A double-blind study of domperidone in the symptomatic treatment of chronic post-prandial upper gastrointestinal distress.

Oral domperidone (30 mg/day) or placebo tablets were given to 41 patients presenting with symptoms of chronic post-prandial dyspepsia, in a double blind study. The tablets were taken three times a day before meals. The first part of the study lasted four weeks and was followed by a second four week period in which domperidone was given on an open basis to all subjects. At the end of the double-blind phase all indices but one (bitter regurgitation) as well as the gastro-oesophageal reflux cluster had significantly improved on domperidone treatment while none had done so on placebo. During the subsequent open four weeks of domperidone all items improved in both study groups. No side effects were seen in any of the participants in the study.

[Morphological and histological study of neocortex of bovides (Antilopinae, Cephalophinae) and Tragulidae with comments on evolutionary development]. / Morphologische und histologische Untersuchungen am Neocortex von Boviden (Antilopinae, Cephalophinae) und Traguliden mit Bemerkungen zur Evolutionshöhe

1. Macroscopical and histological studies on the neocortex of the cerebrum of small Artiodactyla (Tragulidae, Cephalophinae, Antilopinae) lead to some informations on the level of evolution of these animals. 2. A big part of the macroscopical investigations (pattern of sulci, relations between bodyweight and brainweight on the one hand and surface of neocortex on the other hand) already had been realized by HAARMANN and OBOUSSIER (1972). Therefore in this paper only the results for the Tragulidae and Cephalophus sylvicultor are added. The first are relatively primitive, while the latter obviously is a higher developed animal. C. sylvicultor fits into the general scheme of the brain of the Cephalophinae. 3. The investigations are complemented by microscopical investigations (histology of the neocortex: number of nerve cells per volume unit, gray cell and cortex coefficient, thickness of the neocortex). The knowledge of the evolution level obtained by macroscopical methods is confirmed. The Tragulidae are clearly separated from the other Artiodactyla as primitive animals, whereas the Cephalophinae measured with the cortex coefficient are the most developed, most "intelligent" Bovidae so far analyzed in this paper. The Antilopinae reach only lower coefficients. This subfamily may be separated into three groups (Antilopini, Neotragini, Oreotragus). The differences between the Antilopinae and the Cephalophinae are not so striking as between these Bovidae and the Tragulidae.