tygerberg Hospital

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCN) enables the urologist to remove upper urinary tract stones through a percutaneous nephrostomy tract. The principal advantages of PCN are the low morbidity, shortened hospital stay and rapid recovery. Percutaneous puncture failed in 5 (11%) of the first 44 patients with upper tract urolithiasis treated by PCN at Tygerberg Hospital. In 35 patients (80%) PCN cleared the kidney of stones but in 4 patients (9%) all stone fragments were not removed during the procedure. If the puncture and dilatation was successful, then 90% of patients were stone-free after PCN. Complications were minimal except for a diabetic who died of septicaemia. PCN is an alternative to open renal surgery in the management of most upper urinary tract stones. The technique is readily mastered by any urologist experienced in endoscopic surgery.     

Bioplastique as a Complement in Conventional Plastic Surgery

This research presents reports of cases where a biocompatible and alloplastic biomaterial—Bioplastique—was used, associated with conventional plastic surgery or as a complement to it, with the aim of achieving a better final aesthetic result. Four cases are presented where Bioplastique was used in association with rhytidoplasty, rhinoplasty, and other surgical techniques. This material has shown itself to be appropriate to complement surgery; achieving a final result which would not be possible without any resort to a complement or any other hard procedure by the surgeon and is not more traumatic for the patient.     

GABAergic and glycinergic inputs to the rabbit oculomotor nucleus with special emphasis on the medial rectus subdivision

Contradictory results have been reported about the inhibitory input to the medial rectus subdivision of the oculomotor nucleus of the cat. In the present ultrastructural study, we quantified the GABAergic and glycinergic terminals in the various subdivisions of the rabbit oculomotor nucleus with the use of post-embedding immunocytochemistry combined with retrograde tracing of horseradish peroxidase. The density of the GABAergic input to the medial rectus subdivision was as substantial as that to the other subdivisions and the postsynaptic distribution of the GABAergic and glycinergic innervation did not differ among the different oculomotor subdivisions.     

Clinical pharmacokinetics of midazolam in intensive care patients, a wide interpatient variability?

The pharmacokinetics of midazolam and its metabolites were studied in 17 patients on mechanical ventilation in a general intensive care unit who were receiving a continuous intravenous infusion of midazolam, adjusted according to the level of induced sedation. Three patients were studied twice. Serum midazolam and alpha-hydroxymidazolamglucuronide levels were determined during and after infusion. The sedation level was scored on a four-point scale. Half of the observed patients were still drowsy or asleep 10 hours after termination of midazolam infusion. In only one patient was midazolam serum elimination half-life less than 2 hours and in six patients the half-life was greater than 10 hours. A wide range of midazolam serum levels was associated with adequate sedation, and similarly the midazolam levels at the moment of awakening were highly variable. The serum concentration ratio of midazolam/alpha-hydroxymidazolamglucuronide at the end of the infusion varied from 0.03 to 15.6. Renal function could account for only a part of this variation.