Cerebellar top-of-the-basilar syndrome

In order to determine the fetal-maternal distribution of heroin and its main metabolites (6-monoacetylmorphine and morphine) the drug concentrations were measured in autopsy material. The heroin-related death of a pregnant drug abuser (approximately the 32nd week of gestation) provided the fetal and maternal material. Fetal and maternal hair was analyzed in order to obtain long-term information on the transplacental opiate transfer. Morphine and 6-monoacetylmorphine were detected in toxic concentrations in maternal as well as in fetal tissues and body fluids. The drug concentrations in the fetal blood were significantly lower than in the maternal blood. The ratio of fetal-to-maternal (F/M) blood morphine concentration was found to be 0.39, whereas the F/M ratio of 6-monoacetylmorphine in blood was 0.15. In fetal hair analysis, morphine, heroin, and, for the first time, 6-monoacetylmorphine were measured. The resulting F/M ratios were 0.49, 0.36, and 0.6, respectively.     

Maternal dietary protein deficiency decreases amino acid concentrations in fetal plasma and allantoic fluid of pigs

This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that maternal dietary protein deficiency decreases amino acid availability to the fetus, thereby contributing to retarded fetal growth. Primiparous gilts selected genetically for low or high plasma total cholesterol concentrations (low line and high line, respectively) were mated, and then fed 1.8 kg/d of isocaloric diets containing 13% or 0.5% crude protein. At d 40 or 60 of gestation, they were hysterectomized, and maternal and fetal blood samples as well as amniotic and allantoic fluids were obtained for analyses of amino acids, ammonia and urea. Dietary protein restriction decreased (P < 0.05) the following: 1) maternal plasma concentrations of urea at d 40 and 60 of gestation; 2) fetal plasma concentrations of alanine, arginine, branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), glutamine, glycine, lysine, ornithine, proline, taurine, threonine and urea at d 60 of gestation; 3) amniotic and allantoic fluid concentrations of urea at d 40 and 60 of gestation; and 4) allantoic fluid concentrations of alanine, arginine, BCAA, citrulline, cystine, glycine, histidine, methionine, proline, serine, taurine, threonine and tyrosine at d 40 of gestation, in gilts of both genetic lines. At d 60 of gestation, protein deficiency decreased (P < 0.05) allantoic fluid concentrations of arginine, cystine, glycine, taurine and tyrosine in low line gilts and of cystine, glutamine, ornithine, serine, taurine and tyrosine in high line gilts. Low line and high line gilts also differed remarkably in allantoic fluid concentrations of arginine, glutamine, ornithine and ammonia at d 40 and 60 of gestation. Our results suggest the following: 1) protein-deficient gilts maintain maternal plasma concentrations of amino acids by mobilizing maternal protein stores and decreasing oxidation of amino acids during the first half of gestation; 2) protein deficiency may impair placental transport of amino acids from the maternal to the fetal blood; and 3) low line and high line gilts differ in fetal amino acid metabolism. Decreases in concentrations of the essential and nonessential amino acids in the fetus may be a mechanism whereby maternal dietary protein restriction results in fetal growth retardation.     

Measurement of interleukin-1 alpha and interleukin-6 in pregnancy-associated tissues

The concentrations of interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) and IL-6 in pregnancy-associated tissues were investigated in term labour and delivery in the absence of labour (elective Caesarean section). Samples of amniotic fluid, placenta, fetal membranes, umbilical venous and, where possible, umbilical arterial blood were collected at delivery (37-41 weeks of gestation). Maternal blood was sampled during labour. Fluid and tissue extracts were assayed for IL-1 alpha and IL-6 by radioimmunoassay. Placenta and membranes were examined histologically for evidence of infection. Concentrations of IL-1 alpha and IL-6 in amniotic fluid and membrane extract, and IL-1 alpha in maternal and fetal blood, were raised after the onset of labour. Concentrations of both cytokines in the placenta remained unchanged. There was a good correlation between concentrations of both cytokines in amniotic fluid and membranes. There was also a significant correlation between concentrations of IL-1 alpha and IL-6 in amniotic fluid, placenta and membranes. It is suggested that the fetal membranes or maternal decidua, but not the placenta, internal fetal or maternal tissues, are the main sources of IL-1 alpha and IL-6 during labour.     

