Relation between urinary cytology abnormalities and cyclosporine A therapy in bone marrow transplant recipients.

The aim of the study was to determine the relationship, if any, between abnormalities in urinary cytology and the administration of cyclosporine A in bone marrow transplant recipients. Specific attention was given to the presence of tubular cells with round inclusions (TCRI). Two bone marrow transplant recipient groups were studied: one with allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) (20 patients) who were treated with cyclosporine A, and the other with autologous BMT (12 patients) who did not receive cyclosporine A.

Determination of bioequivalence of two furosemide preparations; the effect of high doses of furosemide on some pharmacokinetic parameters.

The bioequivalence of two oral preparations of the diuretic furosemide, namely (i) a Croatian pharmaceutical product (test preparation A) and (ii) a reference preparation B, both in a dose of 500 mg was assessed in an open, cross-over, randomized trial in 15 healthy male volunteers, in whom the HPLC method with a fluorescent detector was used to determine its concentrations. The test preparation (A) was found to achieve a considerably higher concentration (17.2 +/- 9.

Bioequivalence of two oral cyclosporine preparations.

A comparison of bioequivalence of two cyclosporine (CAS 59865-13-3) preparations was performed. Ten cyclosporine treated patients with transplanted kidneys were included. Criteria were successful transplantation and minimum period from transplantation of at least 6 months.

[Paracetamol poisoning--case report].

A case of paracetamol poisoning in 17-month-old girl is presented. Clinical features and therapeutic procedures are described. Differences in paracetamol metabolism between children and adults are compared.

Pharmacokinetic changes in patients with oedema.

The pharmacokinetics of furosemide (frusemide) in patients with oedema have been relatively well studied, but in many studies it is unclear whether the disease or the oedema per se has the major effect. The rate of absorption of oral furosemide in patients with oedema was decreased, but total bioavailability was almost unchanged. The peak serum concentration (Cmax) and time taken to achieve Cmax were either decreased or unchanged.

[Changes in plasma proteins and drug distribution in kidney and liver diseases].

Kidney and liver diseases induce alterations in drug binding to plasma proteins. These alterations are caused by qualitative and quantitative changes of plasma proteins and the presence of endogenous substances which act as competitive inhibitors of drug binding to plasma proteins. These changes are the most prominent in nephrotic syndrome and uremia among kidney diseases and in cirrhosis among liver diseases.

[Analysis of the use of digitalis in a sample of the geriatric population].

Rationality of digitalis use in 20 elderly patients in long term-care institution was analysed using the method of correlation of the past medical history, clinical examination and basic laboratory findings. After consultation of clinical pharmacologist, general practitioner and medical biochemist it was possible to stop the digoxin therapy in 6 (30%) of the patients. Four (20%) patients were hypersaturated with digoxin.

[Blue color vision as a sign of digitalis poisoning].

The paper deals with the course of the illness in a 66 years old male, who had taken an amount of 0.2 mg of medigoxin for an unknown period of time, because of chronic heart failure due to atherosclerotic heart disease and chronic atrial fibrillation. He have had a cholelithiasis also and reduced renal reserve.

[The chemical war in Croatia].

During the present war against the Republic of Croatia, chemical weapons have been used by the Yugoslav Federal Army (YFA) against both civilians and Croatian Army soldiers. The use of irritants was suspected (Vukovar, Bogdanovci and Vinkovci, October-November, 1991; Solin in the Split area, September, 1991) and proved (Velika Gorica in the Zagreb area, September, 1991; Cakovec, November, 1991) in many cases. The use of psychochemical incapacitating agents (Bilje near Osijek, July, 1991), as well as of psychostimulants in YFA own soldiers (Zadar, August, 1991) has been suspected on clinical findings or laboratory tests.

[Acute psychoses caused by digitalis poisoning].

The course of illness in a 76-year-old woman with a history of dyspnea being treated with medigoxin, 0.1 mg daily, is presented. Five days before the symptoms of acute psychosis developed she had used medigoxin, 0.

Pharmacokinetics of azithromycin after single oral dosing of experimental animals.

