No abstract

A physiological role for the prostaglandins in parturition whereby these substances cause the uterus to contract by enhancing the myometrial response to circulating endogenous oxytocin can at present be only an interesting hypothesis, but the recent development of accurate methods of measuring plasma oxytocin and prostaglandin during labour may allow it to be tested soon.Encouraging results have been obtained with the potentiation of the uterine response exhibited when oxytocin and prostaglandin F2ca or prostaglandin E2 are administered simultaneously. This technique enables the prostaglandin to be infused at one-fifth the usual abortifacient dose and virtually eliminates gastrointestinal side effects. The preliminary work suggests that the abortifacient efficiency of this combinaton is high, probably because the prostaglandin enables the oxytocin to exert its very specific stimulatory action on the myometrium in an efficient manner. A more detailed study of the use of the potentiation of oxytocin and prostaglandin effects to produce mid-trimester abortion is underway.

N-Acetyl-2,6-dimethyl-p-benzoquinone imine and N-acetyl-3,5-dimethyl-p-benzoquinone imine were prepared from 2,6-dimethylacetaminophen and 3,5-dimethylacetaminophen by oxidation with lead tetraacetate. Reaction of N-acetyl-2,6-dimethyl-p-benzoquinone imine with hydrochloric acid gave 3'-chloro-2',6'-dimethyl-4'-hydroxyacetanilide, whereas ethanethiol, aniline, and ethanol gave tetrahedral adducts resulting from addition to the imine carbon. Water gave 2,6-dimethyl-p-benzoquinone. With N-acetyl-3,5-dimethyl-p-benzoquinone imine, water and aniline gave substitution on the imine carbon, yielding 2,6-dimethyl-p-benzoquinone and 3,5-dimethyl-N-phenyl-p-benzoquinone imine, respectively. Ethanethiol gave 3'.5'-dimethyl-2'-(ethylthio)-4'-hydroxyacetanilide. The toxicity of 2,6-dimethylacetaminophen and 3,5-dimethylacetaminophen was examined histologically in mice and rats. 3,5-Dimethylacetaminophen was slightly more nephrotoxic but showed a similar hepatotoxicity to acetaminophen. 2,6-Dimethylacetaminophen, like N-methylacetaminophen, showed very little tissue damage.

No abstract

Despite an extensive cleanup program in the Port Pirie region, South Australia, the levels of lead (Pb) in blood of children have been found to exceed the "level of concern" (10 µg/dL). The ingestion of household dust is a major pathway for elevated blood lead by children in the community. Significant differences in levels of Pb in blood in children were observed in various localities around the smelter. In this study an in vitro test was assessed as one method for determining the bioavailability of Pb in household dust and for predicting levels of Pb in blood of children. The solubility of Pb in the dust decreased significantly as pH of the in vitro mixture increased. Correlation studies with average blood Pb levels of children in the corresponding area and in vitro measures of Pb bioavailability found that the best relationship was with total dust Pb (r 2 ) 0.92, **). A significant positive relationship was also found with Pb concentrations determined in the in vitro test at pH 3.0 (r 2 ) 0.82, **). This suggested that for these dust samples, which all had a similar environmental matrix, the use of the in vitro test was not a better indicator of blood Pb levels in children compared with a total Pb analysis.