Simultaneous recording of rat auditory cortex and thalamus via a titanium-based, microfabricated, microelectrode device.

Direct recording from sequential processing stations within the brain has provided opportunity for enhancing understanding of important neural circuits, such as the corticothalamic loops underlying auditory, visual, and somatosensory processing. However, the common reliance upon microwire-based electrodes to perform such recordings often necessitates complex surgeries and increases trauma to neural tissues. This paper reports the development of titanium-based, microfabricated, microelectrode devices designed to address these limitations by allowing acute recording from the thalamic nuclei and associated cortical sites simultaneously in a minimally invasive manner. In particular, devices were designed to simultaneously probe rat auditory cortex and auditory thalamus, with the intent of recording auditory response latencies and isolated action potentials within the separate anatomical sites. Details regarding the design, fabrication, and characterization of these devices are presented, as are preliminary results from acute in vivo recording.

Covert poisoning with difenacoum: clinical and toxicological observations.

1. The coumarin anticoagulant difenacoum was detected by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with multi-wavelength UV detection in plasma from a 41 years old man who presented with a severe deficiency of vitamin K-dependent clotting factors of unknown aetiology. A longitudinal toxicological study of the consequent coagulopathy is described. 2. Plasma concentrations of difenacoum declined from 0.97 to 0.11 mgl-1 in 47 days with a terminal half life of 11.7 days. Rifampacin (300 mg bd) had no apparent effect on the terminal half life of the drug. Subsequently plasma concentrations of difenacoum and descarboxyprothrombin (DCP) unexpectedly increased. 3. Seven months after exposure clotting times were prolonged. The patient continued to have episodes of epistaxis, haematoma, purpurae and bruising and he required frequent treatment with Fresh Frozen Plasma in additional to oral phylloquinone (200 mg day-1). 4. Intermittent and unexpected increases in plasma concentrations of difenacoum and descarboxypro-thrombin suggested that covert, repeated ingestion of the anticoagulant was the most likely cause of the poisoning. The measurement of low concentrations of plasma phylloquinone except following supervised ingestion of the vitamin indicated that as an outpatient, the subject was not compliant with treatment despite his protestations to the contrary. He continued to deny this even when confronted by laboratory findings and at no time did he ever admit to self-poisoning.

Differences in amiodarone, digoxin, flecainide and sotalol concentrations between antemortem serum and femoral postmortem blood.

1. The concentrations of amiodarone/desethylamiodarone, digoxin, flecainide and sotalol were measured in serum collected immediately prior to death and in postmortem blood collected from the femoral vein and artery of an 18-year-old male with congenital heart disease who developed a fatal arrhythmia. 2. The concentrations of all four drugs in the sample collected during life were consistent with the dosage given and in the range accepted for normal therapy. 3. There were no differences in amiodarone/desethylamiodarone, flecainide and sotalol concentrations in arterial or venous postmortem blood. 4. The concentrations of desethylamiodarone, digoxin, flecainide and sotalol but not amiodarone, were higher in postmortem blood than in antemortem serum. The flecainide concentration was significantly greater than the upper limit associated with toxicity in life. Without knowledge of the true concentration measured in life, this apparently high, toxic concentration would have suggested that death could have resulted from arrhythmogenic/proarrhythmic effects of the drug in excess. 5. These results further demonstrate the hazards in interpreting postmortem blood concentrations following suspected drug intoxication.

Continuous-infusion verapamil with etoposide in relapsed or resistant paediatric cancers.

This study evaluates the use of a multidrug resistance (MDR) modulator (verapamil) in combination with a standard dose of single-agent etoposide in relapsed or refractory paediatric malignancy. A total of 20 patients (median age 6.5 years) were treated with an infusion of verapamil (loading dose 0.1 mg kg-1, followed by continuous infusion 0.15 mg kg-1 h-1) for 72 h. Etoposide was given daily (150 mg m-2 day-1) for three doses (each over 1 h); the first dose was given 12 h into the verapamil infusion. Cardiovascular toxicity was monitored by ECG and 2 hourly blood pressure and pulse recordings. Verapamil and norverapamil plasma concentrations were measured daily. Disease response was assessed after two courses. A total of 29/35 treatment courses were given at the desired verapamil dose; five courses required a dose reduction owing to cardiovascular toxicity. No patient required intensive monitoring. All patients who developed cardiovascular toxicity were over 14 years old. There was no correlation between plasma verapamil or norverapamil concentrations and toxicity. There were six partial responses (three rhabdomyosarcoma, three neuroblastoma) after two courses, but because of variation in the dose and schedule of etoposide these cannot be unequivocally contributed to MDR reversal. In conclusion, a regimen using a continuous infusion of verapamil combined with divided-dose etoposide is tolerable in children, and this strategy may be effective in refractory neuroblastoma and rhabdomyosarcoma.

