Acquired tracheomalacia--a case report

Divalproex sodium is an effective drug for the treatment of migraine. Most adverse drug events are transient and not of great clinical concern. Although rare, well-documented examples of liver toxicity have been reported in children under 2 years of age on polypharmacy. Additional cases occur in children under 10 who are receiving polypharmacy, particularly those who have intractable seizures and degenerative central nervous system disease. Clinicians who treat migraineurs with divalproex sodium do not need to be overly preoccupied with monitoring of drug levels and liver function tests. The most valuable test is clinical observation of the patient.     

Estrogen, the ovary, and neutotransmitters: factors associated with aging

Our studies in the C57BL/6J mouse have been designed to examine the interactions of aging and the ovary, and their mutual effects on neuroendocrine function. In the pituitary, ovarian status and not age determines responsiveness to gonadotropin hormone releasing hormone (GnRH), but estrogen (E2) is an important mediator in CNS changes, and removal of the ovary (OVX) is deleterious to the neuroendocrine hypothalamus. OVX for just six days in young animals results in synaptic loss between noradrenergic terminals and gonadotropin hormone releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons. Long-term OVX, hypothesized to protect against neuroendocrine aging, fails to guard against any studied age-related changes. Some age-related changes occur as early as midlife. Although neuron number remains constant at middle age, opiatergic neurons undergo significant functional changes by producing opiate antagonist peptides. This change appears to be caused by alterations in the prohormone convertases, which cleave propeptide to peptide. Altered peptides may trigger the loss of reproductive capacity. The midlife shift in opiate peptide production is a component of natural developmental processes that begin in the neonate and continue through old age. In the cholinergic system, E2 mediates numbers of cholinergic receptors, cholinergic neurons, and cholinergic-modulated memory systems in both young and old animals. Regardless of age, ovarian steroids, if present at physiologic levels, are beneficial to the neuroendocrine CNS, and long-term deprivation from ovarian-produced factors is deleterious in the systems we have examined. Our studies have shown that deprivation from ovarian steroid hormones in the female appears to be a major factor in the health of the CNS and in events associated with aging.     

Effect of the protein-free calf-blood-extract (Solcoseryl) on the excretion of estrogens in chronic placental insufficiency

In a double blind study the action of Solcoseryl was tested in 31 patients during late pregnancy with chronic placental insufficiency. Under treatment with Solcoseryl a significant increase in urinary estrogen excretion occurred in relation to the placebo-group.     

Comparison of the phenylalanine determination by ion exchange column chromatography and the guthrietest in treated phenylketonuric children (author''s transl)]

Simultaneous measurements of phenylalanine by ion exchange column chromatography and microbiologal inhibition test according to Guthrie were performed on 22 treated children with phenylketonuria within two years. The results coincide in 40,3% (229 of 569 estimations), in 15,8% the real phenylalanine concentration by the method of Guthrie were overestimated, in 43,9% underestimated. Bacterial inhibition assay is successful in routine screening of phenylketonuria in the newborn, but not suitable for dietary control of phenylketonuria.