E. de Bernardis

Amylin given by central or peripheral routes decreases gastric emptying and intestinal transit in the rat

The effect of rat amylin on gastric emptying and intestinal transit in the rat was examined. Amylin administered intracerebroventricularly (1, 2, 2.5 or 4 μg/rat) produced the maximal decrease in gastric emptying and intestinal transit at the dose of 2.5 μg/rat. Higher doses produced a lower effect. Peripheral administration (25, 50 or 100 μg/kg) produced dose-dependent effects. Pre-treatment with neostigmine blocked the effect of amylin when it was centrally injected, while the effect of amylin given peripherally was partially reduced. Pre-treatment with domperidone decreased the inhibitory effect of peripherally injected amylin, but no effect was observed when the peptide was centrally injected.

Protective effect of propionyl-l-carnitine against paf-induced rat paw oedema

Recent reports from our laboratory gave evidence showing that propionyl-L-carnitine (PLC), unlike L-carnitine (LC) and acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC), has anti-inflammatory activity in some models of vascular inflammation in rodents. The present paper shows that PLC (50 to 200 mg kg-1 i.p.) inhibits rat paw oedema induced by platelet activating factor (PAF), while LC and ALC, as well as indomethacin and phenylbutazone, are ineffective. The extent of the maximal inhibition produced by PLC at 200 mg kg-1 was comparable to that of betamethasone 0.05 mg kg-1 or sodium salicylate 100 mg kg-1. PLC inhibited also the early phase (1-2 h) of carrageenin-induced rat paw oedema, which is partly dependent on PAF release, but it was ineffective in the eicosanoid-dependent late phase (3-4 h) of the carrageenin oedema. We suggest that such anti-inflammatory activity of PLC may be due to various mechanisms converging on a stabilizing action upon biomembranes.

Protective effects of papaverine salicylate in mouse ear dermatitis and PAF-induced rat paw oedema

Papaverine salicylate (MR-800) has been tested as a topical antiinflammatory agent in several models of skin inflammation in rodents, such as mouse ear dermatitis induced by croton oil, cantharidin or zymosan, and rat paw oedema induced by PAF. MR-800 exerted a dose-dependent inhibitory activity in all assays, when equimolar doses of sodium salicylate or papaverine were less effective, suggesting the existence of a favourable synergism between salicylate and papaverine.

Lachrymal concentration of norfloxacin after a single ocular instillation in humans.

Lachrymal concentrations of the fluoroquinolone norfloxacin were studied in 30 subjects (aged 24-35 years) after a single ocular instillation (0.3% solution, 50 ul) in comparison with ofloxacin instilled at the same dose. Lachrymal levels were measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Lachrymal peak levels were comparable 5 min after instillation but norfloxacin appeared to have a longer elimination half-life than ofloxacin. The AUC (area under the curve) for norfloxacin was therefore higher than for ofloxacin (35.9 and 10.7 mg* min/ml, respectively). These data suggest that norfloxacin may have higher corneal retention than ofloxacin, so this antibiotic may be indicated in superficial infections dependent on fluoroquinolone-sensitive bacteria.

Membrane stabilizing effects of propionyl-l-carnitine:In vivo andin vitro evidences

Propionyl-l-carnitine (50–200 mg/kg i.p.) dose-dependently reduced the paw oedema induced by nystatin or FeCl2 in rats. At micromolar concentrations it significantly inhibited the enzyme release from rat liver lysosomes. The results support the view that membrane stabilization and prevention of cytotoxic enzyme leakage are primarily involved in the tissue protective effect of this compound.

Comparison of ambulatory and clinical blood pressures, and their correlation with organic heart damage, in the elderly

Casual blood pressure (BP) measurements may sometimes indicate the presence of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, but the correlations between BP values and the subsequent occurrence of such complications are low. This may depend on the known inability of casual BP measurements to reflect accurately the 24-hour mean and overall profile of the BP. In this study, electrocardiography (ECG) of left ventricular muscle mass was related to various measures of BP during circadian ambulatory BP monitoring in 156 hypertensive and non-hypertensive elderly patients. Multiple regression analysis performed to establish the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) revealed that the product of ambulatory systolic BP x diastolic BP (p = 0.027) and ambulatory diastolic BP were significant variables. Clinical pressure variables were not significant. Multiple linear regression analysis to establish the degree of LVH in function of the pressure variables generated a model where the variables included are the product of ambulatory systolic BP x diastolic BP (p = 2.7 x 10(-8)), ambulatory systolic BP (p = 7.8 x 10(-6)) and ambulatory diastolic BP (p = 2.4 x 10(-6)). Results obtained agree with the literature and revealed that LVH evaluated using ECG-Romhilt-Estes score was correlated in terms of presence/absence of organ damage and in terms of score to ambulatory monitoring values.