Experimental evaluation of adding alpha 2-agonists [clonidine] to bupivacaine alone and in combination with bupivacaine and morphine for intrathecal injection in dogs

The use of spinal opioids with minimum side effects is considered nowadays an unfulfilled goals. The combination of small doses of these opioids with minimum doses of local anesthetics, provide an excellent analgesia. The histopathological studies was done on 20 dogs which injected intrathecally with different doses of clonidine alone and in combination with bupivacaine and morphine for one single injection. Specimens were taken from spinal cord and brain. The histopathological changes in all injected dogs were mild and did not have any nervous manifestation after injection of drugs, except group which injected with clonidine, morphine and bupivacaine and the changes were in the form of degenerated neurons, satellitosis, neurophagia and lysis in some Purkinje cells

Preparación y toxicidad in vitro de un conjugado entre el factor de crecimiento epidérmico y la adriamicina / Preparation and in vitro toxicity between a conjugate of Epidermal Growth Factor and adriamycine

La principal dificultad de la terapia del cáncer en la actualidad es la utilización de agentes tóxicos cuya actividad antitumoral no es específica. Por tal razón se ha pensado en la unión de agentes tóxicos como toxinas o drogas a factores de crecimiento, hormonas y anticuerpos monoclonales para lograr toxicidad específica sobre las células cancerosas. En este trabajo se presenta la construcción de un conjugado mediante una unión covalente entre el factor de crecimiento epidérmico (EGF) y la adriamicina (ADM). El conjugado retiene la habilidad del EGF de reconocer sus receptores en células de carcinoma mamario, sin perder afinidad y la ADM retiene su toxicidad. La toxicidad del conjugado fue revertida por adición de un exceso de EGF libre y fue dependiente de la cantidad de receptores de EGF presentes en la superficie celular

Effect of 'Arogyavardhini' against carbon tetrachloride induced hepatic damage in albino rats.

'Arogyavardhini'-an indigenous formulation was evaluated for its hepatoprotective activity in rats, using two models of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) hepatic damage, one simulating vital hepatitis and the other simulating fatty change. The protective effect was assessed from serum aspartate transaminase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase levels and from histopathological changes in liver. The results revealed that 'Arogyavardhini' (5 mg/100g, PO daily) was effective in minimizing the changes in serum levels of AST and alkaline phosphatase induced by CCI. The protective effect was also evident on histopathological examination.

The effect of sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine on gametocytes in falciparum malaria.

A study of the effect of sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine (Fansidar) on P. falciparum's gametocytes in peripheral blood was carried out in Western Thailand. One group of 77 patients with asexual form P. falciparum sensitive to Fansidar were followed weekly to detect the appearance and the duration of gametocytes in peripheral blood after Fansidar treatment on the basis of thick blood film examination. Another group of 14 patients with sexual form P. falciparum was not given any antimalarial treatment and also followed up weekly. No significant difference of average duration of detectable gametocytes was observed between the groups. The average number of days that gametocytes appeared after asexual form in patients receiving treatment was the same as in the untreated group. It is unlikely that Fansidar has the stimulating effect on gametocytogenesis as previously reported.

Susceptibility of Salmonella typhi to chloramphenicol, ampicillin and cotrimoxazole.

Salmonella typhi isolated from the patients admitted to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Bangkok, were tested by the tube dilution method and the disc diffusion method against chloramphenicol, ampicillin and cotrimoxazole. Forty-five percent of the S.typhi were resistant to chloramphenicol (MIC greater than or equal to 50 microgram/ml) while 5% were resistant to ampicillin (MIC greater than or equal to 12.5 microgram/ml). Only 1% of the S. typhi was found to be resistant to cotrimoxazole (MIC greater than or equal to 168 microgram of trimethoprim + sulfamethoxazole per ml.) Based on these results, the drug of choice for typhoid fever would be cotrimoxazole, especially when drug sensitivity test is not immediately available.