[Digoxin as a cause of chromatopsia and depression in a patient with heart failure and hyperthyroidism]. / Digoksyna przyczyna objawów barwnego widzenia oraz depresji u chorego z niewydolnoscia serca i nadczynnoscia tarczycy.

67 year old patient with chronic heart failure and persistent atrial fibrillation had overdosed glycosides for several months. The symptoms of gastrointestinal system and nervous system appeared after long term therapy with toxic doses of glycosides. Originally depression was diagnosed based on the central nervous system disturbances. Even though overdose of glycosides was diagnosed the blood serum glycoside level was within the therapeutic limits. Based on the precise analysis of the data, it was concluded that the reason for normal blood serum glycoside level in this case was coexisting hyperthyreosis.

The acetylation and oxidation phenotypes in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Polymorphism of the acetylation and oxidation phenotypes in patients with IDDM was evaluated. A greater statistically significant number of fast acetylators in IDDM was found.

[Acetylation phenotype in patients with lung cancer]. / Fenotyp acetylacji u chorych na raka pluca.

The acetylation phenotype is genetically predetermined. It might influence the development of several diseases. It can also be changed by the active process of diseases. The aim of the study was to determinate the acetylation phenotype of individuals with lung cancer. Sulfadimidine acetylation study was undertaken in 30 patients with lung cancer and 30 individuals of control group. There is a significantly higher proportion of slow acetylators in the group of patients with lung cancer than in those without the disease.

Blood levels of alloxan in children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Alloxan is a well-known and universally used agent for evoking experimental diabetes through its toxic effect on the B cells of the Langerhans islets. In our study, blood levels of alloxan in children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus were investigated. The observations were made in 68 children aged 6-15 years and in a control group of 44 healthy children in the same age range. Alloxan levels were estimated spectrophotometrically. The mean level of alloxan in blood from children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus was 8.76 +/- 9.64 micrograms/ml and in blood from healthy children was 1.53 +/- 1.10 micrograms/ml. The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The metabolism of alloxan leads to the production of free superoxide radicals which, as is well known, injure cells and cause conditions conducive to the occurrence of diseases from autoimmunity. The results obtained suggest therefore that higher levels of alloxan in diabetic children are of significance in the onset of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

[Assessment of bioavailability of magnesium preparations]. / Ocena biodostepnosci preparatów magnezu.

The bioavailability was studied of three magnesium preparations-Asmag, Slow-Mag and magnesium oxide (wafer)-administered to healthy volunteers for two weeks. The observed increase of magnesium level in the serum was not statistically significant.

[The effect of hemodilution and autotransfusion on diagnostic levels of digoxin in serum of patients operated on with extracorporeal circulation]. / Wplyw hemodylucji i autotransfuzji na stezenie digoksyny w surowicy chorych operowanych w krazeniu pozaustrojowym.

In many patients operated on for valvular heart diseases indications are present to digitalis administration in the preoperative period. During extracorporeal circulation fluctuations occur of blood potassium concentration which increase the risk for toxic effect of digitalis. In the work, digoxin concentration was studied in the serum of patients operated on in extracorporeal circulation in whom administration of this drug was discontinued 48 hours before the operation. The first digoxin dose (0.5 mg) was given directly after withdrawal of extracorporeal circulation, and another 0.5 mg was given after 4 hours. Digoxin concentrations were determined by fluorescence-polarization-immunological method using TD* Abbott device. The digoxin concentration increased rapidly and reached its peak after 6 hours (1.9 ng/ml), decreasing after 12 hours to 0.9 ng/ml and persisted at this therapeutic level in further samples. The present studies demonstrated that digoxin administration directly after withdrawal of extracorporeal circulation and within 24 hours after the operation in commonly accepted doses provided therapeutic concentration of the drug and caused no increase of the risk for toxic reaction development.

Endogenous drug-like factors in a Polish population.

In two hundred and twenty-five healthy volunteers not receiving any treatment the occurrence of drug-like factors in blood serum was studied. The examinations were carried out with the use of the fluorescence-polarization-immunoassay (FPIA)-TDx Abbott. The presence of endogenous phenytoin-like, theophylline-like and cyclosporin-like factors has been demonstrated.

[Evaluation of the capacity of the liver for phenazone biotransformation in patients with uremia on peritoneal dialysis]. / Ocena zdolnosci watroby do biotransformacji fenazonu u dializowanych otrzewnowo chorych na mocznice.

This work aimed at establishing whether liver ability to biotransformation of drugs expressed by antipyrine kinetics is disturbed in peritoneally dialysed patients with end-stage renal failure. The investigations were carried out in 10 uraemic patients using the antipyrine test and comparing antipyrine kinetics with those obtained in 13 healthy individuals. At the time of investigations, standard clinical tests of liver function were normal and HBs antigen was absent in all patients. It was shown that peritoneally dialysed patients with end-stage renal failure had not significantly changed antipyrine elimination as compared with the group of healthy controls: t0.5 = 13.2 +/- 6.8 v. 11.8 +/- 8.1 h, plasma clearance = 50 +/- 30 v. 34 +/- 21 ml/min (x +/- SD). The obtained results indicate that antipyrine kinetics is within normal range in uraemic patients regularly dialysed suggesting cytochrome P-450 in microsomes not being markedly reduced.

Assessment of liver ability to biotransformation of antipyrine in uraemic patients on regular peritoneal dialysis treatment.

It was the aim of this work to establish whether biotransformation of drugs by the liver expressed by antipyrine kinetics is disturbed in peritoneally dialysed patients with end-stage renal failure. The investigations were carried out in 10 uraemic patients using the antipyrine test and comparing the parameters of antipyrine kinetics with those obtained in 13 healthy persons. Our results indicate that in uraemic patients on regular peritoneal dialysis treatment antipyrine kinetics are generally in the normal range, suggesting the microsomal content of cytochrome P-450 being not evidently reduced.

Pharmacokinetic studies of procainamide (PA) and N-acetylprocainamide (NAPA) in healthy subjects.

Pharmacokinetic studies after a single oral dose of 750 mg of PA in 10 normal subjects were performed. In 6 of them, pharmacokinetics of NAPA were also determined after a single oral dose of 900 mg of NAPA. Substantial differences in pharmacokinetic parameters of PA depending on acetylation phenotype were found. In fast acetylators (sulphadimidine phenotyping), half-life was shorter (2.4 +/- 0.7 hr) and 24 hr urine NAPA excretion was larger (22.5 +/- 5.8% of dose) than in slow acetylators (3.6 +/- 1.0 hr and 8.8 +/- 5.4% respectively). NAPA was characterized by different pharmacokinetic parameters (t 1/2 7.0 +/- 1.0 hr, 24 hr urine elimination - 58.5% of dose). Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.