Coexistence of Triphasic Diabetes Insipidus and Cerebral Salt Wasting Syndrome Following Extraction of Sellar/Suprasellar Grade I Pilocytic Astrocytoma.

Water homeostasis disorders, such as syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH), diabetes insipidus (DI), and cerebral salt-wasting syndrome (CSWS), can develop after neurosurgery. Additionally, DI, SIADH, and CSWS have been reported concurrently in association with some neurosurgical conditions, in particular after pituitary gland surgery or as sequelae of post-traumatic brain injury. Therefore, neurosurgeons should expect water homeostasis disorders after the removal of tumors of the sellar/suprasellar region and be prepared to aggressively manage them.

Alternative Medicine in Diabetes - Role of Angiogenesis, Oxidative Stress, and Chronic Inflammation.

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder that is characterized by hyperglycemia due to lack of or resistance to insulin. Patients with diabetes are frequently afflicted with ischemic vascular disease and impaired wound healing. Type 2 diabetes is known to accelerate atherosclerotic processes, endothelial cell dysfunction, glycosylation of extracellular matrix proteins, and vascular denervation. Herbal medicines and naturally occurring substances may positively affect diabetes management, and could thus be utilized as cost-effective means of supporting treatment in developing countries. Natural treatments have been used in these countries for a long time to treat diabetes. The present review analyses the features of aberrant angiogenesis, abnormalities in growth factors, oxidative stress, and metabolic derangements relevant to diabetes, and how herbal substances and their active chemical constituents may counteract these events. Evidence for possible biochemical effectiveness and limitations of herbal medicines are given, as well as details regarding the role of cytokines and nitric oxide.

Square-wave adsorptive stripping voltammetric determination of danazol in capsules.

Based on the interfacial adsorptive character of danazol onto the hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE), a simple and sensitive square-wave adsorptive stripping voltammetric (SW-AdSV) procedure for the electrochemical analysis of this drug in pharmaceutical formulations has been developed and validated. Cyclic and SW-AdSV voltammograms showed a single well-defined irreversible cathodic peak. Various chemical and instrumental parameters affecting the monitored electroanalytical response were investigated and optimized for the danazol determination. Under these optimized conditions the SW-AdSV peak current showed a linear dependence on drug concentration over the range 7.5x10(-8)-3.75x10(-7) mol l-1 (r=0.999) with estimated detection limit (at a S/N ratio of 3) of 5.7x10(-9) mol l-1 (1.78 ng ml-1). A mean recovery of 100.9+/-1.2% and relative standard deviation of 1.07% were achieved. Possible interferences by substances usually present in the pharmaceutical tablets and formulations were also evaluated. The proposed electrochemical procedure was successfully applied for the determination of danazol in pharmaceutical capsules (Danol 100 mg) with mean recoveries of 100.48+/-0.87%. Results of the developed SW-AdSV method were comparable with those obtained by reported analytical procedures.