The cytotoxicity of psoralidin from Psoralea corylifolia.

A cytotoxic coumestan derivative, psoralidin (1), was isolated from the seed of Psoralea corylifolia. The IC50 values of 1 against SNU-1 and SNU-16 carcinoma cell lines were 53 and 203 micrograms/ml, respectively, indicating cytotoxic activity against stomach carcinoma cell lines.

Pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution changes of adriamycin and adriamycinol after intravenous administration of adriamycin to uranyl nitrate-induced acute renal failure rats.

The pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution changes of adriamycin (ADM) and adriamycinol were investigated after intravenous (i.v.) administration of ADM, 16 mg/kg, to the control and the uranyl nitrate-induced acute renal failure (U-ARF) rats. After 1 min i.v. infusion of ADM, apparent 'constant' plasma levels of ADM were maintained from 2 to 12 hr in the U-ARF rats, whereas the levels were detected for only up to 3 hr in the control rats. Adriamycinol was detected in plasma for up to 180 min for the U-ARF rats, but, it was detected for only up to 1 min for the control rats with significantly higher levels in the U-ARF rats. The mean amount of both ADM and adriamycinol excreted in urine were significantly smaller in the U-ARF rats than those in the control rats due to the decreased kidney function in the U-ARF rats. In tissue distribution studies, the amount of ADM obtained from the heart, liver, spleen, small intestine, large intestine, and fat were significantly higher in the U-ARF rats than those in the control rats. The tissue to plasma ratios of the liver, spleen, large intestine, and fat also increased significantly in the U-ARF rats than those in the control rats. The amount of adriamycinol obtained from the heart, spleen, and liver were significantly higher in the U-ARF rats. All 7 control rats survived over 48 hr whereas 6 out of 8 U-ARF rats died between 36-48 hr after i.v. administration of ADM, suggesting that the i.v. doses of ADM in acute renal failure patients may need modification if the present rat data could be extrapolated to humans.

Pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution changes of adriamycin and adriamycinol after intravenous administration of adriamycin to alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus rats.

The pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution changes of adriamycin (ADM) were investigated after intravenous (i.v.) administration of ADM, 16 mg/kg, to the control rats and alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus rats (AIDRs). After 1 min i.v. infusion of ADM, apparent 'constant' plasma levels of ADM were maintained from 2 to 12 h in the AIDRs, whereas the levels were detected only up to 3 h in the control rats. Adriamycinol was detected only up to 1 and 5 min for the control rats and AIDRs, respectively, with significantly higher levels in the AIDRs. In tissue distribution studies, the amount of ADM obtained from the heart, lung, stomach, liver, small intestine, large intestine, fat, and lymph nodes were significantly higher in the AIDRs than that in the control rats. The tissue to plasma ratios of the liver, fat, and muscle also increased significantly in the AIDRs than those in the control rats. The amount of adriamycinol obtained from the lung, kidney, and liver was significantly higher in the AIDRs. All 7 control rats survived longer than 48 h, however 7 out of 9 AIDRs died between 36-48 h after i.v. administration of ADM, suggesting that the i.v. doses. of ADM in diabetes mellitus patients may need to be modified if the present rat data could be extrapolated to human.

Propagation experiments in low-visibility atmospheres.

An experimental program aimed at measuring critical channel parameters of atmospheric optical communication channels under low-visibility weather conditions is described. Multipath and angular spectrum measurements made under a variety of weather conditions over a 13.6-km line-of-sight propagation path are reported. The latter measurements are used to examine the dependence of scattered plus unscattered optical transmission on optical thickness.