Azithromycin, a macrolide antibiotic with an enhanced antimicrobial spectrum, was found to have a longer half-life than erythromycin, with marked tissue penetration. The pharmacokinetics of azithromycin after oral administration were compared with those of erythromycin in rats (200 mg kg-1) and rabbits (80 mg kg-1). Concentrations of azithromycin in liver, lung, kidney, ileum, and brain were higher than serum concentrations.

The effect of food and metoclopramide on the pharmacokinetics and side effects of bromocriptine.

The effect of food and metoclopramide on the pharmacokinetics of bromocriptine was investigated in 7 healthy subjects. Plasma concentrations of bromocriptine were measured by radioimmunoassay after a single oral dose of 7.5 mg bromocriptine.

[An increase in plasma digoxin levels after discontinuation of therapy].

In this paper, a course of the disease of a 68-year-old patient treated with medigoxin for congestive heart failure is presented. After being withdrawn from his treatment at the hospital, the patient was administered spironolactone and furosemide. The plasma digoxin level at entry was 1.

Combination of cyclosporin and methotrexate for prophylaxis of acute graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for leukemia.

From May 1985 to July 1989, 76 patients with leukemia (30 acute myelogenous leukemia, 24 acute lymphoblastic leukemia and 22 chronic myeloid leukemia) were randomized to receive either cyclosporin (CSP) alone (n = 39) or CSP combined with methotrexate (CSP + MTX, n = 37) for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis. Patients were conditioned with total body radiation and cyclophosphamide followed by bone marrow infusion from an HLA-identical sibling. Engraftment of the transplanted bone marrow was similar in both groups.

[Is there a correlation between changes in the electrocardiogram and high serum digoxin levels in the aged?].

In a group of 84 patients aged 65 to 89 years with the high serum digoxin levels, electrocardiograms, as well as serum creatinine and serum potassium levels were analysed. In an electrocardiogram, a rhythm and conduction disturbances, PR interval, PTQ index, corrected QT interval, both a corrected QT interval I using the second root from a heart frequency and a corrected QT interval II using the third root from a heart frequency were studied. A rhythm disturbances were seen in 37% and a conduction disturbances in 39% of the patients, but no changes were observed in 24% of the patients.

[Ethylene glycol poisoning treated with hemodialysis].

The paper deals with the course of illness in a patient aged 56 years who had ingested accidentally an unknown amount of alcoholic drink followed by 150 ml of 95 percent solution of ethylene glycol. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit 28 hours after the accident. The serum ethylene glycol concentration reached 14 mg/100 ml.

Determination of serum diltiazem concentrations in a pharmacokinetic study using gas chromatography with electron capture detection.

An open cross-over randomized clinical trial was performed in nine healthy humans to determine steady-state pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of three oral diltiazem preparations, tablets containing 60 and 90 mg of diltiazem hydrochloride, administered in total daily doses of 180 mg. Serum drug levels were determined by gas chromatography with electron capture detection following a simple extraction procedure. Blood samples were collected before and at several post-dosing intervals after administration of the last dose in steady state, and pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated.

Determination of serum atenolol using HPLC with fluorescence detection following isolation with activated charcoal.

In order to determine the bio-availability and pharmacokinetics of two oral 100 mg atenolol preparations, a simple analytical method was developed. Atenolol was determined in serum submitted to an extraction procedure consisting of: (a) adsorption of atenolol to activated charcoal at pH 11, (b) washing the charcoal with water to remove co-extracts and (c) elution of atenolol from the charcoal with organic solvent. The extracts were then analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection.

Bacampicillin, amoxycillin and talampicillin concentrations in bronchial secretions.

There are references in the literature describing the influence of bronchial inflammation on the antibiotic concentration in bronchial secretions, including netilmicin concentrations in the bronchial secretion of patients undergoing tracheotomy. Three semi-synthetic penicillins are compared--bacampicillin, amoxicillin and talampicillin--administered frequently in the treatment of various respiratory infections. The three antibiotics were administered successively for two days each, in the same patient, irrespective of other drugs.

Determination of biological equivalence of two atenolol preparations.

In healthy volunteers (n = 8), the biological equivalence of the two oral atenolol preparations was investigated. Atenolol concentration was assessed by HPLC. Drug and internal standard were isolated by adsorption with active charcoal.