Measurement of clozapine and norclozapine in plasma/serum by high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection.

A simple method for the measurement of clozapine and its N-desmethyl metabolite in human plasma or serum by high performance liquid chromatography is described. An internal standard (aqueous nortriptyline, 4 mg/L) (50 microL) and Tris buffer (2 mol/L, pH 10.6) (100 microL) are added to plasma/serum (200 microL) and the analytes and internal standard extracted into methyl tert-butyl ether (200 microL). The extracts are analysed on a 150 mm column containing Spherisorb S5SCX using methanol containing ammonium perchlorate (35 mmol/L, pH 6.7) as eluent at a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min. Detection is by ultraviolet absorption (215 nm). The limit of detection is better than 0.05 mg/L for both analytes and the intra-assay precision (CV) for clozapine and norclozapine was 5.3 and 7.3% at 0.5 mg/L and 2.6 and 2.8% at 1.5 mg/L, respectively. The method can be applied to the measurement of these compounds in plasma after acute overdosage, for the assessment of compliance in patients apparently refractory to therapy and to identify interactions between clozapine and other neuroleptic and antidepressant drugs which may effect toxicity.

Simple and rapid HPLC of quinine, hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine, and desethylchloroquine in serum, whole blood, and filter paper-adsorbed dry blood.

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for the measurement of quinine, hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine, and desethylchloroquine in small volumes (50-200 microL) of serum, whole blood, or filter paper-adsorbed dry blood was developed. The analytes are isolated by liquid-liquid extraction and chromatographed on a sulfophenylpropyl-modified silica column under isocratic conditions. The column effluent is monitored by fluorimetry (excitation wavelength, 215 nm; no emission filter). The limit of quantitation is 0.005-0.01 mg/L for chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine and 0.05 mg/L for quinine. No interference from other antimalarial drugs or other compounds commonly used has been observed. Quantitative results can be obtained within 1 hour of receipt of the sample.

Malondialdehyde formation in liver mitochondrial and microsomal fractions of vitamin E- and selenium-deficient rats as a function of alpha-tocopherol level: the effect of treatment in vitro with iron.

Weanling rats were given diets with adequate vitamin E and selenium or deprived of one or the other or both, nutrients. After 28 days, liver mitochondrial and microsomal fractions were prepared and alpha-tocopherol (alpha-T) and selenium measured. alpha-Tocopherol fell by eight-fold in the doubly deficient rats and selenium fell three-fold. Malondialdehyde (MDA) was found to be undetectable by a sensitive HPLC method. The fractions were subjected to peroxidative stress in in vitro using 0.5 mM Fe2+/10 mM ADP, and MDA and alpha-T were measured at intervals during 30 min. The results showed that in the mitochondrial fractions there was a lag time of at least 2 min before peroxidation became significant, during which time most of the alpha-T was consumed. In the microsomal fraction the lag phase was very short prior to the establishment of a linear rate of peroxidation, although little alpha-T was used up. It was concluded that the mitochondrial fraction withstood the peroxidative challenge better than the microsomal fraction even though the initial level of alpha-T in the microsomal fraction was about double that in the mitochondrial fraction. Selenium deficiency had no effect on the length of the lag phase of the fractions which therefore appears to be a characteristic of mitochondrial or microsomal fractions.

Measurement of terbutaline and salbutamol in plasma by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.

A method is described for the determination of terbutaline and salbutamol in plasma from patients given maximal therapy for brittle asthma. The analytes were isolated by solid phase extraction on alkali-treated Bond-Elut, unmodified, silica columns and measured by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (excitation wavelength 200 nm). The limits of detection for a 1 mL sample containing salbutamol and terbutaline were 1 microgram/L and 2.5 micrograms/L, respectively. The intra-assay precision (CV) for samples containing 25 micrograms/L was 3.6 and 5.0% respectively. This method was applied to the measurement of terbutaline in samples from patients given continuous infusions of the drug to assess whether this treatment might result in toxicity.

