Levels of glutathione and some biogenic amines in the human brain putamen after traumatic death.

Mexico City is among the world's largest metropolitan city centers and one of the most difficult and challenging cities in which to drive a motor vehicle. During peak transit hours and maximum congestion, numerous accidents occur, many of them fatal. The aim of the study presented here was to analyze the levels of select indicators against oxidative stress and levels of biogenic amines as a consequence of accident or altercation and fear deaths. Eighteen cases were studied (sixteen males, two females). Subjects ranged from twelve to eighty-one years of age. Nine of the deaths studied were the result of motor vehicle or subway accidents. Eight of the eighteen deaths were the result of a violent altercation, while one of the deaths resulted from a drug overdose and cardiac arrest. Biopsies of cadaver putamen were homogenized and analyzed for Tryptophan (Trp), 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA), Dopamine (DA), and Glutathione (GSH) levels by fluorometric methods. Trp, 5-HIAA, DA, and GSH levels showed an increase in the subjects who's death was caused by violent altercation combined with fear, while DA levels showed significant differences in all accident groups. This data suggest that biogenic amines in cadaver putamen tissue, such as DA, can be telling biochemical markers, indicative of altercation and fear deaths.

Parenteral nutrition given to children and adults: experience of a procedure applied in Mexico.

Nutritional support is a critical step in caring for hospitalized patients both to avoid possible metabolic alterations that would worsen the patient's condition, or as a direct result of a particular disease. The purpose of the present study was to describe a procedure for the prescription of total parenteral nutrition (TPN), its administration, monitoring and the complications experienced in a third level hospital in Mexico, as applied to pediatric and adult patients given TPN. The study was carried out for a period of 30 months. TPN was prescribed according to the clinical status of patients. The study reviewed 4,000 parenteral nutrition records from January 2005 to June 2007 (30 months). Based on data here presented a guideline was applied to improve the nutritional support of patients as part of the need to ensure their recuperation during their hospitalization. We observed that TPN must be individualized, based on daily nutrient recommendations, which can be useful to assess the nutritional status of the hospitalized patient with diverse pathologies.

Effect of age on the pharmacokinetics of ranitidine in healthy Mexican volunteers.

UNLABELLED: Numerous reports in the literature have demonstrated changes in drug pharmacokinetics that result with age. Ranitidine is a drug commonly used in Mexico. However no reports on the pharmacokinetics of ranitidine in the Mexican population are available in the literature. The objective of this clinical trial was to evaluate the effect of age on the pharmacokinetics of ranitidine in healthy Mexican volunteers. METHODS: Twenty-one healthy Mexican volunteers were included, who were divided into three groups G1 (18-30 y), G2 (31-50 y) and G3 (51-60 y). The volunteers were given a single oral dose of 300 mg of ranitidine and blood samples were obtained, and some pharmacokinetic parameters were correlated with age. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were noted in the distribution volume (4.00 +/- 1.11 L/kg in G1, vs 2.15 +/- 1.12 L/kg in G3) of the drug. Clearance was faster among the G1 (1.11 +/- 0.12 mL/hr) group compared to the G3 group (0.58 +/- 0.19 mL/hr). Differences for AUC, t1/2 and Cmax are more evident between G1 and G3. DISCUSSION: The results of our study indicated that in patients over 50 years of age who are treated with ranitidine, the dosage of this agent should be appropriately adjusted in order to avoid adverse effects that may develop with prolonged use of the drug. However it is very important to consider that our result only reflect observations made from a single dose study, thus it is necessary to carry out study under chronic dosage treatment.

Pharmacokinetics and metabolic rates of acetyl salicylic acid and its metabolites in an Otomi ethnic group of Mexico.

The objective of this study was to determine pharmacokinetic differences of acetyl salicylic acid (ASA) and its metabolites: gentisic acid (GA), salicylic acid (SA) and salicyluric acid (SUA) between Otomies and Mesticians healthy subjects. Design. Ten Otomies and 10 Mesticians were included. After a single dose of aspirin given orally (15 mg/kg), blood and urine samples were collected at different times. Results. Pharmacokinetic parameters of salicylates showed significant differences, except distribution volume of SA, and elimination half-life of SUA. Metabolic rates of ASA showed significant differences for all rates between both groups. On the other hand, percentages of dose excreted were more reduced for SA and SUA for the Otomies than for the Mesticians. Conclusion. Results reflect differences in the hydrolysis way i.e. from ASA to SA and aromatic hydroxylation i.e. from SA to GA, which were slower in Otomies subjects, showing a possible pharmacokinetic differences about the capabilities of ASA biotransformation as a consequence of ethnic differences.

Effects of gender and phase of the menstrual cycle on the kinetics of ranitidine in healthy volunteers.

