Efficacy and tolerability of injectable collagen-containing products in comparison to trimecaine in patients with acute lumbar spine pain (Study FUTURE-MD-Back Pain).

Low back pain (LBP) represents an important subgroup of vertebrogenic pain with estimated prevalence around 80 %. Locally acting injectable collagen for topical application has recently extended the limited range of treatment options. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of injectable collagen in patients with LBP. Patients suffering from LBP (< three months) were enrolled. They were administered either collagen 4 ml or trimecaine 1 % 4 ml in the form of subcutaneous paravertebral injections into eight pre-specified points (0.5 ml per each point) in the following schedule: two administrations in the first and second week, one in the third week. The pain intensity, Thomayer distance, Oswestry disability index, Lasseque test, quality of life, consumption of rescue medication and safety were evaluated. Exertional and rest pain, evaluated by a visual analogue scale, gradually decreased in both groups. Both treatments showed a statistically significant improvement in mobility and quality of life. The consumption of paracetamol as a rescue medication was significantly lower in patients treated with collagen than in the group treated with trimecaine (p=0.048). The analgesic efficacy of locally acting injectable collagen, as well as an analgesic sparing effect when compared to local anesthetics were demonstrated.

Chronic Low Back Pain: Current Pharmacotherapeutic Therapies and a New Biological Approach.

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) syndrome represents one of the leading causes of long-term disability worldwide. The prevalence of CLBP has been rising significantly in relation to increasing average life expectancy. CLBP results from chronification of acute low back pain. There are many factors contributing to the CLBP crisis; common etiopathogenetic factors include e.g., functional blockage of intervertebral joints. The treatment of CLBP is complex. An important part of treatment consists of pain pharmacotherapy, for which several groups of drugs are used. The problem lies in the side effects of many of these traditionally used medications. Therefore, new and safer treatment methods are being sought. Innovative options for CLBP pharmacology include injections containing collagen, which can be combined with other traditionally used drugs, which helps reduce dosages and increase the overall safety of CLBP therapy.

[Intestinal malrotation in the adult: case report and review of literature]. / Malrotación intestinal en el adulto: reporte de 1 caso y revisión de la literatura.

Intestinal malrotation is a congenital anomaly of intestinal rotation and fixation that generally becomes symptomatic at the neonatal period. Uncommonly it may occur in older children and adults, requiring imaging studies to suspect and confirm the diagnosis. In this case report an intestinal malrotation in a previously asymptomatic young adult patient with acute intestinal obstruction is described.

Magnesium and biological activity of oxytocin analogues modified on aromatic ring of amino acid in position 2.

For the purpose of evaluating substitution effects in the ortho, meta or para positions of the aromatic ring of tyrosine or phenylalanine in position 2 of oxytocin on uterotonic activity in vitro in the presence and absence of magnesium ions, six new analogues of oxytocin ([D- and L-m-methylphenylalanine2]oxytocin, [D- and L-m-methoxyphenylalanine2]oxytocin and [D- and L-o-methyltyrosine2]-oxytocin) were synthesized and several previously described analogues resynthesized. For the phenylalanine series, it is found that, in the absence of magnesium ions, substitution of the ortho and meta positions leads to loss of intrinsic activity (the analogues are antagonists) in contrast to the para position. In the tyrosine series, only methyl substitution in the meta position has this effect (substitution of ortho position only attenuates the agonistic biological activity). Addition of Mg ions restores to a certain degree the agonistic activity in the case of the o-methylphenylalanine analogue and enhances the agonistic activity of o-methyltyrosine oxytocin. All other analogues keep the original qualities as in the absence of Mg. Molecular modelling calculations of the structure of the above analogues was carried out to help explain these findings of the molecular level.

Novel strategies for the design of receptor-selective vasopressin analogues: Aib-substitution and retro-inverso transformation.

1. We determined the pharmacological profile of novel backbone-modified peptides designed as protease-resistant, selective analogues of AVP. Binding affinities of peptides were determined at both V1A and V2 subtypes of vasopressin receptor (VPR). Biological potencies of selected peptides were tested in pressor and antidiuretic bioassays. 2. Substitution of the achiral alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) at position 4 or 7 of AVP produced peptides that selectively bound the V2 VPR. Both [Aib4]AVP (140 IU mg-1) and [Aib7]AVP (36 IU mg-1) are selective antidiuretic agonists with little or no activity in uterotonic and pressor assays. 3. [Aib4] and [Aib7] derivatives of the linear V1A-selective antagonist [PhaaDTyr(Et)2Arg6Tyr(NH2)9]AVP bound selectively and with high affinity (Kd 0.51 and 4.1 nM respectively) to the V1A VPR. Bioassays confirmed that these peptides were potent antivasopressor agents (pA2 8.10 and 8.36 respectively). 4. A total retro-inverso strategy was used to prepare protease-resistant mimetics of both AVP and linear V1A-selective antagonists. Cyclic retro-inverso mimetics of AVP did not bind either V1A or V2 VPRs. In contrast, rationally designed retro-inverso mimetics of linear V1A-selective antagonists selectively bound the V1A VPR. 5. Our findings indicate novel methods to improve the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic parameters of neurohypophysial hormone analogues which could be equally applicable to other peptide-receptor systems.

