Acupuncture in bronchial asthma.

By now, there is adequate clinical experience of treating bronchial asthma with acupuncture. It has a limited role in treating acute attacks since it is a weak bronchodilator, but it has an excellent prophylactic effect in the long run. Controlled trials have shown that acupuncture causes modest improvement in objective parameters, with significant subjective improvement. However, in all these trials there is a large degree of variation in the technique and methodology used. It is expected that with standardization of the technique as per the guidelines given, future trials will be able to quantify the efficacy of acupuncture in bronchial asthma. In addition, investigation of the mechanism by which acupuncture works may lead to better understanding of the pathophysiology of asthma.

Acupuncture--a critical evaluation.

Acupuncture is a traditional form of Chinese medicine which has been in practice for over 3000 years. It was not accepted in the West mainly due to cultural barriers. However, research during the last decade has established the physiological basis of acupuncture. Although it is mainly used for chronic musculoskeletal pain in the West, it also has a place in the treatment of various non-painful disorders like bronchial asthma, alcohol and nicotine addiction and functional gastrointestinal disorders. Controlled trials published in the literature have many methodological flaws, and these can be rectified by standardisation of acupuncture technique. Since traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine differ in their concepts of anatomy, physiology and systems of diagnosis, it is not possible to reconcile them into a common language. However, it is possible for them to co-exist.

Comparative evaluation of the antipyretic efficacy of ibuprofen and paracetamol.

An open multicentric trial was conducted on 175 patients to compare the antipyretic efficacy of ibuprofen (7 mg/kg) and paracetamol (8 mg/kg). Children between the age of 4 months and 12 years with fever were admitted to the study, 85 in the ibuprofen group and 90 in the paracetamol group. The axillary temperatures were recorded at half hourly intervals for 2 hours. The mean fall in temperature at 1, 1.5 and 2 hours was similar in both groups and the differences were not statistically significant (p greater than 0.05). At half hour, the fall in temperature (mean +/- SEM) for ibuprofen was 0.1975 +/- 0.0409 and for paracetamol was 0.3843 +/- 0.0490. This absolute difference of 0.19 degrees C was statistically significant (p less than 0.05). We conclude that ibuprofen has antipyretic activity comparable to that of paracetamol and that it could be a valuable alternative antipyretic in clinical practice. There is a need to repeat this trial with higher doses of ibuprofen, to establish a dose response of the drug, if any, and to find an optimally effective dose.

The binding of divalent metal ions to polyelectrolytes in mixed counterion systems. I. The dye spectrophotometric method.

The dye spectrophotometric method for the measurement of the activity of divalent metal ions in polyelectrolyte solutions containing added electrolytes is discussed. The method is applied to mixtures containing the dextransulfate polyanion, NaCl, and MgCl2 or Ca2. A two wavelength ratio method as applied to polyelectrolyte solutions is compared to the standard method which makes use of the previous determination of the dye-metal ion formation constant. The ratio method is found to be a convenient and reliable method which is not influenced by decomposition of the dye or by statistical errors in the extrapolation procedure. The activity coefficients as determined by the two wavelength dye spectrophotometric method are compared to results of Donnan exclusion measurements, and of EMF measurements using a calcium ion selective electrode. The results of the spectrophotometric method are equal to those of the two other methods within the limits of error in the latter. The spectrophotometric measurements can extend to much lower ion activaties than the other two methods, and can be done in the presence of a large excess of added electrolyte, yielding results of considerably improved precision when compared to Donnan and EMF methods.

The binding of divalent metal ions to polyelectrolytes in mixed counterion systems. II. Dextransulfate-Mg2+ and dextransulfate-Ca2+ in solutions containing added NaCl or KCl.

Measurements of magnesium and calcium ion activities in solutions of the polyelectrolyte dextransulfate, with added sodium chloride or potassium chloride are presented. A two wavelength dye spectrophotometric method is used. Dextransulfate concentrations Cp (expressed as moles sulfate ion/litre) vary between 0.001 and 0.007, total ionic strengths between 0.005 and 0.08 mole/XXX. Divalent metal ion concentrations are varied between 0 and 1.2 Cp. The results for the metal ion activities are expressed in the form of parameters theta2 = C2/Cp (C(2bp) = bound divalent metal ion concentration) and K2 = theta2/(C2-C2b). For each divalent/univalent counterion pair the values obtained for theta2 and K2 as a function of C2,Cp, and ionic strength are compared to predictions of the "two variable theory" developed for these mixed counterion systems by Manning. This comparison shows that the observed decrease in theta2 with increasing ionic strength at fixed C2 and Cp is generally well predicted by the two variable theory. The extent of divalent ion binding at a given C2, Cp, and ionic strength is largest for the Ca/Na counterion combination, and lowest for the Mg/K combination.

Transference numbers, polyion mobilities, and charge fractions in aqueous solutions of lithium, sodium, and potassium dextransulfate.

Results of Hittorf type transference number measurements are reported for aqueous solutions of lithium, sodium, and potassium dextransulfate (DS) in the concentration range 0.008-0.09 moles of sulfate groups per liter. The results for the polyion transference number are combined with equivalent conductance measurements reported earlier to calculate the polyion equivalent conductance, and the polyion charge fraction based on Wall's method. Our results show that the transference number of this high charge density polyion is larger than unity over the entire concentration range studied, and decreases monotonously with increasing concentration. The calculated charge fraction f of the polyion increases with increasing concentration, and at any concentration/decreases in the order LiDS > NaDS > KDS. A comparison between the conclusions derived from these transport experiments and from both mean and single ion activity measurements in dextransulfate solutions shows the considerable uncertainties involved in either of these methods, and emphasizes the need for the application of a variety of techniques, including spectroscopic techniques, to determine differential ion binding by polyions.

Mean activity coefficients for the simple electrolyte in aqueous mixtures of polyelectrolyte and simple electrolyte. V. Common counterion mixtures of alkali-metal dextransulfates with alkali metal chlorides.

Mean molal activity coefficients of simple electrolyte in aqueous solutions of Li, Na, K or Cs salts of dextransulfate (DS) with added LiCl, NaCl, KCl or CsCl are reported. The measurements were carried out by means of an electrochemical cell method using a cation exchange membrane as cation selective electrode and Ag/AgCl electrodes. For LiDS-LiCl, NaDS-NaCl and CsDS-CsCl systems the polymer concentration, mp, was varied from 0.0088 to 0.113 m and at a given mp the ratio X of the polymer to salt concentration was varied from 0.5 to 16. Due to the insolubility of KDS in high concentration of KCl, the measurements on KDS-KCl system were performed in the mp range of 0.0088--0.089 m and some of the smaller X values were omitted. The activity coefficient results are compared to Manning's limiting laws, the additivity rule, and to new limiting laws. The additivity rule can give an excellent representation of the data for all mp values when gammap is used as an adjustable parameter.