One dose toxicokinetics of aconitine in rats

Aconitine is considered a highly toxic substance, it is rapidly absorbed and metabolized and hence the importance of the presence of a sensitive, simple and non expensive method for its detection and quantification in biological samples. The old methods of aconitine detection reported lack both sensitivity and selectivity. Highly sensitive and sophisticated techniques were recently reported for the detection and characterization of aconitine in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicines. Although these recent techniques are very sensitive and specific, they are highly expensive, complicated and not available everywhere in most laboratories even in the developed countries. In the present study, a simple and sensitive photometric method was improved and made suitable for the detection and quantification of aconitine in biological samples. This study is conducted on two groups of male and female adult albino rats. Each group consists of 25 animals and divided equally into 5 subgroups. Each rat in the two groups were given sublethal doses of [1.4 mg] aconitine intragastrically. The developed photomeric method was in the assessment of the toxicokinetic parameters of aconitine [AUC, Kcl ,T[1/2],TBC and Vd] in liver, heart, stomach and urine of male and female albino rats after 1, 2, 5, 8 and 10 hours using the spectrophtometer. Sex difference was observed. The results of the present study revealed that the toxicokinetic parameters [AUC and T[1/2]] of aconitine were more significantly faster in male than female rats, however Kcl, TBC and V d were significantly lower in male rats. The detection of aconitine level was significantly increased in the liver, heart and urine of male rats compared to female rats throughout the period of the study except after 10 hours in urine and 5 hours in the heart a significant decrease was detected by the proposed method in comparison to a previous [control] method. In conclusion, the developed method of aconitine analysis is very sensitive and non expensive. It depends on the formation of molecular charge transfer [CT] molecule between the cobalt - aconitine chelate as an electron donor and chloroform [CHCL3] as an acceptor. Sex difference must be also put into consideration during the detection and assessment of aconitine toxicokinetic

Vibration pattern of different ednosonic instruments

This research was done to study the vibration patterns and displacement amplitudes of different designs endosonic files both in air and in water, to explain their efficiency and correlate it to their clinical performance. Three types of endosonic enlarging files were used in this study, namely, the K-type and the Diamond coated files. Three brands and three sized of each type were investigated. One source of vibration "ultrasonic unit" was used with all the files studied. The study was done by means of a traveling microscope and a stereo-microscope. It resulted in 30 detailed vibration patterns [in air and in water]

New method for S-T segment recording: determination of normal values and clinical application

A method is described for surface mapping of the S - T segment elevation seen in myocardial infracts which eliminates the drawbacks of methods in current use. The latter include the lack of satisfactory contact between electrode and chest wall, the- difficulty in reproducing initial points of contact at follow up studies, and the time consuming nature of these elaborate techniques. The method described was clinically applied in the evaluation of normal S - T segment elevation in normal subjects to establish whether there was any degree of variability in recordings obtained four times a day. The technique was then used to record the S- T segment behaviour, when this was elevated in patients with anterior myocardial infarcts, to determine whether this could be correlated with the evolution of the clinical picture. The new method is shown to be useful in close monitoring of such patients and may show a value in determining prognosis

Paediatric non-rheumatic myocarditis in the UAE

Four cases of non -rheumatic Myocarditis are described, presenting the paediatric age group. All patients were from the indigent population of the United Emirates with ages ranging from five months to 12 years. The three children in this group presented with an influenza -like illness and electrocardiography showed variable patterns of conduction disturbances, ranging from a prolonged P-R interval to complete heart block. The conduction disorders were transient and were unassociated with haemodynamic disturbance. One of these children showed transient T-wave inversion, and a further patient demonstrated high titre for influenza type- A. In all, serological and clinical examination excluded rheumatic aetiology. The only infant in this series presented a picture of congestive cardiac failure, proven by cardiac catheterization studies elsewhere. This patient has since compensated without anti-failure treatment. In view of the strong likelihood that the diagnosis in all these patients was that of a transient viral Myocarditis, the aetiology is discussed