[Acamprosate--a novel treatment for alcoholism]. / Akamprosat--novoe lekarstvennoe sredstvo dlia lecheniia alkogolizma.

The properties of acamprosate (calcium acetylhomotaurate), a new remedy for the treatment of alcoholism, are reviewed. The efficacy of this drug has been verified by numerous clinical tests in West Europe. The pharmacological activity of acamprosate is related to the drug action upon central neuromediator systems. No side or addiction effects of the drug were reported. Data on the clinical and pharmacological characteristics of acamprosate are summarized.

[Functional state of glutamate receptors during treatment with ethanol]. / Funktsional'noe sostoianie retseptorov glutamata pri vozdeistviiakh étanolom.

A growing bulk of experimental data indicates that change of certain neurotransmitter receptors and voltage-dependent ion cannels are characteristic manifestations accompanying ethanol consumption. A likely target for ethanol effects is the glutamate receptors. Glutamate is one of major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian brain. While the acute application of ethanol inhibits glutamate-induced cationic currents, chronic treatment with ethanol leads to an up-regulation of glutamate receptors.

[Aminostigmine-a novel drug against home poisoning]. / Primenenie novogo lekarstvennogo sredstva aminostigmina v terapii bytovykh otravlenii.

Aminostigmin, a novel reversible inhibitor of cholinesterase developed in Russia, has been tried in management of poisoning with cholinolytyics, antihistamine drugs, tricycle antidepressants and derivatives of 1,4-benzodiazepine. The treatment of 144 patients with aminostigmin and 20 patients with galantamin showed close to similar efficacy of these drugs. The scheme of aminostigmin administration is proposed warranting fast relief of cholinolytic syndrome in subjects poisoned with cholinolytics, antihistamine drugs and antidepressants. Benzodiazepines poisoning was unresponsive to aminostigmin. Rare side effects were caused by overdose. Aminostigmin is an effective antidote in cholinolytic poisoning.

[Correction of the mental status during ketamine anesthesia]. / Korrektsiia psikhicheskogo sostoianiia v protsesse ketaminovoi anestezii.

Possibilities of pharmacological correction of the patient's mental state while performing Ketamin anesthesia were studied. The optimal results were obtained by the complex of Seduxen prior to and Pyracetam after anesthesia. It considerably reduced the frequency and degree of hallucinative--illusional disturbances and simultaneously markedly accelerated the restoration of the disturbed consciousness.

[Experience with the use of ketamine in psychiatric practice]. / Opyt primeneniia ketamina v psikhiatricheskoi praktike.

Twenty-nine schizophrenic patients showing therapeutic resistance to the conventional methods of treatment with psychotropic agents were subjected to the therapy with ketamine, a drug used as an anesthetic in surgery. The choice of the drug for treating mentally ill patients was determined by its capacity to bring about therapeutically expedient transient manifestations of drug-induced psychosis, therapy activating the central nervous system. Schizophrenics exhibiting manifestations of depressive inhibition and apathoabulic states benefited from ketamine treatment. The proposed method is technically simple and free of any side effects or complications.

[Experience with using atropine in comatose and non-comatose doses in psychiatric clinical practice]. / Opyt primeneniia atropina v komatoznykh i nekomatoznykh dozakh v psikhiatricheskoi praktike.

Treatment with atropine in comatose doses was given to 11 patients suffering from schizophrenia with obsessive disturbances. A favourable effect was noted when there were no hypochondriacal symptoms in the disease clinical picture. Twenty-two patients with neurotic states received atropine in non-comatose doses. Positive results were noted in patients with obsessions in the disease clinical picture, as well as in patients with reactive depressions. In patients with hypochondriacal disturbances, this form of the therapy appeared to be of no effect.