Is oropharyngeal anaesthesia with topical lignocaine useful in upper gastrointestinal endoscopy?

The aim of this study was to determine whether patients' tolerance of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is related to the dose of lignocaine spray used for oropharyngeal anaesthesia and to measure plasma concentrations at these doses. Sixty consecutive patients undergoing routine upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with sedation were randomized to receive lignocaine spray 50 mg (Group A), 100 mg (Group B) or 200 mg (Group C). Patient, endoscopist and endoscopy nurse were unaware of the variation in dose used. Each patient's tolerance of the intubation and of the remainder of the gastroscopy was assessed independently by the patient, endoscopy nurse, and endoscopist using a visual analogue scale. Plasma lignocaine concentration was measured at 20, 40, 60 and 80 min after administration of the spray. Fifty (83%) patients were unable to recall either the intubation, or the procedure. On the endoscopy nurse's assessment, the patients in Group B tolerated the intubation better than those in Group A, and Groups B and C tolerated the remainder of the gastroscopy better than those in Group A. On the endoscopist's assessment, Groups B and C tolerated the remainder of the gastroscopy better than Group A. There were fewer gags per min in Groups B and C compared to Group A. Mean plasma lignocaine concentrations showed a dose-dependent absorption of the spray, but none exceeded the potentially toxic level of 5 mg/L.

Disopyramide analysis using REMEDi: comparison with EMIT and conventional high performance liquid chromatographic methods.

REMEDi (Rapid EMErgency Drug identification; Bio-Rad) is an automated high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) system designed to detect, identify and measure a range of basic and neutral drugs in 0.5-1.0 mL of urine or plasma/serum. We have evaluated REMEDi in the analysis of the antiarrhythmic drug disopyramide in patient samples. The specimens were also analysed by a conventional HPLC method, based on solvent extraction and UV detection (254 nm), and by EMIT. There were good correlations between the results obtained with each method (r = 0.91 or greater). REMEDi gave a lower mean result than EMIT [means +/- SD (mg/L): REMEDi 2.64 +/- 1.10, EMIT 3.14 +/- 1.51; t = 4.0, p less than 0.01; n = 25], but there were no other significant differences in mean results. The principal disopyramide metabolite, mono-N-desalkyldisopyramide, did not interfere in any method. Clearly REMEDi can be used for therapeutic drug monitoring of disopyramide provided enough sample is available.

The ontogeny of iodothyronine deiodinase systems in liver and intestine of the rat.

The ontogeny of the iodothyronine deiodinase systems has been studied by several investigators in recent years, but our understanding of the subject is far from complete. The present study was conducted to obtain kinetic information concerning 5' deiodinase (5'D) and 5 deiodinase (5D) activities in fetal rat liver and intestine, and to examine reduced glutathione (GSH)-activated 5'D activity in the two tissues. When dithiothreitol (DTT) was used as cofactor in concentrations up to 100 mM, 5'D activity was not clearly detected in liver or intestine until day 16 of gestation. Activity increased markedly in both tissues between fetal day 18-21, due primarily to an increase in maximum velocity (Vmax) of the enzyme. However, whereas 5'D activity was much higher in adult liver than in fetal liver [due to both an increase in Vmax and a decrease in the Michaelis-Menten constant (Km)], activity was barely detectable in adult intestine. When GSH was used as cofactor, the temporal development of activity in both tissues was comparable to that observed with DTT, but kinetic values were very different; with DTT mean values for Vmax in liver ranged from 3.7-1264 pmol I-/h.mg protein, and values for Km ranged from 0.1-0.5 microM; with GSH, values for Vmax ranged from 0.4-16.7 pmol I-/h.mg protein, and values for Km were less than 1 nM. A comparable difference was observed also in intestine. When either DTT or GSH was used as cofactor, 5'D activity was inhibited in the presence of 6n-propyl-2-thiouracil or iopanoic acid. Using T3 as substrate it was found that 5D activity was much higher in intestine than in liver, and the amount of 5D activity in intestine paralleled that in brain in that it was much higher in fetal than in adult tissue. Moreover, values for Vmax and Km in fetal intestine were comparable to those in fetal brain. These findings suggest that thyroid hormone is important in the developing rat intestine and raise the possibility that GSH could be the activator of 5'D systems in vivo.