Short-term effects of inhaled albuterol on maternal and fetal circulations

Short-term circulatory effects with the maximum recommended dose of inhaled albuterol (Proventil) were studied on 12 asthmatic patients between 33 and 39 weeks' gestation. The mean maternal blood pressures and heart rates, systolic/diastolic ratios of the uterine arcuate and umbilical arteries, and fetal heart rates and aortic velocities were unaffected during the first 2 hours after dosing.     

The effect of dexamethasone administration at different stages of gestation on maternal plasma steroid concentrations in the baboon (Papio cynocephalus)

Dexamethasone administration at different stages of gestation in the baboon was studied for its effect on maternal steroid hormone concentrations. Dexamethasone (2 mg i.m. at 12 h intervals for three doses) was administered at early (days 37-39), mid (days 76-85) or late (days 112-123) gestation and morning blood samples were collected before, during and after dexamethasone suppression for 6 consecutive days. Dexamethasone treatment, at all stages of pregnancy, resulted in a significant decline in maternal serum cortisol concentrations, which rapidly return to normal concentrations after treatment. Progesterone concentrations were not affected by dexamethasone at any stage of gestation. Serum concentrations of oestradiol, testosterone and androstenedione were unchanged following dexamethasone administration in early pregnancy. A trend toward lower serum oestradiol was observed following dexamethasone administration in both mid and late gestation, but this was not significant. Both testosterone and androstenedione were significantly decreased following dexamethasone in both mid and late pregnancy and recovered to pretreatment concentrations within a few days after cessation of treatment. These results confirm other studies which demonstrate that adrenal precursors (maternal or fetal) are a major contributor to maternal serum concentrations of oestradiol. They also demonstrate that these adrenal precursors increase serum concentrations of testosterone and androstenedione in the pregnant baboon. Since these changes are only evident after that time (>40 days) when the fetal adrenal is steroidogenically competent, a role for fetal adrenal involvement in maternal serum androgen concentrations is suggested.     

The hemodynamic effects of maternal hypo- and hyperoxygenation in healthy term pregnancies

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the hemodynamic effects of maternal hypo- and hyperoxygenation in normal term pregnancy. METHODS: Ten healthy women between 35-41 weeks' gestation were exposed to 10% oxygen in inspired air for 10 minutes and, after a 5-minute recovery period, to a stepwise increase in oxygenation with 50 and 100% oxygen for 10 minutes. Maternal ventilation, hemodynamics, and oxygenation were assessed noninvasively, and maternal and fetal vascular responses were assessed with pulsed-wave color Doppler velocimetry. Computerized cardiotocography was used for fetal heart rate (FHR) analysis. RESULTS: Substantial maternal hypoxia was achieved and accompanied by a statistically significant rise in the maternal heart rate (from 89 +/- 11 to 104 +/- 16 beats per minute) and systolic blood pressure (from 123 +/- 13 to 131 +/- 13 mmHg). Doppler measurements demonstrated a statistically significant decline in the pulsatility index (PI) of the maternal internal carotid artery (from 1.8 +/- 0.3 to 1.5 +/- 0.4) and an increase in the uterine artery PI (from 0.60 +/- 0.12 to 0.72 +/- 0.13). Baseline FHR, heart rate variability, and Doppler velocimetry in the umbilical artery and the middle cerebral artery showed no statistically significant changes. Hyperoxia did not cause changes in the maternal circulation, but the FHR decreased significantly (from 142 +/- 12 to 133 +/- 11 beats per minute). CONCLUSION: Acute short-term hypoxia modifies the maternal circulation, suggesting redistribution of maternal blood flow, but exerts no detectable effects on the healthy fetus. Maternal hyperoxygenation induces no apparent adverse effects.     

Primary angiosarcoma of the breast

In order to study the effects of propylthiouracil (PTU) on the fetal thyroid and serum concentration, 9 women undergoing therapeutic abortion at the second trimester of pregnancy were given a single dose of 50, 100 and 150 mg PTU respectively. The concentrations of PTU in the maternal and fetal serum and those in the fetal thyroid tissues were determined with a high-performance liquid chromatographic method, the lowest limit of which was 25 micrograms/L. After an oral bolus of PTU, the PTU concentrations in the maternal serum reached a peak level after one hour and there was a wide individual variation of the peak value. The study showed PTU could be transferred through the placenta from the maternal blood to the fetal blood and highly accumulated in the fetal thyroid tissues. The fetal serum PTU concentrations correlated with those of their mothers at the same time (r = 0.7084, P < 0.02) and the concentrations in the fetal thyroid tissues could be evaluated by the maternal serum peak level after an oral bolus. PTU didn't inhibit the fetal thyroid peroxidase activity even when the maternal serum PTU concentration reached 4 mg/L, which is the lowest effective therapeutic concentration of PTU in adults.     

