Determinations of ephedrine in mixtures of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine using diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy.

There are a number of situations where there is a need to determine the concentrations of components in solid-state mixtures without dissolving the sample. Diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) coupled with partial-least-squares (PLS) data analysis has been used to determine the minor component in a mixture of structurally similar solid-state compounds, in this case mixtures of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. Factors that limit the precision and accuracy of the determinations are discussed. It is shown that when care is taken to produce homogeneous calibration samples very good results can be obtained, in this case cross-validated standard error of predictions of 0.74 wt% when the minor component spanned the concentration range of 0-50 wt%, and 0.11 wt% when the minor component spanned the concentration range of 0-5 wt%. Results are presented that indicate that the amount of data available to the PLS calibration routine relative to the range over which the calibration is performed can limit the precision and accuracy of the determinations.

Le cancer de l'ovaire aux Cliniques universitaires de Kinshasa : profil anatomo-clinique et epidemiologique

Il s'agit d'une etude retrospective sur les cas de cancer ovarien histologiquement prouves; observes dans le Service de Gynecologie des Cliniques universitaires de Kinshasa sur une periode de 30 ans ( de janvier 64 a decembre 94). Il ressort de cette etude que: le cancer de l'ovaire est une tumeur frequente dans notre milieu; occupant la 2eme place (10 pour cent) apres le cancer du col uterin (71 pour cent). Les tumeurs epitheliales sont les types histologiques les plus frequemment rencontres (72 pour cent) et l'adenocarcinome ovarien est leur chef de file. Le cancer de l'ovaire s'observe a tout age avec une predilection pour les patientes agees de 20 a 39 ans; la frequence singuliere en dessous de 20 ans semble etre une particularite locale. L'approche therapeutique pose de serieuses difficultes par manque d'infrastructures adequates et de standardisation du traitement

Les lesions tubaires et peritoneales a la coelioscopie chez les femmes steriles aux Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa

Les 434 cas de coelioscopie diagnostique pour sterilite pratiquee aux Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa du 1er Aout 1988 au 31 juillet 1992 font l'objet d'une etude retrospective pour apprecier l'importance des differentes lesions tubo-peritoneales et leurs etiologies. Les obstructions tubaires distales sont deux fois et demi plus frequentes que les obstructions tubaires (OT) proximales; qui predominent chez les epouses des polygames. Les Obstructions tubaires distales et les adherences pelviennes sont plus frequentes chez les femmes avec antecedents de chirurgie gynecologique pelvienne. La frequence des cas d'endometriose pelvienne est de 6;4 pour cent. A part les maladies sexuellement transmissibles qui sont souvent evoquees comme cause; la chirurgie pelvienne semble etre egalement a la base de ces lesions

[Delivery of pregnant women in Zaire who have previously had cesareans. An analysis of 145 cases]. / Accouchement chez la gestante zaïroise antérieurement césarisée. Analyse de 145 cas.

A retrospective study was carried out to survey 145 women who gave birth who previously had caesarean operations, delivered in the Department of Gynecology and obstetrics of the University Clinic in Kinshasa between 1st January and 31st December 1981. The authors have analysed the obstetric outcome of these pregnant women. Their study gives rise to the following results: The incidence of women who had previously had caesarean operations was 2.4%. 92 women (63.4%) delivered normally and 53 (36.6%) had another Caesarean operation. Favourable factors leading to a normal delivery were previous vaginal delivery, particularly after a caesarean operation, and a vertex cephalic presentation. The growing number of Caesarean operations had led to many repeat operations. Long labour is one of the principal factors leading to ruptured uterus which did not seem to make the prognosis for the mother any worse. On the other hand fetal prognosis was saddled with an increased mortality rate (37.5%). Even this high figure is better than the prognosis in previous series: 50% in 1975 [24], and 46% in 1983 [26].

[Pregnancy termination using an intraamniotic injection of hypertonic saline solution (salting out): our experience]. / Interruption de la grossesse par injection intra-amniotique de solution saline hypertonique (selting out): notre experience.

