Pulmonary disease after amitriptyline overdosage

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Bacteriaemia following urological surgery

This is a study of postoperative bacteriaemia in 100 consecutive patients having urological surgery under general anaesthesia. Bacteriaemia was noted in 12 per cent of patients and was found to be much commoner in patients having prostatic surgery than in those having bladder, ureteral, or upper urinary-tract surgery. Bacteriaemia was commoner in those patients whose urine was infected at the time of operation. The use of prophylactic antimicrobial cover in patients with infected urine is discussed.

Reduced carcinogenic effects of aflatoxin in rats given phenobarbitone

Rats were fed a diet containing 50 per cent peanut meal contaminated with aflatoxins (Rosetti meal) for a period of 9 weeks. All the survivors developed liver tumours in the next 2 yr. Rats given the same diet plus phenobarbitone showed a much delayed appearance of tumours, the malignant characteristics of the tumours were diminished and the premalignant histological changes in the liver were reduced. We suggest that phenobarbitone induces liver hydroxylation enzymes that metabolise aflatoxins to noncarcinogenic products.

Weight-reducing effect of diguanides in obese non-diabetic women

A double-blind trial was carried out to assess the weight-reducing effect of the diguanides in 90 women with refractory obesity and normal oral glucose tolerance. The daily dosage of phenformin and metformin was increased at weekly intervals up to 300 mg. and 3 g. respectively, and patients were maintained at this dose or on the maximum they could tolerate without anorexia or other gastrointestinal side-effects. Seventy-seven completed the 16-week period of study. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean weight change of the control and the treated groups, but no difference between those treated by phenformin or metformin. The weight-losing influence of the diguanides appeared to be no longer significant after the twelfth week of treatment.

Cryogenic surgery of the prostate

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