A double-blind controlled study to compare the efficacy of an antacid plus oxethazaine with that of an antacid alone in the treatment of pain due to gastric or duodenal ulceration.

A double-blind study was carried out in 40 patients with typical ulcer pain and suffering from gastric or duodenal ulcer to compare the pain-relieving efficacy of oxethazaine/magnesium and aluminium hydroxide mixture with that of the antacid combination alone. Patients took 8 ml doses of either treatment when necessary over a period of 4 weeks. Both treatment regimens were equally effective in reducing the painful symptoms of peptic ulceration, but the total volume of medication required to achieve adequate symptomatic relief was less in patients taking antacid plus oxethazaine than in patients taking antacid alone. It is suggested that the combination of oxethazaine plus antacids, therefore, is to be preferred, because, by allowing a reduction in the intake of antacid, the risk of side-effects due to antacid therapy is thereby reduced.

Monitoring O3 with solar-blind Raman lidars.

The benefits of retrieving ozone concentration profiles by a use of a single Raman signal rather than the Raman differential absorption lidar (DIAL) technique are investigated by numerical simulations applied either to KrF- (248 nm) or to quadrupled Nd:YAG- (266 nm) based Raman lidars, which are used for both daytime and nighttime monitoring of the tropospheric water-vapor mixing ratio. It is demonstrated that ozone concentration profiles of adequate accuracy and spatial and temporal resolution can be retrieved under low aerosol loading by a single Raman lidar because of the large value of the ozone absorption cross section both at 248 nm and at 266 nm. Then experimental measurements of Raman signals provided by the KrF-based lidar operating at the University of Lecce (40 degrees 20'N, 18 degrees 6'E) are used to retrieve ozone concentration profiles by use of the Raman DIAL technique and the nitrogen Raman signal.

Water-vapor mixing-ratio measurements in the solar-blind region.

It is shown that, under clear sky conditions, water-vapor mixing-ratio measurements by solar-blind Raman lidars can be improved if the differential transmissivity is calculated by use of a single Raman signal instead of the usual Raman differential absorption lidar method, which allows one to exploit the large absorption cross section of ozone in this spectral region. We present a discussion of statistical and systematic errors in both methods and show the results of a numerical simulation.

Orgotein as a radioprotector in normal tissues. Experiments on mouse skin and a murine adenocarcinoma.

The effects of Orgotein (a superoxide dismutase) on the radiation response of normal and malignant murine tissue in vivo were evaluated. The observations were made on the mouse hind leg bearing, in some cases, an adenocarcinoma. The following irradiation protocols were tested: 1) single dose (e.g., 35 and 53 Gy), 2) conventional fractionation (3 Gy/day, 5 days a week) and 3) multiple fractions per day (2 X 3 Gy/day, 3 h fractionation interval, 5 days a week). Radiation was either delivered alone or preceded by a subcutaneous injection of 20, 100 or 400 mg/kg Orgotein administered 1 or 2 h before the beginning of irradiation. No effects of Orgotein on tumor radiation response were detected. A protective effect on normal tissue was observed when radiation was delivered according to aggressive protocols and a relatively high dosage of Orgotein was administered. Furthermore, an accelerated trend of recovery of normal tissue was observed.

Induction of ovulation with purified urinary follicle-stimulating hormone in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Purified urinary follicle-stimulating hormone was used to induce ovulation in 18 patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome. Each ampule contained 75 IU of follicle-stimulating hormone and less than 0.11 IU of luteinizing hormone. Initial doses were 150 to 225 IU/day, later increased to a maximum of 375 IU, according to daily clinical controls and estradiol values. After 12 to 16 days, follicle-stimulating hormone treatment was suspended. Within 36 to 48 hours each patient received 5000 or 10,000 IU of human chorionic gonadotropin, rarely more. Ovulation occurred in 39 of 43 treatment cycles and hyperstimulation in nine. Seven patients had normal pregnancies with viable fetuses, including one pair of twins. Two had abortions. Analysis of the endocrine situation during therapy does not permit either pregnancy or hyperstimulation to be predicted. However, hyperstimulation is frequently accompanied by endogenous luteinizing hormone peaks and greater estradiol increases during the final phase of induction. Purified follicle-stimulating hormone has thus demonstrated its validity in inducing ovulation in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome, apparently with equal or lower risks of hyperstimulation than with other gonadotropin preparations.

Induction of ovulation and pregnancy with HU-FSH (Metrodin) in women with polycystic ovarian disease: summary of clinical experience.

Ten infertile patients with polycystic ovaries, who failed to conceive with clomiphene citrate, were treated with human urinary follicle stimulating hormone. In the same group of subjects, three cycles of treatment were performed to induce ovulation and pregnancy. Ovulation occurred in sixteen cycles out of eighteen. Eight pregnancies were obtained; three ended in abortions, one was an extra-uterine pregnancy and four resulted in normal deliveries. No cases of real hyperstimulation were observed.