[A microanalytical gas liquid chromatography method with a nitrogen-phosphorus detector in the assay of various psychotropic drugs of tricyclic structure and of their N-demethylated metabolites]

Nanogram amounts of chlorimipramine, chlorpromazine and their Nor1- and Nor2-metabolites were detected in plasma by GLC with nitrogen-sensitive detection. Two extraction procedures were compared. The use of Sep Pak C18 cartridges produced a higher degree of accuracy and precision with significant time and materials saving, as compared to the use of organic solvents in a three steps extraction procedure.

Plasma exchange in myasthenia gravis

Results obtained with P.E. therapy on 19 myasthenic patients are reported. 15 of them improved during treatment and 4 remained unchanged. We believe P.E. is an useful therapy in M.G. because it produces a rapid improvement in most patients.

Plasma exchange in radiculopolyneuropathies

The AA. report the results obtained with Plasma Exchange (P.E.) therapy on 24 cases of polyradiculoneuritis; eleven patients had typical Guillain-Barré Syndrome (G.B.S.) ten suffered from a chronic progressive form and three were affected by a relapsing form. The acute patients were selected according to criteria established by the NNCDS Committee (1978) while guidelines laid down by Pineas & Load (1978) were followed in choosing chronic cases. Patients with G.B.S. had four sessions of P.E. at intervals of one or two days while those with chronic forms of polyradiculoneuritis had a total of 6 sessions spaced one to three days apart. P.E. produced no apparent change in chronic progressive patients but two out of three cases with the chronic relapsing form showed rapid and steady improvement resulting in complete cure within a few months. Nine of the eleven G.B.S. patients showed after only one or two sessions a clear and rapid improvement which led to a complete cure within a matter of weeks. The remaining 2 cases showed only partial improvement at first and remained stationary thereafter. The findings confirm the usefulness of P.E. in acute and chronic relapsing radiculopolyneuritis. However, potential side effects and the procedure's high cost suggest that its use should be limited to carefully selected cases, and in particular to those involving respiratory disorders.

Plasma Exchange in Myasthenia Gravis

Results obtained with P.E. therapy on 19 myasthenic patients are reported. 15 of them improved during treatment and 4 remained unchanged. We believe P.E. is an useful therapy in M.G. because it produces a rapid improvement in most patients.

Clozapine inhibition of metenkephalin binding to synaptosome-enriched fractions of rat whole brain and hippocampus

Clozapine has been found to inhibit the binding of [3H]met-enkephalin to synaptosome-enriched fractions prepared from rat whole brain and hippocampus in a Tris-buffered media without added ions. The IC50 value for hippocampus is 28.5 microM. The inhibition constant for whole brain (41.0 microM) was found to be slightly larger than the corresponding value for chlorpromazine, which was measured under similar experimental conditions.

Late embolization of disc occluder of a Beall mitral prosthesis with survival

A case of arterial embolization of a Beall mitral prosthesis disc (model 104) 5 1/2 years after implantation is presented. The patient was referred to use 3 days after the onset of acute symptoms and was immediately operated upon in pulmonary edema and cardiogenic shock. The migrated disc was removed from the abdominal aorta 26 days later, showing marked signs of wear. The postoperative course was complicated and the patient made a slow recovery. It is suggested that patients with models 103 and 104 Beall mitral prostheses be followed very closely and that electric valve substitution should be considered when first signs of prosthetic attrition are noted.