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Biomedical subjects

S Hajj

Publications and source records attributed to S Hajj.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Formulation and antitumor activity evaluation of nanocrystalline suspensions of poorly soluble anticancer drugs.

PURPOSE: Determine if wet milling technology could be used to formulate water insoluble antitumor agents as stabilized nanocrystalline drug suspensions that retain biological effectiveness following intravenous injection. METHODS: The versatility of the approach is demonstrated by evaluation of four poorly water soluble chemotherapeutic agents that exhibit diverse chemistries and mechanisms of action. The compounds selected were: piposulfan (alkylating agent), etoposide (topoisomerase II inhibitor), camptothecin (topoisomerase I inhibitor) and paclitaxel (antimitotic agent). The agents were wet milled as a 2% w/v solids suspension containing 1% w/v surfactant stabilizer using a low energy ball mill. The size, physical stability and efficacy of the nanocrystalline suspensions were evaluated. RESULTS: The data show the feasibility of formulating poorly water soluble anticancer agents as physically stable aqueous nanocrystalline suspensions. The suspensions are physically stable and efficacious following intravenous injection. CONCLUSIONS: Wet milling technology is a feasible approach for formulating poorly water soluble chemotherapeutic agents that may offer a number of advantages over a more classical approach.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

TestPack Chlamydia for chlamydial detection in physicians' offices.

Chlamydia trachomatis is widely recognized as the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease. It is often asymptomatic and can lead to serious sequelae, including infertility and ectopic pregnancy. For this reason, testing of patients at risk is a necessary health care measure. This study compared TestPack Chlamydia to Chlamydiazyme for the direct detection of chlamydial antigen in endocervical specimens. One thousand three hundred seventy-six patients seen in 47 private practice offices of obstetrician-gynecologists and family practitioners were screened. TestPack Chlamydia, a 25-minute enzyme immunoassay, had a specificity of 98.6% and sensitivity of 90% when compared with Chlamydiazyme, a four-hour laboratory test. The overall prevalence of chlamydial infection in this population was 3.6%. The prevalence among patients less than or equal to 24 years of age was 7.6% higher among subgroups with symptoms and other identified risk factors. The positive predictive value of TestPack Chlamydia (83.7%) makes it an accurate assay for testing women at risk for chlamydial infections.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Intrathecal injection of morphine for obstetric analgesia.

Intrathecal injection of morphine was used to provide obstetric analgesia in 20 primiparous women in labor. When the cervix was at least 3 cm dilated, morphine, 1 or 2 mg, was injected intrathecally. In all parturients, labor pains were completely relieved after 15-60 min and analgesia lasted as long as eight to 11 hours. The analgesia was not associated with any alteration of pin-prick sensation or motor power, and there was no change in the arterial blood pressure or heart rate. All infants were delivered vaginally by use of episiotomy annd a low forceps, except two infants of mothers in the 2 mg of morphine group who needed cesarean section. During the second stage of labor, analgesia was supplemented by lidocaine, 2 per cent, using local perineal infiltration in 14 parturients and pudendal block in two parturients, and by epidural block in four parturients. Nineteen of the 20 newborns cried immediately at birth, and had Apgar scores o 7-9 at 1 min and 8-10 at 5 min. During the first 24 hours of life, the neurobehavioral responses of all newborns were scored as normal. Systemic maternal side effects such as somnolence, nausea, vomiting, and itching occurred in a high proportion of the parturients. However, in the majority of cases, these side effects were mild. Only two parturients of the 2 mg morphine group complained of marked somnolence, itching, and vomiting, which persisted post partum; these were effectively reversed by the specific antagonist naloxone. The analgesic effect of intrathecal morphine can be attributed to its action on the opiate receptors in the substantia gelatinosa of the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. However, supraspinal effects of morphine cannot be excluded. The low lipid solubility of morphine can explain its slow onset and prolonged duration of action. Also, this will result in minimal systemic absorption of morphine, which protects the fetus and results in selective maternal analgesia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Hyperthecosis syndrome. Clinical, endocrinologic and histologic findings.

Five patients were found to have hyperthecosis ovarii as evidenced by the presence of large lipid containing thecal cells in the ovarian stroma. The clinical picture was similar in all of them, featuring mild virilization, obesity and oligomenorrhea, with refractoriness to clomid therapy. Plasma FSH levels were low normal, while LH levels were slightly elevated. Urinary 17-ketosteroids levels were elevated, and plasma testosterone concentrations were upper normal. The response to dexamethasone suppression and HCG stimulation is discussed. The effect of wedge resection on the clinical and endocrinologic pictures is evaluated.

17-Ketosteroids↗