Right-ventricular function as assessed by two radionuclide techniques: concise communication

The gated semiautomated first pass and non-gated manual first pass methods of right ventricular ejection fraction calculation were compared. It was found that the gated first pass study was the simplest and fastest to process and was overall judged to give at least as much information as the other technique.     

Conversion of Thebaine to Codeine

An improved conversion of thebaine to codeine has been developed. Oxymercuration of thebaine with mercuric acetate in refluxing methanol, followed by hydrolysis of the intermediate 7-acetomercurineopinone dimethyl ketal with 3 N acetic acid, or, alternatively, reduction of the organomercury compound with sodium borohydride and mild acid hydrolysis of the resulting neopinone dimethyl ketal, gives neopinone in 95-100% yields. Either acid- or alkali-catalyzed isomerization to codeinone leads to the equilibrium mixture consisting of codeinone-neopinone, 3:1. Complete conversion to codeinone in 85-90% yield results from treatment of neopinone with anhydrous hydrogen chloride or hydrogen bromide in ether-methylene chloride, followed by elimination of hydrogen halide from the intermediate 8-halodihydrocodeinone. The known borohydride reduction of codeinone then gives codeine in 85% overall yield from thebaine.     

Early and late results of surgical repair of truncus arteriosus

Ninety-two patients had corrective operation for truncus arteriosus between 1967 and 1975. During the first 30 days after surgery, 23 patients died. No significant differences appear between early mortality and sex, type of truncus, variations in pulmonary arterial anatomy, truncal valve regurgitation, associated anomalies, previous operation, or duration of extracorporeal circulation. Greater risk is probably encountered with the higher but still operable levels of pulmonary resistance. Reoperation has been required in three patients. Fifty-nine percent of survivors are symptom-free, with all but two of the remainder (38%) being in NYHA functional class II. The late result is suggestively less satisfactory in patients with significant preoperative truncal valve regurgitation. Some late complications related to deterioration of the earlier aortic homograft conduit may be avoided by use of a porcine valve Dacron conduit. The current operative mortality of 9%, and the well-being of 97% of surviving patients suggest the continued advisability of recommending operation for appropriate patients.     

Sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of cyclizine and its demethylated metabolite, norcyclizine, in biological fluids using coulometric detection

An accurate, sensitive, selective and reproducible high-performance liquid chromatographic method with coulometric detection for the determination of cyclizine and its inactive demethylated metabolite, norcyclizine, in biological fluids has been developed. The drugs were separated using a custom packed reversed-phase C18 analytical column and phosphate buffer (0.05 M, pH 3)-acetonitrile (7:3) as mobile phase. The dual electrode coulometric detector was operated in the "oxidative-screen" mode with the upstream electrode (detector 1) set at 0.55 V and the downstream electrode (detector 2) set at 0.90 V. Serum and urine samples were prepared for analysis by solid-phase extraction, followed by a simple phase-separation step. The limit of quantitation was 1 ng/ml for both cyclizine and norcyclizine in serum and urine.