The Association of Antidepressants in Late Pregnancy with Postpartum Hemorrhage: Systematic Review of Controlled Observational Studies.

Despite advances in obstetric care, postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide. Prior reviews of studies published through 2016 suggest an association of antidepressant use during late pregnancy and increased risk of PPH. However, a causal link between prenatal antidepressants and PPH remains controversial.

Copperhead envenomations: clinical profiles of three different subspecies.

Copperhead envenomation cases reported in the literature frequently lack identification of the subspecies of copperhead responsible for the envenomation. Whether subspecific identity would be useful in predicting possible different toxicity profiles may have clinical relevance. We report here the clinical profiles from envenomations involving 3 different subspecies of captive adult copperhead snakes--the southern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix), the northern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen), and the broad-banded copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix laticinctus).

Immunization of rats reduces nicotine distribution to brain.

The effect of active immunization against nicotine on the initial distribution of nicotine to brain was studied in anesthetized rats. Animals received nicotine 0.03 mg/kg nicotine (equivalent to the nicotine dose absorbed by a human smoking two cigarettes) as a rapid injection in the jugular vein.

Monitoring blood levels of selected drugs. Remember to factor in the many confounding variables.

Appropriate use of various pharmacologic agents involves not only awareness of therapeutic indications and side effects but also familiarity with clinical use and timing of blood level monitoring. The effective as well as the toxic level of antiepileptic drugs varies widely among patients, so the patient's response is more important than the serum drug level. These agents may interact with other disease states, other drugs, and even other antiepileptic agents.

Active immunization alters the plasma nicotine concentration in rats.

The ability of active immunization to alter nicotine distribution was studied in rats. Animals were immunized with 6-(carboxymethylureido)-(+/-)-nicotine (CMUNic) linked to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). Antibody titers determined by ELISA, using CMUNic coupled to albumin as the coating antigen, were greater than 1:10,000.