Gatifloxacin-associated acute hepatitis.

Gatifloxacin, a fluoroquinolone with extended gram-positive activity, has become extensively used in both the community and hospital environments. Unfortunately, concerns have been raised about the use of certain fluoroquinolones because of adverse drug reactions. A 44-year-old woman developed acute hepatitis while receiving gatifloxacin for chronic sinusitis.

Drug-food interactions in clinical practice.

Drug-food interactions are a significant problem in clinical practice. Foods may alter the effects of drugs by interfering with pharmacokinetic processes, such as absorption and elimination. For example, absorption of tetracyclines is decreased when taken with milk or other dairy products.

Possible severe thrombocytopenia associated with a single dose of plicamycin.

Objective: To report a case of possible severe thrombocytopenia associated with administration of a single dose of plicamycin.

Case Summary: A 73-year-old man with prostate cancer was admitted to the hospital with hypercalcemia (total serum calcium concentration 4.02 mmol/L) and a low baseline platelet count (152 x 10(9)/L).

Famotidine-associated mental confusion in elderly patients.

Central nervous system effects, such as mental confusion and hallucinations, have been reported with both cimetidine and ranitidine. Elderly patients with renal or hepatic dysfunction are more susceptible to these adverse reactions. We report two cases of reversible mental confusion in elderly patients with mild renal insufficiency following intravenous famotidine therapy, possibly explained by an increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier in patients with decreased renal function.

Suprofen-induced acute renal failure.

A case report of acute flank pain with reversible renal failure in a young adult after taking three doses of suprofen is presented. Blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine values returned to normal from significantly elevated levels on admission.