PubMed · 3842344
The source did not provide an abstract. Follow the original record for more information.
Explore connections, maps & timelines
P Grob. 1985. General practitioners' office.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3842344/
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.
KEEP EXPLORING
A compilation of postmortem femoral blood concentrations of drugs is presented. The samples are collected from cases in which the cause of death was: A) certified intoxication by one substance alone, B) certified intoxication by more than one substance and/or alcohol, and C) certified other cause of death without incapacitation due to drugs. The concentrations were compared with blood concentrations detected in suspected drugged drivers (D), and with previously published fatal and therapeutic concentrations. The special features of this compilation are: 1) exclusively femoral blood concentrations are quoted, 2) all analyses are based on samples handled according to a standardized, quality-controlled procedure, 3) two control groups are included, and 4) one-substance-only intoxications are separated from other intoxications. The material is based on a selection of 15,800 samples sent to the Department of Forensic Chemistry in Linköping, Sweden, during 1992 to 1995 from the six forensic pathology units in Sweden, and the list includes 83 drugs. The compilation includes drugs, where previously published data are scarce. Furthermore, the data gathered from cases with other cause of death than intoxication (group C) constitute a new kind of reference information, which probably offers a better estimate of obviously non fatal levels in postmortem blood than any compilation of therapeutic concentrations in living subjects. The possible factors influencing postmortem drug concentrations are discussed.
Reactive thrombocytosis (RT, platelet counts > 400 x 10(3)/mm3) following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has previously been reported to occur frequently (20%) and is associated with thrombotic complications, e.g. vein graft occlusion. This prospective study was undertaken in an attempt to identify the underlying causes of RT following CABG. 40 consecutive patients undergoing elective CABG entered the study between December 1 1994 and April 15 1995. Patient characteristics, operation data, cardiopulmonary data and postoperative complications (30 parameters) were evaluated together with routine blood chemistry, hematology, hemostasis and anti-inflammatory parameters (25 parameters/ day, preoperatively until the 9th postoperative day). 15 patients developed RT and 25 served as controls. Patient characteristics did not differ. Operation data, cardiopulmonary bypass data and post-operative complications revealed no group differences, neither did preoperative laboratory results, except that S-cholesterol was higher in the RT-group (6.2 +/- 0.9 vs. 5.3 +/- 0.9, p < 0.018). All blood findings were without group differences throughout the entire study period, except platelet counts, platelet size (PWD) and mean platelet volume (MPV), and AT III levels on the 7th postoperative day, which were significantly lower in controls compared to RT. RT patients had a less marked drop in platelet count immediately after cardiopulmonary bypass than non-RT, together with an increased MPV, but without differences in PWD. There was a significantly higher platelet count in the RT group on the 3rd postoperative day, which remained higher throughout the study period. This study has again found RT frequently occurring after CABG (30%). Preoperative S-cholesterol was significantly higher in the RT group, while other parameters did not differ in RT vs. non-RT. It is therefore possible that RT is linked to a lipid dysfunction, and further studies are ongoing.
Maternal cocaine use during pregnancy is associated with adverse health effects for both the mother and the infant (e.g., intrauterine growth retardation, placental abruption, preterm delivery, congenital anomalies, and cerebral injury). Because cocaine use often occurs concurrently with use of other substances (e.g., cigarettes and alcohol) and because fear of prosecution may deter women from obtaining medical care, the occurrence of perinatal exposure to cocaine has not been well characterized. In Georgia, the routine collection of dried blood spots (DBSs) from a heelstick of newborns for screening for metabolic diseases enabled the Georgia Chapter of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR), and CDC to collaborate on a feasibility study of the use of residual DBSs for conducting low-cost population-based surveillance for perinatal cocaine exposure. This report presents the findings of the study, which indicate that, in 1994, at least 0.5% of infants in Georgia had had perinatal exposure to cocaine.