The lignite coal of North Dakota

Owing to the great abundance of coal, both anthracite and bituminous, in the United States, no state need suffer for the lack of it, but to those states like North Dakota, situated in the great plains region and at great distances from such coal supplies, the price of these coals makes them almost luxuries. In the last few years however, the development of the lignite coal within the state of North Dakota has shown an abundance of fuel for many years to come, which, though at one time considered A poor excuse for poor wood, now competes successfully with any coal from outside the state --page 1

Pharmacodynamic Evaluation of the Cardiovascular Effects after the Coadministration of Cocaine and Ethanol

One of the most common drug dependencies occurring with alcoholism is cocaine dependence. This combination is particularly worrisome because of the increased risk of cardiovascular events associated with their coabuse. Although it is well known that ethanol increases the cardiovascular effects of cocaine by inhibiting cocaine clearance and the formation of cocaethylene, it has also been postulated that ethanol enhances the cardiovascular effects of cocaine independent of the two latter mechanisms. In this study, we investigated the cardiovascular pharmacodynamics of the cocaine-ethanol interaction to determine whether ethanol directly enhanced the cardiovascular effects of cocaine. Dogs (n = 6) were administered cocaine alone (3 mg/kg i.v.) and in combination with ethanol (1 g/kg i.v.) on separate study days. Blood pressure, heart rate, and the electrocardiogram were monitored continuously, and blood samples were collected periodically after drug administration. Concentration-time data were fitted to a two-compartment model, and concentration-effect data were fitted to a simple Emax model using WinNonlin software. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters were compared between the two treatment phases by a paired t test. The administration of ethanol before cocaine resulted in a decrease in cocaine clearance, but there were no differences in any of the other pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic parameter values between the cocaine alone and cocaine plus ethanol phases. As has been demonstrated in previous animal and human studies, the clearance of cocaine was decreased by prior administration of ethanol. However, ethanol did not change the concentration-effect relationship of the cardiovascular response to cocaine administration. It is concluded from this study that ethanol does not directly enhance the cardiovascular effects of cocaine