The effects of some sweetening agents and osmotic pressure on the intestinal absorption of sulfafurazole in the rat.

The effects of some sugars and osmotic pressure have been examined on the absorption of sulfafurazole in the rat. Statistically significant correlations were found among the hypertonic solutions between the reciprocal of osmotic pressure and AUC0--infinity or Cmax. In addition, negative correlation existed between plasma concentrations at 15 min and osmotic pressure. No significant correlations were noted among the hypotonic solutions. More attention should be paid to the osmotic pressure of formulations. The osmotic pressure of hypertonic solutions, especially, might affect absorption of drug from its dosage form.     

Fetal intracranial teratoma: US diagnosis of three cases and a review of the literature

We describe three cases of fetal intracranial teratoma diagnosed by ultrasound and review the literature. Sonographic features include cranial enlargement, gross distortion of normal cerebral architecture by a hyperechoic, multicystic mass, and polyhydramnios. Despite early diagnosis, the cesarean section rate is high and the overall prognosis is dismal.     

Cough induced by enalapril but not by captopril

We report a 68 yr old woman with hypertension who developed a dry cough on enalapril but not on captopril therapy. Pulmonary function tests, methacholine inhalation challenges, total blood eosinophil counts, and changes in plasma concentrations of prostaglandin E2 and thromboxane B2 did not explain the difference in the adverse reaction between these two angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors.     

Responses of the primary auditory cortex to pitch changes in a sequence of tone pips: Neuromagnetic recordings in man

Auditory evoked magnetic fields of the human brain were recorded with a four-channel 1st order gradiometer. Pitch deviance in a sequence of repetitive tone pips elicited magnetic evoked-response changes with a topography suggesting that a neuronal mismatch process to the deviant tones activates the primary auditory cortex.     

IR spectroscopy together with multivariate data analysis as a process analytical tool for in-line monitoring of crystallization process and solid-state analysis of crystalline product

Crystalline product should exist in optimal polymorphic form. Robust and reliable method for polymorph characterization is of great importance. In this work, infra red (IR) spectroscopy is applied for monitoring of crystallization process in situ. The results show that attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infra red (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy provides valuable information on process, which can be utilized for more controlled crystallization processes. Diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infra red (DRIFT-IR) is applied for polymorphic characterization of crystalline product using X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) as a reference technique. In order to fully utilize DRIFT, the application of multivariate techniques are needed, e.g., multivariate statistical process control (MSPC), principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS). The results demonstrate that multivariate techniques provide the powerful tool for rapid evaluation of spectral data and also enable more reliable quantification of polymorphic composition of samples being mixtures of two or more polymorphs. This opens new perspectives for understanding crystallization processes and increases the level of safety within the manufacture of pharmaceutics.     

Molecular basis of the heterogeneity of expression of glycosyl phosphatidylinositol anchored proteins in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria

The purpose of these studies was to determine the molecular basis of the phenotypic mosaicism that is a defining feature of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). Analysis of T cell clones from a female patient revealed four distinct phenotypes based on surface expression of glycosyl phosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins (GPI-AP). When PIG-A (the gene that is mutant in PNH) from these clones was analyzed, four discrete somatic mutations were identified. Analysis of X chromosomal inactivation among the abnormal T cell clones was consistent with polyclonality. Together, these studies demonstrate that the phenotypic mosaicism that is characteristic of PNH is a consequence of genotypic mosaicism and that, at least in this case, PNH is a polyclonal rather than a monoclonal disease. That four distinct somatic mutations were present in a single patient suggests that in conditions that predispose to PNH PIG-A may be hypermutable.     

Cytomegalovirus infections in seropositive patients after transfusion. The effect of red cell storage and volume

Antibody responses to cytomegalovirus (CMV) after red cell (RBC) transfusion were studied in 84 seropositive surgery patients and 82 seropositive oncology patients. The surgery patients were randomized to receive RBCs stored either 3 to 8 or 20 to 42 days after donation. Of 38 patients receiving RBCs stored 8 days or less, 3 developed a rise in titer (4-fold increase) of IgG antibody to CMV 8 to 12 weeks after transfusion. This rate of response (8%) did not differ significantly (p = 0.23) from that (16%) in the 46 patients receiving RBCs stored 20 to 42 days. Seropositive oncology patients were randomized to receive RBCs from seronegative or random donors. Five (19%) of 27 oncology patients receiving seronegative RBCs and 13 (23%) of 55 patients receiving random RBCs (mean, 2 seropositive RBC units/patient) developed a rise in titer of antibody to CMV. No CMV morbidity occurred in either patient group. For both patient groups, a rise in titer of antibody to CMV was associated with the number of transfused RBC units. These results confirm that CMV-seronegative RBCs are unnecessary for infrequently transfused seropositive patients. They also suggest that multiple transfusions of stored RBCs are as immunosuppressive as multiple transfusions of RBCs used within a few days after donation.