Iopamidol and meglumine diatrizoate: comparison of effects on patient discomfort during aortofemoral arteriography

Iopamidol was compared with Renografin-60 (meglumine diatrizoate, Squibb) in a controlled, randomized double-blind study of 40 patients undergoing peripheral arteriography for arteriosclerotic occlusive disease to determine which agent caused less discomfort. Each patient was evaluated for objective signs of discomfort and subjective feelings of pain and heat. Monitoring was achieved by multiple physical examinations, chemical tests, electrocardiograms, and intra-arterial pressure recordings. It is concluded that iopamidol is safe and causes significantly less patient discomfort than Renografin-60.     

Prostaglandins and angioplasty. An experimental study in canine arteries

To prevent platelet aggregation following percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), cyclooxygenase inhibitors such as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and indomethacin are recommended. However, ASA blocks both the proaggregating effects of thromboxane (TXA2) and the antiaggregating and vasodilating effects of prostacyclin (PGI2). The authors measured the contractile response of dilated canine carotid arteries in situ and in vitro using an isometric force transducer. Following PTA, contraction of the arterial wall was significantly reduced (p less than 0.01). By blocking cyclooxygenase with indomethacin (3 micrograms/ml), contraction was greatly improved (p less than 0.001). These results suggest that PTA may result in marked release of prostacyclin by the damaged arterial wall, which could account for the decreased responsiveness of the artery to exogenous norepinephrine.     

Effects of adriamycin on calcium concentration and morphology of mouse salivary glands

A large single dose (15 mg/kg body wt, ip) of the antitumor agent adriamycin (ADR) caused a marked increase in calcium concentration of submaxillary gland of female mice, and a smaller increase in the parotid gland within 2 days of injection. A small dose (2.5 mg/kg body wt) had no effect. The histological appearance of the glands was also changed and included an increase in size of granules and acinar cells of the submaxillary glands and a decrease in size of acinar cells of the parotid. At the EM level, there was evidence of mitochondrial alteration in the parotid but not in the submaxillary glands. Rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) was markedly disorganized in the parotid, and abnormal whorls of RER were evident. Submaxillary glands showed no change in RER. Water content of either gland was unchanged from that of controls. Heart ventricles, unexpectedly, showed no change in calcium concentration from that of control tissues, at 3 h, 1, 2 or 4 days after ADR administration. The [Ca] changes induced by ADR in the submaxillary glands are not mediated via beta-adrenoceptor activation since propranolol did not alter the ADR-induced changes. The marked difference in response of the glands (and heart) to ADR, suggests that the mechanisms involved in calcium homeostasis in these organs are very different.     

Pedigree analysis and epidemiological features of idiopathic congenital talipes equinovarus in the United Kingdom: a case-control study

Background  

Congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV) is a common developmental disorder of the foot, affecting between 1 and 4.5 per 1000 live births. The aetiology is not well elucidated. While both genetic and environmental factors are implicated, no specific genes have been identified and little is known about environmental risk factors.     

Kinetics of buccal absorption of amphetamines

The buccal absorption of amphetamine, methylamphetamine and dimethylamphetamine in solutions at pH 8·16 and 9·18, was measured in man after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 min. The recovery of the drugs from the buccal membrane after uptake was also measured by washing out the mouth for varying times with buffer solutions. An analogue computer model of the biological system was used and the kinetic parameters for the buccal absorption of the amphetamines were calculated.