Cocaine/polydrug use in pregnancy: two-year follow-up.

The impact of cocaine on pregnancy and neonatal outcome has been well documented over the past few years, but little information regarding long-term outcome of the passively exposed infants has been available. In the present study, the 2-year growth and developmental outcome for three groups of infants is presented: group 1 infants exposed to cocaine and usually marijuana and/or alcohol (n = 106), group 2 infants exposed to marijuana and/or alcohol but no cocaine (n = 45), and group 3 infants exposed to no drugs during pregnancy. All three groups were similar in racial and demographic characteristics and received prenatal care through a comprehensive drug treatment and follow-up program for addicted pregnant women and their infants. The group 1 infants demonstrated significant decreases in birth weight, length, and head circumference, but by a year of age had caught up in mean length and weight compared with control infants. The group 2 infants exhibited only decreased head circumference at birth. Head size in the two drug-exposed groups remained significantly smaller than in control infants through 2 years of age. On the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, mean developmental scores of the two groups of drug-exposed infants did not vary significantly from the control group, although an increased proportion of group 1 and 2 infants scored greater than two standard deviations below the standardized mean score on both the Mental Developmental Index and the Psychomotor Developmental Index compared with the control infants. Cocaine exposure was found to be the single best predictor of head circumference.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Monoclonal antibodies to bis-indole alkaloids of Catharanthus roseus and their use in enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent-assays.

High affinity monoclonal antibodies directed against bis-indole alkaloids from Catharanthus roseus were produced. Once characterized, they were used to develop sensitive enzyme-linked-immuno-sorbent-assays, enabling us to determine minute quantities of alkaloids related to vinblastine in plant material.

A radioimmunoassay for the antimalarial drug chloroquine.

We describe a 3H-based RIA for the antimalarial drug chloroquine (CLQ), the most commonly used antimalarial drug. In the assay a monoclonal antibody is used that is directed against 4-amino-7-chloroquinoline conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin by the glutaraldehyde method. Besides CLQ, this antibody also recognizes with good affinity the 4-aminoquinoline homologs, hydroxychloroquine and amodiaquine. No extraction step or sample preparation is required, and the method can detect as little as 10 micrograms/L, the lower concentration in plasma of humans who are taking CLQ as a preventive measure. The between-assay CV is less than or equal to 10%, the within-assay CV less than or equal to 3%. Results correlate with those by liquid chromatography (r2 = 0.96). The speed and simplicity of the RIA method make it useful in evaluating the CLQ concentrations in acutely toxic patients.

Monoclonal antibodies to lipophilic and short-sized haptens: application to the 4-amino-quinoline antimalarial drugs.

Monoclonal antibodies recognizing the 4-amino-7-chloro-quinoline (ACQ) structure, which represents the backbone of the 4-amino-quinoline antimalarial drugs, were obtained in mice, after injection of ACQ coupled to hemocyanin via the glutaraldehyde method. The resulting antibodies show a definite specificity to this hapten, but react better with compounds substituted on the exocyclic amino group in 4. It is postulated that the quinoline ring is not sufficient for the reaction with the antibodies, and that an enlarged structure, which is given by the bridge used to link hapten and carrier, entails an important increase (1000-fold) in the apparent affinity. The striking similarities between this bridge and the lateral chains of the antimalarial drugs are accountable for this enhanced recognition. This result allows us to indicate that in some instances, the bridge-structure of the immunogen should be positively involved in the epitope. This observation may become useful in the conception of immunogens, aiming to obtain antibodies directed against some lipophilic and small-sized haptens.