Pharmacokinetics of ceftriaxone in neonates and infants with meningitis.

The pharmacokinetics of ceftriaxone was studied in the plasma, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid of seven neonates and seven infants with meningitis. In addition, plasma and urine data were obtained in five neonates and one infant receiving ceftriaxone for other serious infections. All neonates younger than 14 days received daily doses of 50 mg/kg ceftriaxone; all other patients but two received 100 mg/kg.

Ultrastructural survey and tissue analysis of human livers after a 6-month course of etretinate.

A prospective study of the histology and ultrastructure of liver biopsies and analysis of liver tissue for retinoid was performed in twenty psoriasis patients treated with etretinate for 6 months. Nonspecific ultrastructural changes were noted in several liver specimens. Etretinate was detected in all samples.

Determination of etretinate and its main metabolite in human plasma using normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

An analytical method for the determination of two aromatic retinoids in human plasma (etretinate and its main metabolite) is described, using normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The method is highly sensitive (4 ng/ml) and selective, and allows good separation of isomerization products. Both compounds are well extracted (95%) from plasma in the practically important concentration range (10--1000 ng/ml).

Vindesine. A clinical trial with special reference to neurological side effects.

A good tumoricidal activity of vindesine (VDS) has been reported in a variety of animal tumors and in human leukemias and lymphomas. We treated 22 patients who had received no prior chemotherapy and were suffering from a variety of malignant neoplasms with 0.5 mg/m2 to 3.

Biological importance of retrograde axonal transport of nerve growth factor in adrenergic neurons.

Previous studies have shown that nerve growth factor (NGF) produces a selective induction of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in peripheral adrenergic neurons and that NGF is transported retrogradely with a high selectivity from the adrenergic nerve terminals to the perikaryon. In order to investigate the biological importance of retrograde NGF transport, the following experiments have been performed; (a) effect of NGF on TH activity in superior cervical ganglia (SCG) after unilateral injection into the anterior eye chamber and the submaxillary gland; and (b) effect of systemic injection of NGF on TH activity in SCG after blockage of retrograde axonal transport by axotomy. After unilateral injection of NGF into the anterior eye chamber and submaxillary gland of both 8-10-day-old rats and adult mice, the increase in TH activity in the SCG was considerably larger on the injected than on the non-injected side although the adrenergic neurons supplying the two organs do not account for more than 25% of the total number of adrenergic neurons in the SCG.