A breath test to assess compliance with disulfiram.

Aims: To evaluate the ability of a hand-held breath analyser, the Zenalyser((R)) (Zenics Medical), to identify alcohol-dependent patients receiving disulfiram therapy and to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the instrument at different time intervals post-disulfiram dosing.

Design: Breath samples were taken from two groups of alcohol-dependent patients, one group on a daily disulfiram regimen and one group receiving no disulfiram. The breath samples were analysed for the combined concentration of carbon disulphide and acetone produced from the metabolism of disulfiram.

Teaching sex education improves medical students' confidence in dealing with sexual health issues.

Medical students at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland can volunteer to participate in an undergraduate options project that gives them the opportunity to provide sex education for secondary school (high school) pupils. Using a questionnaire presenting a set of fictional case histories, we assessed medical students' theoretical confidence at dealing with sexual health consultations. Students who had participated in delivering peer-led sex education felt significantly more confident at discussing sexual health issues with patients of all age groups (p = 0.

GSTM1 null polymorphism at the glutathione S-transferase M1 locus: phenotype and genotype studies in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis.

Studies were carried out to test the hypothesis that the GSTM1 null phenotype at the mu (mu) class glutathione S-transferase 1 locus is associated with an increased predisposition to primary biliary cirrhosis. Starch gel electrophoresis was used to compare the prevalence of GSTM1 null phenotype 0 in patients with end stage primary biliary cirrhosis and a group of controls without evidence of liver disease. The prevalence of GSTM1 null phenotype in the primary biliary cirrhosis and control groups was similar; 39% and 45% respectively.

Preliminary study to assay plasma amethocaine concentrations after topical application of a new local anaesthetic cream containing amethocaine.

Plasma concentrations of amethocaine were measured after topical application of amethocaine cream 2 g (5% w/w) to the dorsum of the right hand of 10 adult volunteers. The cream was applied for 240 min and plasma was assayed for amethocaine and its metabolite p-n-butylaminobenzoic acid at 0, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 240 min in all 10 volunteers, and at 360 min in seven volunteers, by high pressure liquid chromatography. No amethocaine was detected in the plasma of seven volunteers.

The human glutathione S-transferases: a case-control study of the incidence of the GST1 0 phenotype in patients with adenocarcinoma.

The suggestion that individuals with the GST1 0 phenotype have a greater susceptibility to carcinogens than those with other GST1 phenotypes has been examined by using a starch gel zymogram approach to compare the frequency of this phenotype in control subjects and a group of patients with adenocarcinoma of stomach and colon. A significantly greater proportion of the patients with adenocarcinoma demonstrated the null phenotype, odds ratio analysis indicating that individuals with this polymorphic variant have an approximately 3-fold greater risk of developing these cancers.