Beryllium-induced toxicity and its prevention by treatment with chelating agents.

The efficacy of Tiron and calcium disodium EDTA in the treatment of experimental beryllium intoxication was investigated in rats. Beryllium nitrate was administered intramuscularly (50 mg kg(-1)) once only, provoking duration-dependent changes. Maximum changes were recorded after a 7-day regimen. Considerable inhibition was recorded in protein and glycogen contents, as well as in the activity of alkaline phosphatase, glucose-6-phosphatase, acid phosphatase and lipid peroxidation. These parameters were restored considerably with chelation therapy, but comparatively Tiron offered better protection. These findings were further confirmed by atomic adsorption spectrophotometry. Tiron was found to be significantly more effective than CaNa(2)EDTA in reducing the beryllium concentration in the liver, kidney and lungs.

Pupillometric changes during gradual opiate detoxification correlate with changes in symptoms of opiate withdrawal as measured by the Weak Opiate Withdrawal Scale.

The relationship between pupil size and subjective symptoms of opiate withdrawal during gradual opiate agonist detoxification has not yet been studied. In the current study, the authors sought to determine the relationship between pupil size and intensity of opiate withdrawal symptoms. To accomplish this, they examined 19 subjects meeting DSM-IV criteria for opiate dependence (304.00) on agonist therapy. All subjects were undergoing opiate detoxification with either methadone or the longer-acting 1-alpha acetylmethadol (LAMM). During two separate visits, subjects' pupil sizes were assessed in the dark using a pupillometer. At each visit, subjects completed two standardized assessment tools (the Subjective Opiate Withdrawal Scale [SOWS] and the Weak Opiate Withdrawal Scale [WOWS]) for measuring subjective symptoms of opiate withdrawal. It was found that changes in pupil size significantly correlated with WOWS, but not with SOWS, scores. Larger pupil sizes were associated with less withdrawal distress. The sensitivity of the pupillometric test to detect increases in opiate craving during opiate agonist medication reduction was 92%, with a specificity of 57%. The predictive value of a positive test was 79%, whereas the predictive value of a negative test was 80%. Pupillometry may provide an objective measure of the intensity of opiate withdrawal in subjects during gradual methadone detoxification.

L-tyrosine pharmacotherapy of schizophrenia: preliminary data.

The utility of L-tyrosine (10 g/day in four divided doses) as an adjuvant to molindone (150 mg/day) in the treatment of schizophrenia was investigated using a placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover design (3 weeks on L-tyrosine, 3 weeks on placebo). The objective of this inpatient study was to increase dopaminergic neural transmission along mesocortical projections in patients by increasing the precursor availability of L-tyrosine for dopamine biosynthesis. Theoretically, this approach might lessen both negative and positive symptoms of schizophrenia and improve frontal lobe-mediated neuropsychological performance. There was no evidence of statistically significant improvement conferred by L-tyrosine as measured by weekly Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Schedule for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), or Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scales. The 12-h trough plasma level of L-tyrosine was significantly higher in all patients during the L-tyrosine phase of the study (t = -3.9, df = 20, p = 0.0009). At the end of each 3-week study period, no significant differences could be found in Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) or memory test performance. Smooth-pursuit eye movement (SPEM) performance had significantly more saccadic intrusions during the L-tyrosine supplementation phase compared to the placebo period. This increase in saccades during SPEM suggests that the tyrosine supplementation might have had some central effect.