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Biomedical subjects

C W Havard

Publications and source records attributed to C W Havard.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Effect of piperazine oestrone sulphate on serum oestrogen and gonadotrophin levels in post-menopausal women.

Thirty-three post-menopausal women were treated with piperazine oestrone sulphate 1.5--3.0 mg daily on a cyclical basis for 3--6 months. Serum luteinising hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), oestrone and oestradiol were measured on two occassions prior to starting treatment, and several times during the course of therapy. Initial mean concentrations of oestrone and oestradiol of 59 and 14 pg/ml rose to 528 and 83 pg/ml, respectively, and this was associated with a dose-related suppression of LH (from 57.1 to 50.3 u/l) and more particularly FSH (from 25.8 to 16.5 u/l). There was a highly significant correlation between the decrease in FSH and the oestradiol concentration during treatment, but no correlation with oestrone.

Climacteric↗

Primary amenorrhoea: the ambiguous non-entity.

Hypothalamic-pituitary activity was investigated in 20 women with primary amenorrhoea, in whom gonadal dysgenesis and lower Müllerian duct anomalies had been excluded. There was no specific or uniform pattern of response to luteinising hormone-releasing hormone and no evidence of a common defect at pituitary-hypothalamic level to account for the absence of spontaneous menstruation. Six women had hyperprolactinaemia; of these five had radiological evidence of pituitary enlargement. The conventional distinction between "primary" and "secondary" amenorrhoea should be abandoned, and, in common with current practice for other endocrine glands, primary amenorrhoea should indicate an abnormality of the gonad itself and secondary amenorrhoea an abnormality that results from hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction.

Adolescent↗

Effect of piperazine oestrone sulphate on serum lipids and lipoproteins in menopausal women.

Twenty menopausal women and 2 women with gonadal dysgenesis were treated with piperazine oestrone sulphate 1.5-3 mg dialy on a cyclical basis for a period of 6 months. Fasting serum lipids and lipoprotein esterified fatty acid indices (EFI) were estimated before starting treatment and after 3 and 6 months. There were small falls in serum cholesterol (significant at 3 months) and beta-lipoprotein EFI (significant at 6 months). Serum triglyceride and pre-beta-lipoprotein EFI rose significantly at both 3 and 6 months. Serum total phospholipid levels were reduced (significant at 6 months) with most marked changes in the sphingomyelin fraction. Other parameters were not significantly altered.

Cholesterol↗

Intravenous labetalol in hypertensive patients treated with beta-adrenoreceptor-blocking drugs.

1 The effect of intravenous injections of labetalol at doses of 1 and 2 mg/kg was studied in 15 patients with severe hypertension inadequately controlled by beta-adrenoreceptor-blocking drugs. 2 At a dose of 1 mg/kg there was a slight but statistically insignificant reduction in blood pressure. When 2 mg/kg was given there was a prolonged (6 h) significant reduction in lying blood pressure. At both dose levels there was a small initial increase in pulse rate but forced peak flow was not affected. 3 Side-effects were limited to transient postural hypotension and a feeling of warmth. 4 It is concluded that intravenous labetalol at a dose of 2 mg/kg is safe and effective in rapidly reducing blood pressure in patients already receiving beta-adrenoreceptor-blocking drugs.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

Safeguards in the treatment of schizophrenia with propranolol.

Early results for an uncontrolled study of 555 patients with florid schizophrenia suggest that propranolol can be used safely in high dosage, and in a proportion of cases it appears to control schizophrenic symptoms. This method of treatment is now being submitted to controlled trial. Evdence from this uncontrolled study suggests that there was a therapeutic dose range in which symptoms steadily improved as a low dose was ineffective and a high dose, particularly if reached too rapidly, caused toxic effects. Rapid increases (400-800 mg) in the daily total intake when given in divided doses (4 to 10/day) produced gross toxic effects that included ataxia with unprotected falls, drop attacks, visual hallucinations, and confusional states. Severe toxic effects were uncommon when the dose was raised by regular, gradual increments (e.g. by 40-80 mg/day), when propranolol was given twice daily, when the dose was held steady as the patient started to improve, and when the daily total dose was reduced if the fall in pulse rate or blood pressure was excessive, or if there was evidence of toxicity. The observation of gradual, progressive improvement was the most valuable positive guide to the dose of propranolol. All schizophrenic symptoms remitted, at least temporarily, in 26 of 55 patients (in 15 of 17 patients who had been ill for less than one year and in 11 of 38 patients who had been ill for longer than a year). Patients who then stopped propranolol usually relapsed within hours or days.

Dose-Response Relationship, Drug↗

Use of clomiphene and luteinizing hormone/follicle stimulating hormone-releasing hormone in investigation of ovulatory failure.

A luteinizing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone-releasing hormone (LH/FSH-RH) test was performed in 70 women with amenorrhoea or anovulatory infertility, or both, and a clomiphene stimulation test was also performed in 24 of these patients. Most patients responded to LH/FSH-RH with significant increases in LH and FSH. In women with gonadal dysgenesis or premature ovarian failure exaggerated responses were observed after LH/FSH-RH and there was no change in high basal LH levels after clomiphene. Patients with absent or impaired responses to LH/FSH-RH failed to respond to clomiphene. All patients with anovulatory menstrual cycles responded to both LH/FSH-RH and clomiphene, while seven out of 13 amenorrhoeic patients with a normal LH/FSH-RH response showed an early LH rise during clomiphene treatment and six were unresponsive. These results suggest a difference between the two groups at hypothalamic level with consequent therapeutic implications.

Adolescent↗

Xipamid, a potent new diuretic.

The effects of xipamid and frusemide were comapred in 9 oedematous patients. Xipamid was found to be equipotent with frusemide in doses of 40 mg. and 80 mg., with respect to its effect on sodium and water excretion. The time course of action of xipamid was observed to be more prolonged than that of frusemide. It is concluded that xipamid is a potent and safe diuretic.

Adult↗

Propranolol in the control of schizophrenic symptoms.

All schizophrenic symptoms remitted completely in six out of 14 adults who had not responded to phenothiazine drugs and who were then given propranolol. Another patient improved markedly and four improved moderately. Two had minimal or transient improvement, and one left hospital unchanged after a short, severe, toxic reaction. The six with complete remissions all began to improve within a few days of starting propranolol and the florid symptoms remitted completely after three to 26 days. They were stabilized on a daily dose of 500-3,500 mg of propranolol and at the time of writing had remained well for up to six months. Two patients who stopped propranolol after their symptoms remitted relapsed severely within a few days. Toxic effects (ataxia, visual hallucinations, and confusional states) were related to the rate of increase rather than to the absolute dose of propranolol. After the procedure was modified unwanted effects were usually mild or absent.

Adult↗