The present study was undertaken to determine if differences exist in the pharmacokinetic parameters of oral ranitidine caused by gender and stage of the menstrual cycle. The study was performed in two steps, in the first a pharmacokinetic study was performed on 10 men (average age 35.5 yrs) and 10 women (average age 34.7 yrs) during the follicular phase, and in the second the pharmacokinetic study was performed only on the same women in their luteal phase. Subjects received a tablet dose of 300 mg ranitidine, and blood samples were drawn at several times after its ingestion. Plasma ranitidine concentration was determined by high performance liquid chromatography. Comparison of the pharmacokinetic parameters of women and men revealed statistically significant differences both in distribution volume (Vd) with values of 2.0 and 6.3 l/kg, Area Under Curve (AUC) with values of 7312.15 and 11471.94 ng/ml/h, and clearance (CLt) with values of 0.65 and 0.59 l/kg/h, respectively. Several pharmacokinetic parameters in women were different in the follicular compared to the luteal phase; for example, Vd was 2.0 and 5.6 l/kg, AUC was 7312.15 and 5195.83 ng/ml/h, and CLt was 0.65 and 0.97 l/kg/h, in the respective phases. Moreover, the maximum concentration (Cmax) was 1086 ng/ml in the follicular vs. 864 ng/ml in the luteal phase. The first study detected differences between men and women in several pharmacokinetic parameters, mainly those indicative of drug availability, for example, Vd, AUC, and CLt. Comparison of data obtained in the follicular phase with those obtained in the luteal phase revealed differences in most pharmacokinetic parameters, which is seemingly indicative of the characteristic physiological changes associated with the luteal phase that largely affect the kinetics and availability of drugs such as ranitidine. Although it has been postulated that hormonal fluctuation within the menstrual cycle phase is the primary cause of documented gender differences in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs, further study of related factors is required to understand how gender and menstrual cycle rhythms affect the phannacokinetic process in their entirety.

Las directrices que rigen la terapéutica farmacológica en el recién nacido / The basis that guide pharmacological theraphy in newborn

El proceso de la vida se divide en distintas etapas vitales, una de las que más cambios sufre es la etapa de recién nacido (RN). Los cambios de origen corporal y fisiológico que se presentan en los primeros días de vida, alteran la farmacocinética y farmacodinamia de los fármacos. Además, debido a lo impredecible del desarrollo de los órganos que regulan la disposición de los medicamentos en el RN, es necesario conocer la farmacocinética de ciertos medicamentos, mientras el RN alcanza su madurez orgánica, para así ajustar la dosis de los medicamentos, sobre la base de parámetros farmacocinéticos individuales. En el presente trabajo se revisan las bases clínicas y farmacocinéticas, así como los instrumentos de control útiles para el establecimiento de una terapéutica farmacológica racional y segura en el RN.

Predición bayesiana de las concentraciones séricas de clorafenicol en niños con sepsis y desnutrición / Evaluation on the performance of bayesian adaptive control system to forecast the chloramphenicol serum concentrations in pediatric patients with sepsis and malnutrition

Objetivo. Validar los parámetros farmacocinéticos de cloranfenicol en pacientes pediátricos con sepsis y desnutrición (PPSD) por medio de un programa de predicción bayesiano para cloranfenicol en PPSD. Lugar. Hospital Pediátrico de Enseñanza de Tercer Nivel. Pacientes. Quince PPSD y diez pacientes pediátricos con sepsis sin desnutrición (PPSN), que recibieron tratamiento con cloranfenicol. Método y resultados principales. En la primera parte del estudio, los expedientes clínicos de 10 PPSD y 10 PPSN quienes habían recibido tratamiento con cloranfenicol fueron revisados. Los parámetros farmcocinéticos poblacionales para cada grupo fueron estimados por medio de un algoritmo no paramétrico de maximización de expectativas (NPEM). En la segunda parte, cinco pacientes independientes con indicadores similares de desnutrición que recibieron cloranfenicol fueron utilizados para probar el desempeño predictivo de los modelos poblacionales, utilizados éstos como distribución a priori en un programa de control adaptado bayesiano. Las concentraciones séricas de cloranfenicol predichas por el método bayesiano fueron comparadas con las concentraciones observadas. El modelo específico para PPSD permitió pronosticar las concentraciones pico y valle de cloranfenicol con menor sesgo y con una mayor precisión, comparado con el modelo poblacional de PPSN. Conclusiones. Estos datos indican que la farmacocinética de cloranfenicol en PPSD puede predecirse con un sesgo mínimo y una buena precisión utilizando un programa bayesiano, permitiendo así, un mejor control sobre el grado de exposición a esta droga y con el beneficio económico adicional de requerir de un número limitado de muestras por paciente