Barriers to effective psychiatric emergency services for elderly persons

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the etiology and outcome of fetal hydrops of nonimmune origin diagnosed in utero during the first half of pregnancy. METHODS: We reviewed 45 cases of nonimmune fetal hydrops presenting between 11 and 17 weeks' gestation over a 4-year period. RESULTS: The median gestational age at diagnosis of fetal hydrops was 14 weeks. Placental edema was most commonly associated with generalized skin edema. Ascites was also observed in four cases, but no case presented with pleural or pericardial effusion. The fetal karyotype was abnormal in 35 cases (77.8%). Of the ten fetuses with a normal karyotype, four were classified as idiopathic, three had isolated atrioventricular septal defect, two were associated with maternal infection, and one had multiple pterygium. Fetal heart rate anomalies were found in both chromosomally normal and abnormal fetuses. All but one of the karyotypically abnormal pregnancies and five of ten euploid pregnancies were terminated. In all six pregnancies that continued, resolution occurred before mid-gestation. Three continuing euploid pregnancies resulted in fetal death, and only two had a normal outcome. CONCLUSION: Nonimmune fetal hydrops diagnosed before 18 weeks' gestation is associated with a higher incidence of aneuploidy than hydrops diagnosed during the second half of pregnancy. In most affected fetuses with a normal karyotype, spontaneous resolution occurred before 24 weeks' gestation, although the outcome was generally unfavorable.     

Placental copper transport in rats: effects of elevated dietary zinc on fetal copper, iron and metallothionein

We hypothesized that the competition between zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) during fetal accretion of copper could be discriminated at either the dam-to-placenta or placenta-to-fetus stage. This premise was tested by feeding dams a high Zn diet (1000 mg/kg, HZn) during the second half of gestation. One day before delivery, dams were anesthetized, fetuses removed and both maternal and fetal tissues and plasma obtained and assayed. Other rats were fed a normal Zn concentration diet (32.4 mg/kg, ND) throughout pregnancy. There were significantly lower fetal liver Cu concentrations and greater plasma Fe concentrations, but not plasma Cu concentrations or liver Fe concentrations in the HZn group. Both dam and fetal Zn liver concentrations were greater in the HZn than in the ND group. Plasma Cu levels were lower in the HZn-fed than in the ND-fed dams. Placental tissue from the HZn litters had a greater concentration of Zn and Fe than did the ND group, whereas no effect was noted for Cu concentration. Metallothionein (MT) levels were elevated in dam livers and placenta in the HZn group, but there were no differences in fetal liver MT. The dynamic assessment of placental transport was conducted by injecting 2.5 mg/kg Cu acetate intravenously into dams of both groups. Sequential samplings of dam and fetal blood and placentas were taken from 0 to 60 min. After the Cu bolus, there was a consistently higher plasma Cu concentration in the HZn than in the ND dams, but no alteration in the concentration of Cu in the placenta or fetal plasma. This study indicates that placental Cu uptake is not affected by a high Zn diet in the dam. In addition, the greater Zn concentration in the placenta of HZn than in ND litters results in abnormal fetal Cu, Fe and Zn concentrations, suggesting that an imbalanced maternal mineral consumption is deleterious to normal divalent metal accretion.     

Doppler ultrasonography of canine maternal and fetal arteries during normal gestation

Two-dimensional ultrasonography was used in combination with colour-flow imaging and pulsed wave Doppler ultrasonography to study the maternal circulation and the development of fetal vascularization in six Beagles during normal gestation. For the first time, the development of the circulation was demonstrated in the bitch and her fetuses intra vitam. The bloodstream was examined in small uteroplacental arteries, the umbilical artery, the fetal aorta and the common carotid artery. The duration of the study was from week 3 after insemination until birth. Relatively large vessels were detected by cross-sectional ultrasonography, and small vessels were detected by colour-flow imaging. In pulsed wave Doppler ultrasonography, the blood flow was measured and described using the parameters of systolic peak velocity, diastolic peak velocity, end-diastolic velocity, pulsatility index, resistance index, A:B ratio (systolic peak velocity:end-diastolic velocity) and S:D parameter (systolic peak velocity:diastolic peak velocity). The development of the measured parameters is typical and similar to that in humans. The systolic peak velocity of the canine maternal uteroplacental arteries shows important differences in comparison with humans. The pulsatility index, resistance index and A:B ratio decrease in nearly all vessels. Only the fetal common carotid artery has constant pulsatility and resistance indices during gestation. For the first time, the quality and quantity of the normal blood flow have been monitored during the whole of gestation. A normal circulation is fundamental for supplying the fetus adequately with oxygen and nutrients and thus for physiological development. These ultrasonographic results are the basis for further clinical studies.     

