The pharmacokinetics of cyanamide after 35 mg kg-1 intravenous and oral administration to fasted and unfasted rats have been investigated. The plasma level are fitted well by a two-compartment open model. The half-life (t 1/2 beta) of cyanamide in the rat was 1 hour and the plasma clearance (C1p) was 0.02 (1 kg-1) min-1. Food does not appear to modify the absolute bioavailability of cyanamide (F = 93.3 per cent fasted, F = 85.5 per cent unfasted), although it does retard drug absorption.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Prenatal detection of anencephaly.

Fetal anomalies were suspected clinically in 3 patients, during the second trimester of pregnancy, due to advanced maternal age, hydramnios and abnormal vaginal bleeding respectively. Sonography revealed anencephaly in all of them, confirmed by roentgenograms and also by high amniotic fluid leveal alpha-fetoprotein in 1 of them. The antenatal diagnosis was confirmed in the 3 abortuses. Early screening of all pregnancies at risk for neural tube malformations is strongly recommended.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[New cytogenetic prognostic markers in breast cancer].

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to identify chromosomal imbalances in a series of invasive ductal carcinomas. In order to characterize the prognostic value of the chromosomal aberrations, we determined the association between genetic changes, overall survival, recurrences and some well-known prognostic and diagnostic parameters. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We included in this study 70 ductal invasive carcinomas diagnosed at the Hospital of Navarra during 1991-1994. We used the Comparative Genomic Hybridization Technique (CGH) for the molecular cytogenetic analysis of formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded specimens. RESULTS: We obtained successful results in 57 out of 70 cases (81.4%). The most frequent recurring findings were DNA gains on 8q, 17q, 1q, 20q, 11q and 6q and losses on 16q, Xp, Xq, 13q, 11q and 8p. In the survival study, gains on 1q and 11q13 were more frequent in patients with recurrence (41.3% vs. 18.5% and 50% vs. 23.7%). Loss of 16q appears as a prognostic factor of good outcome because of its association with good pathological prognostic features: 100% of tumors with this aberration showed overexpression of Bcl-2, and 75% of them were node negative. Besides, 46.7% of the positive cases for the expression of estrogen receptors also showed this imbalance. CONCLUSIONS: The CGH is a useful technique for the study of paraffin embedded tumors. Our results confirm that the cytogenetic aberrations of tumors could be considered as prognostic factors contributing to a better knowledge of tumor outcome.

English Abstract↗

PubMedDate not supplied

De Lange syndrome. Clinical, dermatoglyphic and chromosomal findings in nine cases.

Nine cases of the de Lange syndrome are reviewed. Our findings show that the facial characteristics in the present series and in previously reported cases are remarkably similar. Dermatoglyphically, we have documented an increased incidence of tibial loops on the hallucal area and increased incidence of single flexion creases of the digits from this study series. Our study also supports the previous authors who have recorded an increased incidence in radial loops on the second and third digits and increased incidence of simian lines. We have not been able to document a consistent chromosomal defect.

Child, Preschool↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Changes in the monosynaptic reflex during wakefulness and sleep of children with cerebral paralysis].

Changes of the H reflex during sleep were studied in 13 children with cerebral palsy (8 with spastic tetraplegia, 2 with a mixed form of cerebral palsy without spasticity, 3 with hypotonic diplegia or tetraplegia). These modifications were compared with those of 5 normal children of the same age. During repeated night recordings, responses in the calf muscle elicited by electrical stimuli to the posterior tibial nerve were studied at the same time as the EEG, EOG and EMG of the mental muscles. The results show that:--in normal children the max H reflex progressively decreases in amplitude from wakefulness to REM sleep; -- in spastic patients there is only a slight decrease in the H reflex in NREM sleep and no significant change in REM sleep; the amplitude of the H reflex is always greater than that in the control group; -- in the dystonic and hypotonic group the results obtained are similar to those of the control group. From these results one may draw the conclusion that in spastic patients as opposed to the control, dystonic and hypotonic groups, normal balance between the function of supraspinal systems regulating the amplitude of the spinal reflexes is alterated probably through the scarce functionality of the supraspinal inhibitory structures.

Cerebral Palsy↗