No abstract

Moxonidine is a new antihypertensive agent whose mechanism of action appears to involve specific stimulation of imidazoline receptors resulting in an inhibition of the activity of the central and peripheral sympathetic nervous system. The drug seems to behave neutrally with respect to plasma lipid parameters. However, there are no data on the effects of moxonidine on the lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL) subclass pattern or on the LDL oxidation susceptibility, both of which are known to play a prominent role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Thus, we undertook the present study to examine the influence of moxonidine on the LDL subspecies profile and their susceptibility to copper-induced oxidative modification in 20 hypertensive patients (11 men, 9 women) aged 38-61 years. Moxonidine administered at a dose of 0.4 mg daily for 8 weeks produced a signifi-

One hundred and twelve records of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were reviewed and four cases with unusual ocular manifestations are described. We found that anterior uveitis is not an uncommon manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus and physicians must be aware of it during the patient's evaluation, since it can be treated without serious visual loss. Optic neuritis is uncommon in systemic lupus erythematosus and visual loss may be permanent despite therapy.