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Biomedical subjects

I Ruikka

Publications and source records attributed to I Ruikka.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

Human pharmacokinetics of nitrazepam: effect of age and diseases.

Plasma concentrations of nitrazepam were measured by gas-liquid chromatography in: young healthy volunteers, in geriatric and psychiatric patients and in epileptic children. The disposition of nitrazepam was described in terms of a two-compartment open model. After a single oral dose of nitrazepam 5 mg the most prominent differences between the experimental groups were in the beta-phase half-life mean 29 h in the young volunteers and 40 h in geriatric patients , and in the apparent volume of distribution during the beta-phase of 2.4 vs 4.8 1/kg. Total plasma clearance and the average steady state concentration in both groups were equal. The plasma level rose at a rate proportional to the beta-phase half-life, and so, they were achieved more rapidly in the young than in the old subjects (3.5 vs 7.5 d). No change in steady-state level or in the half-life of nitrazepam were found during long term treatment, which indicates lack of enzyme induction or inhibition. In 95% of the epileptic children with a good to fair clinical response, the plasma concentration of nitrazepam was 40-180 ng/ml (mean 114 ng/ml). As all of the patients were on combined antiepileptic therapy, no attempt was made to correlate plasma level with therapeutic response.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Epilepsy as a sequel to cerebrovascular accident.

In 1973 345 patients were admitted to Turku City Hospital because of cerebrovascular accident, 21 of them having epilepsy as a sequel after an earlier stroke or developing epileptic seizures during an observation period of 4 years. In the same year 27 patients were admitted because of epilepsy, 11 of them showing onset of seizures after an earlier stroke. Thus 32 patients, or 9,0 per cent of 356 cases with CVD proved to have epilepsy. The incidence of epilepsy did not depend on the nature of the vascular lesion. In three quarters of the cases the onset occurred within two years after the initial stroke. Most patients had generalized seizures, quite a few only convulsions with focal origin or psychomotor attacks. EEGs showed features of epileptic nature in half of the cases, although mostly slight. The importance of diagnosing epilepsy after a cerebrovascular accident is emphasized because recurrences of seizures can be successfully prevented with anticonvulsant therapy. Deepening of the paralytic signs after seizure is often misdiagnosed as a relapse of the stroke itself.

Aged↗