The effect of cyclosporine on exocrine function of the rat pancreas--an in vitro study.

We have studied the effect of cyclosporine on the exocrine pancreas of rats submitted to treatment with different parenteral doses (15, 30, 50 mg/kg/day) for different time periods (7 and 30 days). Serum amylase levels, pancreas weight, and total pancreatic amylase and protein content showed a dose-dependent decrease. Basal amylase secretion from isolated lobules remained unchanged. Furthermore, the pancreatic lobules from animals under cyclosporine treatment exhibited a decreased response to bethanechol stimulation. Our data suggest that cyclosporine produces a toxic effect on exocrine pancreatic function.

Evidence of a direct TRH effect on the rat exocrine pancreas.

In the present study, the effect of TRH on amylase secretion was determined both in vivo, by cannulating the pancreatic duct of rats, as well as in vitro, by using isolated lobules and dissociated acini. The results show that TRH inhibited both basal and stimulated in vivo amylase secretion. Nevertheless, the in vitro experiments failed to show a TRH-related inhibitory effect when TRH was used alone, although the hormone did blunt the secretion elicited by CCK8 and bethanechol from isolated lobules and dissociated acini. Results suggest that TRH can inhibit stimulated amylase secretion in rats through a direct effect on acinar cells.

[Treatment compliance and follow-up of arterial hypertension in an urban environment]. / Estudio del cumplimiento del tratamiento y control de la hipertensión arterial en un medio urbano.

We have studied ambulatory hypertensive patients by means of a survey protocol, in order to observe the possible causes of inadequate control. In 8% of patients, hygienic and dietetic measures were applied, specially low-salt diet and weight loss. This percentage is very low compared to that reported by other authors. A 67% of our patients received monotherapy, being diuretics the most frequently used drug. A 71% of patients fulfilled (correctly) the prescribed drug treatment, independently of its complexity and the arterial hypertension evolution time. The degree of good treatment fulfillment, in relation to the scarce fulfillment of hygienic and dietetic measures, make us believe that in our environment patients trust drugs effects more than that of the diet. We believe that this is due, in part, to the fact that health professionals do not insist sufficiently in its fulfillment. Patient follow-up was satisfactory in only 46% of them, which conditioned the fact that hypertension control was efficient in only 39% of total. We suggest the importance of treatment and control programs in primary assistance given the better results claimed by other authors who worked with patients following protocols. Only thus the Internal Medicine Departments could be relieved from problems derived from these patients.