[Use of bromine in the detection of drugs using thin-layer chromatography]. / Pouzití bromu pri detekci léciv na tenké vrstve.

For colour identification of drugs on a thin layer bromine vapours were used. The investigated drugs were divided into those which after bromination gave a colour reaction and those which did not display this reaction.

Quantitative determination of starch, amylose, and amylopectin in plant tissues using glass fiber paper.

Methods for accurate and rapid determination of starch, amylose, and amylopectin in plant tissues are described. They are based on simplified extraction of starch with 32% perchloric acid and selective retention of the starch-iodine complex on a glass fiber disk (Whatman GF/A). The starch on the disk is dissolved in 0.75 M sulfuric acid and estimated with phenol. For amylose and amylopectin determination the starch on the disk is dissolved in perchloric acid, precipitated with ethanol, and retained on a 10-cm glass fiber strip. Both polysaccharides are separated by a chromatographic procedure involving development of the strip in a mixture of ethanol and dimethyl sulfoxide and in dimethyl sulfoxide. The strip is washed in ethanol and stained with iodine or used for polysaccharide quantitation. As little as 5 micrograms of starch or its components present in different amounts of plant material can be estimated.

Use of polyvalent cow colostrum in the prevention of enteric infections in calves and piglets.

Colostrum of cows immunized with a polyvalent vaccine against enteropathogenic strains of Escherichia coli gave good protection to piglets and calves against enteric coli infections. Bovine immunoglobulin (IgG1) and its precipitable fragments persisted in the small intestine of piglets for 6 hours after oral administration. The proteolytic breakdown of porcine colostral IgG2, which occurs predominantly in the small intestine proceeded at a higher rate than that of heterologous bovine colostral IgG1. Colostrum of cows immunized with transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE) virus by intramammary administration protected newborn piglets from virulent TGE virus on oral administration. The prevention of enteric coli infections in suckling piglets and calves in Czechoslovakia is based on vaccination of pregnant cows and sows and on additional passive protection of weanlings by oral administration of dried or liquid immune colostrum or serum of cows vaccinated with polyvalent vaccines prepared from enteropathogenic strains of E. Coli.

[Effect of various anion and cation concentrations in the diet on the utilization of calcium and phosphorus in swine]. / Enfluss einer unterschiedlichen Anionen- und Kationenkonzentration in der Diät aud die Ausnutzung von Kalzium und Phosphor bein Schweinen.

Experiments on growing swine revealed that diets with an excess of anions or cations will cause calcium and phosphorus to be utilized less. This, in turn, results in markedly decreased weight gains of the pigs and poor nutrient utilization. The diet with an excessively high concentration of anions was found to have a more unfavourable effect than diets with excessive cations. It is, therefore, recommended to carefully calculate the acid-base balance when formulating complete feed mexes for fattening pigs. The economic effect of such a practice proved high.

An autoradiographic study of DNA synthesis in lymphoid cells of leucotic and healthy cattle.

The present study on 3H-thymidine incorporation using the histouatoradiographic method showed that spontaneous DNA synthesis occurred, on average, in 0.526 (+/- 0.233) per cent of lymphoid cells in 19 cattle with the normal blood picture (6,355+/-1,866 leucocytes/cu. mm). In 17 leucotic cattle with persistent leuco- and lymphocytosis (19,138+/-8,817 leucocytes/cu. mm) the proportion of these cells was insignificantly different, hovering about 0.554 (+/-0.191) per cent. The present sample did not include cases with marked changes in the blood picture (50,000-600,000 leucocytes/cu. mm) which occur in only 5-10 per cent of leucotic animals. This fact, however, could not influence the conclusion that even when used in conjunction with other methods, the determination of spontaneous DNA synthesis in peripheral lymphocytes is not a useful tool for the detection of preclinical phases of bovine leucosis.

Optimization irradiation conditions for determination of LD50 in pigs.

Radiation LD50/30 values were determined in 36 twelve-week-old pigs (with a mean body weigth of 21 kg) exposed to whole-body X-ray irradiation on a revolvable table rotated at a rate of 2.5 rpm using the following conditions: 180 kV, 15 mA, focal distance 79 cm, HVT 0.9 mm Cu, dose rate 2.42 X 10(-3) to 2.68 X 10(-3) C kg-1 min-1 (9.4 to 10.4 R/min) depending upon the animal size. The coefficient of mean irradiation uniformity was 1.4. Under these conditions the LD50/30 for pigs was found to be 5.89 X 10(-2) C kg-1 min-1 (228.3 R) with the biological range of effectiveness being 5.22 X 10(-2) to 6.90 X 10-(2) C kg-1 (202.4 to 267.6 R). Furthermore experiments on 77 pigs showed that LD50 determined in this study had actually the median lethal effect.