Dentists, pills and pregnancies

Unplanned pregnancies may occur if antibiotics are prescribed to women using the combined oral contraceptive pill. To investigate awareness of the potential for this interaction among general dental practitioners, the authors designed a cross-sectional questionnaire based study and sent it out to a random sample of GDPs in Scotland.     

A comparative study of carboxylesterase in the white mouse and in the caterpillar of the cotton bollworm Heliothes armigera

Studies have been made on enzymic hydrolysis of p-nitrophenylacetate (p-NPhAc), n-nitrophenylbutyrate (p-NPhBu) and indophenylacetate (IPhAc) by carboxylesterase (CE) from mouse blood plasma and liver as well as from caterpillar of the cotton worm haemolymph, intestine and fat body. Different KM and V max values were obtained for CE from these sources. The highest specific activity of CE from mouse liver and caterpillar intestine and fat body was observed with p-NPhBu. p-NPhAc is the best substrate for CE from mouse blood serum and caterpillar haemolymph. Carboxylesterases from mouse and caterpillar differed in their sensitivity to armine and paraoxone by 1-2 orders depending on the substrate used. Species and tissue differences in the kinetics of CE-catalyzed reactions with different substrates and inhibitors were revealed.     

The use of spreading depression waves for acute and long-term monitoring of the penumbra zone of focal ischemic damage in rats

Slow potential recording was used for long-term monitoring of the penumbra zone surrounding an ischemic region produced by middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion in adult hooded rats (n = 32). Four capillary electrodes (El-E4) were chronically implanted at 2-mm intervals from AP -3, L 2 (El) to AP 0, L 5 (E4). Spontaneous or evoked slow potential waves of spreading depression (SD) were recorded during and 4 h after a 1-h MCA occlusion and at 2- to 3-day intervals afterward for 3 weeks. Duration of the initial focal ischemic depolarization was maximal at E4 and decreased with distance from the focus. SD waves in the penumbra zone were high at El and E2, low and prolonged at E3, and almost absent at E4. Amplitude of elicited SD waves was further reduced 3 days later and slowly increased in the following week. Cortical areas displaying marked reduction of SD waves in the first days after MCA occlusion either remained low or showed substantial (60%) recovery, the probability of which decreased with the duration of the initial focal ischemic depolarization and increased with the distance from the focus. It is concluded that the outcome of ischemia monitored by long-term SD recovery in the perifocal region can be partly predicted from the acute signs of MCA occlusion.     

Optimization of the diagnosis and treatment of anemias under exposure to aromatic-type organic solvents

171 iron-deficient painters and 20 subjects with chronic intoxication with aromatic hydrocarbons were studied in a large aircraft construction factory. After correlative analysis of iron metabolism, ferritin, erythrocytes, diameter and perimeter of reticulocytes, length of service three types of iron-deficiency were identified: typical, with evident toxicity, with a high risk of toxic damage. An important role of lipid peroxidation activity and toxic erythrocyto-membranopathy for pathomorphosis of iron deficiency anemia and progress of toxic anemia is demonstrated. A differential approach to treatment of different anemia variants was used. The treatment included membranoprotectors (alpha-tocopherol, essential, lypostabil) and unspecific detoxication (SUMS-enterosorbent, unitiol).