Dietary modification of potential vitamin K supply from enteric bacterial menaquinones in rats.

Rats given a low-fibre diet based on boiled white rice developed symptoms of severe vitamin K deficiency within 23 d. Inclusion of autoclaved black-eye beans (Vigna unguiculata) in the diet prevented the bleeding syndrome. To test the hypothesis that deficiency resulted from low phylloquinone intake exacerbated by inadequate production of menaquinones by the enteric bacteria, a follow-up experiment was carried out in which groups of rats were given an all-rice diet, a rice + beans diet or a stock diet. Rats on the all-rice diet had significantly lower faecal concentrations of the main menaquinone-producing bacterial species (Bacteroides fragilis and Bacteroides vulgatus) than animals on either of the other two diets. This coupled with the much lower faecal output on this diet suggests that total menaquinone production was low for the all-rice diet. The alterations in faecal flora were associated with several significant changes in caecal metabolism. Rats given the stock diet had much shorter caecal transit times and a considerably greater proportion of butyric acid in volatile fatty acid end-products than did rats on either of the other two diets.

Mechanism of cephalosporin-induced hypoprothrombinemia: relation to cephalosporin side chain, vitamin K metabolism, and vitamin K status.

The mechanism of cephalosporin-induced hypoprothrombinemia has been investigated in hospitalized patients, with respect to cephalosporin structure, vitamin K metabolism, and vitamin K status. Cephalosporins containing side chains of N-methylthiotetrazole (latamoxef, cefmenoxime, cefoperazone, cefotetan, cefamandole) or methyl-thiadiazole (cefazolin) all caused the transient plasma appearance of vitamin K1 2,3-epoxide in response to a 10-mg intravenous dose of vitamin K1, whereas two cephalosporins without a heterocyclic side chain (cefotaxime and cefoxitin) did not. The plasma accumulation of vitamin K1 2,3-epoxide was qualitatively similar to, but quantitatively less than, that produced by the oral anticoagulant phenprocoumon. Patients eating normally had plasma vitamin K1 concentrations (176 to 1184 pg/mL) that were within the normal range (150 to 1550 pg/mL) and their clotting tests remained consistently normal for all antibiotics tested. Patients on total parenteral nutrition had lower plasma vitamin K1 concentrations (50 to 790 pg/mL) but normal clotting before starting antibiotic therapy. Of 19 parenterally fed patients, all seven treated with latamoxef developed hypoprothrombinemia, PIVKA-II and a decrease of protein C within four days whereas 12 patients treated with cefotaxime or cefoxitin showed no clotting changes. Latamoxef-associated hypoprothrombinemia was readily reversible by 1 mg of vitamin K1 given intravenously, but hypoprothrombinemia and sub-normal plasma vitamin K1 could recur within two to three days. The data suggest that NMTT-cephalosporins are inhibitors of hepatic vitamin K epoxide reductase and that a lower nutritional-vitamin K status predisposes to hypoprothrombinemia.

Vitamin K1 content of maternal milk: influence of the stage of lactation, lipid composition, and vitamin K1 supplements given to the mother.

Using a sensitive electrochemical assay for vitamin K1 and standardized techniques for breast-milk collection, we studied the vitamin K1 content of human milk during the first 5 wk of lactation with respect to 1) individual and interindividual differences, 2) the relationship of vitamin K1 to other lipids, and 3) the influence of oral supplements of vitamin K1 on breast milk concentrations. Comparison of fore and hind milk from the mothers revealed higher vitamin K1 concentrations in hindmilks, suggesting that the lipid content influences the vitamin K1 concentration in maternal milk. Samples of maternal milk from nine mothers collected from day 1 to day 36 of lactation showed significantly higher vitamin K1 concentrations in colostral milk than in mature milk. For colostral milk there was a significant correlation of vitamin K1 to cholesterol (r = 0.62) but not to total lipid or phospholipid suggesting a role for cholesterol in the secretion of vitamin K1 into colostral milk. For mature milk correlation coefficients of vitamin K1 with all lipids were low (r = 0.29-0.37) suggesting that at later stages of lactation dietary fluctuations of vitamin K1 may be a more important determinant of the vitamin K1 content of breast milk than the lipid composition. To test the influence of diet, mothers were given oral supplements of vitamin K1.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)