Influence of lumbar peridural anaesthesia on fetal heart rate patterns in the second stage of labour (author's transl)

The influence of lumbar peridural anaesthesia (PA) on fetal heart rate patterns in the second stage of labour was studied in 218 vaginal deliveries without maternal and fetal risk. A CTG-Score as proposed by Hammacher was used to evaluate fetal heart rate patterns. No influence of PA on fetal heart rate in the second stage of labour was found with primiparae, whereas multiparae showed more normal patterns under PA than without PA. All patients were strictly kept in lateral position throughout the first and second stage of labour. The pushing-period in lateral position was limited to 30 minutes (pushing 3-times per 10 minutes).     

Maternal prepregnant weight and weight gain: relationship to placental microstructure and morphometric oxygen diffusion capacity

This study examines the effects of maternal prepregnant weight and gestational weight gain on the size, microstructure, and function of the human placenta. Standard gross, histologic, and histomorphometric techniques were used to examine placentas obtained from the deliveries of 77 poor, black 12- to 30-year-old subjects in relation to maternal prepregnant weight and the rate of maternal weight gain during gestation. The weight, volume, and fetal capillary surface area of the placenta increased significantly in relation to both maternal prepregnant weight and the rate of maternal weight gain during gestation. Prepregnant weight was a more important determinant of placental size and fetal capillary surface area than was the rate of maternal weight gain. The rate of maternal weight gain was a more important determinant of the density of fetal capillary tissues within the placenta and of placental resistance to oxygen diffusion than was prepregnant weight. Both maternal prepregnant weight and the rate of maternal weight gain during gestation relate positively to the size of the placenta, but they have different, potentially complementary effects on placental microstructure and function.     

Endocrine-metabolic response to acute starvation in human gestation

During a 72 hour fast in pregnant women, significant decrements in the maternal plasma glucose concentrations, accompanied by a significant increase in the plasma placental lactogen (hPL) concentration, occur. At the same time, utilization of glucogenic amino acids, principally alanine, takes place. The mean postprandial glucose concentration in pregnancy is significantly lower than that of comparable nonpregnant women (70.5 +/- 1.7 versus 79.5 +/- 1.3 mg. per 100 ml., p less than 0.001). There appears to be a significant sparing effect on the maternal plasma glucose concentration during acute fasting which may be mediated through hPL. Concentrations of amniotic fluid and fetal plasma glucose from women undergoing fasting decrease in a manner parallel to that of the mother. Fasting provokes a mean rise in plasma hPL of 33.2 per cent over basal levels. This rise is still evident 72 hours after refeeding, after which it gradually returns to pretest concentrations. The infusion of alanine or arginine to pregnant women at the end of the fast produced increments in the peripheral maternal glucose concentration. The response was much greater with alanine than with arginine, demonstrating the increased gluconeogenic potential of this amino acid. The increment in human growth hormone (hGH) following alanine infusion was significantly greater than that observed after arginine administration. Hypoaminoacidemia was present in nonpregnant and pregnant women in response to fasting, but the decline was greater in pregnancy. Acute fasting in the first half of gestation appears to produce significant alterations in carbohydrate metabolism evidenced by profound hypoglycemia, hypoinsulinemia, and hypoaminoacidemia. This maternal deficit can be reflected in fetal substrate concentrations. The effect of these changes on fetal growth and development is speculative at this time.     

Gut regulatory peptide levels in bovine fetuses and their dams between the 3rd and 9th months of gestation

Several gut regulatory peptides were measured by radioimmunoassay between 3 and 9 months of gestation in the plasma of 91 bovine fetuses and their dams, in fetal gastric content and in amniotic fluid. During gestation, plasma peptide concentrations did not change in cows. Likewise, fetal plasma concentrations of cholecystokinin, somatostatin, secretin and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide showed no variation while those of gastrin, pancreatic polypeptide and gastric inhibitory polypeptide increased during the last 6 months. Peptide levels in the fetus were higher than or equal to maternal concentrations. At 8-9 months of gestation, gastrin, CCK, secretin and somatostatin concentrations in amniotic fluid were lower than those measured in fetal gastric content and in maternal and fetal plasma. Therefore, a substantial endogenous endocrine production of regulatory peptides by the fetus probably exists as early as the third month of gestation, accompanied by a release into the lumen of the gut.     

