Drug and poison information - the Tygerberg experience

This report is based on an analysis of 6 411 consultations processed by the Tygerberg Phannacology and Toxicology Consultation Centre. Seventy-five per cent of the consultations were of a toxicological nature: 47% related to non-drug chemicals, 37% to drugs and 16% to plants and animals. Pesticides utilised in the home environment featured most pronrinently in the non-drug chemical group, while queries about paracetamol overdose topped the list in the drug group. The most frequent queries in the biological category concerned potentially poisonous plants. Twenty-five per cent of the consultations related to phannacotherapeutics.Most potentially toxic exposures to non-drug chemicals occurred in the household setting. Contrary to popular belief, few acute pesticide poisonings were encountered as a result of exposures during farnring activities. Another important finding was that there is a frustrating lack of reliable and readily available information in respect of potentially toxic ingredients contained in household and industrial preparations.The large nnmber of household exposures highlights the need for education in the safe storage and usage of non-drug chemicals. Legislation on the inclusion of basic toxicological information and warnings on labels of household and industrial non-drug chemical products should be considered. In addition, the Government should take responsibility for centralising information on all potentially toxic non-drug chemicals and make this information available to poison centres at all times. It is also imperative that more attention be given to the training of health care professionals in applied phannacokinetics and toxicology

Dynamics of tree diversity in undisturbed and logged subtropical rainforest in Australia

In subtropical rainforest in eastern Australia, changes in the diversity of trees were compared under natural conditions and eight silvicultural regimes over 35 years. In the treated plots basal area remaining after logging ranged from 12 to 58 m2 per ha. In three control plots richness differed little over this period. In the eight treated plots richness per plot generally declined after intervention and then gradually increased to greater than original diversity. After logging there was a reduction in richness per plot and an increase in species richness per stem in all but the lightest selective treatments. The change in species diversity was related to the intensity of the logging, however the time taken for species richness to return to pre-logging levels was similar in all silvicultural treatments and was not effected by the intensity of treatment. These results suggest that light selective logging in these forests mainly affects dominant species. The return to high diversity after only a short time under all silvicultural regimes suggests that sustainability and the manipulation of species composition for desired management outcomes is possible

Amygdala-dependent learning increases the number of spinophilin-immunoreactive dendritic spines in the lateral amygdala

During Pavlovian auditory fear conditioning a previously neutral auditory stimulus (CS) gains emotional significance through pairing with a noxious unconditioned stimulus (US). These associations are believed to be formed by way of plasticity at auditory input synapses on principal neurons in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA). One proposed form of cellular plasticity involves structural changes in the number and morphology of dendritic spines..

A randomised placebo-controlled trial of the efficacy of beta-sitosterol and its glucoside as adjuvants in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the adjuvant effect of betasitosterol and its glucoside in the treatment of culture proven pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). DESIGN: A blinded randomised placebo-controlled trial in culture proven drug sensitive PTB. Patients were hospitalised for the duration of treatment and evaluated at monthly intervals with regard to sputum culture positivity, chest radiography, weight gain, Mantoux test response, routine haematology and liver functions. STATISTICAL EVALUATION: General linear models for repeated measures (SAS GLM package) compared the interaction effects, group effects and time effects of findings in 19 patients receiving sitosterols with those in 18 patients receiving a placebo (talcum powder). Absolute values and change from baseline values were evaluated, although only the latter are reported. RESULTS: Weight gain was significantly greater in the sitosterol group (mean weight gain 8.9 kg) than the placebo group (mean gain 6.1 kg) (P = 0.0023 group effects; P = 0.0001 for time effects). Speed of achieving culture negativity, radiological improvement and induration on Mantoux testing was similar in the two groups. Change in lymphocyte counts from baseline was significantly higher in the sitosterol group (P = 0.0001 and P = 0.0001 for group and time effects) as was the increase in eosinophil counts (P = 0.0001 and P = 0.0137 for group and time effects). CONCLUSION: The study has shown significantly improved weight gain and higher lymphocyte and eosinophil counts in PTB patients receiving sitosterols in addition to an efficacious antituberculosis regimen. Sitosterols and their possible mode of action should now be evaluated in larger numbers of tuberculosis patients and in diseases with a similar immunopathogenesis.Articl