PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

E Autret

Publications and source records attributed to E Autret.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Perinatal pharmacology and cerebral blood flow.

Many of the drugs used in neonatal intensive care units might impede cerebral blood flow, thereby increasing the risk of intraventricular hemorrhage and periventricular leukomalacia. Our studies focussed on sick preterm neonates who were treated with the following drugs: caffeine (20 mg/kg i.v., as caffeine citrate); phenobarbital (loading dose: 20 mg/kg); indomethacin (0.2 mg/kg/dose, every 12 h three doses), and synthetic surfactant (Exosurf; 50 mg/kg = 5 ml/kg intratracheally). All of the drugs studied, except indomethacin, had no adverse effect on cerebral hemodynamics.

Arteries↗

Oxaflozane overdose in a child.

A case of severe poisoning in a 2 year-old child who ingested 150 mg of oxaflozane, a non-tricyclic antidepressant, is reported. After loss of consciousness, opisthotonos and coma, recovery was obtained with conservative treatment. Atropine-like symptoms were noted. The maximal plasma concentration of oxaflozane was 63 ng/mL. The elimination half-life for N-dealkyloxaflozane was 4.8 h.

Antidepressive Agents↗

Seizure with hyponatremia in a child prescribed desmopressin for nocturnal enuresis.

We report a case of hyponatremia associated with a grand mal seizure in a 28 month-old child after intra-nasal desmopressin administration for high fluid intake with nocturnal enuresis. In view of the temporary symptomatic action and the seriousness of certain side-effects of desmopressin we recommend that desmopressin be used with caution in childhood enuresis.

Administration, Intranasal↗

Oxidative polymorphism of dextromethorphan in a Burundi population.

The wide availability, metabolism by the same cytochrome P450 as debrisoquine and, above all, the inocuity of dextromethorphan (DMP) favour the frequent choice of this drug as the test substance in determining oxidation phenotypes. 100 healthy Burundian volunteers (94 m and 6 f) in this study ingested 50 mg DMP bromhydrate, i.e. 38.5 mg of DMP base. Urine was collected for 8 h following the dose and TLC was used to analyse it. The method was particularly useful in view of its low cost, speed and the ease of applying it to a large study group. 5% of the Burundian subjects were poor metabolizers.

Adult↗

Effects of phenobarbital on cerebral hemodynamics in preterm neonates.

The effect of phenobarbital on cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) was studied in 12 clinically stable preterm neonates to evaluate possible mechanisms underlying its protective effect on intracranial hemorrhage. Phenobarbital at loading doses of 20 mg/kg, or placebo (saline) were given intravenously. The study was a cross-over study, each infant successively received placebo, then phenobarbital. Simultaneous recording of heart rate, mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), blood gases were made before, at the end of the injection, and at 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min after the end of each administration of either placebo or phenobarbital. Compared with placebo, phenobarbital injection was not associated with significant changes in CBFV and MABP. Heart rate, blood gases did not change significantly. Our data suggest that the protective effect of phenobarbital may minimally be mediated by a direct effect on cerebral blood flow.

Birth Weight↗

Characteristics of medication errors in pediatrics.

A six-month prospective study was carried out by 16 poison control centers in France to assess the epidemiology of medication errors in pediatrics. In this study, 1108 medication errors were analyzed. Mean population age was 3.2 years (median 2 years, range 3 days-15 years), and 30 percent of the children were under 1 year of age. The most frequent error characteristics were family responsibility, 87 percent (a member of the patient's family most often committed the error in medication use); parental prescribing decision, 31.5 percent (medication administered to the child by the parents without medical consultation or the advice of a pharmacist); incorrect execution of the prescription by the parents, 30 percent (error in dispensing, route of administration, etc.); oral forms, 52 percent (errors occurred most frequently with oral as opposed to other forms); incorrect dosage, 31.5 percent; and drug error, 30 percent (the drug dispensed was not the one prescribed). Iatrogenic injury occurred in 186 patients (17 percent) and 161 were hospitalized (15 percent). The majority of these were for surveillance only. The clinical outcome caused by medication error was unfavorable in two cases. The types of drugs most frequently misused included morphinic cough suppressants (9.5 percent), salicylates (9.1 percent), and ear, nose, and throat drops (9 percent); 459 proprietary medicines were specified. Prevention of medication errors should involve certain main requirements: formulations and package instructions specific to pediatric patients to ensure appropriateness and accuracy, detailed information given to patients by physicians and pharmacists about their prescriptions, and more public information concerning the risks of remedies or medication administered to children by parents who do not seek medical advice.

Adolescent↗

The use of flumazenil in a neonate.

Side effects of benzodiazepines used during pregnancy are described in a neonate. Recurrent apnea was reversed after administration of flumazenil, a specific antagonist of benzodiazepines.

Apnea↗

Effects of prenatal exposure to diazepam on exploration behavior and learning retention in mice.

Diazepam (2 mg/kg, DZP) or placebo were administered by oral gavage throughout gestation in 40 mice. The automatic hole board test for mice (Boissier and Simon) was used to measure the locomotor activity and the number of holes explored by the offspring (mean age 30.6 days). During the first test, this number represents curiosity. Its progressive decrease when the test is repeated (4 times at 1-day intervals) is a consequence of learning retention. In the first test, neither curiosity nor activity were linked with the mother's treatment or sex. During the next tests, there was no difference in locomotor activity between DZP and placebo groups. However, the DZP exposed pups explored fewer holes than controls. Although there was a tendency towards greater activity in the female group, the number of holes explored in the placebo group was significantly higher in females than in males. Paradoxically, this difference in learning memory function which exists between control males and females was not observed in the DZP group, corresponding to an impaired learning retention.

Administration, Oral↗