PIP: Because of the psychological effects of cultural beliefs about death among Bantu peoples, women in Zaire who experience intrauterine deaths of their babies desire rapid expulsion of the fetus. From January 1980-December 1983, 60 intrauterine deaths occurred among 21,836 deliveries at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the University Clinics of Mont Amba in Kinshasa, Zaire. A retrospective study was conducted of the records of the 47 women in whom fetal death did not occur during delivery. Labor was induced by intraamniotic instillation of hypertonic saline solution in 19 cases in which labor did not spontaneously begin. Women with cardiac or renal problems, hypertension, severe anemia, or intrauterine hemorrhage were excluded. The pregnancy ages varied from 22 to 45 weeks at the moment of diagnosis and averaged 33 weeks. The time elapsed between the injection of the saline solution and the beginning of uterine contractions varied from 6-24 hours. The duration of labor varied from 9-24 hours and averaged 15 hours. Complications included 2 cases of complete and 1 of partial retention of the placenta, 2 cases of hemorrhage due to low serum fibrinogen levels, and 1 case of uterine rupture during labor. In the 2 cases of afibrinogenemia, the serum fibrinogen levels were under 250 mg/100. The sole indication for this procedure in this obstetrical service is fetal retention following death in utero in the last 2 trimesters of pregnancy. Prostaglandins are not routinely available as yet. Saline instillation under the circumstances has proven satisfactory even though sonography is not available for locating the placenta.^ieng

[Maternal mortality in obstetrics at the Mont-Amba University Clinics, Kinshasa]. / Mortalite maternelle en obstetrique aux Cliniques Universitaires du Mont Amba.Kinshasa.

PIP: All cases of maternal mortality occurring at the University Clinic of Mont Amba in Kinshasa, Zaire, between 1961 and 1980 were analyzed. 20 of the 60 records of maternal deaths were excluded from the study for technical reasons, but the maternal mortality rates were calculated on the basis of all deaths. The highest rate of 197.53/100,000 live births occurred in 1961. The lowest rate, 35.76/100,000 live births, occurred in 1976. The maternal mortality rate for the entire series was 68.58/100,000 live births. Of the 40 women included, 5 were under 20 years old, 11 were 20-29, 18 were 30-39, and 6 were 40-49 years old. 30 of the women were from lower and 10 from higher socioeconomic level backgrounds. 8 were nulliparas, 9 had had few births, 8 were multiparas, and 13 were grand multiparas. 1 death occurred during pregnancy, 4 during labor, 30 postpartum, 3 during a cesarean, and 2 during a laparotomy for uterine rupture. The cause of death was hemorrhage in 14 cases, infection in 6 cases, vascular accident in 6 cases, anesthetic accident in 4 cases, acute pulmonary edema in 3 cases, hepatitis in 1 case, and bronchial pneumonia in 1 case. 85% of the deaths appear to have been avoidable; only the 6 deaths from vascular accidents were judged unavoidable. The maternal mortality rate was probably lower than those registered in developing countries in general because it included only obstetrical deaths in a university teaching hospital. 7 of the deaths from hemorrhage were due to uterine rupture. 3 of the deaths from vascular accidents were due of thromboembolism, 2 to amniotic embolism, and 1 to pulmonary embolism. 12 of the women died after a cesarean.^ieng

[Obstetrical profile of early maternity in Kinshasa (Zaire)]. / Profil obstétrical de la maternité précoce à Kinshasa (Zaïre).

A prospective study was carried out on the circumstances in youthful pregnancy in 377 primapara aged less than 16 years of age in Kinshasa as compared with 805 mothers between 20 and 24 years of age. The incidence of such youthful pregnancy is 3% with a mean age of 14.67 years. The psycho-social circumstances are dominated by the unmarried state of the patient, the low level of schooling and the fact that the pregnancy was usually unwanted. The antenatal time was usually marked by insufficient supervision, but no special complications of pregnancy could be put down to youth. Delivery was usually normal. The Apgar of the newborns from these young mothers was usually lower than in the control group but most did well because the perinatal mortality was not statistically higher. The mean weight was lower than in the control group but higher than the classical definition of small-for-dates babies.