Effect of thyrotropin-releasing hormone on secretion of thyrotropin, prolactin, thyroxine, and triiodothyronine in pregnant and fetal rhesus monkeys

The effect of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) on the pituitary-thyroid axis and on prolactin secretion was studied in pregnant Rhesus monkeys during the latter period of gestation and in non-pregnant female controls. The baseline plasma concentrations of TSH, T3, T4, and prolactin (PRL) of pregnant monkeys did not differ from those of non-pregnant monkeys. After administration of TRH, plasma prolactin rose to higher levels in pregnant monkeys than in non-pregnant monkeys whereas there was a similar response of plasma TSH, T4 and T3 in both groups. The baseline plasma TSH was elevated and plasma T3 was decreased in the fetus compared with the mother. Administration of TRH iv to the maternal monkey caused a larger response in the fetal plasma TSH than in that of the mother and was followed by larger increments in plasma T4 and T3 concentrations in the fetuses than in the mothers. The larger increments of plasma TSH and thyroid hormones in the fetus compared with the mother also occurred when TRH was given iv to the fetus. There was a significant rise of plasma prolactin in both mother and fetus after administration of TRH to mother or fetus; the increase of plasma PRL was much higher in the mother than in the fetus. The data show that TRH can cross the primate placenta in either the maternal to fetal or fetal to maternal direction. The fetal thyroid of the Rhesus monkey during the latter period of gestation can release both T4 and T3 in response to TSH.     

Progesterone levels in amniotic fluid and maternal plasma in prostaglandin F2alpha-induced midtrimester abortion

Progesterone concentrations in amniotic fluid and maternal plasma were determined in 11 midtrimester pregnant patients following the intraamniotic administration of prostaglandin F2alpha. Samples were obtained at 3-hour intervals until abortion or spontaneous rupture of membranes occurred or fetal heart tones disappeared. In amniotic fluid, the mean progesterone concentrations increased throughout the sampling period. The plasma progesterone levels declined by about one-third of basal values in the first 3 hours after prostaglandin administration. The paradoxic increase in amniotic fluid progesterone is probably secondary to alterations in uterine blood flow and intrauterine pressure.     

Changes in fetal plasma corticotropin-releasing hormone during androstenedione-induced labor in the rhesus monkey: lack of an effect on the fetal hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis

Androstenedione infusion to pregnant monkeys leads to premature labor and live delivery. Androstenedione-induced labor also increased placental CRH messenger RNA and peptide to concentrations observed at term in pregnant monkeys. Placental CRH may modulate fetal pituitary-adrenal function during pregnancy in primates. This study tested the hypothesis that androstenedione-induced premature delivery in pregnant monkeys results from androstenedione-induced increases in placental CRH, which stimulate premature activation of the fetal pituitary-adrenal axis. The hypothesis was tested by comparing fetal umbilical vein (FUV) plasma CRH, ACTH, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and cortisol concentrations at cesarean section in fetuses from mothers undergoing spontaneous, term labor (group I), with those in fetuses from mothers undergoing androstenedione-induced, premature labor (group II) and with those from mothers not in labor (group III). In addition, gestation-related changes in maternal plasma CRH concentrations were investigated, and CRH immunoactivity was characterized by Sephadex G50 chromatography in pooled maternal plasma extracts. FUV CRH concentrations were similarly elevated in group I and group II fetuses, compared with group III fetuses. Despite similar FUV blood gases in all fetuses, FUV ACTH and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate concentrations were higher in group I fetuses than in group II or group III fetuses. The majority of CRH immunoactivity coeluted with synthetic human CRH. Maternal plasma CRH concentrations showed a modest increase with gestation in the rhesus monkey. These data: 1) demonstrate that androstenedione treatment of pregnant monkeys at 0.8 of gestation elevates fetal plasma CRH to similar concentrations measured at term; 2) do not support the hypothesis that androstenedione-induced delivery in the monkey results from premature activation of the fetal pituitary-adrenal axis by placental CRH; but 3) do support a role for activation of the fetal hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis in association with spontaneous term labor in the monkey; and 4) demonstrate important interprimate species differences in maternal CRH physiology.     

