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Biomedical subjects

G R Hasegawa

Publications and source records attributed to G R Hasegawa.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Pharmacy in the American Civil War.

The role of pharmacists and the process of military drug supply in the American Civil War are described. Most raw drugs used in the United States in the mid-1800s were imported. During the Civil War, imports into the North continued, but the Union blockade forced the Confederacy to obtain medicines through means such as smuggling, capture of enemy supplies, and processing of indigenous medicinal plants. Medical supplies for Civil War troops were typically purchased by military physicians called medical purveyors and sometimes by pharmacists serving as acting medical purveyors. In the latter half of the war, U.S. Army medical laboratories, in which many pharmacists were employed, inspected purchases, repackaged supplies bought in bulk, and manufactured medicines from raw materials. The Confederacy also had medical laboratories, which were primarily responsible for manufacturing medicines from indigenous plant material but also inspected drugs that had been smuggled into the South. At a few large Union medical depots, pharmacists called medical storekeepers assumed many of the responsibilities of medical purveyors by receiving, storing, issuing, and accounting for supplies. Noncommissioned officers called hospital stewards assumed diverse duties that included dispensing drugs prescribed by military physicians. Although many hospital stewards were pharmacists or physicians, others had no previous pharmaceutical experience. Civilian pharmacists were employed in the medical laboratories and in military general hospitals. Pharmacists participated in nearly every aspect of military drug supply during the Civil War.

History, 19th Century↗
PubMed1988

Nicardipine, nitrendipine, and bepridil: new calcium antagonists for cardiovascular disorders.

The chemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, clinical uses, and adverse effects of nicardipine, nitrendipine, and bepridil are reviewed. Nicardipine, nitrendipine, and bepridil are calcium antagonists under investigation for the treatment of cardiovascular disorders. Nicardipine and nitrendipine share a common dihydropyridine nucleus with the calcium antagonist nifedipine; bepridil is unrelated to other known calcium antagonists. Like nifedipine, nicardipine and nitrendipine produce peripheral vasodilation as their predominant in vivo effect. Bepridil has vascular, sinoatrial and atrioventricular nodal, and myocardial effects qualitatively similar to those of the calcium antagonist verapamil; it also interferes with the fast sodium channel and prolongs refractoriness in atrial and ventricular tissue. Nicardipine and nitrendipine undergo extensive first-pass hepatic extraction after oral administration; oral bioavailability of bepridil is about 60%. All three drugs are highly protein bound and have been reported to increase plasma digoxin concentrations. Both nicardipine and nitrendipine are effective antihypertensive agents used alone or combined with diuretics, beta blockers, or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Nicardipine and bepridil effectively control angina, and preliminary studies indicate that nitrendipine has antianginal properties. Bepridil may be useful in the treatment of various cardiac arrhythmias; however, its tendency to cause or worsen cardiac arrhythmias and its association with torsade de pointes may limit its usefulness. Nicardipine and nitrendipine have similar adverse effect profiles, with vasodilation-related complaints being most common. Since nicardipine, nitrendipine, and nifedipine are similar in efficacy and safety, the eventual availability of sustained-release dosage forms may determine how these drugs are ultimately used. Bepridil is an effective antianginal drug, but, because of its proarrhythmic potential, it should probably not be used as a first-line agent.

Bepridil↗