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Biomedical subjects

B Conway

Publications and source records attributed to B Conway.

87 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Natural family planning.

It is now well accepted that a woman can conceive from an act of intercourse for a maximum of only about 7 days of her menstrual cycle. The reliability of natural family planning depends on identifying this window of fertility without ambiguity. Several symptomatic markers, cervical mucus and basal body temperature, have been used extensively and with considerable success in most women but failures occur. Ovarian and pituitary hormone production show characteristic patterns during the cycle. Urinary estrogen and pregnanediol measurements yield reliable information concerning the beginning, peak, and end of the fertile period, provided that the assays are accurate and performed on timed specimens of urine. We have developed such enzyme immunoassays for urinary estrogen and pregnanediol glucuronides that can be performed at home. In the early versions of the assays, enzyme reaction rates were measured by eye, but more recently, a simple photoelectronic rate meter has been used. The final problem to be solved is not technologic but whether women are sufficiently motivated to expend the same time and effort each day for 10 days a month, with less cost, on fertility awareness as they spend on making a cup of tea.

Adult↗

The metabolism of salicylidene benzylamine, a pro-drug for salicylate, in rats and dogs.

1. Oral doses of [14C]salicylidene benzylamine were well absorbed by rats and dogs and excreted mainly in the urine (92% dose by rat in 24 h and 84% by dog in 48 h). 2. After 50, 100 and 300 mg/kg oral doses to rats, peak mean plasma 14C concn. (mainly salicylic acid) of 77, 243 and 396 micrograms equiv./ml respectively were reached between 2 and 4 h and maintained at this level until about 7.5 h. 14C was cleared more rapidly from the plasma of male rats than from that of female rats. After 44, 85 and 300 mg/kg oral doses to dogs, peak mean plasma 14C concn. (mainly salicylic acid) of 114, 194 and 320 micrograms equiv./ml respectively were reached at 4 h and then declined with a half-life of 6-7 h. 3. Tissue 14C concn. in both species were greatest at the times of peak plasma 14C concn., but in general were lower than those in the corresponding plasma. 4. The major components in rat and dog urine were salicyl alcohol, salicylic acid and salicyluric acid, the first two being excreted partly as glucuronic acid/sulphate conjugates. After initial hydrolysis of salicylidene benzylamine to salicylaldehyde, approximately equal amounts were reduced and oxidized to the corresponding alcohol and acid respectively.

Animals↗

The metabolic fate of tizoprolique acid in baboons.

1. After oral administration of the anti-lipolytic drug [14C]tizoprolique acid (2-propyl-5-carboxyl[4-14C]thiazole), to baboons (60 mg/kg), the radioactivity was well absorbed and rapidly excreted. During 6 and 24 h respectively, 60 +/- 25% (S.D.) and 90 +/- 2% were excreted in the urine. 2. Plasma concn. of 14C reached a max. (182 +/- 65, range 85-221 micrograms equiv./ml) at 1-1.5 h after an oral dose, and declined rapidly with an apparent half-life of about 0.5 h. A mean of 77 +/- 7% of the 14C in peak plasma samples was bound to plasma proteins, somewhat less than that of [14C]tizoprolique acid (84 +/- 5%). 3. Tissue concn. of 14 C were highest in an animal killed at 0.5 h after an oral dose, but were lower than those in plasma in all tissues examined except the kidneys. 4. The major metabolite of tizoprolique acid was its glycine conjugate, which accounted for about 80% dose excreted in the 24 h urine. About 2% dose was excreted as unchanged drug. About 70% and 20% respectively of plasma 14C were associated with the unchanged drug and its glycine conjugate during the period 15 min to 4 h after dosing.

Absorption↗

Alkali retinopathy.

Two patients were seen with intense alkali burns of the eye and prominent chorioretinal damage. The course of one case illustrates the development of such lesions. The second case suggests that retinal damage can be the limiting factor in the visual prognosis following such burns.

Adult↗

Absorption and disposition of econazole nitrate after application to the skins and vaginas of rabbits.

1. The absorption and tissue distribution of radioactivity has been studied in rabbits after application of a cream containing 10 mg of the 3H-labelled 1-(2,4-dichloro-beta-[(p-chlorobenzyl)oxy]phenethyl) imidazole nitrate (econazole nitrate, Pevaryl) to the normal or abraded skins of rabbits. 2. Approximately one-third of the dose was absorbed through the occluded normal skins of rabbits during 8 days, mainly during 7 to 24 h. In the same time interval, slightly more of the dose was absorbed through the occluded abraded skins of rabbits at slightly greater rates. Co-formulation of triamcinolone acetonide in the cream reduced and delayed the peak rates of absorption through normal and abraded skin, but the extent of absorption during 8 days was similar in the presence or absence of triamcinolone acetonide. 3. After application to normal skin or abraded skin, the peak of mean concentrations in the plasma of 220 ng/ml (range 132-276 ng/ml) or 307 ng/ml (range 270-321 ng/ml), respectively, occurred at 24 h. Tissue distribution of radioactivity was similar after application to normal or abraded skin, and concentrations were highest in the liver, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract (which are the organs of biotransformation and excretion) and also in the adrenals and to a lesser extent in the uterus, ovaries and untreated skin. 4. After application of a cream containing 5 mg of 3H-econazole nitrate to the vaginas of rabbits, approximately one-third of the dose was absorbed during 8-24 h, and rates of excretion were higher through the more permeable vaginal membrane. 5. After vaginal doses of 5 mg, a peak concentration of 209 ng/ml occurred at 6 h in the plasma. Tissue concentrations of radioactivity after vaginal doses were highest in liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, adrenals and ovaries, and the tissue distribution was similar to that observed after cutaneous doses.

Administration, Oral↗

Human immunodeficiency virus-associated progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy: apparent response to 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine.

We present the case of a 26-year-old human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive man who developed progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy as the initial manifestation of AIDS. He appears to have responded dramatically to therapy with 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT). His neurologic status deteriorated shortly after an AZT dose reduction. He has stabilized since resuming his previous AZT dose. Although it remains unclear whether AZT is useful in the treatment of JC virus infection, we think that all AIDS patients with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy should be offered treatment with AZT, especially in light of recent reports describing a possible potentiation of human immunodeficiency virus infection of the central nervous system in this setting.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Retinal pigment epithelial hyperplasia assuming tumor-like proportions. Report of two cases.

Two patients who had highly elevated pigmented masses associated with a chorioretinal scar were observed clinically for several years. The scar was due to presumed histoplasmosis in one patient and toxoplasmosis in the other. Histopathological examination disclosed choroidal and subretinal masses consisting of hyperplastic retinal pigment epithelium. The difficulty in making the diagnosis of RPE hyperplasia in such instances is discussed.

Choroid↗

Energy and rate dependence of diagnostic x-ray exposure meters.

Variations in x-ray exposure measurements among a variety of contemporary diagnostic exposure meters are investigated. Variations may result from systematic errors due to calibration, beam-quality dependence and exposure-rate dependence. It is concluded that the majority of general purpose diagnostic meters will agree to within 10% of each other if exposure rates are below 1.3 mC kg-1S-1 of air (5 R s-1) and beam qualities are typical for general purpose radiology, excluding mammography. For exposure rates comparable to those in barium enema radiography the variations can range up to 25% or more. Variations up to 40% were observed among general purpose exposure meters at mammographic beam qualities. In the mammographic range, mammographic (thin window) exposure meters varied by no more than 2%.

Biophysical Phenomena↗