Propoxyphene form maintenance treatment of narcotic addiction.

Two studies compared propoxyphene napsylate (Darvon-N) with methadone hydrochloride as maintenance treatment for narcotic addicts. Most measures indicated that methadone was more effective than propoxyphene as a maintenance drug. Patients receiving propoxyphene reported more withdrawal-related symptoms early in treatment, tended to drop out sooner than patients receiving methadone, and were more likely to abuse heroin. Nevertheless, follow-up interviews at one and six months after treatment indicated no between-group differences in adjustment.

A clinical, controlled study of l-alpha-acetylmethadol in the treatment of narcotic addiction.

The authors compared l-alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM) with methadone for clinical effectiveness in the treatment of narcotic addiction. LAAM was as effective as methadone on all outcome measures, including length of stay in treatment. Two clinicopharmacologic properties of LAAM caused some patients to ask for a switch to methadone. The authors describe these phenomena and discuss their impact on the clinical effectiveness of LAAM.

Risk for alcoholism and methadone treatment. A longitudinal study.

To investigate the relationship between methadone and alcohol abuse, 60 male veteran narcotic addicts entering a methadone maintenance program were divided into either a problem drinker group (N = 21) or a normal drinker group (N = 39) based on their drinking histories and Breathalyzer tests at admission. Their performance was monitored throughout methadone treatment. Results showed no systematic changes in alcohol use. Problem drinkers tended to be involved in more criminal activity, showed more evidence of depression and anxiety, and were more likely to continue abuse of illicit drugs. These results suggest that stabilization was not etiologically associated with alcohol abuse.

[Clinical, radiological and bacteriological study of pulmonary tuberculosis with bacteria showing drug resistance]. / Contributii la studiul clinic, radiologic si bacteriologic al tuberculozei pulmonare cu germeni cu chimiorezistenta primara.

The authors have investigated two groups of patients of young age suffering from tuberculosis with germs showing primary resistance to chemotherapeutic agents (61 cases), and with germs displaying sensitivity to these agents (64 cases). The following conclusions have been reached: tuberculosis with germs showing primary drug resistance did not display onset modalities, clinically and radiologically, that differed significantly from other types of tuberculosis; sputum conversion is more slow in patients with resistant germs than in those with sensitive germs in the first two months of treatment, but following application of the treatment according to the data resulting from the antibiogram, this differences quickly disappeared. The presence of a smaller number of complete recoveries and of a surplus of doubtful recoveries can be explained in the same way in this group of patients: the final results are similar in both groups of patients, evidencing that the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis due to germs showing parimary drug resistance does not give rise to particular problems.

Modification of the kaolin serum treatment used in the hemagglutination-inhibition test for California arbovirus encephalitis.

Modification of the pH of kaolin-serum treatment produces hemagglutination-inhibition test results comparable with the plaque neutralization test in duck embryo tissue culture; the standard treatment does not.

Enhancement of St. Louis arbovirus plaque formation by neutral red.

Experiments with St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) virus have shown that neutral red enhances the plaque size in duck embryo cell cultures. This may represent a new method for genetic studies of SLE virus population. In a mosquito pool specimen NR(+) and NR(-) particles were demonstrated. By intracerebral passage in mice, there is a selection of NR(+) particles. Similar effects were not shown for eastern, western, and California encephalitis viruses. Plaques formed by the latter virus, however, were significantly reduced in number by neutral red.