The effect of thermal trauma in mice on cytotoxicity of lymphocytes

Ten adult 18-month-old male fowls were vasoligated unilaterally just anterior to the cloaca via an incision made between the base of the tail and the cloacal orifice. Two birds each were killed at two weeks and four weeks post-ligation, and the remaining six birds at 12 weeks post-ligation. Forty per cent of the birds showed severe reactions in the ipsilateral testis, epididymal region and ductus deferens. The remaining birds showed slight gross changes and near normal histology. The contralateral organs in all birds were normal both macroscopically and microscopically.     

Analysis of various indefinite self-associations

Two methods have been developed for the analysis of four types of indefinite self-associations. Unlike previous treatments by others, the procedures can be applied to nonideal cases. The two methods were first tested with simulated data, and it was found that one could indeed distinguish between the four types of indefinite self-associations. For a more realistic test, sedimentation equilibrium experiments were performed on solutions of beta-lactoglobulin A at 16 degrees C in 0.15 ionic strength acetate buffer, pH 4.65. The self-association of the beta-lactoglobulin A was best described by either method as a sequential indefinite self-association having two equilibrium constants and one second virial coefficient.     

Vaginal melanoma and the role of regional chemotherapy

Major vascular injuries complicating groin hernia repairs are very rare. Five such cases seen at the vascular unit of the Department of Surgery, UNTH, Enugu, Nigeria over a five year period are presented. The patients all of whom were adults (age range 49-65) had initial problems of hypovolaemia due to massive blood loss followed by infection and anaemia. One of the patients died from irreversible shock while still in the Casualty Unit. The vascular injuries were dealt with by either primary repair, vein graft or dacron graft depending on the prevailing conditions e.g. presence or absence of infection. The other 4 patients who had surgery did well postoperatively and on 5 to 58 months follow-up. Emphasis is laid on the underlying causes of these iatrogenic injuries which include inexperience on the part of the operator and inadequate anaesthesia (often wrongly applied local anaesthesia). If this complication however occurs, the wound should be tightly packed and patient sent immediately to a unit with vascular surgical facilities.     

Arsenic toxicity is enzyme specific and its affects on ligation are not caused by the direct inhibition of DNA repair enzymes

There is an increasing awareness that the exclusion of women from clinical trials may lead to inaccurate application of drug therapy in women. Gender and estrus cycle differences in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs in animals have been appreciated for over 60 years, but investigation into these differences in humans has only recently occurred. It is postulated that hormonal fluctuations within the menstrual cycle phase may be a primary cause of documented gender differences in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs. Existing data suggest that menstrual cycle variations do occur in renal, cardiovascular, haematological and immune systems. These physiological changes could potentially impact on the pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of drugs by altering properties, such as protein binding or the volume of distribution, and thereby causing significant effects at various times during the menstrual cycle. However, systematic investigations of physiological variability throughout the menstrual cycle are limited. Fluctuations in symptom severity and clinical course coinciding with the menstrual cycle phase have been seen in some diseases. Hormonal fluctuations within the menstrual cycle have been postulated to cause disease exacerbation. They may also worsen disease severity by impacting on the pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of the medication. Menstrual cycle hormonal changes may influence drug absorption, distribution, metabolism or excretion. In vivo data to demonstrate an effect of endogenous estrogen or progesterone on pharmacokinetics are limited and contradictory. Systematic investigations of specific pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes within the menstrual cycle are lacking. Most published studies have been conducted with small numbers of women and a limited numbers of menstrual cycle phases within 1 menstrual cycle. These design problems have resulted in incomplete data for assessing the effects of the menstrual cycle. To date, there are no demonstrated clinically significant changes that occur in the absorption, distribution or elimination of drugs. With respect to drug metabolism, data are exceedingly sparse and have been collected in a suboptimal fashion. Standardisation of study design and analyses in systematic investigations of the influence of the menstrual cycle on drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics are needed.     

Lipoprotein (a) concentrations in patients with various dyslipidaemias

The results of operative treatment of 45 flexible flat feet (29 patients) using the sinus tarsi spacer are reported. Although radiological improvement in both the talar declination and the ground-navicular distance was found, our patients suffered from pain and functional impairment for an average period of 5 months. An unacceptably high rate of spacer dislocation was noted. Furthermore, the literature indicates spontaneous improvement as the natural history of flexible flat feet. We therefore no longer advise the sinus tarsi spacer as a routine treatment for flexible flat feet.