Comparative study of permeability of derivatives of gamma-aminobutyric and gamma-hydroxybutyric acids through hemato-encephalic barrier]

The authors studied the permeability of the blood-brain barrier (CEB) to two nootropics: calcium ketogomopantothenate (KRA-Ca), a GABA derivative, and and calcium salt of oxybutyrate (OB-Ca), a derivative of GOBA. It was established that both preparations penetrate the CEB easily and are found in the brain at different intervals after their administration. However, essential differences in the distribution constant of these drugs were disclosed: KPA-Ca permeated the CEB more intensively and was accumulated in larger amounts in the late-term intervals.     

Management of chylothorax

BACKGROUND: Chylothorax is a rare primary or secondary condition the optimum management of which remains uncertain. METHODS: Twenty cases of chylothorax, including ten of primary chylothorax and ten secondary to either malignancy, subclavian vein thrombosis or lymphangioma treated between 1956 and 1986 have been reviewed. RESULTS: Open pleurectomy was the most successful treatment in preventing reaccumulation of the effusion. Three patients had thoracic duct-azygous vein anastomoses, but all anastomoses were probably occluded within a year of surgery. Three patients have been lost to follow-up and five died within 2 years of their treatment, but 12 patients were alive and free from an effusion 3-22 years after treatment. CONCLUSION: Patients with chylothorax should undergo lymphangiography to identify the cause and site of the lymphatic abnormality. Conservative treatment is successful in some patients but should be abandoned if the fluid loss exceeds 1.5 l/day for more than 5-7 days in an adult or more than 100 ml/day in a child. Parietal pleurectomy is the most successful treatment when no distinct chylous leak can be identified. Less commonly, an isolated chylous leak either in the chest or in the abdomen may be identified and this should be treated by direct ligation.     

Seroprevalence survey of Egyptian tourism workers for hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, human immunodeficiency virus, and Treponema pallidum infections: association of hepatitis C virus infections with specific regions of Egypt

Blood samples from 740 Egyptian Nationals working in the tourism industry at two sites in the South Sinai governorate were screened for markers of infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and Treponema pallidum. Study subjects included 467 individuals from a rural seashore tourist village and 273 persons at two hotels in a well-established resort town. Subjects' ages ranged from 15 to 70 years; 99.3% were male. The prevalence of serologic markers for currently asymptomatic or past HBV infection alone was 20.7% (n = 153), of markers for past or chronic HCV infection alone was 7.4% (n = 55), and of markers for both HBV and HCV was 6.9% (n = 51). Of the 204 individuals positive for anti-HBV core antibody, 12 (5.9%) were also positive for hepatitis B surface antigen. Two individuals (0.3%) had a serologic market suggestive of an active syphilitic infection. No subject was found to be HIV-seropositive. History of prior injections and number of injections were associated with infection with HCV. Primary residence in the Nile delta and valley areas where schistosomiasis is highly endemic, was also a statistically significant risk factor for HCV, but not HBV infection.     

The diagnostic value of symptoms and signs in childhood abdominal pain

Amiodarone is a benzofuran derivative with a chemical structure similar to thyroxine. Originally introduced to treat angina pectoris, amiodarone was found to have antiarrhythmic properties, and in 1985, was approved in the United States for treatment of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. It is now used for various ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias refractory to conventional first-line medications, and as a result, side effects have been observed with increased frequency. The most severe and potentially life-threatening of these side effects is the development of pulmonary toxicity. Typically, amiodarone pulmonary toxicity (APT) is manifested by acute pneumonitis and chronic fibrosis. Amiodarone-associated hemoptysis (AAH) is a rare occurrence. The authors describe a case of AAH successfully treated with cessation of drug and steroid therapy.     

Effect of topical steroids on nasal nitric oxide production in children with perennial allergic rhinitis: a pilot study

It has been hypothesized that concentrations of exhaled nitric oxide (NO) may be related to the extent of cytokine-mediated airway inflammation. Recent findings indicate the nasal airways as an important site of NO production. Our objective was to evaluate whether children with allergic rhinitis show different nasal NO levels when compared with normal healthy subjects and the effect of topical steroids and anti-histamine therapy. We have measured the concentration of NO drawn from the nose of 21 children (5-17 years old) affected by perennial allergic rhinitis (house dust mite) out of therapy for at least 3 weeks. Thirteen children were then treated with nasal beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) (400 micrograms daily) and eight subjects with nasal anti-histamine levocabastine (200 micrograms daily). Measurements were performed before and after 10 days of treatment. As a control group we evaluated 21 healthy children aged 5-15 years. To measure NO we used a chemiluminescence analyser. Before treatment the whole group of children with allergic rhinitis showed a mean (+/- SEM) nasal NO concentration of 267 +/- 18 ppb, significantly higher (P < 0.01) than the control group (186 +/- 15 ppb). The group of children treated with BDP showed, after 10 days of therapy, a significant (P < 0.05) decrease of nasal NO concentration (271 +/- 21 ppb vs. 212 +/- 20 ppb). Indeed, in the group treated with levocabastine, nasal NO concentrations did not present a significant difference (P not significant) compared with baseline (261 +/- 33 ppb and 252 +/- 31 ppb, respectively). These data suggest that (1) children with allergic rhinitis have higher levels of nasal NO than non-atopic controls and (2) intranasal steroid therapy significantly reduces nasal NO production in children with allergic rhinitis. We speculate that the allergic inflammatory response may influence the nasal NO levels and that NO measurements may be a useful marker of nasal inflammation.