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Biomedical subjects

J Brugmans

Publications and source records attributed to J Brugmans.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Levamisole in infectious diseases--a review of the literature.

Levamisole is toxic to a range of nematodes with gastrointestinal and systemic localization. Since nematodes are characterized by an immunologically determined pattern of predilections for hosts and tissues, pharmacological, biochemical, and immunological properties must be considered when the mechanism of action of levamisole is discussed. Levamisole causes a reversible stimulation of ganglia and neuromuscular inhibition of the depolarizing type, inhibits nematode-specific succinate dehydrogenase and increases delayed hypersensitivity reactions. The latter effect is mediated by immune cells and may explain why levamisole alleviates chronic and recurrent infections, particularly in patients with immunodeficiency syndromes.

Animals

Multinational evaluation of etomidate for anesthesia induction. Conclusions and consequences.

An overall analysis was made of 4763 case report forms from 45 anesthesiologists who used etomidate (Hypnomidate) routinely as an induction hypnotic in a total of 4127 surgical cases or compared it to thiopental in a series of controlled studies (325 on etomidate, 311 on thiopental). Premedication was standardized only in the controlled studies, and there were no restrictions on the use of anesthetic agents or techniques. Etomidate proved to be a safe and effective induction hypnotic. Sleep was deep and long enough to allow the normal induction and maintenance procedures. Blood pressure and heart rate remained remarkably stable in the 3 study groups. The incidence of respiratory depression was higher for thiopental; anesthesiologists' acceptance of etomidate was, however, reduced by the occurrence of venous pain during injection and of associated involuntary muscle movements. It is expected that these adverse effects will be largely eliminated by using the recently introduced new formulation of etomidate shortly after fentanyl.

Adolescent

Levamisole treatment of a child with severe aphthous stomatitis and neutropenia.

The treatment of a 12-year-old girl with a lifelone history of recurrent infections and aphthous stomatitis is reported. A profound neutropenis, first noted at the age of 2 years, occurring at least every month was observed together with multiple mouth ulcers a sore throat and swelling of the jugular glands. Levamisole, originally described as an anthelmintic, has a beneficial effect on the symptoms of recurrent aphthous stomatitis. After levamisole treatment aphthous stomatitis was milder and in the 1-year follow-up period the patient was asymptomatic several times during a phase of obvious neutrophil depression. The child no longer complained of a sore throat with swelling of the jugular glands and the recurrent staphylococcal infections of the skin disappeared. After therapy a marked increase in monocytes at the moment of neutropenia was observed.

Agranulocytosis