Color Doppler ultrasound velocimetry of internal carotid arteries in normal pregnancies

BACKGROUND: There are few reports on maternal cerebral circulation during pregnancy. Using the hypothesis that cerebral blood flow resistance decreases progressively with advancing gestational age (GA) as a consequence of estrogenic effects on the vascular system during pregnancy, we calculated the pulsatility index (PI) and the mean velocity (MV) of the maternal right internal carotid artery (ICA) in order to build fitted reference centiles. METHODS: A total of 315 pregnant women with a single fetus were studied at 20-42 weeks' gestation. The patients had uncomplicated singleton pregnancies and were without any known fetal or maternal risk factors. Duplex color ultrasound with a pulsed Doppler scanner (7.5 MHz) was used to determine the PI and MV of the maternal ICA. RESULTS: Among the 315 healthy pregnant women, the PI of maternal ICA decreased progressively with advancing GA, PI50th = Exp (0.3124-0.0084 x GA), (p = 0.0003), during the second half of pregnancy. The predicted 50th percentile PI values of the ICA decreased from 1.117 (5th% = 0.755, 95th% = 1.654) at 24 weeks' gestation to 0.917 (5th% = 0.659, 95th% = 1.448) at 40 weeks' gestation. The MV of the maternal ICA also decreased progressively with advancing GA, MV50th = Exp (3.855-0.0093 x GA), (p = 0.0005), during the second half of pregnancy. The predicted 50th percentile MV values in the ICA decreased from 37.811 cm/sec (5th% = 24.177 cm/sec, 95th% = 59.138 cm/sec) at 24 weeks' gestation to 32.591 cm/sec (5th% = 20.818 cm/sec, 95th% = 51.021 cm/sec) at 40 weeks' gestation. CONCLUSIONS: Both the PI and MV of the maternal ICA decreased with GA during the second half of normal pregnancy as a result of intracerebral vessel dilatation.     

Effect of pulsatile oxytocin administration to the pregnant ewe in the last third of gestation on fetal ACTH and cortisol response to acute hypoxemia

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of increased myometrial contractility throughout the last third of pregnancy on the ovine fetal response to short-term hypoxemia. METHODS: Oxytocin (600 microU/kg/minute, n = 5) or saline (n = 7) was infused for 5 minutes every 20 minutes into the maternal jugular vein starting at 95-99 days of gestation and continuing throughout the last third of gestation. Fetuses were subjected to a hypoxemic challenge (1 hour) at 131 days of gestation while fetal plasma ACTH and cortisol levels and nuchal muscle electromyogram activity were monitored. RESULTS: The fetal plasma ACTH concentration before and during the hypoxemic challenge was similar in the control and oxytocin groups. The fetal plasma cortisol concentration in the oxytocin group was significantly lower before and during the hypoxemia than in the controls. During hypoxemia, fetal nuchal muscle activity was significantly reduced only in the control group. CONCLUSION: Increased myometrial contracture frequency throughout the last third of pregnancy alters both the neuroendocrine and behavioral responses of fetal sheep to short-term hypoxemia.     

Influence of cadmium on cartilage and bone formation induced by bone morphogenetic protein

OBJECTIVE: To explore the therapeutic mechanism of Salvia miltiorrhize, ligustrazine and Panax notoginseng in treating late hemorrhagic shock in rabbit. METHODS: Rabbit hemorrhagic shock models (MPA 5.3 kPa) were set up according to Wiggers' method and administrated Salvia miltiorrhiza, ligustrazine, Panax notoginseng. The values of blood RBC superoxide dismutase (SOD) and blood lactate (BL), plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and magnesium (Mg++) were continuously monitored before shock, 120 minutes after shock, 60 and 120 minutes after hydraulic dilatation. RESULTS: (1) In 120 minutes after shock, the level of SOD decreased and the concentrations of MDA, BL, Mg++ were markedly increased, which indicated that the cell membrane damage caused by oxygen free radicals in rabbit hemorrhagic shock. (2) Salvia miltiorrhiza, Ligustrazine or Panax notoginseng could alleviate lipidperoxidation injury to tissue. Compared with the single drug administration groups, the effects of oxygen free radicals scavangers by combined administration with half dose of 2 drugs were better than the single drug with full dose alone and the side effects such as depression of blood pressure and heart rates would be alleviated. CONCLUSION: Combined administration of Salvia miltiorrhiza, ligustrazine and Panax notoginseng would half the dosage, the blood pressure depression and heart rate reduction alleviated and better result obtained.